Bakersfield City Council Ward 1 · Nov 3, 2026

Eric Arias

Candidate for City Council Ward 1 (incumbent)

11 candidates · 4 seats9 sourced positions

Eric Arias, the incumbent, is running for Bakersfield City Council Ward 1 in the Nov 3, 2026 election, against Mercy Peña.

Vote-by-mail ballots begin mailing · Mon, Oct 5, 2026

Today

Ward 1 councilmember since 2020 and president and CEO of United Way of Central Eastern California, a regional nonprofit.

Occupation (from candidate statement): Bakersfield Councilmember, Ward 1
Endorsed by: Bakersfield Chamber PAC (BAKPAC), Bakersfield Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 246, Kern County Democratic Central Committee, Kern County Home Builders Association, SEIU Locals 521 and 2015, several building-trades unions, and Councilmembers Andrae Gonzales and Manpreet Kaur, as listed on his site Eric Arias campaign site
Campaign website: www.votearias.com

Where Eric Arias stands: positions on the record

Sewer rates2 sourced positions

Moved a motion to adopt the sewer rate plan and develop one-time aid for very low- and fixed-income households (failed 2-5, May 2026).
Council vote23ABC News (KERO) · May 27, 2026
Voted yes on the five-year sewer rate plan raising the annual rate to $475 in 2026-27, rising to $875 (passed 5-2, May 2026).
Council vote23ABC News (KERO) · May 27, 2026

Homelessness2 sourced positions

Voted yes on a $2.5 million allocation to The Open Door Network for its new shelter on Dolores Street (passed 5-1, Feb. 2026).
Council voteThe Bakersfield Californian · Feb 25, 2026
As reported by 23ABC News
Said homelessness in Bakersfield fell 2.3% in the last year and the city must do more.
“It's a figure of 2.3%. It's not a huge number. We have to do better. We have to do more.”
Own statement23ABC News (KERO) · Sep 25, 2026

City office buildings1 sourced position

Voted yes on a refundable deposit toward buying the former Bank of America building (passed 5-2, March 2026).
Council voteThe Bakersfield Californian · Mar 25, 2026

Energy1 sourced position

Voted no on a $9.2 million solar power and battery project at the city Water Resources building (failed 3-4, Aug. 2026).
Council voteThe Bakersfield Californian · Aug 5, 2026

Public safety1 sourced position

Voted to approve a 150-foot public safety radio tower at 1000 Buena Vista Road (denied 5-2, Aug. 2026).
Council voteThe Bakersfield Californian · Aug 5, 2026

Budget1 sourced position

Says Bakersfield can keep a balanced budget while investing in the community.
“We don't have to choose between a balanced budget and investing in our community, we can do both.”
Own statementEric Arias campaign site

Housing1 sourced position

As reported by 23ABC News
Says about 1,600 affordable housing units are coming online in the city.
“We have about 1600 units of housing that's going to be affordable coming online but it's taken years to get to that point”
Own statement23ABC News (KERO) · Sep 25, 2026

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