More than 100,000 Christians descend on Washington, D.C. for the national prayer, more Black Lives Matter protests in downtown Bakersfield and a Good Samaritan comes forward

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

 * ... BLM PROTESTS: Black Lives Matter protesters turned out both Friday and Saturday nights in

downtown Bakersfield, leading to a scuffle when a couple dozen pro-Trump protesters showed up in a caravan of cars and trucks. Bakersfield police said a fight broke out Friday night although no one was seriously injured. The protest Friday night was about half the size of the previous evening.

 * ... PRAYER MARCH: An estimated 100,000 people descended on Washington, D.C. Sunday for the 2020 Prayer March. The overflow crowd, representing Christians from across the nation, spilled over the National Mall for a day of prayer and hope. Among those from Bakersfield attending were Mission of Kern County director Carlos Baldovinos and his son, and Pastor Angelo Frazier of Riverlakes Community Church. Frazier contributed two of these photos and Monday he will be on The Richard Beene Show at 2:30 p.m. to talk about his experience there.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I spent more on weed last year than Trump paid in taxes."

 * ... GOOD SAMARITAN: The best read of the weekend was the story by Steven Mayer in The Bakersfield Californian about the good samaritan who replaced the broken neon restaurant sign at Casa Munoz Union Avenue at no cost. As Mayer reported, Jerad Webb confessed that he was behind the good deed along with his colleagues at California Neon Signs in Bakersfield, a company that also has worked on signage at the Pyrenees Cafe and the Fox Theater. Webb came upon the sign, took measurements and replaced it all without telling owner Joe Munoz what he was up to. Now that is good form. (picture courtesy of The Californian)

 * ... OIL TOWN: Spotted this on Facebook and surprised we have not seen one of these here.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check this out compliments of Art Moore and the Kern County History Fans Facebook page.

A swarm of earthquakes hit Ridgecrest and the high desert, Casa Munoz heads to Las Vegas, Rep. Kevin McCarthy makes some predictions and what is with all the nude homeless people around town?

Friday, July 5, 2019

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. Send news items to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... JULY FOURTH: The downtown July Fourth parade, now 31 years old, keeps growing in size

and popularity. Mayor Karen Goh kicked off the festivities at the corner of Elm and 22nd Street as several hundred people walked the streets of old downtown to celebrate the birth of our nation. Enjoy these random shots.

* ... EARTHQUAKE: So where were you when the 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck on July Fourth? I was at the Bakersfield Racquet Club, taking a rest between pickle ball games, and sat in awe as i watched the huge light poles sway back and forth like a palm tree. Seismologists say we should expect more aftershocks of equal or even greater strength. take a look at this map of the known faults in our area.

 * ... TERM LIMITS: Remember David Abassi, the marijuana proponent who has tangled with both the city and the Board of Supervisors?  He says he is out of the cannabis business now, but he is not done with politics. His next goal is to gather enough signatures to put a initiative on the local ballot to establish term limits for the Board of Supervisors. "This could wipe out the entire board," he told me. "Wipe the slate clean."

* ... KEVIN MCCARTHY: Who does House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy think may win the Democratic presidential nomination? When we spoke earlier this week on The Richard Beene Show, McCarthy said Bernie Sanders was the best positioned to use his vast organization and fund raising ability to win the nomination. Joe Biden will fade, he said, and at this point in time, he said Sanders seems most likely to win the nomination.

 * ... CASA MUNOZ: One of our city's most iconic Mexican restaurants is moving to Nevada, and you can blame the high cost of doing business in California. Pep Munoz, part of the family that ran not only Casa Munoz but also Mexicali and Sinaloa, told me it was the rising cost of doing business here that led to the decision to leave California. Munoz blamed new fees and taxes and a rising minimum wage for his reason to live. If the minimum wage rises to $15 an hour, Munoz predicted there would be a mass exodus of full service restaurants. Munoz' father, Joe, will likely stay in town and possibly operate a much smaller restaurant, possibly in Shafter. The new eatery will be located in Henderson outside of Las Vegas and may be named either Sinaloa or Casa Munoz.

 * ... MORE PEP: And where does Pep Munoz go when he is not eating at his own restaurant? I posed that question to him and here is his list: Pyrenees Cafe, Uricchio's Trattoria, Sorella's, K.C. Steakhouse and Happy Jack's.

* ... HOMELESS: Here's a post on Facebook that speaks to our homeless crisis. No comments are necessary.

 * ... MEMORIES: Some old pictures of a Bakersfield in another time. First we see a scene from the old Golden Crust  Bread facility and then a shot of the stately old Southern Hotel, 19th Street and  Chester, circa 1898-1905. Enjoy.