Los Angeles City Council passes tough new anti-camping bill to control homelessness, Kern County mourns the death of a deputy and will your employer require vaccinations for the coronavirus?

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

 * ... HOMELESS: Kudos to the Los Angeles City Council which approved a new anti-camping ordinance to clean up long-standing homeless encampments. The ordinance prohibits sitting, sleeping or storing

property on public property near libraries, parks, day-care centers, schools, freeway overpasses, recently opened homeless shelters and other locations. Make no mistake this is not the solution, but it is a solid start that should get the attention of Bakersfield and Kern County officials who have been struggling to control homelessness. As harsh as it sounds, our efforts here have failed despite millions of dollars, new homeless facilities and a lot of attention. If Los Angeles can do it, what is our excuse here?

  * ... DEPUTY KILLED: The Bakersfield community is still reeling from the shooting death of a Kern County deputy who was serving on the SWAT team when he was gunned down while responding to a

domestic dispute in Wasco. It's a heart breaking story that led to the death of Phillip Campas, 35, a five year sheriff's deputy who had served with the Marines in Afghanistan. Four other people died in the shootout including the gunman, who had shot and killed two of his sons and their mother before officers arrived. The shooter was identified as Jose Manuel Ramirez Jr., 41, who is suspected of killing his partner, Viviana Ramirez, and two of their sons along with Campas. Ramirez faced three misdemeanor charges related to the battery of a spouse and willful cruelty for a child. KGET said the charges stem from two 2020 incidents which law enforcement documents say involved physical confrontations between Ramirez and Viviana, who told police at the time they had been married for more than 20 years.

 * ... VACCINATIONS: So did you hear that the Cal State system will require its 500,000 students and faculty to be vaccinated for the coronavirus this fall? The move is the latest as private companies and public agencies, including the state, figure out how to handle the resurging pandemic. The Washington Post, Google and Facebook did something similar this week. Is your company next?

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "No one told me that marriage would include so much time listening to the sound of someone’s spoon clanking against the inside of a bowl."

 * ... KAELYN PETERSON: Big news over at the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce where Kaelyn Peterson has been promoted to executive vice president and also head of the Chamber's political action committee. Peterson is a graduate of California State University Bakersfield and has been on a trajectory to take her into the top tiers of Chamber leadership. Are they positioning her if Chamber CEO Nick Ortiz ever leaves or retires? Time will tell.

 * ... MEMORIES: Thanks to the Facebook groups highlighting Kern County history, I share a couple of remarkable posts. Enjoy.

CSUB opening huge vaccination hub, criminals target catalytic converters and pickup truck tailgates, and Labradors and French bulldogs top the list of favorite dog breeds

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

 * ... CSUB VACCINES: Cal State University Bakersfield is about to open a mass vaccination on campus that will be able to inoculate 5,400 people a day. Hoping to stay open until all Kern County residents are vaccinated, the health hub is part of a consortium with Adventist Health, Dignity Health Hospitals, the

California Medical Association, the California Primary Care Association and Futuro Health. The American Red Cross is providing its expertise on mass site planning. Though the site can administer 5,400 doses a day, how many it will actually offer is dependent on vaccine availability. 

 

 * ... CRIME: We all know that crime is spiking and  car break-ins are at a near epidemic level. Two of the favorite targets of local thieves: tailgates for pickup trucks and catalytic converters on virtually all cars and trucks. The catalytic converters can be stolen in a matter of minutes, and if you loose one, your local mechanic or dealership could charge you anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 to replace them. Pickup truck drivers are advised to use the lock on their tailgates to prevent theft.

 * ... BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE FOUNDATION: The Bakersfield College Foundation has added three new members: Ariana Joven, Paul Pavletich and Lauren Skidmore. Joven works for The Wonderful Co. in public affairs, Skidmore is a legislative aide to Assemblyman Vince Fong and Pavletich runs Premier Lighting, a family business. All three have deep ties into our community and all three have served on any number of boards and held positions at companies about town.

