A former city councilman lashes out at Assembly candidate Andrae Gonzales, citing homelessness, Fentanyl use and his "perverse reverse racism" while the Soda Crackers woo the crowd at the Fox Theater and the FDA approves an abortion pill available via the mail

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.

 * ... ANDRE GONZALES: Politics makes curious bedfellows, and there are few better examples of that than the curious relationship between Andrae Gonzales and Leticia Perez. Gonzales is the city councilman for Ward 2, and Perez a county supervisor. Both progressive Hispanic Democrats, there has been no love lost between the two for years. In fact, they flat just don't like each other-until now. Why? The answer will either make you even more cynical about politics or leave you totally

bemused. It turns out that Gonzales is challenging fellow Democrat Dr. Jasmeet Bains in the 25th Assembly, and other Democrats (including Perez) have rallied around him. What deal did the Democrats cut to make Gonzales and Perez become pals again? Did Gonzales pledge not to challenge Perez for supervisor, a job he has pined for? So is this politics as usual or yet another example of how self serving politicians can be? Well here is a take on that from former City Councilman Mark Salvaggio, an advocate of open government, who took off the gloves to criticize Gonzales. "For years, the gross enmity of Leticia Perez toward you has been has not been some kind of best kept secret," Salvaggio wrote. "I always considered it mere political jealousy. But now, the two of you have become the proverbial strange bedfellows. This is revolting political chicanery. The rumor mill has several people telling you not to run against her for D5 Supervisor." Salvaggio didn't stop there, suggesting that racism may play a role. "Did they also tell you to run instead?'  he said. "This is also some kind of perverse reverse racism against a woman of Indian descent? It's not all about you Andrae. It should be about character and integrity. " (photo shows a smiling Gonzales and Perez)

 * ... MORE SALVAGGIO: And Salvaggio wasn't done yet with Gonzales, using his digital newsletter as a way to rally around Bains and the bipartisan work she is doing in the Assembly. Listen to Salvaggio's logic as he posed these questions to Gonzales: "What more would you have the County to do about homelessness? The County has the M Street Navigation Center AND the Safe Sleeping Camp. The City does not have the latter. The County is building the Tiney Oaks Village, while the City of Bakersfield sits back and lets the excess Bolthouse property sit vacant.  Where are the City’s shovel ready housing projects for the homeless? All the while our Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains secured $2 million for your City of Bakersfield, $5 million each for McFarland and Wasco and more.... Bains is fighting the Fentanyl epidemic and Child Trafficking. Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains works across party aisles. Bains has the support of fellow Assemblywoman and Dr. Akilah Weber. It is important to have someone in the State Assembly with medical expertise. Bains and Weber give the people a twofer. The proof is in the pudding.  From the Valley, for the Valley. She's one of us, for all of us."

* ... OPEN DOOR: The Open Door Network, formerly known as the Bakersfield Homeless Shelter, has secured a classic old restaurant and converted into an 11-bed facility for women in need of a safe surrounding. Open Door CEO Lauren Skidmore found herself surrounded by others this week in dedicating the new facility, located in an old restaurant building on 19th Street.

 * ... ABORTION PILL: There is good news for those who believe in a woman's right to choose. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a birth control pill to be sold without a prescription for the first time in the United States, a milestone that could significantly expand access to contraception. The medication is called Opill and will become the most effective birth control method available over the counter — more effective at preventing pregnancy than condoms, spermicides and other nonprescription methods. Experts in reproductive health said its availability could be especially useful for young women, teenagers and those who have difficulty dealing with the time, costs or logistical hurdles involved in visiting a doctor to obtain a prescription. How important is this? The New York Times: "Since the Supreme Court overturned the national right to an abortion last year, the accessibility of contraception has become an increasingly urgent issue. But long before that, the move to make a nonprescription pill available for all ages had received widespread support from specialists in reproductive and adolescent health and groups like the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Family Physicians."

* ... SODA CRACKERS: The Soda Crackers, a band of local musicians whose lively blend of Western swing and the Bakersfield Sound has taken our community by storm, performed before an appreciative crowd at the Fox Theater this past weekend. Local photographer Felix Adamo, who has two sons in the band (Cooper and Zane) provided these pictures of the Crackers in action at the historic Fox. (photos by Felix Adamo)

 

 * ... SOUTH HIGH REUNION: Heads up to your South High Rebels from the decades of the 1980s.

