Bakersfield braces for a cold winter of crime and vandalism, a fed-up Portland finally moves to oust the homeless and celebrating 100,000 spay neuters by the non profit Critters Without Litters

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.

 * ... WINTER IS COMING: Winter is coming and with it the expected spike in seasonal crime. It's hard to think of petty crime getting any worse here, and for the most part residents - and of course the politicians who are supposed to do something about all this  - have learned to live with an ugly new reality of life in Bakersfield. You'd think there would be more of an urgency to clean the streets, but with a few rare exceptions (supervisor candidate Jeff Flores among them) most local elected officials just choose to ignore it. Cars are broken into nightly in the best of

neighborhoods, catalytic converters disappear in broad daylight, park restrooms have been taken over by drug addicts, empty buildings burn with frightening regularity as the number of mentally ill homeless on the streets seems to grow by the day. A businesswoman comes back from cancer treatment to find her downtown office broken into and a mess. A new business owner, proud of what she has built, finds two windows shattered during the night. A third person, an employee of a business on Stockdale Highway, reports to work one day to fire a fire smoldering in a dumpster. So what can we do? Not much it seems, but if you are a homeowner never leave anything in your car or truck, leave your outside porch lights on, install a security camera, consult with neighbors and when it is time to vote, kick out any public official who minimizes what has come of our community. (random photos around town)

 * ... PORTLAND RESPONDS: Want to know how bad the homeless issue has become? Even in Portland, home to a mindset that has allowed homeless encampments to flourish, city officials appear to have had enough. This week city crews moved into a major homeless encampment at Laurelhurst Park, located in a high income neighborhood, and cleaned the place out. As they cleared the camps bulldozers moved in and built multiple pickleball courts and a skate ramp. (file photo of Laurelhurst Park)

 * ... ENFORCEMENT WORKS: Most people involved in the homeless issue focus on providing permanent housing as the answer, yet that does little or nothing for the business people and residents who are subjected to the general craziness and lawlessness that vagrants bring. But enforcement (keeping vagrants on the move) does work, just like we saw in Portland, Just take a look at the Smart and Final parking lot on F Street, one of the city's longtime gritty venues for the homeless to gather. After a rash of vandalism, the homeless were moved out several weeks ago and - for now at least - the problem is gone. 

* ... CRITTERS WITHOUT LITTERS: Critters Without Litters is the only low cost, spay neuter non profit in Bakersfield devoted to dealing with our pet explosion problem. And now, just a few weeks from the organization's 10th anniversary, it reached a new milestone: Critters has now spayed or neutered 100,000 pets. "It's a mind boggling number," said Vicky Thrasher, executive director. "I still remember our first few weeks when we wondered how we'd ever get up to 20 surgeries a day." Critters routinely provides 70 to 80 spay/neuter surgeries a day for pets and feral or free roaming cats in the community, four days a week. They also offer a walk in vaccine clinic Monday through Thursday where anywhere from 120 to 180 animals arrive each day for vaccines. Critters Without Litters is located off White Lane on Stine Road. For more information go to www.critterswithoutlitters.org. (photos courtesy or Critters Without Litters)

 * ... SODA CRACKERS: One of the hottest local bands around, The Soda Crackers, is returning to the Kern County Museum for a special show on Sunday, Nov. 13. The band features brothers Zane and Cooper Adamo (sons of photographer Felix Adamo and author wife Teresa) and their bandmates to create a Western swing sound closely associated with the Bakersfield Sound. Tickets normally sell out so order them at https://www.eventbrite.com/.../the-soda-crackers-present...(photos by Felix Adamo)

 * .... MEMORIES: It's easy to forget how big Buck Owens was in his prime, particularly among Asian crowds who embraced his Bakersfield Sound. This picture says it all, compliments of the Kern County of Old Facebook page. The caption: "Buck Owens in mid 1970's on tour in Sydney, Australia. His manager on left is Jack McFadden, and on the right is Banjo player Ronnie Jackson. This was a month long tour in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Sold-out shows wherever they appeared."

The wisdom of an NCAA basketball coach seeking peaceful dialogue in our country, it's time for fall soups and Critters without Litters gets some much deserved love

 * ... PROTESTS: CSUB basketball coach Rod Barnes grew up Mississippi, played for Ole Miss where students cheered while waving Confederate battle flags, and later coached Ole Miss to an

appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. As an 51-year-old African-American coach from the Deep South, Barnes's take on the NFL protests is unique, a perspective formed through his own own life experiences and intertwined with his deep faith in God and his fellow man. Listen to Barnes as we chatted on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM this week: "My suggestion is if we just sit down at the table and we talk about the great country we live in, and (how great) the people around us are and we can talk about relationships then we can find some good, at least where there is no hatred. There is a place for protests but when you sit down you can find peace, and right now I don't find peace in our nation." Barnes went on to say the protests could migrate to the college level, and he views his role as a coach as "having these conversations every day" with his players to concentrate on what brings us together, not apart. To listen to my entire conversation with Barnes go to kernradio.com.

 * ... MORE PROTESTS: Beth Espinoza added this about the protests: "We wouldn’t still be talking about the National Anthem and the American flag had the NFL done their job in the first place. Any other employer in America, would not allow an employee in uniform, during work hours to interject their personal beliefs or opinion while on the clock or in the workplace. Players need to do what they are getting paid to do and nothing more. When you want to complain about politics or talk about your boss, co-workers, etc., you go and meet your friends at happy hour after work just like the rest of us."

 * ... INSPIRATION: I spotted this bit of inspiration on social media that seems particularly relevant these days: "Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Why are you always complaining about us being unhappy? People would kill to be as unhappy as we are."

 * ... FALL SOUP: How nice are these mild days and evenings? Fall is upon us and in many households, that means it's time for seasonal soups. I mentioned earlier the albondigas (meatball) soup at Nuestro Mexico, and my friend Margaret Scrivano Patteson wrote to recommend the New Vintage Grill on Hageman and its vegan lentil soup.

 * ... CRITTERS WITHOUT LITTERS: I was glad to see The Californian and writer James Burger post the spotlight this week on Critters Without Litters, one of my favorite non-profits that does so much to offer spay and neutering for dogs and cats at discount prices. All great efforts start with a passion and an idea, and in this case it was Joann and Larry Keller who started the organization out of a deep concern for the most vulnerable pets in our community. In the five years of existence, Critters Without Litters has altered more than 43,000 animals. Well done.

 * ... HOLY SMOKE BBQ: Don't forget the Holy Smoke Barbecue up at Garces Memorial High School this Thursday, an annual steak and potato feed now in its 50th year to support the good work done at the school. This year Garces is introducing live music and replacing the New York steak with a Harris Ranch cut. This is always a can't miss networking opportunity to support a good cause.

 * ... MEMORIES: Ken Cornelius Sr. added this memory about the old Lebec Hotel: "In the late 1940s and early 1950s there was a radio station in the old Lebec Hotel. It broadcast the big band sound from early evening to midnight. The acts were Al Hart and Dixie Darling. It was loud and clear where I grew up in Arvin."