Most people who die during the pandemic have serious underlying conditions, the District Attorney expresses no confidence in a local judge and "Back the Blue" protesters hit Highway 101 on the Central Coast

 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.

 * ... COVID DEATHS: We have good news and bad news when it comes to the coronavirus. First, it's probably good news that 94 percent of patents who died from the virus also had underlying health conditions. But the bad news? Well, according to local health experts, many of those underlying

conditions - diabetes, obesity, auto-immune conditions - are prevalent among adults in Kern County. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only 6 percent of deaths listed COVID-19 as the only cause of death, meaning the rest died from other health conditions.

  * ... CYNTHIA ZIMMER: In a rare move, our District Attorney's office has denounced a local Superior Court judge as biased and said it lacks confidence in the judge's ability to handle future criminal cases. District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer  said she will try to avoid having criminal cases heard by Judge Michael E. Dellostritto after he struck firearms enhancements when sentencing a man who shot and wounded another man in east Bakersfield. "If ever there was a case that warrants the imposition of a life sentence for unlawfully injecting firearms into crimes and increasing violence and suffering cause by doing so, this is it." I will discuss the case when I interview Zimmer Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM/1180.

 * ... STREET RACING: The crackdown on street racing in town - long overdue - is finally reaping some results. Over the weekend police arrested seven people and cited 80 others in a second consecutive weekend of street racing enforcement. Between 9 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday, Bakersfield police cracked down on street racing, leading to 33 vehicles being impounded and dozens of citations.

Anyone with information regarding street racing or reckless driving is encouraged to contact the Bakersfield Police Department at 327-7111. 

 * ... BACK THE BLUE: If you were on the Central Coast this weekend you may have spotted a pro-police rally staged on an overpass on Highway 101. Protesters gathered at the overpass and hung U.S. flags and "Back the Blue" signs while they were cheered on by passing cars honking their horns.

 * ... TEJON PASS: Check out these contrasting picture of the Tejon Pass over the years, and remember this the next time you drive to Los Angeles.

The exodus of people and businesses from California continues, street racing becomes a public nuisance and some historic photos of the crash that claimed the life of actor James Dean

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 reflect the views of any other individual, organization or company. 

 * ... GOODBYE, CALIFORNIA: The exodus from California by people and business continues wth no end in sight, sign of growing discontent over a spendthrift government fond of higher taxes and heavier regulations. According to the Dallas Business Journal, some 660 companies moved 765

facilities out of California in the past two years, and yes the Dallas-Fort Worth has been the beneficiary of many of the relocations.  "The departures from the Golden State between January 2018 and now involve corporate headquarters, manufacturing facilities, data centers, research hubs, software and engineering centers and a few warehouses, according to business relocation expert Joe Vranich, president of Spectrum Location Services." California companies large, midsize and small are shifting their regional or corporate headquarters to North Texas because of the DFW area’s generally lower taxes, more affordable housing, lower expenses, central location, access to an international airport and other factors.

 * ... STREET RACING: How bad is street racing in our town? Pretty bad, and even more widespread than I ever imagined if you read Bob Price's "Sound Off" column in The Californian this weekend. The latest tragic incident happened on Ming Avenue near Old River road, taking the life of a 58-year-old woman and injuring two children, when street racers plowed into her vehicle. Ming Avenue has long been plagued by street racing, but readers indicated it was going on across town. Other favorite sites for racing: the stretch between Stine Road and Ashe Road on Ming; the Westside Parkway; Oswell Street and Panama Lane.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Your relationship can overcome any obstacles as long as you have separate bathrooms."

 * ... RIP PHIL WYMAN: Former conservative assemblyman Phil Wyman has died at the age of 74. Wyman was a beloved arch conservative, supporting legislation to require patent notification of teenage abortions, all the while backing the claims of some religious conservatives that satanic messages could be heard by playing rock music backward. He was beloved by many but that sentiment that has largely been overtaken by demographics that are making Kern County more Democratic and politically progressive. Wyman was a rancher and a camp operator.

 * ... NEW PUBLISHER: Cliff Chandler has been named publisher of The Bakersfield Californian after serving as its general manager for six months. Chandler is the first publisher since the Fritts-Moorhouse family sold the newspaper to Sound News Media last July.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out these old photos of the day James Dean crashed on Highway 46.

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And finally, feast on this wonderful old photo I spotted on Facebook with this caption: "Eagle Creek Gusher No. 1, Fellows, California. Image taken 1909-1910. Well strikes like this one were exciting and dangerous moments for the workers. The roar of the oil shooting out of the ground was deafening and the potential for fire was great. Shown here is the gusher in full force. To give you the size of the derrick, I placed a red dot under a man walking next to it."