Kern County supervisors choose Philip Peters as 2026 chair in unanimous vote

The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Jan. 5 to make Supervisor Philip Peters the board chair for 2026, the board said during its short reorganizational meeting at the Kern County Administrative Center in Bakersfield.

The board removed item No. 2 from the consent calendar so it could be considered separately and then took up the annual reorganization. A motion to appoint Philip Peters as incoming chair was made, seconded and approved with "all ayes," the presiding official announced.

The reorganization is an annual rotation the board holds before the first Tuesday of the year. The presiding official described the item as a routine transition and said the practice is "where we make our transition to our new board, and we say goodbye to our outgoing chair." Board members offered personal congratulations to Peters after the vote, with one colleague praising his command of issues and "authentic good faith concern for Kern County." Another thanked the outgoing chair for leadership during 2025.

Charles Shin, who identified himself as a "retired marine, concerned citizen," spoke during the public presentations portion and thanked the board for its work in 2025 and said he looked forward to a "productive 2026 with our new chairman, Philip Peters." Lisa Pollard also offered praise for "Leticia" during public comment.

The board adjourned the meeting and announced it will reconvene for its regular session on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 9 a.m.

No additional formal actions or votes on ordinances, resolutions or contracts were recorded during the Jan. 5 session.