Looking forward to 2018 and thinking about those New Year's resolutions ... a hope for new leadership and saying goodbye to some inspiring local leaders

 * ... HAPPY NEW YEAR: Have you sat down to list your New Year's resolutions? If you could have three wishes for 2018 what would they be? My top three don't change through the years,
because they represent wealth that money cannot buy: personal happiness for those I love, health and hope for those less fortunate.

 * ... LOCAL POLITICS: On the local political level, I hope 2018 brings a new wave of younger, savvy, more forward thinking and thoughtful candidates to put an end to the clubby, risk averse and often backward reputation that Kern County has earned over the years.

 * ... OPIATES: Along those lines, wouldn't it be nice to hear our city council or Board of Supervisors express as much - or more - concern about the opioid crisis than they do about marijuana? While we fritter the night away wringing our hands about pot, people die every day from crushing addictions that start with legal prescription drugs and often end with crude and dangerous forms of street drugs. And some of the hardest hit? Our combat veterans - who we claim to admire and love - who often return home with crippling injuries that can lead to addiction to opiates.

 * ... RICO'S LIST: I compiled my own list of younger, engaged citizens that I hope one day will consider running for office. I do not know their personal politics, but all are educated and smart and have shown a love for this community. My "watch list" includes Michael Bowers, Melissa Poole, Lauren Mae, Don Bynum, Thomas Maxwell, Patrick Wade, Jay Tamsi, Justin Salters, Dana Culhane Brennan, Anna Smith and David Milazzo. Who did I miss?

 * ... ANIMALS: And how about this for a resolution: Here's hoping we stop treating our pets as disposable items here in Kern County and see fewer of them roaming our streets hungry, afraid and alone.

 * ... HORACE MITCHELL: We will lose Horace Mitchell to retirement as president of CSUB this year, and here's hoping his replacement is as dynamic, forward thinking and inclusive as Mitchell has been during his 13 years at the helm of our local university. These are all tricky decisions, and there is no guarantee that the next CSUB president will show the vision that Mitchell brought when he arrived on campus in 2004.

 * ... STEVE SCHILLING: Another notable retirement is that of Steve Schilling, the longtime head of Clinica Sierra Vista which provides basic health care services to thousands of Californians across multiple counties. Schilling almost single handedly built Clinica into a massive, important health care organization, and let's hope his replacement- Brian Harris - shares the energy and vision that Schilling brought to his job.

 * ... SMALL GIFTS: Happiness is never tied to a zip code, and isn't it true that it is always the small things that make life such a gift? A few of mine: an 11-year-old tabby whose love is boundless, friends who make me laugh so hard my side hurts, grown children whose success and happiness brings me such joy, a hike in the hills above Hart Park on a crisp Bakersfield morning, indescribably delicious Christmas cookies from my neighbor Robin, sitting under my grand sycamore tree in downtown Bakersfield while listening to the train couplings, a cozy evening at the "Italian embassy" (Uricchio's Trattoria as Rick Kreiser calls it) seeing old friends, and a new wife who gets my jokes, makes me laugh and fills a room with her smile.

* ... THANKFUL: And finally, here's to some of the local cast of characters who continually surprise, challenge and inspire me in so many different ways: Monsignor Craig Harrison, Louis Gill of the Bakersfield Homeless Center, CSUB basketball coach Rod Barnes, Dr. Raj Patel of Preferred Family Care and Randy Martin of Convenant Community Services.

New museum director struggles with logo for Pioneer Village and CSUB President Horace Mitchell and wife Barbara celebrate 50 years of marriage

 * ... MUSEUM: Zoot Velasco was hired as a "change agent" for the Kern County Museum (now

Pioneer Village) and as the new CEO he has certainly come in with enough energy and new ideas to fill a room. But judging by the two proposed new logos to brand Kern Pioneer Village, Velasco lacks an eye for graphic design. It would be charitable to describe both as uninspiring, clunky and amateurish, so let's hope the museum's board of directors (can you hear me Beth Pandol?) steps in to help Zoot find a logo that lives up to the museum's promise.

 * ... FIRST COUPLE: Congratulations to CSUB President Horace Mitchell and his wife Barbara who are celebrating their 50th year wedding anniversary. Mitchell became CSUB's fourth president in July 2004.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Common Sense isn’t a gift. It’s punishment, because you have to deal with everyone who doesn’t have it."

