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News Observer Bakersfield
Volume 47 Number 6
Serving Kern County for Over 47 Years
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
LAKERS are KING(s) of Pro Basketball
By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer It was one of the most unusual basketball seasons ever as the Los Angeles Lakers took down the Miami Heat 10693 to claim the 2019-2020 NBA title. This is said to be the toughest in the history of the game. A few days into 2020 the team lost Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash. Bryant had meant so much to the team and to fans everywhere. Not long after that COVID-19 flared up and sent the entire sports world packing. Sports fans sat for weeks and were happy when it was announced it would be a league restart. Once the NBA returned, games were played in this thing called “The Bubble.” In front of no fans LeBron James stepped up and led his team to the best regular season record in the Western Conference and a 4-2 finals series win against a stubborn Heat team. In the clinching game 6 King James had a triple-double with 28 points, 14 boards, and 10 assist. He claimed his fourth finals MVP award to go with his 4th NBA title. He is only one of six players to win back to back finals MVP’s. “I told Jeanie when I came here I was going to put the franchise back in the position where it belongs,” said James. “We just want our respect, Coach Vogel wants his respect, the organization wants their respect, Laker Nation wants their respect. I want my damn respect too.” In James’s first year in L.A. he went down with his first career major injury (groin) half-way through the 2018-19 season. The team didn’t make the post season. James is the leader in playoff games played, with this is his 10th NBA finals including nine in arrow when he played in the Eastern Conference. He and teammate Anthony Davis are the first duo in NBA to average more than 25 points a game awhile shooting over 50 percent in the playoffs. That goes with 10 rebounds and 4 assist for AD. The Lakers have won their 17th NBA title tying them with the Boston Celtics for most all-time. It the first since 2010. Rajon Rondo made his presence known during the finals where he averaged 9 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assist in the 16 playoff games. The crafty veteran changed game tempo several times getting his teammates involved. He had a record 105 assist coming off the bench. “To be able to come back and redeem myself and play a big part of this Championship in a hell of a feeling,” said Rondo. “It’s something I will remember for the rest of my life.” Rondo helped the Celtics win their 17 title in 2008 and the Lakers win their 17th in 2020. He and Clyde Lovellett are the only two players to win a title with both teams. His mind set was great and he put his teammates right there with him. They came out intense on the defensive side and held the Heat to 36 first half points. Jimmy Butler was a pain in the Lakers side carrying the Heat averaging 30 points, 10 assist, and 9 rebounds for the first five games. In game six it was clamp downtime as the Heat star appeared to be fatigue after playing 47 minutes in game five. He only mustarded up 12 points going 5 for 10 from the field in game six. “It was attention to detail,” said Rondo. “Defensively it was all five guys we talked about it in a meeting everyone was focused on the little things. Coaches game plan was right on point.” This was the longest season in league history. It began in October 2019 and ended in October 2020 some 356 days.
The Los Angeles Lakers pose for a team photo with the trophy after winning the 2020 NBA Championship over the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals on October 11, 2020. (Photo: Douglas P. DeFelice)
1 Dead, 1 Arrested in Knife Attack at California Restaurant
LODI, Calif. (AP) – A man was fatally stabbed by an acquaintance at a Black Bear Diner in central California and the suspected killer was arrested after being disarmed by another customer in the restaurant, police said. Witnesses told investigators the victim and suspect, later identified as Robert Andrino, 34, got into an argument while having a meal together at the restaurant in Lodi Friday evening, police said. As the dispute escalated into a fight, Andrino pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim several times, police said. A customer intervened and grabbed the knife from Andrino, but not before suffering a cut to his hand. The victim suffered several stab wounds and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Andrino was taken to the San Joaquin County jail where he was booked for investigation of murder. Police said his relationship to the victim and the motive for the knife attack were under investigation.
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) – A man suspected of tying a noose to a tree branch in Berkeley’s marina has been arrested and charged with a misdemeanor hate crime, police said. A person who works at the marina saw the man, later identified as Jaime Robledo-Espino, 32, tying a noose with some rope Thursday morning, the East Bay Times reported Saturday. When the employee confronted Robledo-Espino about the noose, he fastened it to a tree branch and fled the area, police said. The employee took a picture of the suspect and provided to officers. He was arrested a short time later and booked for a misdemeanor terrorizing charge, which is considered a hate crime. According to state law, anyone who hangs a noose, knowing it to be a symbol representing a threat to life, on a public park, among other locations, can face this charge. Robledo-Espino was being held at Santa Rita Jail while awaiting his court arraignment on Monday.
