POLITICAL NOTEBOOK : Costa to Run in 16th District
State Election: State Assemblyman Jim Costa (D-Hanford) has announced that he will run in a special election to succeed state Sen. Don Rogers (R-Tehachapi).
Costa is the third major candidate to enter the race to serve two remaining years of Rogers’ term in the 16th Senate District, which covers portions of the Antelope Valley, Pasadena and Altadena.
The sprawling Senate district is centered in Kern County, but also covers parts of Kings and San Bernardino counties. Rogers won election to a different Senate district in November following a court-ordered reapportionment.
The other major announced candidates for Rogers’ old seat are former Assemblyman Phil Wyman of Tehachapi, a Republican, and Bakersfield City Councilman Kevin McDemott, also a Republican.
Bakersfield school board member Irma Carson, a Democrat, has talked about running but has not declared her candidacy. The election is expected to be in late April.
Costa, who has served in the Assembly since 1978, is a former chairman of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.
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