Top administrators leave Bakersfield City Hall for greener pastures, the bulldozers reduce the old Sinaloa restaurant to rubble and why the City Council needs to forget about saving the old railroad depot

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.

 * .... EXODUS: What is going on over at Bakersfield City Hall? Maybe nothing, but it does raise red flags when two of the most important department heads in the city - Public Works Director Nick Fidler

and Assistant City Manager Jacqui Kitchen - resign to pursue other jobs. Fidler and Kitchen are seasoned city administrators at the top of their game, and they are turning their back on two 'destination" jobs. Is it just coincidence, or does it show their displeasure with City Manager Christian Clegg's operating style? Both Fidler and Kitchen were devotees of former city manager Alan Tandy, and while no one is talking, speculation is rampant and the new culture at city hall and how it might be driving good people away.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.

-Benjamin Franklin"

 * ... CSUB WRESTLING: Congratulations to Vernon and Janis Varner who have funded scholarships for the CSUB wrestling program to the tune of $25,000. The Varners are longtime supporters of CSUB wrestling and The Coyote Club, which regularly raises money to support the sport.

 * ... MEET CRAIG HARRISON, CITIZEN: For the first time in his adult life, Craig Harrison is no long affiliated with the Catholic Church. That deal was sealed this week when the pope  released Harrison from the priesthood after a long period of acrimony, accusations, bad blood and hints of scandal involving Harrison and a number of young men who claimed Harrison sexually abused them years ago. The charges may never be verified - it is a virtual he said/he said situation - and after being suspended by the church, Harrison made the decision to sue the church for defamation. That lawsuit still stands - you can bet the church was not happy about it - and it led to Harrison resigning his post when he feared retaliation from the diocese. Then the letter came, basically saying the pope had accepted his resignation and was moving on. Harrison is also moving on, reportedly eyeing a counseling and life coaching business here in town.

* ... RIP SINALOA: The Sinaloa Mexican restaurant, long a mainstay of downtown Bakersfield with a long list of followers, has been torn down to make room for new apartments. The bulldozers and cranes moved in Wednesday afternoon and make quick work of the historic old building. Sage Equities is planning to build apartments at the site.

 * ... MY TAKE: The idea of saving the old Union Pacific railroad depot on Old Town Kern is born of good intentions, but it is an idea doomed to fail. Aside from the good that comes from preserving the past, the building is too large, in terrible shape and given its location will likely never have a chance to be restored without millions of dollars. For Councilman Andres Gonzales and other supporters: if you can't control the homeless population or keep the Kern River Parkway safe and clean, what makes you think you can save and restore a dilapidated old building in an economically challenged area beset with crime and homelessness?

 

* ... COURTHOUSE MEMORIES: Check out this photo, courtesy of the Kern County of Old on Facebook, of the old Kern County courthouse.

New City Manager Christian Clegg meets the press, Supervisors Couch and Perez who strength in their respective districts and Justin Salters hangs his own shingle as a public relations specialist

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 person or organization.

 * ... CTIY MANAGER: Bakersfield's new city manager, Christian Clegg, held his first press conference this week, introducing himself to local reporters and vowing an "inclusive" administration that will take time to listen to the City Council and community about our priorities. Interesting,

perhaps in reference to the recently retired Alan Tandy, Clegg said he was not a "bull in the china shop" and instead hoped to have a more collaborative process. Clegg spent nine years in Stockton as an assistant city manager and said he plans to stay in Bakersfield for a long time.

 * ... ELECTIONS: Super Tuesday was just super for a handful of local candidates, predictable in many ways and highly instructive in others. First, the victory of Supervisor David Couch over Emilio Huerta is proof that hard work does indeed pay off. Couch was handed a new district he had to work (thanks to the federal court ordered redistricting) he was up against the son of civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, and he still steamrolled to victory, a testament to his tireless campaigning and work on behalf of his district. The same can be said for Supervisor Leticia Perez, who also waltzed to victory despite her troubles with the law when she was charged with a conflict of interest because of her husband's cannabis consulting business. Like Couch, Perez knows her district, works it and proved voters will show their loyalty to politicians who care. Mayor Karen Goh may prove to be one of the most popular politicians in town, and welcome Philip Peters to the Board of Supervisors after he won easily the race to succeed Mick Gleason in District 1. If Peters plays his card right, he will be a supervisor for many years to come thanks to the political machine that helped put him into office.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "I consider my self to be a capable, somewhat intelligent, middle aged man. However, I just double-tapped a photo in a magazine to see it better."

 * ... JUSTIN SALTERS: Congratulations to Justin Salters, a veteran political consultant who just launched his own public affairs and strategic communications company, Salters Associates. A CSUB graduate who is active on the alumni board, Salters has a decade of experience and hopes to focus on clients in the San Joaquin Valley.