 

* .... MEMORIES: Who remembers Haberfelde Ford? The folks over at Kern County of Old posted this picture of a valuable Ford Shelby at the old car lot.

Are you sick of being asked to tip at self-serve checkouts? Plus the Oakland Diocese declared bankruptcy amid hundreds of sexual abuse claims and the number of injured and lost dogs grows

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.

 * ... SELF-SERVE TIPPING: Are you among those people who wince and recoil when asked to provide a tip at self-serve checkouts? It's happening more and more - at Starbucks, at your friendly independent

breakfast place etc - when people are asked to provide healthy tips to people who often do little more than simply ring up your bill. Critics call this "emotional blackmail" and they say retailers are reducing costs with self-serve checkout but now are expecting full service tips. Said The Wall Street Journal: "Tipping researchers and labor advocates said so-called tip creep is a way for employers to put the onus for employee pay onto customers, rather than raising wages themselves."

 * ... DIRTY PRIESTS: Lawsuits charging that Catholic priests routinely targeted, groomed and molested hundreds of young Californian men over the decades are making their way through the courts but one diocese (Oakland) has responded by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Lawyers for Anderson and Associates, a Minneapolis firm that specializes in holding dirty priests accountable, called the move "an attempt by the bishop to harbor perpetrators, conceal assets, and shield the truth from survivors of sexual abuse. Historically, organizations such as Catholic dioceses and religious orders have used Chapter 11 Bankruptcy as a shield to prevent embarrassing jury trials, allowing the institution to continue 'business as usual' while continuing to hide its secrets. Bishops use this legal tactic to prevent survivors of child sexual abuse from pursuing legal action, exposing predators, and holding the Diocese accountable." The law firm's website contains a list of more than 300 former and current priests who have been accused of sexual abuse and it also identifies priests in the Diocese of Fresno who face similar allegations. One of them is Craig Harrison, a former Bakersfield priest who has been accused by multiple young men of sexual grooming and abuse. Harrison left the church, which found that the charges against him were credible, and he has since tried to resurrect a career as a religious counselor an spiritual adviser. He does not face criminal actions because the statute of limitations has expired, but he does face liability in the civil lawsuits.

* ... SNAP RESPONDS: The organization SNAP (Suvivors Network of those Abused by Priests) took little time to respond. "Everything about this bankruptcy is improper. It is all about keeping money and secrets. From one coast to the other, the same ruse is being used by Catholic bishops. Deny the reality while rearranging the molesters. Fight against changes to the statute of limitations. When secular laws act against them, they go to federal bankruptcy courts and pretend that they're bankrupt." It went on to charge that the Oakland Diocese was "morally bankrupt... We'd like to know if Bishop Barber considers the 330 innocent victims who have filed lawsuits against his Diocese. He never admits that these wounded souls were members of the Oakland Diocese. They had been baptized and confirmed, served as altar servers, or went to Catholic schools. Their families trusted the priests who assaulted their children, and those families donated time and money to the Diocese. They effectively compensated the clergy who had damaged their children's life. There are 80 parishes in Oakland, and there are 330 victims so far, although not all the lawsuits have been logged at this time. That could well mean every single parish and school in the Diocese harbored abusers."

 * ... HEARTBREAK: Did you see the heart breaking picture of the large white dog that had been hit by a car in Delano? The picture was circulated on social media (Facebook and other websites) in the hope the owner could be found, but now we learn it is all a scam. Click on the photo and you learn it is a way to trick you our of your money.  The second photo of the dog appears to be real. It was found near west Shaw and Highway 99 in Fresno.

 * ... PICTURE THIS: One of my favorite Facebook groups is called My Home is California (MHIC) which displays some amazing citizen photographer. Enjoy this incredible shot of the Bay bridge shrouded in fog.

 * ... THE FOX THEATER: The historic Fox Theater in Bakersfield celebrated an anniversary the other day, the 70th anniversary of the Fox's interior remodel to Art Deco. The Facebook group devoted to the Fox said this: " In the late 1940s and 1950s Fox West Coast Theatres, headed by Charles P. Skouras, initiated a remodeling campaign of its theatres to attract audiences back to their big screens. On May 1, 1953, we opened our doors with a fresh new Art Deco design by architect Carl G. Moeller. The theatre went from an atmospheric Spanish Colonial design to an Art Deco one featuring gold scrollwork on theleft and right sidewalls of the auditorium with fanciful drapes. Now 70 years later, the Historic Bakersfield Fox Theater is one of the last remaining and best-preserved examples of this unique "Skouras-ized"  style! Photos by Mike Hume of historictheatrephotos.com."