* ... TOP DOGS: The annual list of the most popular dogs in America has some old standbys, but some of the new popular breeds may surprise you. Topping the list is one of our all-time favorites, the Labrador retriever, and climbing the ladder into a solid second place is the French bull dog. This breed has become so popular that a man walking Lady Gaga's two French bulldogs was mugged and the dogs stolen recently. Rounding the list of top breeds were the German shepherds, Golden retrievers, Bulldogs, Poodles, Rottweilers, Pointers and Dachshunds.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Hats off to local attorneys (and married couple) Connie Perez-Andreesen and Joel Andreesen recently for donating a combined gift of $150,000 to support the Center for Social Justice and the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund at California State University, Bakersfield, to be distributed over five years. This gift, together with their previous giving to the university, brings the Andreesens' total lifetime giving to more than $250,000.

* ... MEMORIES: I spotted this picture of how the building that now houses our Woolworth looked before it burned in 1889. Thanks to the folks at Kern County of Old Facebook page.

 

A Staten Island bar becomes a focal point over the fight to open restaurants, Hodel's on Olive Drive closes temporarily, and the Lady Runners basketball team picks up a win over Cal Berkeley

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

 * ... BAR WATCH: Keep your eye on the new flash point over coronavirus restrictions: Mac's Public

House bar on Staten Island. The bar has been the scene of lively protests since the bar manager was arrested this week for failing to comply with state restrictions. Protesters descended on the eatery in a graphic reflection of the national anxiety of state and local governments imposing restrictions while elected officials like California Gov. Gavin Newsom flaunt them themselves. Locally, the "push back" movement is also gaining momentum as business owners face the crippling reality to trying to run a business in a very unstable environment. Already some noted local restaurants, including Hodel's, have decided to suspend operations until things become clearer.

 * ... HODEL'S: Hodel's on Olive Drive has been a mainstay in the Bakersfield restaurant scene for decades. Generations of families have eaten there, hundreds of kids worked there as their first job and the family has been generous in its donations to non-profits and local sports teams. It was heart-breaking then, when I chatted with Don Hodel on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM and he explained why the restaurant is closing for a few months to ride out the pandemic. So much is up in the air, he told me: the future of buffets in the restaurant business, how long it will be before the catering business rebounds and most of all when will the industry return to some semblance of normalcy. Listen to my interview with Don Hodel here by going to www.KernRadio.com under "blogs."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: From the Facebook page of my friend Kelly Gafford Gladden comes this: "Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect."

 * ... LADY RUNNERS: Congratulations to the CSUB women's basketball team that kicked off the pandemic plagued new season with a win over PAC-10 rival Cal Berkeley. The final: Runners 60, Cal 52. The man, meanwhile, kicked off their season with a close loss to Santa Clara.

 * ... CSUB RUNNERS: Check out this classic old picture of the first CSUB men's basketball team back in 1971. Jennifer Self, head of communications at the campus, posted the pictures as part of her informative daily roundup "Things to Know" of news from the university. Self writes: "The team, which had no home court, practiced at Lakeside School and local high schools. Despite these initial challenges, head coach Jim Larson - just 30 years old - assembled a quality roster that included team captain Odis Ward, co-captain Walter Clapp, Carl Toney, Ken Shiloh, Richard Ross, Robert Rodriguez, Ellis Porter, Jimmy Jones, Sean Baxter, Howard Bell, Rodger Carr, Kenny Pauls, Bob Kelly and James Anderson."

 * ... MEMORIES: Take a look at this old picture, circa 1890, on 19th Street from L Street looking west. Thanks to the Kern County of Old Facebook page for this one.

