A frank discussion of race and white privilege is planned for The Richard Beene Show this week, The Cat People hold a fund raiser and what in hell are all those fireworks going off in all hours about town?

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 person or organization.

 * ... OUR NATION: Protests and riots are erupting across our county as people take to the streets to protest systemic racism not only in police departments, but in society in general. Are we in for a

summer of protests and violence? Will all of this ever end? We will devote two days this week on The Richard Beene Show (daily from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM/1180 AM) to the topics of racism, white privilege and historic grievances rooted in our shared history. On Monday Pastor Angelo Frazier of Riverlakes Community Church joins us at 2:30 p.m. and on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Keith Wolaridge of the Panama Buena Vista School District and Michael Burroughs of CSUB's Kelley Institute of Ethics join the show.

 * ... THE CAT PEOPLE: Looking to help a good cause? The Cat People, one of our community's more active non profits engaged in reusing stray cats, is holding a fund raiser where a photo of your car will be mounted on a ceramic tile for $30.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "A 70-year-old man in Seattle survived the coronavirus, got applauded by staff when he left the hospital after 62 days -- and then got a $1.1 million, 181-page hospital bill."

* ... TRASH: We all know Kern County's reputation as a dumping ground, where some residents don't think twice about leaving a mattress, box spring and broken TVs next to the road. But few roads are more littered than Camino Grande Drive right off Fairfax and Alfred Harrell Highway, a stretch known to cyclists as the "old dump road" that leads to a cogeneration plant. Almost every day someone, too lazy to take a load to the Kern County Dump off Bena Road, unceremoniously leaves mountains of trash by the side of the road.

 * ... FIREWORKS: Are you one of the hundreds of residents who have heard fireworks going off during the past few weeks? People are speculating why: is it related to the Black Lives Matter protests? Early warning that July Fourth is coming? Just more random noise from the mischievous?

 * ... GRANITE STATION: My friend John Kelley posted these pictures, old and current, of Granite State just outside of Woody. Said Kelley: "Built it 1873 by John Elden, this stand of buildings served as store, restaurant, and lodging place on the stage route between Bakersfield and Glennville. In later years it became a stopping place for freighters and sheepmen who were on their trek to the Mojave Desert. Granite Station had one of the longest bars in California, the building it was in burned down several years past BIG loss."

 * ... MEMORIES: The old Highland Cafe back in 1920., thanks to Steven Humprhreys.

A medical expert warns we are "inviting disaster" by failing to practice social distancing, 24Fitness closes abruptly, LAX allow marijuana at the airport and a discussion on race at a local church

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 person or organization.

 * ... COVID WARNING: Coronavirus cases are on the rise and if we don't continue to practice social distancing we are "inviting disaster." That's the word from Dr. Brij Bhambi of Centric Health, who said wearing a mask in public should be seen as a "charitable act" that puts the health of others

before your own. For Kern County, Bhambi said a big problem is that a large percentage of our younger people have underlying health issues brought on by obesity, Diabetes and unhealthy lifestyles. That means the virus will spread more quickly in a population that should otherwise be healthy.

 * ... 24 HOUR FITNESS: If you are a member of 24 Hour Fitness, you need to look for another gym. The popular fitness club, long a fixture in Bakersfield, abruptly closed two Bakersfield locations after firing employees and contractors on an automated telephone call. That's right, employees were told to call into a meeting where an automated message informed them they were all laid off. (photo by Jolie Brouttier)

 * ... UNITY MEETING: Hats off to the coordinators of the Unity in the Community meeting at St. Peter's Church Thursday evening, an excellent start on the conversation about race in Kern County. Michael Bowers, vice president of Centric Health, helped coordinate the community meeting along with NaTesha Johnson, Kelly Gafford Gibbons and Traco Matthews. These are difficult conversations, but open meetings like this, where everyone has a seat at the table, are important to get the conversation going.

 
 * ... LET'S TALK RACE: Next week, on Tuesday, I will host another conversation about race and "white privilege" when Michael Burroughs and Keith Wolaridge join me on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM for an open ended discussion. Burroughs is the director of the Kegley Institute of Ethics at CSUB and Wolaridge is a trustee with the Panama Buena Vista School District. The conversation starts at 1:30 p.m. next Tuesday, June 16.

* ... POT AT LAX: Are you ready to travel with your medicinal marijuana? Up until now, it has been strictly forbidden to carry marijuana into a U.S. airport, or to store in in your luggage. But now Los Angeles International Airport, better known as LAX, has announced that it will permit travelers to bring small amounts of legal marijuana through security in their carry-on bags. LAX is honoring the 2016 law that allows people to possess small amounts of pot, and is allowing travelers over the age of 21 to enter the airport and pass through security with the permitted amounts of marijuana. "The Los Angeles Airport Police Department will allow passengers to travel through LAX with up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrated marijuana," reads a statement on LAX's official website, which was posted in September 2018.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: Masks hanging from the rearview mirror are the new fuzzy dice."

 * ... GOOD ADVICE: I spotted this bit of good advice on Facebook from my friend Louis Gill, head of the Bakersfield Homeless Center: "What was... is done.  Change is here. Lean into it and help make something better."

 * ... MEMORIES: Enjoy these classic pictures of Bakersfield courtesy of the Bakersfield of Old Facebook page.

Ward 1 attracts another potential candidate, a local protester dies and police speculate there is a police coverup, and Michael Burroughs examines the concept of 'white privilege'

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 person or organization.

