Kern High School District to comply with federal policy on transgender access to restrooms, the crowded Bakersfield mayor's race and more memories of old Bako

 * ... KHSD: No matter how you feel about the issue of transgender rights, the Kern High School District board of trustees did the right thing in voting to comply with the new - albeit controversial -

law regarding open access to restrooms. Now, with that said, I do believe President Obama erred in not allowing a full national debate on the issue before handing down the guidelines, but that's the way it rolled out and we have to deal with it or potentially forfeit millions of dollars in funding. As for trustee Chad Vegas' decision not to seek reelection because federal law conflicts with this religion, that was the right move for a pastor who believes his personal religious views trump civil policy. Jesse Aguilar spoke to it eloquently: "The board has no authority in deciding which laws the district
will follow and which they will not. If the latter is what some board members want to do, I suggest a run for the state legislature or congress. Please do not use our Kern High students as political hostages for personal, ideological agendas."

 * ... MAYORAL FEE: Did you know it only costs a $25 filing fee to run for mayor? So is it any wonder we had 25 candidates, some well meaning, some a bit odd, some resembling Manchurian candidates and all vying for our attention? Is it time to raise the cost of entry, if for nothing else to attract those who are truly serious about serving our community?

* ... KERO: I ran into KERO TV anchor Tim Callahan the other day, and he introduced me to Jacki Ochoa, his new evening co-anchor replacing Jackie Parks, who left to join her husband in Maryland after 27 years in the local market. Ochoa is a native of California who most recently was a reporter in Seattle. She also worked in Phoenix, Omaha and Redding and is a graduate of the University of Denver.

* ... SPOTTED: "Cardigans. Because you don't want to be murdered while pulling a sweater over your head."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I live for those really small but special moments in life, like when I see the waiter bringing my food to the table."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Susan Reep wrote to brag about the white-glove customer service she received from Lupe Sanchez, assistant service manager at Jim Burke Ford.  "He told me that he loved reading about the old days and he remembered Krauter’s Nursery on Kentucky Street where he grew up. He said they had lots of animals around there and once they found a big snake in their yard and called Mr. Krauter who came with his forked stick and got it and took it back to his place. "

 * ... ICE CREAM: Earle Murie is among the readers who remembers when ice cream came packaged in paper cubes. Said Murie: "I distinctly remember cubed ice cream because my father worked for the Arden Farms Milk Company from the early 1930s to the 1960s when he retired. In 1948 my mother opened a restaurant in Pomona, where we lived and where my dad was assistant manager for Arden. He was excited about the new product his company was promoting: cubed ice cream. So he convinced my mother to include the product in the menu. I was working for my mother at that time, having graduated from Pomona High School in 1947, and experienced the frustration of trying to make a milkshake or iced cream soda from a cube that had to be unwrapped before it could be placed in a container. Needless to say, cubed ice cream did not last long, at least with Arden!"

 * ... MEMORIES: Marjorie Poor Payne wrote that her farther was a dairyman who shipped milk to the Carnation plan on Union Avenue years ago. "My other and I plus four to five siblings would drive into Bakersfield to shop and one sibling took piano lessons at Toons Music Studio on Chester Avenue. I remember driving by the big Carnation plan and stopping for a milk shake - always a special treat - and they served food also."

Roy Ashburn tells Inga Barks: "I am gay"

 Roy Ashburn, the rock conservative Bakersfield state senator popped for DUI last week, today confirmed the long-held rumors that he is a homosexual. Ashburn told Inga Barks on her KERN Newstalk morning radio show, "I am gay." It was an interesting forum to come out so to speak, given Barks' own extreme right-wing views. But Barks and Ashburn have always had a bond and apparently he felt it was a safe place to come clean. But Barks didn't do Ashburn any favors by bringing on the self righteous local Pastor Chad Vegas after Ashburn left. Vegas condemned homosexuality as "a perversion... a sin"  and did little to acknowledge what must have been a painful period for Ashburn. Read the Californian story on the interview here.