KBAK sports anchor Greg Kerr undergoes heart surgery, Sheriff Donny Youngblood gets a star on the Fox Theater walk of fame and Bakersfield ranks poorly in a survey of less educated cities

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.

 * ... GREG KERR: Greg Kerr, the dean of local sportswriters over at KBAK TV, has revealed he under went heart surgery recently at Memorial Hospital. Kerr noted the event in a personal note on his Facebook page, which he used to thank the Memorial nurses and doctors as well as his cardiologist, Dr. Caleb

Thompson. Said Kerr: "Your mind goes in a million different directions when something like this occurs. Looking forward to my release. A special thanks to my employers and co-workers at KBAK TV and ESPN radio… and to my son, Kyle who spent many hours by my side. I am truly blessed!" Four years ago Kerr lost his wife, Shauna Leigh, to cancer.

 * ... HISTORIC FOX THEATER: Sometimes you run across a picture that is so outstanding you just want to share. So with thanks to the photographer, my friend Richard Joseph Forrester, I share his recent shot of the historic Fox Theater downtown. Enjoy.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Jeff Bezos went to outer space and returned to earth in less time than I have been in line at Dutch Brother's Coffee."

 * ... LEAST EDUCATED: Another survey of the top 150 American cities is out and once again Bakersfield does not fare well. Of the 150 cities surveyed, we ranked 146th in the percent of graduate or professional degree holders and 136th in the ranking of cities who send their kids of top universities. 

 * ... YOUNGBLOOD HONORED: Sheriff Donny Youngblood was honored with a star on the Fox Theater walk of fame, Joining Youngblood for the unveiling were District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer, state Sen. Shannon Grove and friends and family.

 * ... MEMORIES: Some old shots thanks to the proliferation of Facebook groups devoted to local Kern County History. Check out the old Sill building back in the day as well as a historic picture of Lake Buena Vista.

 

If it's California, it's time to celebrate the season with Christmas tamales, the Fox Theater celebrates its 90th birthday, the Christmas star makes an appearance and a special New Year's celebration

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.

 * ... FOX THEATER: Did you know that Bakersfield's historic Fox Theater opened on Christmas Day

back in 1930? Showing that day was the movie "Just Imagine" that was set in the then future year of 1980. To celebrate the 90th birthday, the Fox is encouraging everyone to tour the Fox Walk of Stars outside the theater. And if you donate, you will receive a free large popcorn. (Selected Fox pictures taken by The Bakersfield Californian)

 * ... CHRISTMAS TAMALES: Tamales are a California favorite, and no where in the Golden State are tamales more popular than here in Kern County. If you are lucky, you have a grand mother (abuela) or an aunt (tia) or even a mother (madre) who is known for her Christmas tamales. If not, you need to head over to Grandma's Tamales at 100 Bernard, right off Union, perhaps the most popular tamale vendor in town. Enjoy these pictures from Grandma's Tamales.

 * ... SHANNON GROVE: State Sen. Shannon Grove is a proud veteran of the U.S. Army and this weekend she posted some pictures of the young recruit while in boot camp. Check them out here.

 * ... CHRISTMAS STAR: So did you check out the Christmas Star this week, the uber rare convergence of Jupiter and Saturn that drew comparisons to the star of Bethlehem appeared Monday at sundown and - depending on where in town you were - it was visible for about 45 minutes. He best picture I spotted was this one from someone in Athens, Ga. Enjoy.

 * ... NEW YEAR'S: There is an old Italian tradition that says we should all leave our front doors open at midnight on New Year's to allow all the negative energy out. Given what we have been through this year, I think that sounds like a grand idea.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "A $600 stimulus check? Hell, prisoners in California make more than that in unemployment benefits!"

 * ... MEMORIES: Well look at this, the Garces traffic circle back in 1932 thanks to the Kern County History Fans Facebook page.

"Oildale the movie will premier at The Fox Theater on March 30, a horrific motorcycle accident on Union Avenue leaves a rider dead and the Bakersfield Open tennis tournament heads into its final weekend

Friday, March 15, 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.


