Join us on Thursday July 7 to celebrate the rich culture and artistry of Kern County at the Kern Youth Arts Festival, held at Relaxed Acres Park from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. The event, featuring installation art and performances, will be curated by Dulce UpFront. The festival will showcase how arts and culture can promote social change and contribute to the birth of a culture of prevention.

The Kern Youth Arts Festival is the second of a three-event series demanding #SchoolsNotPrisons for Kern County. The events are organized and led by youth leaders affiliated with Building Healthy Communities-South Kern and South Kern Sol, in partnership with the Arts Council of Kern.

Free food will be provided to the first 250 people. Transportation is available, please see the routes below.

Bus Schedule for the Kern Youth Art’s Festival – July 7

Stop 1 – 5:10pm: at Arvin Vallarta Super Market – 600 Bear Mountain Blvd, Arvin, CA 93203 (Corner of Bear Mountain Blvd. and S. Hill Street, Look for the school bus)

Stop 2 – 5:25pm: Weedpatch Market – 8101 Buena Vista Blvd,. Lamont, CA 93241 (look for the school bus in the parking lot)

Stop 3 – 5:35pm: County Fair Market – 10415 Main St,. Lamont, CA 93241 (Look for the school bus near Main Street)

Join youth leaders from Building Healthy Communities South Kern and South Kern Sol this summer as they use their voice to engage youth across Kern County and lead us to a better and more just future.

South Kern youth leaders and advocates are launching a three-part series focused on #schoolsnotprisons, #unity, #investinyouth and #vota. The series will bring multi-media platforms that lift up culture and arts tied to social justice.

Youth will demand that local leaders refocus attention and resources away from mass incarceration and toward approaches likely to improve safety, such as #Health4Kern, trauma-informed education practices that limit suspensions and break the school-to-prison pipeline, a vibrant arts and culture scene, and comprehensive immigration reform.

South Kern Sol youth recognize that young people are an asset to this community and through a series of events they hope to create unity and encourage other young people across the county  to #GetLoud for issues that impact their communities.

Kern #GetLoud Rally! June 30
MillCreek Park, 10am to 1pm,
Featuring Banda Perla del Sur and Ceci Bastida

Kern Youth Arts Festival! July 7
Rexland Acres Park, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Featuring Dulce UpFront

Kern Youth Speak Out! August 4
Bakersfield Museum of Art, 6 to 8 p.m.
Media Panel Discussion

Bus Schedule for Kern #GetLoud Rally – June 30:

Stop 1 – 8:15am: at Arvin Vallarta Super Market – 600 Bear Mountain Blvd, Arvin, CA 93203 (Corner of Bear Mountain Blvd. and S. Hill Street, Look for the CHARTER BUS)

Stop 2 – 8:35am: Weedpatch Market – 8101 Buena Vista Blvd,. Lamont, CA 93241 (look for the CHARTER BUS in the parking lot)

Stop 3 – 8:50am: County Fair Market – 10415 Main St,. Lamont, CA 93241 (Look for the charter bus near Main Street)

The community is invited to a public meeting to learn and provide input for an affordable housing project being proposed on Main Street in Lamont by the Housing Authority of Kern County and American Community Development.

The meeting will be held June 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the David Head Center, 10300 San Diego St. in Lamont.

For more information call Joseph Leon at (661) 331-2982.

Lamont Public Meeting Flyer

South Kern Sol, Staff

Please join us on Sunday, April 24 to learn how you or someone you know may be able to reduce a low level felony conviction to a misdemeanor under Proposition 47. Doing so, will increase your opportunities for housing, employment, education and more. Proposition 47 ends in 2017.

In Kern County more than 8,500 individuals have taken advantage of the largest felony reclassification effort in U.S. history and successfully reduced their felonies to misdemeanors, according to Tanya Richard with the Kern County Public Defenders office. She estimates that about 20,000 more people living in Kern County could potentially benefit from Proposition 47.

The forum will be held at Compassion Christian Center, 1030 4th Street in Bakersfield from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU) will also be there to discuss your rights regarding law enforcement.

Editors Note: Question and Answer with Deputy Public Defender Tanya Richard from the Kern County Public Defenders Office.

Why should individuals act now?
There is a sunset provision for reducing past convictions to misdemeanors.  On November 5, 2017, past convictions will not be subject to reduction under Proposition 47.  Past convictions may be reduced under a different penal code section, but the reduction will not occur as a matter of law. 

What types of Charges are subject to reduction
Types of offenses subject to reduction include simple possession for personal use of a controlled substance(s) and some theft charges if the value is under $950 and the property is taken from a  business during business hours.

Is there a fee to apply?
There is no fee to apply for a Proposition 47 reduction.  The courts do not charge filing fees.

How long is the process?
The court requires 25 court days for service.  It takes approximately a month for the documents to be processed by the court, once they are submitted.  An appearance at court is not mandatory.  The Court may grant your request via minute order before the court date.  If eligibility is contested, the individual may have to appear  at a court date. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Proposition 47 does not restore gun rights.  Even after the charge is reduced to a misdemeanor, an individual cannot possess guns, ammunition or other weapons.

The Proposition 47 forms are on the Kern County Superior Court website.  If a person applies on their own, Form 500 and Form 502 must be served on the Kern County Superior Court and the District Attorney.  The Public Defenders Office can assist or the individual can apply on their own.

The community is invited to the first annual Cesar Chavez Day of Service to  be held at Sunset Middle School located at 8301 Sunset Blvd. in Weedpatch on March 30 from 2-8 p.m. and Rexland Acres Park, 325 E. Fairview Rd. in Bakersfield on  March 31 from 3-5 p.m. The events are hosted by Assemblymember Rudy Salas, the Latino Roundtable of Kern and Vineland School District.

Cesar Chávez Day is observed March 31, a holiday in the state of California and in other states across the U.S., communities across the country celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights leader César E. Chávez’ work through education, celebration, and service projects.

Wednesday, March 31, Sunset Middle School, 2 – 8 p.m.

Vineland School District, Assemblymember Rudy Salas and the Latino Roundtable of Kern are teaming up to host several activities in honor of César Chávez, which will include a school beautification project from 2-5 p.m., followed by a community dinner and screening of César Chávez the movie at 6 p.m.

Thursday, March 31, Rexland Acres Park, 3 – 5 p.m.

Assemblymember Rudy Salas and the Latino Roundtable of Kern will host the first annual César Chávez Day of Service, which will start with a community welcome and recognitions at 3 p.m., a park clean-up will follow at 3:30 p.m.