In a rematch between the two losing candidates in the 2020 race for District 4 in Barstow, Carmen Hernandez competed and prevailed this week against Martha O’Brien, with the prize this time being the District 1 council position.
Council terms in Barstow, as elsewhere, run for four years. Hernandez and O’Brien were able to run again in just two years because of the shift in district lines that came about with the redrafting of the city’s electoral map in 2021 following the 2020 census.
Councilman Tim Silva, who has been on the Barstow City Council for nearly 16 years, is the current District 1 representative. He opted out of running for reelection.
Hernandez was an incumbent council member in 2020. She was challenged at that time by O’Brien and Marilyn Dyer-Kruse. When the dust had cleared, Kruse came out on top, with 570 votes 37.25 percent. Hernandez was turned out of office, having come up a bit short with 549 or 35.88 percent. O’Brien trailed both, with 411 or 26.86 percent. Continue reading →