RECAP: Kellar, Racism, and “A Couple of High School Girls”

Tonight’s meeting of the Santa Clarita City Council morphed into a community forum on racism. Despite frequent technical glitches, many Claritans called in to speak about the recent protests and Councilmember Bob Kellar’s “proud racist” comment from 10 years ago. Some supported Kellar and said that claims he is racist were simply unfounded; some public officials cautiously tread a vague middle ground; but the majority, especially of young people, asked for Kellar to resign and for the rest of the Council to condemn him. Of the five councilmembers, Mayor Cameron Smyth and Mayor Pro Tem Bill Miranda spoke about community issues the most thoroughly, but it is clear that their comments did not assuage everybody. In other business, Santa Clarita will maintain a balanced budget despite major shortfalls in tax revenue, there are road improvements on the way, and there will be an opportunity for Independence Day displays even if the parade isn’t happening. Let’s get to recapping.

But First, Some Proclamations

Councilmember Laurene Weste began the meeting on a somewhat celebratory note. She teased the news that there would be an opportunity for the community to come together to celebrate the Fourth of July, even if this year’s festivities will look very different than past years’. Mayor Smyth maintained the upbeat tone as he proclaimed June 2020 LGBTQ Pride Month. He wished that a public turnout as big as last year’s could have been accommodated, but, y’know, COVID-19. He also introduced a short clip of speeches from graduating seniors from all of the SCV’s high schools. Most touched on themes of perseverance, hope, and changing the world.

Then it was time for the inevitable onslaught of speakers against Bob Kellar.

Background on Bob: An Aside

A little background is in order: When the protests against racism/George Floyd’s death/police brutality/etc. began in Santa Clarita, Bob Kellar’s “proud racist” remarks from a decade ago re-surfaced. At a 2010 Minutemen rally against illegal immigration, Kellar said,

“Roger [Gitlin], a moment ago, mentioned what Teddy Roosevelt said, and he was right on: ‘One flag, one language.’ You know, I brought that up and I read that comment by Teddy Roosevelt at one of our Council meetings a couple of years ago. I said, ‘Folks, this is important.’ And you know the only thing I heard back from a couple of people? ‘Bob, you sound like a racist.’ I said ‘That’s good, if that’s what you think I am because I happen to believe in America, I’m a proud racist. You’re darn right I am.” [Watch at 1:25 if you want to listen for yourself.]

Soon after the speech came the fallout. Kellar’s remarks were covered by many big news outlets (ABC, NBC, LA Times, LAist, etc.) because a councilmember saying, “I’m a proud racist,” is shocking. If you want to give Kellar the benefit of the doubt, he was making a rhetorical if/then statement to point out the absurdity of contemporary discourse (i.e., if believing in America means he has to bear a “racist” label, he’ll take it because he believes in America.) Many interpreted the comments less forgivingly. However, at the 2010 Council meeting where his remarks were discussed for a couple of hours [I covered it], the vast majority of public speakers said that they did not think Bob Kellar was actually racist. Perhaps the audience had been stacked, but his defenders were many. Most wanted to talk about illegal immigration rather than dwell on Kellar’s ugly words. Kellar said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I am not a racist in any form, shape, or fashion,” and, “I abhor racism,” and, “Racism is wrong and should never be tolerated.” Still, his stubborn what-happened-happened, apology-less approach kept the comments alive and well enough to revisit him at every re-election campaign in the ensuing years.

The most recent “re-discoverer” of this chapter of Claritan history was writer Anthony Breznican. He mentioned it on Twitter just as Santa Clarita’s big Thursday protest loomed. The original series of tweets got at least 781 re-tweets and over 1,500 likes. #santaclarita even trended for a time—in part because of the Kellar incident, in part because of overblown fears of riots and looting. An online petition urging Kellar’s resignation began and has collected over 28,000 signatures from Santa Clarita and beyond. And prior to tonight’s meeting, a group of protestors staged a sit-in in front of City Hall. In short, Kellar’s old remarks sparked a fresh surge of outrage and activism. Now you’re up to speed.

The Reckoning

When there are a lot of public speakers at a City Council meeting, the first 10 speak at the beginning of the meeting and the remainder speak at the end. That happened tonight, but I’ll cover them all at once for the sake of continuity.

