Meet the 2024 candidates for District 2 supervisor: Chris Parlier

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Ahead of the Nov. 5 general election, 17 News will profile candidates for federal, state and local offices.

We begin with the Kern District 2 Supervisor race to replace Zack Scrivner.

In this race, six candidates are battling to represent the county of about 177,300 residents.

17 News political reporter Jenny Huh spoke one-on-one with one of the candidates, former Bakersfield councilmember Chris Parlier.

The Kern County Board of Supervisors is a nonpartisan office.

Below is a recap of 17 News’ conversation with the candidate.

“My style is rubber meets the road,” said Kern District 2 Supervisor candidate Chris Parlier. “Being connected with my constituents, with staff… You really don’t get anything done unless you’re connected with those department heads.”

The two-term former councilmember said he was known as a city leader who was always accessible; and he’ll be no different as a county leader.

Following a health hiatus, Parlier is making a political comeback.

The 61-year-old resident of southwest Bakersfield said he never thought he’d get back into politics after leaving office in 2022 at the end of his term due to health reasons.

“Thank God over the last couple of years, I’ve drastically improved,” Parlier said, noting that since his brief departure, his family has grown larger with one new grandchild and two more on the way.

District 2 is geographically the largest in Kern, stretching east from Taft and Maricopa to portions of south and east Bakersfield and through the mountains of Tehachapi through most of the Kern Desert.

District 2 was added last-minute to the November ballot, when former supervisor Zack Scrivner resigned in August.

That left the seat vacant until 2026, when his four-year term would’ve expired.

So, the Board of Supervisors held a special meeting to add the seat to the November ballot The winner will hold the seat for a partial term until 2026.

“The day that [Scrivner’s resignation news] came about, I started getting pinged from different people saying, ‘Chris, if you’re able, I think it’d be a really good fit for you,'” Parlier recalled.

The candidate said for him, the final trigger was a surprising yes from his wife, whom he described as his top confidant.

Parlier was born in the Quad-Cities region of Iowa and Illinois and grew up in Chicago.

Then, he moved to California.

“I started in law enforcement when I was 18, in the United States Air Force,” Parlier said. “I went onto have a very successful career at the state of California retiring as a special agent in the California Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotics enforcement.”

Parlier said his biggest City Council wins were on public safety and law enforcement.

“The hiring of 100 police officers, bringing back the motor unit, the motorcycle unit from 0-20, really increasing public safety, pedestrian safety,” Parlier said.

He also stated his accomplishment in bringing the ShotSpotter program to town. ShotSpotter is a gunshot detection system that locates and alerts law enforcement officials in real time to potential incidents.

It’s an example of policy saving lives, Parlier noted.

17’s Jenny Huh: “The person you are trying to succeed was very tough on Sacramento and Governor Newsom when it came to those industries. Again, oil, gas, where do you stand on those topics?”

Chris Parlier: “[Here in California and Kern] you’re talking about the most environmentally sound practices of getting oil or I call it ground energies, out of the ground… looking at all sides of energy, whether that’s wind, solar or ground energies, I think it’s all important to Kern County.”

Parlier called himself an A-Z candidate, highlighting his open-mindedness. He pointed out solar projects are already going on in eastern Kern, though he’s not on board with a drastic, state-implemented transition to clean energy.

He also said there’s lots of misunderstanding when it comes to Kern’s oil practices.

Parlier also emphasized jobs, housing affordability and hyperlocal services — like a bank in Mojave — are top of mind of him as an aspiring county supervisor.

“If I had half as much success as I did on City Council, I think it’d still be a win,” the candidate said.

There are ongoing talks of Governor Gavin Newsom appointing someone to the District 2 seat until a November winner is elected. Top of his list — according to political experts and insiders in town — is Chris Parlier, known as the moderate Republican.

But Parlier said he still has not heard anything from the Governor.

Click here for the full interview with candidate Chris Parlier.

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