 * ... MEMORIES: Superior Court Judge Thomas Clark dropped me a note to recall some memories when he was a boy. Said Clark: "Your mention of crawdad fishing in the canals brought back memories. As a boy I fished many a crawdad out of the irrigation canal that abutted our property (near Brundage and N Street). All the canals were teeming with crawdads in those days. I think they are long gone now---probably as a result of mosquito abatement spraying."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Here's a big shout out to Joe Rivera, a Bakersfield High graduate who just achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He is a member of Troop 125, which is the troop associated with St. Francis Parish. Said his proud mother Katie Rivera: "His Eagle Scout project was to paint address curbs for the senior citizens of the Kern City neighborhood, to make it easier for emergency vehicles like police, fire and ambulance to find their homes in the case of emergency. Joe and the great boys from Troop 125 (and his two younger sisters) painted 227 address curbs, a project which spanned about two months."  Joe is now a freshman at Bakersfield College.

 * ... SPOTTED: An older red Ford SUV is spotted around town with a bumper sticker that reads: "*UCK TRUMP" under what appears to be the symbol of the United Farm Workers. Do we really have to share our foul personal sentiments with everyone else?

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: This nugget comes from reader Bill Upshaw: "You would be an old timer if you remember the Santa Fe Rail Road whistle that was sounded each week day at noon and again at (I think) 12:20 p.m. This whistle was located at the rail road round house at California Avenue and Oak Streets and could be heard all over town."

 

Cal State Bakersfield heads to the NCAA Big Dance and Bill Walton to appear in Bakersfield to promote Bike Bakersfield

 * ... RUNNERS: Congrats to Coach Rod Barnes and his CSUB Roadrunners who are headed for an historic first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. But remember: all of this could not have happened without

the vision of President Horace Mitchell and many alumni and local business people who raised the money to get CSUB elevated to Division 1 status six years ago. It was not wildly popular at the time, but the idea was always simple: put CSUB on the national radar and add value to that Bakersfield diploma, thereby attracting more out of area students and athletes.

 * ... CIOPPINO: This is a community that boasts a wealth of terrific fund raisers but few are as fun, and unique, as the annual Cioppino Feed. Golf tournaments are a dime a dozen in this town, but the annual West Rotary Cioppinio Feed is truly a one of a kind event. Featured is a tasty cioppino (fish and shrimp stew) along with salad, bread, wine and all the steamed clams you can eat. This year's event is Saturday, March 19, at Monsignor Leddy Hall at Garces Memorial High School. The cost is $100 a ticket and proceeds - usually around $100,000 - go to local charities.

* ... SMOKERS: Paul Forster agrees that smokers should stop throwing cigarette butts out their car windows, but he offered this interesting twist: "For many years, if I am not mistaken, no one has been able to buy a new vehicle that has an ashtray in it, (nor a cigarette lighter). Just saying."

 * ... GRATITUDE: Martha Ingle found something good in a terrible incident involving her daughter in law: "Our family is very grateful for the quick work of city employees and several BPD officers. Our daughter-in-law was attacked yesterday afternoon. Jorge and his co-worker of truck 4233 stopped the attack, called police and ambulance and stayed with her until the responders arrived.  Quick work by the police officers resulted in the arrest of the attacker. We wanted to publicly thank all involved for their bravery and kindness during a very frightening situation."

* ... WALTON: And speaking of sports, and legends, I have purchased my ticket to see Bill Walton when he comes to town April 21 to support Bike Bakersfield. The famous UCLA center and pro basketball player credits cycling with returning him to fitness after years of surgeries and physical ailments. "My bike is my gym, and my church and my wheelchair," he said. Walton will appear at the Gardens at Mill Creek at 6 p.m. For tickets and sponsorship information call (661) 321-9247.

 * ... MEMORIES: So who out there can help Mary Durham answer this question: "Richard, our birthday buddies gathered at Casa Munoz for Taco Tuesday and the discussion came up that the restaurant at one time was Sambo's and the 7-UP Bottling Company was down the street on 18th but none of us could remember the name of the bowling alley next to it. Could you help us?"

CSUB president Horace Mitchell appointed to NCAA Division 1 executive committee and the late Spartacus Miller finally finds his place at The Padre Hotel

 * … MITCHELL:  CSUB President Horace Mitchell has been appointed to the executive committee of the NCAA Division 1 board of directors. This is an important appointment and puts Mitchell on the committee that will deal with issues such as the effort to unionize and pay college

football players. Mitchell told me during a wide-ranging discussion on First Look with Scott Cox that he opposes any form of payment for college students. In an opinion piece for the online U.S. News and World Report he said this: "Students are not professional athletes who are paid salaries and incentives for a career in sports. They are students receiving access to a college education through their participation in sports, for which they earn scholarships to pay tuition, fees, room and board, and other allowable expenses.
Collegiate sports is not a career or profession. It is the students’ vehicle to a higher education degree."

* … OLYMPICS: There is another Bakersfield connection to the Winter Olympics: Travis Ganong, a U.S. skier in the downhill competition. His father, Rick, was raised here and attended Bakersfield High School before heading off to college and eventually medical school. Ganong's grandmother and uncle are still living in Bakersfield.