We will explore the homeless crisis all week on The Richard Beene Show, Kern County leads the state in hemp production, it was move-in day for CSUB students and remembering the night that Jimi Hendrix came to the Civic Auditorium

Monday August 26, 2019

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. Send news items to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... HOMELESS: I am turning over the airwaves this week to local business owners who have suffered at the hands of our homeless crisis, and there are a lot of them. All week on The Richard

Beene Show (KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM/1180 AM from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.) I will be chatting with people whose businesses have suffered at the hands of the free-range homeless and vagrants who now move about our streets with virtual impunity. We will hear from Diana Klawitter and her daughter Amanda, who run House of Flowers on 19th Street. We will chat with Dixie Brewer Haley from the In Your Wildest Dreams consignment shop, which has been broken into and vandalized numerous times. We will hear from Shawna Haddad of Muertos and Crash Lounge, who will give us the perspective of someone who has been in business downtown for decades. And yes we will talk solutions, but not before we understand what individual business owners are contending with on a daily basis. Tune in and join the discussion.

 * ... VISUAL POLLUTION: And here is something you don't want to witness.

* ... HEMP: Here is some rich irony: despite the fact that the city and county have banned the retail sales of marijuana, Kern County has emerged as the top hemp producing county in California. That's right, John Cox of The Californian reported that we have 33 different groups planning to grow hemp on 76 different sites in Kern, covering an astonishing almost 7,000 acres. So how do we justify this while banning retail sales? The county has an open arms policy toward growing commercial hemp, leveraging our deep knowledge of agriculture, water and distribution to make Kern County an ideal place to grow hemp for multiple purposes, including the manufacturing of CBD oil.

 * ... CSUB: It was "move in" day at CSUB over the weekend as hundreds of students settled into their dorms for the start of the semester on Monday. CSUB president Lynette Zelezny and men's basketball coach Rod Barnes were there to lend a helping hand, as well as dozens of upper classmen ambassadors who welcoming the incoming freshmen and returning students. CSUB expects a record enrollment this year topping 12,000 students.

 * ... WHEN JIMI CAME TO TOWN: Here are some pictures to feast your eyes on. Jimi Hendrix appearing at the Civic Auditorium on Oct. 26, 1968. Photos by Ron Raffaelli.

 * ... MEMORIES: Some more pictures from our past thanks to the Kern County of Old Facebook page. Do you recognize the Garces Circle?

Did Rep. Kevin McCarthy warn President Trump against trying to kill the Affordable Care Act? City Councilman Bruce Freeman talks about the controversial dorm project, Keanu Reeves pays us a visit and Blaine Hodge gets a well deserved award

Friday, March 29, 2019

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... MCCARTHY AND TRUMP: Did House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy warn President  Trump against trying to kill the Affordable Care Act?

That's the word from the Axios website that reported McCarthy called Trump and told him it was a bad idea that could hurt the Republicans in the 2020 general election. Said Axios: "McCarthy told Trump over the phone that the decision made no sense — especially after Democrats killed Republicans in the midterms in part over the issue of pre-existing conditions, according to two sources familiar with their recent conversation. As Bloomberg's Sahil Kapur points out — health care was the top issue for 2018 midterm voters, and voters who cared most about health care favored Democrats over Republicans by more than 50 percentage points." My two cents: I think McCarthy is absolutely right about this. Trump should leave the ACA alone and focus on our booming economy.

 * ... CSUB DORMS: It is not often you get authentic, honest dialogue with a politician, but that is what I had with Ward 5 City Councilman Bruce Freeman on the proposal from a private developer to built twin five-story apartment buildings to house CSUB students. For the record, CSUB president Lynnette Zelezny hates it, as do the high end residents of Stockdale Estates across the road. Freeman - remember he is the past CEO of Castle and Cooke which built Seven Oaks - knows something about zoning and he questioned how the developer used a conditional use permit (CUD) to bypass normal zoning regulations. Freeman clearly believes this is an incompatible development - that is my read of what he said, not his words - and I think we can all expect this thing to die on the vine. At the end of the day, after talking to Freeman for a half hour on my radio show, it was good to hear someone speak so honestly about a controversial project in the city.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If your boyfriend has a sticker on his vehicle of Calvin pissing on something, you're gonna be a single mother."

