Review note: Seth Hewett's own campaign site (hewettwilldoit.com): Hewett, 26, is a Bakersfield Fire Department "City Hall Fellow" in Policy & Operations, holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from Westmont College and a Master of Public Administration from USC's Sol Price School, launched his campaign Jan. 5, 2026 at the Kern County Rescue Mission, and is Kern Kiwanis President-Elect; platform pages describe an AI-powered city-budget transparency portal, a revived citizen emergency-preparedness training program, and video public comment for Council meetings. may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia -- "City elections in Bakersfield, California (2026)": the full November 3, 2026 City Council candidate roster by ward -- Ward 1 (incumbent Eric Arias, Mercy Peña), Ward 3 (Cassie Bittle, Kathryn Halling, Seth Hewett, Juan Carlos "JC" Llamas, Pedro Naveiras; Johnny Olaguez listed separately as not making the ballot), Ward 4 (incumbent Bob Smith, Ryan Crowl), and Ward 7 (incumbent Manpreet Kaur, Angie Valdez) -- with an Aug. 7, 2026 filing deadline
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia -- "Bakersfield, California": its City Council table gives a "Date term ends" year for every sitting member -- Wards 1, 3, 4, and 7 all read 2026, Wards 2, 5, and 6 all read 2028 -- and its election-history section states that in 2014, three cycles (12 years) prior on the same staggered rotation, "Wards 1, 3, 4 and 7 were up for election"; also confirms Mayor Karen Goh's term runs through 2028 after a combined Mayor-and-Council election in November 2024, and that the Nov. 3, 2026 City Council filing deadline was Aug. 7, 2026
- bakersfield.com (opens in a new tab)The Bakersfield Californian -- "Local election filing closes, with six potential candidates for Ward 3" (Peter Segall, Aug. 7, 2026): confirms Wards 1, 3, 4, and 7 are up this cycle, that Ward 3's filing period was extended to Aug. 12 because incumbent Ken Weir was not running, and transcribes the full candidate roster "listed online by the Kern County Elections Division as of 5 p.m. Friday" for every Bakersfield ward race -- names City Clerk Julie Drimakis as the office confirming candidate status
- bakersfield.com (opens in a new tab)The Bakersfield Californian -- "City Council incumbents draw challengers ahead of Aug. 7 filing deadline" (July 31, 2026): earlier-stage filing status for all four Bakersfield ward races -- Ward 3 already the most competitive with four declared candidates and no certified incumbent bid; Ward 4 incumbent Bob Smith ("serving since 2012") facing challenger Ryan Crowl; Ward 1 incumbent Eric Arias facing Mercy Peña, a Greenfield Union School District trustee; Ward 7 incumbent Manpreet Kaur facing Angie Valdez
- en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- "Bakersfield City Council": a 7-member council elected from single-member wards to staggered 4-year terms, presided over by a directly elected Mayor; names the current roster by ward and party and the council's standing committees
- web.archive.org (opens in a new tab)Kern County Elections Division -- its own "November 3, 2026, General Election" landing page, confirming the election date and linking to (but not itself substituting for) the county's "Candidate List" and "Contest/Candidate Proof List" documents; fetched via an Internet Archive Wayback Machine snapshot from Aug. 28, 2026 after the live site's WAF returned HTTP 403 to every direct automated fetch, the same block already documented elsewhere in this dataset for Kern County's own Board of Education filing
- bakersfield.com (opens in a new tab)The Bakersfield Californian -- "Packed race for Ward 3 gives any candidate a chance" (Peter Segall, Aug. 12, 2026): reports Ward 3 has no run-off, so the plurality winner takes the seat; JC Llamas, a professional fighter, announced in February and was certified "last week"; Cassie Bittle, a local business owner, announced in June with an endorsement from Kern County Supervisor Jeff Flores; Kathryn Halling, a local business owner, is endorsed by Assemblymember Stan Ellis and McFarland Mayor Saul Ayon; Pedro Naveiras is a federal prosecutor and former Kern County deputy district attorney; Seth Hewett, a 26-year-old master's student, was still awaiting signature verification as of this piece; Regina Valasquez pulled but never returned nomination papers
- bakersfield.com (opens in a new tab)The Bakersfield Californian -- "Bittle announces run for Ward 3 Bakersfield City Council seat" (John Cox, June 24, 2026): Cassie Bittle is a Bakersfield Planning Commissioner and a graduate of Ridgeview High School who has lived downtown 14 years; her family owns KC Steakhouse; she joined the Downtown Business Association in 2018 and has collaborated with Flood Ministries; her platform names homelessness, jail beds and housing, and the city's General Plan update; endorsed at her announcement by Kern County Supervisor Jeff Flores and Downtown Business Association board member Cathy Butler
