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Bakersfield City Councilman runs for 2nd District supervisor

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Vowing to bring fiscal responsibility to local government, Bakersfield City Councilman and Vice-Mayor Zack Scrivner announced his candidacy for the Kern County 2nd District Supervisor seat Oct. 5.

“I felt it was an opportunity to run for an office in a larger district and to serve more constituents,” Scrivner said.

Scrivern, 35, joins candidates Mary Beth Garrison and Steve Perez in the battle for 2nd District supervisor.

Chairman of Kern County Republican Party and District Director for California State Assembly Member Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield), Scrivner said there had been speculation that he would run for the California Assembly.

The time spent away from home as an Assemblyman would have been a problem, he said.

“We have a three-year-old and a three-month-old,” Scrivner said. “I would be in Sacramento all week. My wife and I talked about it. It's not a schedule that is conducive to a young family.

“My heart is in the local level.”

Scrivner's wife Christina is a native of Ridgecrest and Scrivner is from Bakersfield.

He said that as a supervisor he would focus on regional transportation projects, economic development, East Kern's military defense installations and the promotion of renewable energy technology.

In East Kern County, he said, “There are real opportunities for renewable energy. The wind and solar are virtually limitless, and the region can produce the materials that capture those energy sources.

“I see a focus on the manufacturing of components for renewable energy projects,” he said.

He said the military installations at Edwards Air Force Base and the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake as well the Mojave Spaceport are “crucial economic drivers that should be promoted, protected and enhanced.”

Scrivner earned a degree in English Literature from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

In addition to working for Fuller for three years, he served four years as a district representative for Congressman Kevin McCarthy during McCarthy's two terms in the State Assembly.

“I welcome him into the race,” said fellow candidate Mary Beth Garrison, Supervisor Don Maben's special projects coordinator for the 2,800-square-mile area.

“That's what makes this country great - people running for office, wanting to serve others,” Garrison said.

Candidate Perez, twice elected to the Board of Supervisors, cautions that the job is a big one.

“The number of departments the county supervisors are responsible for (shows) the enormity and importance of the position,” Perez said.