 * ... WARD ONE: There's a lot of posturing and positioning for the soon-to-open Ward 1 council seat being vacated by the retiring Willie Rivera. Arlena Fink Waller, a developer with deep roots in the ward, is the latest to express an interest in the seat. She joined Michael Bowers, a vice president of marketing with Centric Health, to flirt with the idea of running. Both Waller and Bowers are African-American, but Ward 1 is increasingly becoming an Hispanic dominated ward and it remains to be seen who might else enter the race. Waller threw out the possibility of a run on her Facebook page and

even included a call for a show of hands of who might write checks to support her candidacy. Bowers has already picked up a lot of support, thanks to his background in politics, first as an aide to Congressman David Valadao and then to former state Sen. Andy Vidak. The City Council must first decide whether to appoint an interim council person or wait until November or hold a special election.

 * ... PROTESTER DIES: The protester who was hit and killed by a car last week has been identified as 55-year-old Robert Forbes. It was late at night, around 10:30 p.m., when police said a car came upon protesters marching in the street near the intersection of Oak and California, hitting Forbes who later died. The incident has blown up on social media, with some saying the driver deliberately hit Forbes with his lights off, and others describing him as a white supremacist. Police dispute that, saying his lights were on and that the driver did hot appear to be speeding Nonetheless, some want to make this a racial issue, saying the driver (who is white) may get off hitting and killing a black man because of his privilege and race. The driver has yet to be identified.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I’m not shy, I’m just really good at figuring out who’s worth talking to."

* ... WHITE PRIVILEGE: Michael Burroughs, head of the Kegley Institute of Ethics at CSUB, penned an opinion piece for The Californian Sunday addressing the concept of white privilege. It's a worthwhile read on a subject that needs to be mastered. Said Burroughs: "I am a white man, and, thus, in this society, I am a privileged man. On a daily basis I take for granted privileges of personal safety, of respect, of not needing to justify the value of my life to others. There are very few, if any, harmful stereotypes that lead to my being pre-judged in social interactions or encounters with authority figures. I have never been in fear for my life due to the color of my skin and others’ reactions based on my race. I have the privilege to ignore my skin color, to forget my race. If I choose, I can remain unaware of racism as a pressing problem because it does not come for me each day; it does not seek me out, daily, in my life, work and relationships."

 * ... 7 TEACUPS: I had not heard of the "7 teacups" on the Kern River until I spotted this remarkable picture on Facebook. Apparently this is actually Dry Meadow creek where it empties into the Kern River a few miles from the Johnsondale bridge.

 * ... MEMORIES: My thanks to fellow history buff John Kelley for posting these old pictures of the 76 station on the Grapevine as well as a coffee shop. Enjoy.

We open the airways to talk about race in America, Jacquie Sullivan decides not to seek another term on the City Council, and Uricchio's Trattoria and Pyrenees Cafe get ready to reopen for table service

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 person or organization.

 * ... RACE AND KERN COUNTY:  Michael Bowers remembers being questioned by police as a young man. Keith Wolaridge is seized by utter fear when he spots he is being followed by a police

car. Leticia Perez looks at birth rates, demographics and civic engagement and reminds us that Kern County's future will look far different than its past. And Sheriff Donny Youngblood pulls no punches in condemning the officers involved in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. These are just a smattering of the comments made over two days when I hosted these four people for a conversation on race on The Richard Beene Show (KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM). Check out these links to my conversations with Bowers and Wolaridge, and with Perez and Youngblood.

 * ... JACQUIE SULLIVAN: Jacquie Sullivan will not be seeking reelection, ending a long 25 career on the Bakersfield City Council. She becomes the second council person to say they won't seek a new term, joining Ward 1's Willie Rivera who made a similar announcement last week. It's been a while since two open seats appeared on the ballot, and it could dramatically alter the coalitions on the council. Meanwhile, fellow Councilman Bruce Freeman said he would seek another term.

 * ... STEVE TEGLIA: Breaking news here from Lois Henry, chief executive officer of SJVWATER.ORG, a non profit devoting to covering California Water issues: Steve Teglia, a long time Assistant City Manager of the City of Bakersfield, has formally taken over the reins of the Kern Delta Water District. He was appointed to the position to replace retiring Mark Mulkay on May 16 and officially took over on Monday, June 1. “This is a great move for Kern Delta and we expect Mr. Teglia to lead this district into the future,” Mulkay wrote in an email Tuesday. “I hope that the water community will accept Mr. Teglia and treat him with the patience and professionalism in which I have been for the past 27 years.” Mulkay will continue working for Kern Delta as its Water Resources Manager, according to the email.

 * ... PYRENEES: The iconic Pyrenees Cafe in old town Kern will be reopening this weekend, and you can bet its legions of fans will make it a "standing room only" event. Pyrenees owners Rod and Julie Crawford said they spent the past month doing improvements and making sure the restaurant meets health and safety guidelines.

 * ... URICCHIO'S TRATTORIA: Meanwhile, Uricchio's Trattoria will return to in-house dining next Tuesday, according to owner Claire Porter. Claire told me the dining room will hold a "soft opening" this weekend  to see how it goes in dining rooms with fewer tables and no seats at the bar. The new hours will have Uricchio's closed Sunday and Monday.

 * ... PROTESTS IN PICTURES: With my compliments to all the folks around town who captured these images, a sampling of the protests around town this past weekend.

 * ... MEMORIES: Pictures of wrecks on the old Grapevine connecting Bakersfield with Los Angeles in the years before Interstate 5 was built.