Bakersfield Ward 3 candidate Seth Hewett pitches AI budget portal
Hewett, 26, says he wants an AI website so residents can search city spending and council votes ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Bakersfield Ward 3 candidate Seth Hewett pitches AI budget portal
Key Takeaways
- Seth Hewett, 26, is running for Ward 3 and proposes an AI budget transparency portal.
- The portal would let residents search city spending and see how the council votes.
- Five candidates are in the race for Ward 3.
- The field includes Kathryn Halling, Juan Carlos Llamas, Cassie Bittle and Pedro Naveiras.
- The last day to drop off ballots is Nov. 3, 2026.
Seth Hewett is 26. In a TV interview this week, the Ward 3 candidate said he wants Bakersfield to show its receipts, and soon. His plan centers on an AI-powered budget website that would let residents search city spending and track council votes, a change Ward 3 voters will weigh on Nov. 3.
"I want people to be able to ask their city questions 24/7," Hewett said. He ties the idea to building confidence in how Bakersfield handles tax dollars.
A blue recycling bin sat by the clerk's counter.
What the portal would do
Hewett describes a public-facing site that pulls from the city's budget and checkbook data, then answers plain-English searches about how money moves and how members vote. He says the goal is to make it usable even for residents who don't follow budgets or read staff reports. And he says the point is access.
He also links the pitch to public safety, arguing that clearer spending data can help people decide whether the city is funding what they care about most.
Who else is in the race
Hewett is one of five candidates for Ward 3. The others are Kathryn Halling, Juan Carlos Llamas, Cassie Bittle and Pedro Naveiras. Across interviews, the group stresses three themes: transparency in fiscal spending, homelessness and public safety. Voters in central Bakersfield will sort through similar promises, different approaches.
When to vote
Residents have a little more than a month to decide. Mail ballots will go out before Election Day, and the last day to drop off ballots is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Ward 3 covers parts of downtown and nearby neighborhoods, where turnout can swing hard on late ballots.
Hewett calls himself a sixth-generation Bakersfield resident and is trying to pull in first-time voters. As he put it, he wants young people "to actually see their city as something that they can participate in."
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