Tensions flare at City Hall South
Bakersfield police officers arrest several people amid pro-Palestinian protests, heightened security measures
Several pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested Wednesday in the lobby of Bakersfield City Hall South following a confrontation between police and activists calling for a local cease-fire resolution.
Tensions erupted in the lobby after police forcibly removed protesters from inside council chambers. Pushing and shoving ensued, culminating in a clash that saw some activists pulled back inside and slammed to the floor, further inflaming the screaming crowd and leading to a kind of tug of war that ended up shattering a glass door.
The conflict was the most physical of recent council meetings derailed by consecutive protests calling for adoption of a local cease-fire resolution in the Israel-Hamas war. Each time, protesters, following their public comments, have chanted in unison, prompting Mayor Karen Goh to order the council chambers cleared.
The skirmish, perhaps the most tense unrest in Bakersfield since the George Floyd protests of 2020, followed the introduction Wednesday of heightened security measures and the arrest of one protester minutes before the meeting.
“First of all, I’d like to thank all of you guys for making me feel like I’m at home in Palestine with the checkpoints,” one protester said. “Every single day you guys prove to me how similar you guys are to the Israeli occupation forces.”
Wednesday’s council meeting resumed about 40 minutes after members of the public were ordered to leave, and not before paramedics arrived to assist one detained protester who was unable to stand after being arrested. Demonstrators’ chants could still be heard through the chamber doors.
Civic disruptions are ramping up in cities across the country, as calls for a cease-fire increase. Despite a resolution by the United Nations Security Council calling for a pause in the fighting, Israel’s air force has continued to pound the southern Gaza Strip.
The Bakersfield City Council has not taken a vote on any cease-fire resolution.
A day before Wednesday’s meeting, metal detectors and baggage check were implemented on a trial basis at Bakersfield City Hall. A formal resolution on whether to make the measures permanent has been scheduled for April 10.
Residents who entered the lobby bound for the council’s evening session were met Wednesday with extra law enforcement, metal detectors and screening wands waved over their baggage.
City Attorney Virginia Gennaro said before the meeting there was “no specific reason” for the timing of the new security measures. She added that her office has no knowledge of any threats that would have prompted the sudden boost in security. The city announced this decision a day before, on Tuesday evening.
“Nothing has been brought to my attention,” Gennaro said.
Eric Celedon, a spokesman for the Bakersfield Police Department, said the department was “not aware of any threats,” and found the timing to be coincidental as the city attempts to catch up with other municipalities.
“I can tell you that for several years, the Bakersfield Police Department has made recommendations to bring City Hall South in alignment with other city and county buildings, pertaining to updated safety protocols,” Celadon said. “These changes will not impact citizens’ ability to attend City Council meetings, and it will not affect any protester’s ability to exercise their rights.”
At the council’s April 10 meeting, staff are expected to recommend the council adopt a Physical Security Resolution, which Gennaro said is already in place across California and along Truxtun Avenue. Metal detectors and baggage checks have for years been used in the Kern County Administrative Center and Kern County Superior Court.
“Nothing that people in California aren’t already accustomed to,” Gennaro said. “This is just another evolution in getting to where we need to be.”
An estimated cost for the measure has not yet been supplied by city staff, but Gennaro said that new technology has seen a significant drop in price.
In other news, the Bakersfield City Council accepted a $3 million bid with Cen-Cal Construction to renovate the Garces Memorial Circle. Improvements include public art installations, landscaping, lighting and traffic calming elements like sidewalks, crosswalks, curb ramps and signage. About half of the funding comes from a state grant.
Nearly 50 buildings citywide were abated last month and one was demolished, starting off the year strong for the city’s code enforcement team. The majority of properties were in Ward 2, which includes much of downtown Bakersfield and its southeast neighborhoods, where nuisance properties are especially prevalent.
The city requested nearly $1.3 million from the Kern Council of Governments for annual maintenance to the Amtrak station in downtown Bakersfield. Maintenance includes janitorial services, track inspections, on-call track repairs, security and landscaping.
Officials named 13 remnant parcels as “exempt surplus” land no longer needed in the Centennial Corridor project. As part of the Thomas Roads Improvement Program, the city acquired 422 parcels to expand the city’s highway system. This designation is required before the city can sell the land to potential buyers.
The city increased its water connection fee for city developers by 12%, a difference in the new availability fee from $6,543 to $7,334 per gross acre. This increase was previously approved at the Feb. 21 Special Water Board meeting, which pays for the development of new wells, mainlines and storage tanks.
Also, the council approved money for new seating at Mechanics Bank Arena. With $2.1 million in hotel tax revenue, the city approved the Community Facilities Capital Improvement Budget for the installation of new stadium seats and the design of a “modular decking system.”