 * ... UNION AVENUE DEATH: There was an absolutely horrific motorcycle accident on Union

Avenue at 17th Street this week which led to the death of the cyclist. Video footage of the accident, which was horrible to watch, was posted on the KGET website showing a car making a U-turn on Union and the motorcycle crashing into the back of the car, sending the man flying through the air and landing hard on his back yards down the road. Authorities said the motorcyclist died Friday. He has not been identified.

 * ... TENNIS TOURNAMENT: Make sure you head over to the Bakersfield Racquet Club this weekend to soak in some sun and some of the best tennis you will catch anywhere. The Bakersfield Open is now it the quarterfinals in both singles and doubles as we head into its final weekend. There is no cost to attend.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Everyone tells teenagers that they don’t know what love is. But everyone wants to feel like a teenager when they fall in love."

 * ... MORE TWITTER: "I’m sure he’s great but Beto O’Rourke always makes me think of like some guy you dated in college who said 'I can’t say I love you because I just don’t know what it means,' and then made you listen to a Toad The Wet Sprocket album and look at his pictures from Joshua Tree."

 * ... MOVING UP: Jason Kotowski, longtime court reporter for The Bakersfield Californian, is moving on to KGET TV as a web content producer. Kotowski is the latest Californian reporter to leave the paper, which abandoned its downtown offices and moved its reporters and sale representatives to the printing facility on Pegasus Drive.

 * ... OILDALE THE MOVIE: "Oildale" the movie, a bittersweet look at the life of some local veterans set in the backdrop of Kern County, will have its world premier at the downtown Fox Theater on March 30. The movie, written and produced by two movie veterans from Los Angeles, was shot almost entirely in Kern County. After opening at the Fox, the movie will go on a "Heartland Tour" throughout the country.

 * ... EVA SCHLOSS: Hats off to Rabbi Samuel Schlanger and the Chabad of Bakersfield for putting on an evening with Eva Schloss at the Fox Theater. Schloss, the step sister of Anne Frank who is about to turn 90 years old, told her personal story of surviving the Holocaust, Auschwitz and even a terrifying meeting with the Nazi "death doctor" Josef Mengele to a packed audience of 1,400 people on Tuesday night. Said one attendee: "You could have heard a pin drop people were so mesmerized with her story."

 * .... MEMORIES: Check out this postcard of the old Padre Hotel circa 1940.

Cal State Bakersfield athletics raises a record $2 million for scholarships, weird happenings at the historic Fox Theater and KERO-TV gets a new news director

 * ... SCHOLARSHIPS: The success of any public university eventually comes down to the support it receives from its alumni base and the community it serves. So I was heartened to hear about the

success achieved by CSUB Athletic Director Kenneth "Ziggy" Siegfried and the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund. It turns out CSUB athletics fundraising reached nearly $2 million following the end of its annual scholarship drive. The Roadrunner Scholarship Fund raised an all-time high of $800,000 of the total $1.9 million raised this year in the department. The Roadrunner Scholarship Fund has now increased over 130 percent since the 2012-2013 fiscal year when the total amount was just under $350,000. Siegfried says the growth of the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund over the last few years has played a major role in the recent success of the athletics department and future growth of the fund will be critical in the department achieving lofty goals.

 * ... FOX THEATER: What in the world is happening with the historic Fox Theater and the foundation that runs it? The explosive and troubling story, first reported by Steve Mayer of The Californian, noted that $154,000 in ticket sales went missing in an apparent dispute between Bob Bender (Bender Entertainment) and the group that represented two comedians who appeared at the venue. The foundation, headed by Melanie Farmer of the Downtown Business Association, has washed its hands of responsibility but that falls far short of what is needed. Someone (hint: that would be you, Melanie) needs to go public to assure the public (many whom have given generously to save the iconic theater) that there is no danger of inflicting long term harm to the Fox. In addition, what is the foundation doing to make sure this doesn't happen again?

* ... KERO: KERO-TV has hired Nancy Bauer Gonzales as its news director and she will start at the Scripps-owned station later this month. She most recently was the news director for a Spectrum cable news channel in Palmdale. Prior to that she was the vice president of  news for the Los Angeles duopoly of KCBS-TV Channel 2 and KCAL-TV Channel 9 for a decade and before that was news director at KNBC-TV Channel 4 also in LA. She is married to KBAK/KBFX main anchor Dave Gonzales. Meanwhile, the station has hired six recent graduates from Arizona State University who will live in Bakersfield for the next year to learn the trade, doing everything from reporting to producing.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Happiness is using an ATM and finding a receipt left by someone with an account balance lower than yours."