 * ... HOMELESS: Here is your random homeless picture this week, compliments of a runner on the Panorama Bluffs who shot this of folks living on the bike path.

 * ... STAR SIGHTING: Hats off to actor Keanu Reeves who ended up in Bakersfield on a  unscheduled stop and made the best of it. Reeves, 54, was on a United flight from San Francisco to Burbank when the plane landed in Bakersfield because of a mechanical problem. The passengers were later loaded in taxis and driven to Burbank, but not before Reeves regaled them with statistics and fun facts about Bakersfield, and playing some old Bakersfield Sound songs from the past.

 * ... BLAINE HODGE: And here is another shoutout to Blaine Hodge, the young man who was injured when he tackled a man wielding a machete who was attacking a woman at a local Starbucks on Stockdale Highway. Hodge received the civilian version of the Medal of Honor for his actions.

 * ... WOMEN: And finally, congratulations to my friend Sheri Horn-Bunk who is among a group of impressive women recognized by Garden Pathways as the 2019 "Women with a Heart for Bakersfield." Bunk and the others - Jasleen Duggal, Diana Mestmaker and Natesha Johnson - will be honored at a high tea on Wednesday, May 8, at Seven Oaks Country Club.

* ... MEMORIES: Check out these old photos of 19th Street and the original Kern County Hospital. Wow.

The victim of the downtown stabbing was an aspiring Hell's Angel, Jennifer Self lands a gig at CSUB and Cafe Smitten celebrates two years in business

Friday, February 22, 2019

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... DOWNTOWN STABBING: Does it surprise you to learn that the victim of a brutal murder last weekend was an aspiring member of the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang? That's the word from

authorities about Michael Adam Morales, the 32-year-old man who was stabbed to death and left for dead in the middle of Eye Street in front of Mama Roomba restaurant last weekend. Speaking of Mama Roomba, I was there a couple days ago and an employee told me that after the 9 p.m. stabbing, police roped off the area and would not allow anyone to move their cars until 3:30 a.m. It is not certain where the altercation started, either in Guthrie's Alley Cat or in the Wall Street alley.

 * ... JUSSIE SMOLLETT: The weirdest story of the month has to be the story of Jussie Smollett, the Empire actor who staged an attack on himself and blamed it on Trump supporters and white supremacist. Chicago police say he staged the whole thing, and now he faces jail time for his misdeeds. What does Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy think about the whole mess? "I need he needs help," McCarthy told me. "He may have some mental problems." That seems an understatement. Stay tuned.

 * ... CSUB HIRE: Congratulations to Jennifer Self, a lifelong journalist who has been named director of public affairs and communications in University Advancement at CSU Bakersfield. Born and raised in Bakersfield, Self worked for 30 years as a reporter and editor at The Bakersfield Californian before leaving to join Clinica Sierra Vista in public relations. Self joined CSUB at a pivotal time for the university with the arrival of president Lynnette Zelezny in July and CSUB's yearlong 50th anniversary celebration coming in 2020. She will report to Victor Martin, VP of University Advancement

 * ... LOCAL EATS: Did you see that Goose Loonies is looking to open a second branch over off Truxton Avenue where the old salad bar was once located? And hats off to Cafe Smitten, the popular deli and coffee bar on 18th Street that is celebrating its two year anniversary of being in business.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "'Do what you love' is shitty career advice because mostly what I love is spending time alone and eating breakfast food."

 * ... MAC 'N CHEESE: Get ready for the Mac 'n Cheese Festival, arguably our town's most popular and successful outdoor event featuring dozens of variations of macaroni and cheese, beer and wine. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 20, at CSUB. Earlybird tickets are now on sale.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this old, colorized photo of our city's founder, Col. Thomas Baker, and his wife.