Good news for the California snowpack, the state wants to limit your indoor water use, thieves run amok about town with near impunity and two F-18s fly low over town

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 reflect the views of any other individual, organization or company.

 * ... SNOWPACK: Here's some good news on the California snowpack: experts say the frozen

water supply is at 97 percent of normal. This comes after California was hit by a series of storms that brought some much needed rain in December. We are now at 33.5 inches deep, ,which state officials say is 97 percent of average for this time of year. And we will need it, because officials say the rest of the year will be drier than normal. The snowpack provides 30 percent of the annual water needed for the state.

  * ... WATER NAZIS: Speaking of water, the California nanny state has passed a new law that will make it almost illegal to do laundry and take a shower on the same day. That's right, our state Legislature passed a law that will limit personal usage of water to 55 gallons a day. Just so you know, if you take a shower and do your laundry on the same day, chances are you will exceed that 55 gallon limit. Of course, this being California, there is no way for the state to determine how we actually use water in our homes. Water meters measure gross usage, including both inside and outside, but that doesn't seem to matter to the powers at be. And guess what? By the year 2025, that limit drops to 52.5 gallons day.

 * ... THAT SOUND: That deafening sound of aircraft heard about town on Saturday around 10 a.m. apparently came from two F-18 Eagles that took off from Meadows Field on a training flight. Facebook lit up after the planes took off, and no word yet on where the planes are stationed or why they landed at Meadows Field.

 * ... BAKERSFIELD THIEVES: Petty theft is rampant across town now that the state of California has basically decriminalized (that is, classified it as a misdemeanor) any theft of goods with a value of less than $950. Across town people are waltzing into stores, filling the carts and walking out, almost daring employees to confront them. Take a look at this woman, wearing an ankle monitor no less, caught on camera. The photos were posted in the Bakersfield Thieves Facebook page. The captionL "And here it is,,, Fun Zones 1st and dumbest Dildo of 2020! Stole lingerie and forgot to leave her ankle monitor at home! And since her ankle monitor is putting holes in her stockings Will someone please let her know I'll kindly give her a new pair of stockings so she can wear back to jail if she returns the lingerie!"

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: Now here is some redneck ingenuity. This was spotted on Facebook: "I was at the Tractor Supply Store and saw this pick-up that got its side window knocked out. Hooray for duck tape and the removable Tupperware lid to see the the side mirror. A redneck solution in action."

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this old picture of the Angelo National Bank at 18th and Chester Avenue, home of the law offices of Chain Cohn Stiles.

We will be skiing at Mammoth into August thanks to the snowpack, CNN will focus on Tom and Christy Morgan and Dignity Health wins Corporation of the Year at the annual Beautiful Bakersfield awards

Monday, June 3, 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.

 * ... SNOWPACK:  How much rain did we get this summer? Enough to make the snowpack in the

high Sierras 202 percent of average, or 33 percent bigger than last year. That's right, that means there is enough snow to keep the ski lifts at Mammoth open until August. It's all great news for the spring and summer runoff that will feed rivers and reservoirs, water crops and fill bathtubs.

 * ... WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE: The Kern River is bank to bank with water through town, giving all of us a sneak peak into how our city would look with year-round water. Kayaks and canoes were out in force this weekend, but they had to contend with the visual pollution of literally dozens of homeless emcampments along the river, a kind of homeless "House Hunters" episode where everyone gets a waterfront camping spot.

 * ... DIGNITY HEALTH: It's been a great week for Dignity Health. First, it won the coveted Corporation of the Year award at the Beautiful Bakersfield Awards, and later it was announced that Derek and David Car had signed on to continue their sponsorship and endorsement of Dignity Health Central California. Not a bad week I would say.

 * ... MONEYWISE GUYS: And speaking of the Beautiful Bakersfield Awards, it was great to see the Moneywise Wealth group (known as the Moneywise Guys on KERN NewsTalk radio) recognized as the Small Business of the Year. Outstanding people and outstanding service.

 * ... REDEMPTION PROJECT: If you watched CNN's Redemption Project Sunday night chances are you spotted a few familiar faces. The project focuses on victims of crime facing their accusers, and among those featured was former Kern County deputy (and later county counsel) Tom Morgan, who was shot and left for dead by a gang member more than 20 years ago. In the series, Morgan comes face to face with the shooter and talks about forgiveness, hope and salvation.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Welcome to middle age. Prepare to pay for all the damage  you did to your body over the past 40 years."

 * ... MORE SPOTTED: "Got one of those laser pointer things for my cat, and now I'm having to sit through all these presentations."

 * ... CLIFFORD AND BROWN: There has been a mass exodus at the law firm of Clifford and Brown, where eight attorneys have left to form their own firm. Leaving to form the new comprehensive law firm called Zimmer and Melton were Charles Melton, Richard Zimmer, T. Mark Smith, Nicholas Street, Victoria Trichell, Jeffrey Travis, Dennis Gallagher and William Zimmer. The head of the firm, Steve Clifford, died last year and his son, Dan Clifford, recently left the firm to become house counsel for Bolthouse Properties.

 * ... FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Think about this for a minute.

 * ... MEMORIES: Courtesy of the Facebook page Kern County History Fans,. check out this picture of the old Vincent's across from the post office.