As one might expect, many of the comments were directed at Councilmember Bob Kellar. A number of students and other young people were his most vocal critics. Leila Bishop kicked things off:

“We’re aware that Councilmember Bob Kellar plans to retire in November, but it is not soon enough. […] By publicly declaring himself as a ‘proud racist’, Councilmember Kellar is in violation of Santa Clarita’s City Council norms and procedures Resolution 19-8 section 4D that states the following: ‘Councilmembers should make the public feel welcome. Councilmembers should not be partial, prejudiced, or disrespectful towards the public. Councilmembers should treat members of the public equally. […] When Councilmember Kellar declared himself a ‘proud racist’, he sent an unwelcoming message of fear and distress to the non-white community of Santa Clarita. Racists have no place in government because they create an environment of fear and their decision-making is clouded with bias.”

Many other speakers echoed her statement or re-read the same sentiments and demands. Quynn Lubs recently interviewed Bob Kellar, and she found his refusal to apologize for his remarks and his stances on issues like homelessness to be deeply troubling. The tone of comments criticizing Kellar ranged from disappointed to angry to vitriolic. Perhaps the most aggressively personal attack against him came rather late in the meeting from Karen Black:

“I would like to first and foremost state that Bob Kellar is not a real Green Beret and should never be considered an honorable combat soldier. My husband is an infantryman, and you, Robert Kellar, are no combat soldier. Bob Kellar is a glorified TRADOC [Training and Doctrine Command—Black was using this as derisive shorthand for an army trainer safe from actual battle], because those who cannot do, teach. I’ve read your Signal interviews, and you, sir, are simply a racist TRADOC. You never deployed, you’ve never seen battle, and you simply jumped from a few months of Green Beret training to becoming a trainer. My husband saw real battle and lost an entire team to a suicide bomber. […] Don’t you dare, Mr. Kellar, pretend that you have ever walked in the boots of a real soldier. You are a military shame and a sham, and you dodged deployment and battle, so don’t you dare speak as though there’s honor in your military service. You’re simply a drafted TRADOC, and now your legacy will only be that of another filthy, racist councilman. I’ve written to the LA Times to ensure that is how you are remembered, sir. And Ms. McLean, you are tone-deaf and willfully blind. Your [indistinct word] is limited to how your precious KKK-founded, racist city will be viewed by the outside world. If you don’t want to be viewed as discriminatory, then admit your racist roots, and change everything about what you stand for. Otherwise, you are just another fragile white woman who refuses to acknowledge her privilege and hides behind the pretense of feigned equality.”

Indeed, Kellar’s fellow councilmembers were also targeted. Speakers suggested that being silent was the same thing as being complicit. Cassidy Bensko remarked:

“The mayor said to me that he was not in a position of power to have Bob Kellar resign. [No, Kellar’s eyes didn’t dart over to Smyth at this juncture.] I do not believe that this is true. I believe that you all sitting in the City Council have the power to push Bob Kellar to resign because you have the leverage. […] While I know that you all have your issues considering that you are the very group of people that called the police and the National Guard on peaceful protesters throughout this past week and legitimized a conspiracy theory circulated by white supremacists on Facebook to do so, I am asking you to make right by the peaceful protesters of the City. I am asking you to make right by the Black Lives Matter protesters in this city, of the youth, of the people of color, of the women of color, of the members of the LGBTQ community who have been done wrong by the City literally as long as it has existed. I am asking you to do right by this group of people by condemning Bob Kellar and asking for his resignation.”

The Council and Mayor Smyth in particular were criticized on multiple occasions for being quick to show up to the “re-open SCV” protest but slow (taking over a week) to speak with the Black Lives Matter protesters. Protesters were upset that the National Guard had been called in and that a curfew had been put in place over unfounded fears about the protests turning violent. Megan Schneider said, “You made your decision before you saw the reality. […] You chose to escalate the situation.”

In an attempt to put some teeth behind their demands for change, speakers talked about a variety of consequences for inaction. Some described ruined legacies, but most focused on elections. Jessica Conrad warned:

“You work for us, so act like it. We are demanding better. And if you don’t want our city to be known as a racist place, I’ve got some bad news for you. You can ask anybody outside of the City what our reputation is, and I promise we’re not well known for our diversity. You may be aware of the fact that 2020 is an election year, and these high school girls that you clearly think so little of have inspired more action than you have in your entire lifetimes. And they’re the ones who are going to be voting you out of office if you don’t do your f*cking job.”

Not everyone took the blowtorch approach to making a comment. Dr. Cherise Moore of the Hart District Board called in to speak. She spoke more in generalities than with the aim of singling people out. Moore had already begun discussions about city-school partnerships with Mayor Smyth (more on that below), and she described the problems in Santa Clarita thusly:

“As you see from the week of peaceful protests, there is warranted anger, pain, and hurt in our community. Racism exists in the world, in the country, and yes, in Santa Clarita Valley, too. And it is wrong on every level. […] I can’t change the past, but I can do something about the future. Black lives do matter. I know that because I carry the burden of having to have ‘the talk’—and some folks who are listening will know what I mean when I say ‘the talk’—with my nine-year-old black son. And brown lives matter, and all other lives matter, too. It is time to start the healing and it begins right here at home in Santa Clarita.”

