Governor signs bill allowing separate registrar; Kern supervisors begin transition work and 'receive and file' update

Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 858 on Oct. 2, 2025, enabling counties to establish a separately appointed registrar of voters. At the Oct. 21 Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting, county staff briefed the board on next steps to create a Department of Elections and appoint a registrar.

Timeline and staffing: County staff said Registrar Espinosa has stated she will remain in office through Dec. 31, 2026. A newly appointed registrar could assume the role after that term ends; staff said the earliest the new appointee would preside is Jan. 1, 2027. The county will prepare a department-head job description and salary range and will present those for board review in early 2026. Any new civil-service classifications will be submitted to the Civil Service Commission as required.

Operational steps: Staff described draft steps: (1) propose ordinances to create the department and make the registrar a department head, (2) amend county ordinances that currently assign election duties to the auditor-controller/county clerk, (3) complete civil service actions and classification steps, and (4) develop a recruitment plan for the registrar position.

Board action and outcome: The board received and filed the report on the transition process; staff will return with job descriptions, ordinances and a recruitment plan per the county timeline.

Why it matters: The change separates elections administration from the auditor-controller function and creates a standalone department and appointed department head, aligning Kern with the structure SB 858 allows counties to adopt.