 * … GOOD FORM: Lois Sabaloni took her husband, Joe, to the Elephant Bar the other day to celebrate his 93rd birthday. What happened next was an unexpected, delightful surprise. It turned out a man at the counter overheard the couple talking to their waitress and he paid for their entire bill, "writing a note of thanks and inspiration to us at the bottom, not knowing that Joe had served three years in the Navy during World War II." The waitress also refused to take a tip from Lois and Joe. "We'd like them to know how much their kindness touched our hearts," Lois said.

 * … MILLER: It took a couple of years but The Padre Hotel has finally installed a painting in honor the the hotel's former owner, the colorful Spartacus Miller. The image of Miller is installed in a light fixture above the pool table in the ground floor bar area with the words "gladiator against all forces of oppression." (photo by Don Martin)

 * … TRASH: From reader Ginny Espinoza: "I want to cry every time I see the commercial about covering up the green waste in your truck bed…. ending with: 'It’s the right thing to do - and – it’s the law!' Really? Shouldn’t it be: 'It’s the law – and – that makes it the right thing to do?'"

 * … TWITTER: My favorite Twitter feed of the day: "In about 20 years, the hardest thing our kids will have to do is find a username that isn’t taken."

 * … RAFFLE: The Our Lady of Guadalupe School will celebrate its 28th Annual Reverse Raffle and Dinner this Saturday. The event will be held on the new church grounds at 4600 E. Brundage Lane. Cocktails will begin at 5 p.m, followed  by dinner and a raffle. The grand prize is $8,000. Also this year, the school will present the Monsignor Craig Harrison Award to the Berchtold and Puente families. For event and ticket information, call the school office at (661) 323-6059.

New dormitories could transform Cal State Bakersfield and celebrating a good deed

* ... CSUB: There's an important development over out at Cal State Bakersfield that has been overshadowed by the serious cutbacks affecting the entire university system. The Cal State Board of Trustees has approved the funding for new dormitories that will feature 500 beds for students, the first phase of a project that will slowly allow CSUB to evolve from a commuter school to a more residential environment. Why is this so important? It's all part of President Horace Mitchell's plan to bring a more authentic college experience to the campus, and that can only be achieved by having students live on the campus. Can you imagine the campus with 500, 1,000 or even 5,000 students living there? The smaller older dorms (now 40 years old) will be phased out, replaced by the new dorms featuring suite-style rooms with bedrooms connected to a bath. The master plan calls for three phases of dorm building on the soccer fields fronting Stockdale Highway. If things go as planned, the first phase will be ready for fall 2014. The funding is coming via new revenue bonds.

 * ... SPOTTED: A young couple braves the rain recently to take a hot cup of coffee to a homeless man who was standing in the downpour protecting his belongings.


* ... SAM THE HIPPO: Harry Love, a retired teacher at Foothill High School, chimed in with his memory of Sam the hippopotamus who once lived at the old Larson's Dairy in town. "I was teaching Social Studies at Foothill High School. I think it was in the early 1970s. I had students who were passing out bumper stickers that read 'Save Sam the Hippo.' They went to different classes, charging $1 for them. It was a publicity stunt to get the county to purchase land for Sam and other animals at the small zoo in Hart Park."

* ... PAJAMAS: A reader's note mentioning she "spotted" a mother walking her children to school while wearing a robe and pajamas has triggered a healthy little debate. Is this another example of how lazy we've all become, or should the mother be applauded? Raymond S. Pederson wrote to send "kudos to Pam Cheatwood for pointing out the simple but unavoidable truth that getting children to school, even in if mom wore pajamas, is a noble act.  How many people would not have taken their children to school under these conditions. You would think that with the present rate of drop-outs in Kern County, getting the kids to school so that they might move on to eventual graduation represents a true effort on the part of the mother, regardless of outward appearances. Thanks to a mom who cares enough to make sure her children get a good start on the path to a better future through education."

* ... THRIFT STORE:  A new thrift store has opened to serve the neediest in our community. It's called the Blessing and Bargains Thrift Store and is located at 2141 South Chester Avenue. This is a project of the Chester Avenue Community Church, which member Paul Warner describes as "small but we have strong faith." Stop by sometime and if you have leftover items from a garage sale, or other donations, they will be happy to take them off your hands.

 * ... WHO KNEW? Did you know that the giant fiberglass Indian statue now at Ethel's Old Corral Cafe is a “Muffler Man Indian” and once stood on the Garces Circle? The Vision 2020 Image Committee says there are different versions of Muffler Men all over the country. There is even a website devoted to Muffler Man sightings.