On vacation in Tokyo, a San Bernardino councilmember is amazed to see a McDonald’s and Taco Bell, both with roots in his city. He places an order. Also: two IE connections are seen in exhibits at the LA Public Library, I report back from the Pomona Concert Band and I ask again what readers like (if anything?) about summers in the IE, all in Friday’s column.

An 80-foot-long mural was dedicated Tuesday in San Bernardino that says “Welcome to San Bernardino,” with images from around town contained in each letter of the city’s name. It’s nice. And the community center with the mural is getting improvements inside and out. I talk to the muralist and the parks director for my Friday column.

San Bernardino’s finance chief says during a City Council meeting that she was fired earlier that day for raising concerns about financing for the proposed City Hall renovation. “I care about this city — more than I care about my job,” she says. San Bernardino never fails to disappoint me. I write about this most unusual development in my Friday column.

A plan to renovate and seismically strengthen San Bernardino City Hall is in the works. The aim is to return to the long-closed building in fall 2026. The glass-sheathed building from 1972, designed by Cesar Pelli, is widely considered a masterpiece. Pelli’s architect son, Rafael, visited Wednesday for a tour and wants to be part of the restoration. I was there too for my Sunday column.

I watch the drama at the San Bernardino council meeting Wednesday, at which the council voted 4-3 to pursue a censure against Kimberly Calvin at a future meeting. Also, dogs are involved. Follow the action in my Friday column.

Harris’ existence spanned the 20th century before its flagship San Bernardino department store closed in 1999. The massive building downtown has been vacant ever since. Now, its owner has finally relinquished the building, donating it to the city. I break that news in my Friday column.

I attend Wednesday’s San Bernardino City Council meeting to get reaction to the election, in which one incumbent was re-elected and three went down in flames. Also: I cast my ballot Sunday at Fairplex, and a barista grabs a newspaper. Read all about it in my Friday column.

A couple of startling statistics from San Bernardino, both related: only four of the city’s 95 street cameras are working and 700 street lights are out. I shed some light on this state of affairs in my Friday column.

Nick Cataldo has been writing about San Bernardino history for decades, including almost 26 years for The Sun, where his column began in March 1998. He and I had lunch recently to talk shop. I brought my notebook just in case, and when he started telling me about how he got to San Bernardino, I picked up my pen. Seemed a shame to let his story go to waste, you know? He’s the subject of my Sunday column.

Lyndon Johnson lived in San Bernardino in 1925, working as a law clerk and an elevator operator. This is kind of mind-boggling. In 1964, as president, LBJ made a return visit and gave a speech outside the office building where he’d worked nearly four decades earlier — and also operated the elevator one last time. I tell that story in my Friday column.