Los Angeles School Removes Name of Eugenics Backer The Los Angeles Lakers celebrate with the trophy after winning the 2020 NBA Championship Final over the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals on October 11, 2020. (Photo: Douglas P. DeFelice)
Your Cheat Sheet for 12 Propositions to Know About
Quinci LeGardye California Black Media 2020 is a big election year. With all eyes on the presidential race, Californians can’t afford to lose sight of our state and local elections. These decisions need the same amount of consideration being given to the big race. They are the ones with the most -- and the most immediate -- effects on you and your family’s safety, quality of life and finances. This year, California as a whole is reckoning with some big changes. The 12 qualified propositions on the ballot cover many issues, including tax codes, voting rights, workers’ rights and affirmative action. The results of these ballot measures will affect every life in California in some shape or form, and it’s important that voters understand them and make informed decisions on how to vote. Prop 14 - Authorizes Bonds Continuing Stem Cell Research. Initiative Statute. Prop 14 considers bonds for stem-cell and other medical research. If passed, the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine will issue $5.5 billion in state bonds to fund stem cell and other medical research, with $1.5 billion going to research and therapy for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, epilepsy and other brain and central nervous system diseases. Money would come from the state General Fund. Proponents of Prop 14 argue that the funding will help accelerate development of treatment and cures for many diseases, including cancer and infectious diseases like COVID-19.
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Noose Found in Berkeley Park Leads to Hate Crime Charge
Election 2020: (Part 1 of 3 Part Series)
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Opponents of the measure say that the state can’t afford the debt from borrowing the $5.5 billion, which would reach $8 billion with interest added. They also point out that the majority of the money from the first stem-cell research measure, Proposition 71 from 2004, went to infrastructure, education, and training, producing few medical breakthroughs. Prop 15 - Increases Funding for Public Schools, Community Colleges, and Local Government Services by Changing Tax Assessment of Commercial and Industrial Property. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. Prop 15 ask voters to weigh in on the biggest change to the state’s property tax code in four decades, since 1978’s Proposition 13. Prop 13 placed a 1 % cap on the amount of tax that can be charged on commercial properties in the state. If passed, commercial and industrial property will be taxed based on current market value instead of the purchase price. It would replace the current rule, where property taxes can’t rise more than two percent unless there’s new construction or ownership, with tax reassessments of commercial and industrial properties at least every three years. The new tax revenue this generates, an estimated $6.5 to 11.5 billion, will fund K-12 public schools, community colleges and local governments. The measure would exempt residential properties and owners of commercial properties with a combined value of $3 million or less, and exempt small businesses from personal property tax. Proponents of Prop 15 argue that the initiative would
close corporate tax loopholes and force wealthy corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. They also argue that money is needed for schools and local communities struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Opponents of Prop 15 argue that wealthy corporations and landlords will probably pass the buck to tenants and small businesses, and that any tax raise would ultimately raise the cost of living in the state. Prop 16 - Allows Diversity as a Factor in Public Employment, Education, and Contracting Decisions. Legislative Constitutional Amendment. Prop 16, if passed, would remove California’s ban on affirmative action, which was put in place with Prop 209 in 1996. Repealing the ban on affirmative action would allow state agencies and institutions, including colleges and universities, to consider race, ethnicity and gender for employment, admissions and contracting decisions. Proponents of Prop 16 argue that it would create targeted opportunities for Black and Latino communities and help to correct centuries of economic exclusion and institutional racism. They also argue that the measure is a way to address the racial wealth gap in California, a state where White Californians make up 60% of high earners though they’re only 37% of the state population. Opponents of Prop 16 argue that the change would make race more important than merit in college admissions and employment processes, a form of reverse discrimination.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Los Angeles school board has renamed David Starr Jordan High School to simply Jordan High School to remove its association with its namesake promoter of eugenics but retain an identity defined by students who include famous athletes and jazz musicians. The vote this week followed a push by school and community leaders who told the board the school’s legacy has been formed by the success of its alumni, the Los Angeles Times reported. David Starr Jordan was the founding president of Stanford University and an advocate of the racist eugenics movement. Stanford’s president and trustees this week approved removal of his name from campus spaces, among other measures. The high school opened in LA’s Watts area in 1923 and by the 1940s its student body was largely Black. It is now 82% Latino and 17% Black. Its alumni included Olympians Hayes Sanders, Kevin Young and Florence Griffith Joyner, musicians Charles Mingus Jr., Chico Hamilton and Buddy Collette, and Nobel Prize-winning chemist Glenn Seaborg. “Generations of community members have proudly graced our halls,” said Principal Lucia Cerda, who told the Board of Education that the name Jordan meant something to those who wanted to support “the Jordan they know and love.” Alumni had discussed a name change for several years. But until recently, “nobody ever really mentioned David Starr. It was always just Jordan High School,” said Michael Cummings, a 1981 graduate who is now pastor of We Care Outreach Ministry. He thought the name should “stay Jordan High for the memories, for the good times and people who went there for the education.” Last summer, the school held a virtual town hall to take submissions for a new name and a committee agreed on five options that were voted on by students, staff and alumni. The name Jordan High School received 58% of the 590 votes. Michelle Obama High School was second with 13%. Jordan, a naturalist and ichthyologist, was president of Stanford from 1891 to 1913 and died in 1931. Removal of his name from campus spaces and making efforts to more fully explain his history were recommended by a campus committee, according to Stanford News Service. “Because of David Starr Jordan’s prominence in the promotion of eugenics and significant involvement in the American eugenics movement during his tenure as the first president of Stanford University, we believe that continuing to honor him in locations where community members work or study will undermine Stanford’s values,” the committee report said.