Bill Reynolds was one of the relatively few Claritans who called in to speak on behalf of Bob Kellar. He claimed that many speakers had no context for Kellar’s 2010 remarks at the Minutemen/immigration rally. Reynolds recalled how Kellar had mentored Sheriff’s Deputy David March, who was killed by an illegal immigrant, explaining Kellar’s strong stance against illegal immigration that had been conflated with racism. Reynolds described efforts to have Kellar resign, contending, “It’s a political act to get Bob removed simply because they want Chris Werthe elected.” Reynolds closed his remarks by thanking the mayor for helping businesses to re-open—he said he had finally gotten a haircut.

Steve Petzold also defended Kellar.

“Bob Kellar is one of the greatest individuals in this community. He has a lifetime of service out here to the Army and to the LAPD and through his leadership in the chambers of commerce. The man is absolutely colorblind. He would give you the shirt, he would give anybody the shirt off his back. The man is absolutely colorblind. He has spent countless hours working on behalf of the Boys and Girls Club. This man has had his character assassinated. That is a Biblical sin. The Eighth Commandment—’Thou shalt not bear false witness’—I’ve listened to a number of people call in here tonight and just spout absolute trash about this man. I speak in respect of Bob Kellar and I hope that you will stand behind him. There is no reason for this man to resign.”

Overall, Kellar had his defenders, but tonight, the detractors dominated the conversation. There was a lot of energy, but it was rather unfocused in the sense that no one really cared about the online petition, and Bob Kellar was not worried about re-election—he’s retiring. As for his reputation, that became a wash 10 years ago when this issue first came up. People have already made up their mind about Bob Kellar one way or the other.

Whether the voices that called for Kellar to resign return in the coming weeks, and whether their message shifts to backing a preferred Kellar replacement, remains to be seen.

Miranda: “Black lives matter”, Kellar: “I am not a racist”, Smyth: “Words matter”

The City Council responded in between the two bouts of public participation (which, again, were consolidated above). Mayor Pro Tem Bill Miranda spoke at length. He began by recognizing the importance of “looking inward” and by asking for clarity on what Claritans truly wanted:

“We’re all in support of Black Lives Matter. OK. [Miranda’s “OK”s are quiet conversational pauses— one of his verbal idiosyncrasies. I’m noting this because it’s hard to convey the tone of an “OK” from a quote] We’re in support of the idea that every life matters. OK. We understand that Black Lives Matter focuses on a particular group who feels they are systemically preyed on by others. We understand that. OK. I understand that. I’m a man of color, so I understand that. Our country and all our communities are finally looking inward. We’re finally doing this. I grew up in the 60s, OK, I knew what the 60s was all about, I was in the streets. And I can tell you, it’s good to know our citizens are looking inward. But in looking inward, we must know and understand: what is it we want? Do we want equal justice, or do we want a pound of flesh? Because if what we want is a pound of flesh, count me out. If what we want is equal justice, put me in the forefront of this march.”

He went on to give his support for “8 Can’t Wait” policing reforms, such as banning chokeholds. Miranda then made it clear that he was standing by Kellar because he knew his true character:

“I wasn’t on the Council when certain words were spoken, but I can tell you where I was. I was the head of the Latino Chamber when those remarks were made. And I had a meeting with the person who made those remarks. And if I can sit here, next to that person, and say [emphatically], ‘I am convinced that person is not a racist!’, then you can argue all you want. But I wouldn’t be here if I thought this person was a white supremist [sic] or a racist. I know this person.”

Miranda pointed out that Kellar had just months left of his term before he stepped down and pleaded with people to think about forgiveness and love rather than demanding their pound of flesh. He closed by saying, “My office is open. I’m here to serve. Contact me. I will meet with anybody at anytime to discuss anything.”

When it was time for Councilmember Bob Kellar himself to speak. he was rather defensive. His opening:

“What an interesting last few days. For openers, I also am very saddened to see what took place in Minneapolis. However, problems of this kind will never be solved by rioting. Now, it seems a couple of high school girls have got me totally figured out—that I am a racist, bigot, along with a few other adjectives. Truth is, these young ladies do not have a clue as to who I am, what I have done in my life, or what this country called ‘America’ is all about. I will digress for a moment and say that ten years ago, we had a lot of discussion about this—my words. And I stand today as I did ten years ago and I say if you choose to take what I said out of context, just take the last four or five words, yeah, it sounds pretty bad. But if you pay me the courtesy of reading what I said and how it came about, you will see that absolutely is not the case. And furthermore, I am not a racist, never have been, and never will be in my life. I have worked hard to help all Americans.”