- hewettwilldoit.com (opens in a new tab)Seth Hewett's own campaign site (hewettwilldoit.com): Hewett, 26, is a Bakersfield Fire Department "City Hall Fellow" in Policy & Operations, holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from Westmont College and a Master of Public Administration from USC's Sol Price School, launched his campaign Jan. 5, 2026 at the Kern County Rescue Mission, and is Kern Kiwanis President-Elect; platform pages describe an AI-powered city-budget transparency portal, a revived citizen emergency-preparedness training program, and video public comment for Council meetings
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia -- Ken Weir: confirms he assumed office in 2006, his current (final) term ends in 2026, and that he "did not run for re-election to Bakersfield City Council Ward 3" this cycle after 20 years on the Council; separately confirms he lost a 2024 run for California State Assembly District 32
- vote411.org (opens in a new tab)League of Women Voters -- Vote411 voter guide, 'City of Bakersfield City Council Member, Ward 3' race (statewide All Races list): each candidate's self-submitted ballot designation and campaign contacts, plus answers to the League's questions -- top three priorities; qualifying background, experience and education. Answers on file from Kathryn Halling. Capture in data/nov-2026/sources/vote411/bakersfield-council-3.json.
Last updated October 6, 2026.
City of Bakersfield
Bakersfield City Council, Ward 3
This person would hold one of seven ward seats on Bakersfield's City Council. The Mayor is elected separately and directly. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Bakersfield is a Kern County city of about 403,000 residents. Terms are four years and staggered. Roughly half the seven wards are up every two years. Wards 1, 3, 4, and 7 are up this cycle. Wards 2, 5, and 6 were elected in 2024 and are not up. Mayor Karen Goh is not on this ballot. She was last elected in 2024, and her term runs through 2028. Bakersfield has no elected City Clerk or City Treasurer. Both are appointed positions.
This is an open, five-way race. 20-year incumbent Ken Weir is not running again. Five candidates are competing to replace him. They are Cassie Bittle, Kathryn Halling, Seth Hewett, JC Llamas, and Pedro Naveiras. The candidate with the most votes wins. There is no runoff.
This person would hold one of seven ward seats on Bakersfield's City Council, alongside a separately, directly elected Mayor. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use for this Kern County city of about 403,000 residents. The term is four years. Bakersfield has no separately elected City Clerk or City Treasurer; both are appointed positions.
This is the shard's only open seat among Bakersfield's four races up this cycle: incumbent Ken Weir announced in June 2026 he would not seek reelection after 20 years on the Council. Because of that, Ward 3's candidate-filing period was extended to Aug. 12, five days past the other three wards' deadline. A sixth potential candidate, Regina Velasquez, pulled nomination papers for this seat but never returned them -- she is a qualified candidate for a different office this cycle, Kern County Board of Education Trustee Area 3, a separate contest elsewhere on this ballot. A seventh name, Johnny Olaguez, is listed by Ballotpedia as a filer who did not make the ballot.
Cassie Bittle
Cassie Bittle is a Bakersfield Planning Commissioner and local business owner. Her family owns KC Steakhouse. Her platform centers on homelessness, jail beds and housing. She also names the city's upcoming General Plan update. She has lived downtown for 14 years. Kern County Supervisor Jeff Flores endorsed her.
Kathryn Halling
Kathryn Halling is a local business owner. Assemblymember Stan Ellis endorsed her. So did McFarland Mayor Saul Ayon. Her campaign website could not be reached. No platform detail from it could be confirmed.
Seth Hewett
Seth Hewett, 26, is a "City Hall Fellow" for the Bakersfield Fire Department. He works in Policy and Operations. He holds degrees from Westmont College. He also has a degree from USC's Sol Price School of Public Administration. His platform includes an AI-powered city budget transparency portal. He also backs video public comment for Council meetings.
Juan Carlos "JC" Llamas
Juan Carlos "JC" Llamas is a professional fighter. They announced their run in February 2026. They were certified as a candidate in early August. No further biographical detail was found.
Pedro Naveiras
Pedro Naveiras is a federal prosecutor. They were a Kern County deputy district attorney. No further biographical detail was found beyond their legal career.
Your pick
A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.