 * ... CALIFORNIA: "My friend in Arizona just bought and registered a 2002 Tacoma there.
For title and two years registration cost $53. This state is screwed up worse than polio. I can't wait to leave here."

 * ... GOOD FORM: George and Agnes Plantenga celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary on June 28, accompanied by family and friends at the downtown Mexicali. "When it came time to pay to pay our bill, we found out it had been paid for," they wrote. "We want to say a big thank you to whoever paid for our dinner."

 * ... HAPPY HOUR: A few months ago I told you about the new expanded happy hour at The Padre Hotel, a full five hours from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Well, it turns out that may have been too much of a good thing and the happy hour has now been scaled back to 6 p.m. Meanwhile, the popular Firestone restaurant off California Avenue has a similar happy hour that ends at 6 p.m. but it also promotes $5 bloody Mary's and mimosas all day Sunday.

Remembering the talented Pat Conroy, Bob Smith endorses Andrae Gonzales for City Council and readers weigh in on unruly patrons at The Fox Theater

 * ... PAT CONROY: Among the passings recently was Pat Conroy, a fellow native Southerner whose semi auto-biographical novels like "The Great Santini" and "Prince of Tides" reflected the joys

and torment of growing up in Georgia and South Carolina. In his obituary in The New York Times, he gave advice that all great writers appreciate: "One of the greatest gifts you can get as a writer is to be born into an unhappy family," he said. "I could not have been born into a better one. I don't have to look very far for melodrama. It's all right there."

 * ... CITY COUNCIL: Ward 4 City Councilman Bob Smith has wasted no time in endorsing Andrae Gonzales in his bid to unseat Terry Maxwell in the Ward 2 race. Maxwell's opposition to the widening of 24th Street and and his perceived prickly personality has earned the enmity of some members of the council, as well as City Manager Alan Tandy. In an email to friends, Smith urged everyone to attend a fund raiser for Gonzales this Thursday.

* ... FOX THEATER: There has been a lot of buzz recently about unruly guests at concerts, including here at the Fox Theater. From my mailbag come these responses: "I stopped going to the Fox Theatre when I went to a concert there for Merle Haggard," wrote Cheryl. "The crowd was so loud and obnoxious and drunk that he stopped the concert and told them if they didn't behave he wouldn't play anymore. That did it for me. That would never happen at the Crystal Palace. They need to fix this at the Fox."

 * ... MORE FOX: But Carolyn Mack added this: "My husband and I attended the same Jennifer Nettles concert as the person who wrote to you under 'Bad Form' in today's paper. We had no problems. There were many people who were clearly enjoying themselves and having liquid refreshment, but no one near us was rude, drunk, or obnoxious. It was a Saturday night, there were three opening acts, and Ms. Nettles did not appear until two hours after the concert began. Plenty of time to become unruly! We enjoy the venue and hope concerts there will continue."

 * ... FOX LOVE: And finally Amy Knight weighed in as a lover of the Fox: "It broke my heart to read the 'bad form' letter about the unfortunate experience at the Fox Theater.  I have lived in Bakersfield for over 50 years and in my younger days, I always loved going there when it was a movie theater... The management for these shows has changed hands in the past years and perhaps needs to look more closely at how they deal with people who disrupt the show for everyone else... I worry that attendance at local events will plummet even further.  Please don’t let one bad experience paint the picture of the Fox. That kind of attitude is like accepting the image of our town as filled with redneck illiterates. We need to support local arts, theater and musical events. The few rowdy unruly people are not representative of us."

 * ... NOISE POLLUTION: Allen Byrd wrote to call out the Express Transit buses that operate around town. "Express Transit continues to blast their air horns multiple times per day to announce their arrival to drop off and pick up clients at the care home on Columbia Lane despite requests over the years that the horn honking cease  I suppose the drivers would think about the situation differently if they lived near a residence caring for the disabled and they had to listen to annoying commercial air horns."

* ... CRIME: From local resident Chris Brakebill: "Seems that smashing car windows is on the increase here. Several cars, including ours, had windows smashed while parked outside of Bakersfield Swim Club one night. It’s a good idea to not leave anything you don’t want to lose…keys, garage door openers, registration, watches, glasses, etc. The time of thinking 'it won’t happen to me' is over."