Kellar speaks in his own defense.

Kellar took a clear stance against being racist, but he didn’t do himself any favors by calling some of his critics “high school girls.” Many, in fact, were, but it came off as a dismissive label. He ended his remarks by talking about his decades of community service and by warning of insidious takeovers relating to speech, freedom, and values, mentioning Khrushchev and communism.

Mayor Cameron Smyth tried to be more unifying:

“We’ve had nine straight days of protests to varying degrees, and I take pride and we all should as a community, that throughout those protests and throughout those days, we have not had one arrest, not one act of violence, either within the protest or with those that threatened violence against the protesters. We have not had one business or incident of property damage. And not many communities can say that throughout the country.”

He said that he met with organizers of the sit-in earlier, and he would have another meeting tomorrow. “Words matter […] and we need to acknowledge that as community leaders,” was about as close as Smyth got to directly addressing Kellar’s remarks. He thought it was important to re-state that, “The City of Santa Clarita denounces racism in all its forms, period, hard stop. All people are welcome in this community, and every voice should be heard.”

To offer one concrete step forward, Smyth said he had been having conversations with Dr. Cherise Moore of the Hart School District Governing Board. The two agreed that it was time to “re-activate” the City’s human relations forum. There will likely be an important role for students in the forum.

Councilmembers McLean and Weste had shorter remarks. McLean didn’t like recent optics: “It really saddens me a lot when I see our City painted as being racist to other areas around the United States when we are not. The City Council respects and represents every single person in our community.” Weste said, “It’s clearly heartbreaking to lose a man’s life so unnecessarily. It’s completely heartbreaking. I don’t have words for it. It’s traumatic, and I think we’re all very saddened by it.”

The “Genius” Budgeter

In addition to the judgment of Bob Kellar, there was some “regular” business to attend to.

On the consent calendar at tonight’s meeting were millions of dollars to improve roads and traffic. The cash was spread among a few items, including new street lighting, the next phases of an “Intelligent Transportation System” that synchronizes traffic and detects bicyclists, and road overlay and slurry seal projects. Al Ferdman made a comment that improved LED street lighting savings should have been passed onto the public—he wondered why the savings weren’t evident. (City Manager Ken Striplin explained savings of about 15% were being/would be realized, but not always instantaneously.) There were also levies of special districts and of the Open Space Preservation District’s annual assessment. The recommended actions on all of the consent calendar items were approved unanimously.

Some mercifully brief public hearings followed.

The first was a discussion of the upcoming fiscal year’s $220M budget. Presenting the budget is always City Manager Ken Striplin’s big night. He gets to talk about the City’s responsible financial practices, highlight big new projects, and lay out a vision for the year ahead. He still managed to do most of that, but he had to describe the enormity of the challenge posed by the COVID-19 shutdown to put things in perspective. Striplin said that the City was expecting a roughly $10M loss in general fund revenue for the current fiscal year. He cited a study that ranked Santa Clarita as the 17th hardest hit city in the nation in terms of coronavirus/shutdown-related unemployment [we’ve fallen to 23rd hardest hit in a more recent article.] As a result, this fiscal year’s budget didn’t grow but was actually about 3% smaller than last year’s. The budget focuses only on required contractual obligations and critical capital improvement projects. Already-funded projects that should be completed in the fiscal year include the new Sheriff’s Station and the Canyon Country Community Center.

The City Council was generally supportive. Mayor Cameron Smyth asked if the budget could change is shortfalls weren’t as severe as expected, and Striplin said that a mid-year budget review in December would provide an opportunity for that (or to tighten the budget if things get worse). “Genius comes to mind,” said Councilmember Marsha McLean of Striplin’s balanced budget in the face of such economic adversity and uncertainty.

The next public hearing related to the review and amendment of fees for City services. The staff usually recommends adjusting fees in-line with the consumer price index, but in light of economic hardships, the recommendation was to defer many of the increases until October or January. The final public hearing was on stormwater pollution prevention fees, and staff recommended no increase to the $26.22 per equivalent residential unit fee. The City Council agreed with both recommendations.

Tonight’s adjournment was for Michael Malone, who worked for the Walt Disney Company and supported LGBTQ causes. He is survived by his husband, Brian O’Connor.