Thursday, October 19, 2017

CSUB holds its annual alumni bash, millennials turn on Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan and Temblor Brewing Co. becomes known for comedy

 * ... CSUB ALUMNI: Did you know that CSUB now has more than 47,000 alumni? That's the word
from Sarah Hendrick, head of Alumni Engagement and one of the organizers of the Friday "Party in the Park" event to raise money for alumni scholarships. The idea: fully engage as many alumni as possible to give them an emotional ownership stake in their university. Consider the good that would come if each of those 47,000 alumni contributed $50 a year to the scholarship fund.


* ... CANNABIS: It must have come as a surprise to City Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan when she encountered a firestorm of criticism to a Facebook page she posted urging county supervisors to ban the legal sale of cannabis. The page, called "Kern County: Get off the Pot" triggered more than a thousand comments, and 90 plus percentage of them wanted marijuana to be regulated. From what I could tell, most of the comments came from the millennials, a generation that has grown up with cannabis in their lives much as past generations did with cigarettes. The war on cannabis is largely a generational issue, and eventually the young win those battles.



* ... DISTRICT ATTORNEY: It must be odd to be a prosecutor in the Kern County District Attorney's office, and not because the job is hard or crime is increasing. Rather, deputy DAs are lining up to support either assistant DA Scott Spielman or deputy DA Cynthia Zimmer in the race to succeed the retiring Lisa Green as District Attorney. In an office of some 80 prosecutors, one might expect some tension between co-workers as we head to the June 2018 primary election.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I'm not impressed by your looks, money, social status or job title. I'm impressed by the way you treat other human beings."

 * ... TEMBLOR: Temblor Brewing Co. was founded as a homage to craft beer, but the business off Buck Owens Boulevard is increasingly being known for something else: a home for live stand-up comedy. Among some of the comedians appearing soon at Temblor: Adam Carolla, Carlos Mencia, Pauly Shore and Kevin Hefferman. For dates and times, check out the Temblor Facebook page.



 * ... GOOD FORM: Bakersfield College instructor Olivia Garcia shared this bit of good form on Facebook: "I wish I could thank the stranger who passed on a little bit of kindness to me today: In a rush to meet up with one of my mentors today, my bright red scarf accidentally slipped off and fell somewhere near my car in a busy shopping mall parking lot. Upon my return, more than an hour later, I saw the scarf neatly wrapped into the handle of my driver's door, waiving through a nice breeze, as if it was greeting me. It was a small gesture, but it made me realize that there is such goodness in our Bako town. We should be proud of that. I will definitely pay it forward."

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

New restaurants and sports stores headed to Bakersfield, a reader rants about our City Council and some good form about town

 * ... RETAIL GROWTH: I sat down with retail broker Duane Keathley of Cushman Wakefield for a roundup of local development. Among other tidbits: it looks like there will be a Texas Roadhouse Grill and a
Victors Cantinia Grill at Valley Plaza near the spot where the Sears auto center was demolished. In addition, both the Yard House restaurant and Dave and Busters are scouting for locations in Bakersfield, and the deal to land the Bass Pro Shops at the northeast corner of the Hoskings exit off Highway 99 is still on. Stay tuned.



* ... MAILBAG: Kym Vliem dropped this note to me regarding our City Council's decision not to enjoy additional tax revenue by regulating marijuana. "Thank you so much for stating the obvious in your column today.  Once again the city has cut off their nose to spite their face by not considering the bigger picture. It's not like the ban will keep pot from coming in to the city's boundaries. I really don't want to hear them whining anymore about needing money after turning down a potential for millions. I also couldn't believe they were kicking around the idea of a 5 percent property tax increase - my bill was over $300 more than last year and the city maintenance district fee went up 248 percent from the prior year. I used to work for the city years ago and have friends retired from there, but it's time for the city to realize it's not their residents' job to finance debt left by the follies of CALPERS who assumed they were always going to get 7-8 percent on their investments but for the city to make the hard financial decisions of making employees pay even more into their retirement funds and medical plans or cut future retirement payouts. I also don't vote for school bonds anymore after seeing an almost $700 assessment for the Rosedale Union School District, in addition to the plethora of other school bonds on my tax bill."

* ... GOOD FORM: Susan Padilla submitted this bit of good form that should brighten your day. Padilla had picked up her grandson at school and was going to treat him to yogurt at Tutti Frutti on Gosford when she realized she had left her wallet elsewhere. "The girl at register said she would hold the yogurts while I went home to get money. I informed her I lived in northeast  and that was impossible. Then an angel walks up and gives the girl his credit card. Thank God. My grandson had this sad face until he realized what was happening. He walked out so happy with his reward. Thanks to this gentleman. His teen son was with him and watched. Lesson learned. Go Bakersfield."


 * ... BAD FORM: What is it about those people who view the public roadways as their personal toilet? Well they are at it again, dumping their soiled mattresses, appliances and ugly couches and easy chairs near the corner of Fairfax and Alfred Harrell Highway. As soon as the city cleans it up, more appears.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Most people don't realize this, but you can eat gluten-free, non GMO, lactose tolerable foods without telling everyone."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The ages 18-22 are a confusing time. I got friends getting married, some in prison, and some still have to ask their parents to stay out past curfew."

 * ... HALLOWEEN: My prediction for the most popular costume for Halloween this year: men in bathrobes posing as Henry Weinstein. In bad taste for sure, but expect it

 * ... CRYSTAL PALACE: If you ever get a chance to catch Chris Hillman in concert, don't pass up the opportunity. Hillman played with The Byrds, the Desert Rose Band and Souther Hillman Furay and his talent was on display at The Crystal Palace last week when he played with John Jorgenson and Herb Pederson, accomplished musicians themselves. The Crystal Palace, meantime, remains the best venue in town for live music and a hot steak. Hillman's new album, Bidin' My Time, was produced by the late Tom Petty.