 * ... MISSION BANK: Mission Bank held its official "grand opening" at its new location this week, capping off a month's long move from its old facility just a block away. The bank took over the old San Joaquin Bank building at the corner of 17th and L street, remodeled it and updated the exterior. The bank was founded in 1998 and in 2012 merged with Mojave Desert Bank.
A.J. Antongiovanni serves as its president and CEO.

 * ... VULTURES: Check out these turkey vultures that descended on my street downtown and took up temporary residence in a tree across the street.

  * ... MEMORIES: Check out the old Rosenthal's Pacific Sales Company
located at 1621 19th Street in 1918 . Thanks to Art Moore and the Kern County History Fans Facebook page for this one.

A deeply divided City Council nears a decision on how to deal with our homeless crisis, a Democratic activist goes on a bizarre rant before the Board of Supervisors, radio producer JR Flores breaks a big story and crime runs rampant in the Golden State

 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. 

 * ... CITY SHOWDOWN: Will the city of Bakersfield go it alone an build its own homeless shelter or will it throw it with the county and partner on the new county shelter expected to open next month?

This decision is coming down to the wire and has split our City Council. On one side is Ward 2 Councilman Andrae Gonzales who is leading an effort to buy 17 acres of land on East Brundage (the old Calcot facility) for a low barrier homeless shelter. Gonzales says he will make a motion to buy the property at the Council meeting next week, but he faces opposition from Ward 1 Councilman Willie Rivera, who wants to throw in with the county on its facility off Golden State an M Street. Make no mistake but there is

plenty of bad blood between Gonzales and Rivera, who is supported by Supervisor Leticia Perez and we all know that Perez an Gonzales are like oil and water. Watch the votes on this one, because it will tell us a lot about where the council may go under newly appointed City Manager Christian Clegg.

 * ... PEREZ: Speaking of Perez, the supervisor has agreed to a deal with the District Attorney's office to resolve the conflict of interest case involving her failure to disclosure that her husband (Fernando Jara) was involved in the cannabis business while she sat on the board. The deal calls on Perez to pay $30,000 in fines to a non-profit involved in the homeless fight, another $4,000 on top of that and community service. Perez is eager to put this embarrassing chapter behind her - it came near to derailing her career - and has positioned herself as a realistic moderate in the ongoing effort by the state to shut down the oil an natural gas industry.

 * ... JULIE SOLIS: Well, it's election season and that means odd behavior, the occasional rant and stunts like the one Julie Solis pulled before the Board of Supervisors. Solis is running against 34th Assemblyman Vince Fong and went on a bizarre anti-oil rant, prompting board chair Letica Perez to try to shut her down. It was then that Solis, who like Perez is a Democrat, accused Perez of wanting to have sex with her because of her "big titties," or something of that nature. Seriously. She actually said that, and this is a woman who wants to be taken seriously as a candidate. It turns out even her own Democratic Party has turned against her, not only refusing to endorse her but kicking her out of the local party. Every election season needs a few oddballs, and Solis proved this week she is here to entertain us all. Stay tuned.

 * ... NEW CITY MANAGER: What was our City Council thinking when it offered the city manager's job to Christian Clegg of Stockton and then decided to wait three days to announce it? What did our council think, that no one would leak it? That they could sit on it for a few days and the reporters about town would sit quietly? Well that didn't happen, and credit goes to J.R. Flores, producer of both the Ralph Bailey and Richard Beene Show on KERN NewsTalk Radio, to dig up the truth. It only took Flores a few hours before he revealed that Christian Clegg, assistant city manager of Stockton, was the pick to succeed the retiringAlan Tandy. Producers of talk radio shows like Flores normally work quietly behind the scenes and rarely get credit for the work they do. Flores deserves credit for tracking this one down with his impressive network of local newsmakers.

 * ... SPELLING: Someone over at the Downtown Business Association needs to learn how to spell, or at least how to proof read.

* ... SEX TALK: I spotted this on Facebook posted by state Sen. Shannon Grove and it certainly got my attention. It alleges, among other things, that the state of California has approved new sex education guidelines for six graders that include such topics as "kinky" sex and "sex toys." The problem? According to The Californian's Bob Price, it is all bogus. As in not true. As in Shannon Grove allegedly fell for an internet hoax. Grove later took the post down and apologized. We all fall for internet hoaxes, but one would hope our local legislators would have a better grip on pending legislation.

 * ... THEFT: I spotted this post on Facebook. "These scumbags ran out of Albertson's on Panama Lane with stolen merchandise. There was a female passenger already waiting for them when they ran out. I notified Albertson's and PD to give there location. However I ended finding them in a residential neighborhood near the intersection of Sweet Water and Alum. The 3 guys unloaded all that stuff they are carrying and the female took off in the truck." Yet another sign of the times in the Golden State.

 * ... MEMORIES: How about this old shot of the Noriega Hotel?