Mark Salvaggio: Musings on a chance encounter at Taco Bell and a long career in public service

The last time we visited Mark Salvaggio the former city councilman was in a public spat with Chad Vegas, the boy-pastor turned trustee of the Kern High School District. Mark has never been one to mince words and his tendency to wax poetic tripped him up more than a few times during his long career in public service. Salvaggio is now on staff with Supervisor Michael Rubio's office but he's not busy enough to take time to drop me an email full of bitter-sweet memories, not unlike Ryan O'Neal's character "Preppy" in the 1970 movie "Love Story." In Mark's words:

"I went to Taco Bell after leaving my job with Supervisor Michael Rubio yesterday afternoon... ran into a young male African American city of Bakersfield employee. We smiled and shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. We talked about the tough budget times for both the City and County... After (he)left, I got my order and sat down thinking about how nice it was to see him and talk a little shop. Moments later, (he) came back into Taco Bell and asked me ...if I was coming back to the City as a Councilman again.... He said the talk around city government is that I would be back. I took a deep breath and smiled with regret. I thanked (him) for asking me this question and told him I was honored to hear that some employees are still thinking about me. I mentioned how at times I missed my work as a Councilman but had no plans to run again. He said everyone missed me a lot. My heart and throat swelled with both joy and sadness. We said goodbye again. This was the second time I have run into a city employee who said the same things about how I would be back.

"Sometimes I yearn for public service again. I had a good run, a good time though making a clean sweep of 576 consecutive meetings without an absence and never ducking a vote due an apparent or real conflict of interest. I served with 21 council members and four mayors and three city managers and five police chiefs and four fire chiefs... The best service is public service and knowing who you are, where you came from, and why you are there: to take all calls and make no problem to small. I continue to live to fight."

I don't think we have heard the last from Mark Salvaggio yet. I think he misses us.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself! Why wading in the mudpit with Chad and Mark can be so fun.

I could spend all day following the sophomoric bickering among some of our town's more prominent voices: Chad Vegas, the pastor and member of the Kern High School District, former city councilman Mark Salvaggio and the self-important Mark Martinez (pictured)out at Cal State Bakersfield. This is a field day for political theater (see previous post) so I couldn't resist posting Mark's response to Chad's response to a Salvaggio post. So confusing but so fun to follow. For those who don't know, Mark and Chad represent the far extremes of the political spectrum: Chad a thoughtful voice on the religious right and Mark an articulate far lefty who is fond of wrapping himself in the activist skin of "la raza." The background of this catfight is less important than the wonderfully tactless language they use. Here's Mark:

"If, after reading his heartfelt and insightful comments, quoting Proverbs 26:4 to Mark is all you can come up with you have issues. Still, I agree that Proverbs has much to say to all of us. This one in particular seems appropriate, Proverbs 26:7 'Like the legs of the lame that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Before you respond, you might want to think of this one, Proverbs 26: 11, "As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." I can do this all day. In fact, if you want to join me, you can come on my radio program this afternoon. I have someone scheduled for the 3 pm time slot, so you'll have to call in during the first hour. I'm bringing my Bible."

Ouch! Can this get any better?

Salvaggio and Vegas: is mud wrestling next?

Some of the best political theater in town these days involves pastor-high school district board member Chad Vegas (pictured) versus Mark Salvaggio, the longtime city councilman who retired a few years back. It started when they went after each other, via long strings of email, over state Sen. Roy Ashburn's decision to vote with the Democrats to break the logjam and pass the state budget. (for the record Salvaggio found Ashburn's vote courageous while Vegas labeled him something akin to a modern-day Judas. The vitriol was searing, and one email triggered a response and on and on. So now they're at it again, this time with Salvaggio posting a long email (with me copied in) calling out Vegas for not voting to extend Cobra health benefits to four high school teachers. That got the attention of Californian columnist Lois Henry (read her column here. ) Here's an excerpt from Salvaggio's latest salvo:

"I read Lois Henry's recent column. She called you petty, harsh, snake-belly mean, and unable to look upon a personnel matter before the Board on a human level. Henry was right. I would add this: you are a Christian, a Christian pastor at that. Where is the love of Christ in your heart? Saying "That's neither here or there to me" shows a huge lack of compassion, compassion our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ demonstrated and imparted to us as believers. You said, " I'm not going to contribute to over-inflating the size of government." Does that mean you are going to vote against the federal stimulus money the Kern High School District may receive in the near future, or any other federal funding augmentation?"

Stay tuned. You know there's more to come.