The city of Fresno pops up on a list of 20 cities that may be headed to bankruptcy due to unfunded pensions, and the evolving and utterly weird story of the PGE implosion gets odder by the day

 * ... FINANCIAL WOES: The city of Fresno has popped up on a list of cities that could be headed for bankruptcy. According to the website Newsmax, Fresno ranked No. 3 on a list of 20 cities with

serious financial problems due to unfunded pension liabilities. Said Newsmax: "Fresno had the ratings of its lease-revenue bonds downgraded to junk-level by Moody's, which also downgraded its convention center and pension obligation bonds due to the city's 'exceedingly weak financial position.' The other cities in the top five were Compton, East Greenbush, N.Y., Gulf County, Fla., and Harrisburg, Pa.

 * ... EXPLOSION: Can this story about the disastrous implosion of the PGE plant on Rosedale Highway get any weirder? Californian reporter John Cox is now reporting that one of the subcontractors was not legally licensed, and it seems no one can figure out just who - if anyone - reviewed the plans to implode the twin plant towers. Build a wheelchair ramp on your house and you need a permit, but blow up a power plant and no one seems to know exactly who needs to review the plans.


 * ... SAN FRAN: Kern County Auditor and Controller Mary B. Bedard dropped me a note about a previous blog post noting that an astounding one in 28 residents of San Francisco are on the public payroll. She noted: "While not defending San Francisco, I would like to point out that the staffing levels at the city of Bakersfield and San Francisco are not comparable because San Francisco is organized as both a city and county in a single governmental entity. Therefore, San Francisco is providing services such as libraries, public health, district attorney, public defender, aging and adult services, child support services, and many other services that are provided to the residents of Bakersfield by the County of Kern."



 * ... BOOMERS: Did you know that this week (August 6, actually) marked the 68th anniversary of the last submarine lost in World War II? Gene Bonas, a friend who served on two different 'boomers,' told me the last sub lost was the USS Bullhead SS 332 with the loss of 84 men. "The month of August saw the loss of four subs and 241 men. One sub, the USS S-39, ran aground on a reef with all crew rescued. Another sub, the USS Cochino SS-345, was lost in 1949 due to a battery explosion and fire.  One Cochino submariner was lost and six men assisting from the USS Tusk SS 426 were lost."

 * ... JINGLE: Matt Koelzer wrote to settle the riddle on the old radio jingle advertising a business on Wible Road. He said it was the Bakersfield Swap Meet, located on the site where 3 Way Chevrolet now sits.

* ... MEMORIES: From reader Mike Stewart: "I thoroughly enjoy your column, as it brings back memories of old Bakersfield. I have a question for you and fellow readers. Does anyone remember a little neighborhood market called Gus's? It was on E Street, off Palm? I remember swimming at the Beale Park pool and then going to the small store for candy afterwards."

Padre Hotel restaurants will open in January and some tips for staying off the roads on New Year's Eve

 * ... MORE ON THE PADRE: I ran into Steve Uricchio this week and got a run-down on the plans to reopen the old Padre Hotel downtown. Construction delays prevented the much anticipated New Year's celebration, but Steve now says there will be a "soft opening" on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Steve is the hotel's food and beverage director and says there will be three restaurants and two bars, including a bar on the second floor which will also house a banquet facility. The ground floor facilities include a casual dining restaurant and a more formal restaurant along with two bars. He promises the hotel will be "stunning" and says the new executive chef, Darrell Jensen, has a proven track record in the Colorado mountain resort communities. There will be ample parking with the Padre striking a deal with the city for using the garage next door, plus there will be valet parking. The hotel rooms, according to Steve, will not open until February, a bit later than the bars and restaurants. Meanwhile the old Padre is getting some new awnings as workers rush to meet the new deadline. Stay tuned.

 * .. HOME DEFAULTS: While we are looking for good news, I heard that the Office of Thrift Supervision reported that second quarter "re-default" rate on modified mortgages - that means at least 60 days delinquent and three months past restructuring - fell from 30 percent to 19 percent. Good news? Let's hope so. The past year has been a nightmare in the local real estate market, with the lion's share of sales (70-plus percent) coming  in properties in some form of foreclosure. Let's all hope for a better 2010.

 * ... BAKO OR BAKERSFIELD? Local reader Stephen Montgomery wrote me about his friend who now lives in Fresno. "He regularly calls Bakersfield 'Backwardsfield,' a term that makes me grit my teeth. While I often call it Bako, as a member of the city's Keep Bakersfield Beautiful and active in pubic issues usually related to urban planning, I'm more interested in making Bakersfield a better place to live rather than dismiss it for its faults. Needless to say I took pleasure in referring to Fresno as 'Frezburg.' John didn't comment but if I think of something better he'll hear it."

 * ... THE BUZZ: With New Year's eve approaching, we all need to be diligent while driving, particularly if we have had anything to drink. If you are out and want to be safe, keep in mind a company called Designated Driver of Bakersfield Inc. that offers a terrific new service locally. Give them a call and they will not only pick you up and take you home, but also have someone drive your car as well. The base costs start at $45 but the company also offers "memberships" in which you get some rides free and others at discounted prices. Check out the company website here. It's worth considering.

Bakersfield makes top ten in number of solar roofs in California; San Diego tops list

Nice to see that the solar movement is finally taking hold in Bakersfield, at least according to a report compiled by Environment California, an LA-based nonprofit advocacy group. According to a story in the Fresno Bee, the group ranked the top ten cities for both the number of solar roofs installed, as well as for total "solar capacity." Bakersfield ranked sixth in terms of total number of solar roofs and seventh in terms of total solar capacity. The top ten list for the sheer number of solar roofs:

1) San Diego
2) San Francisco
3) Los Angeles
4) San Jose
5) Fresno
6) Bakersfield
7) Clovis
8) Santa Rosa
9) Sacramento
10) Berkeley

Not sure about you, but this list doesn't surprise me. I've had two neighbors install solar panels in the past year and lots of folks are studying the economics and pay back. The city of Fresno seems to have be much more aggressive in its solar programs. Said the Bee:

"Fresno's No. 5 ranking for the number of solar installations includes everything from rooftop systems on houses to large commercial and government projects. When the Fresno and Clovis numbers are combined, the area has 1,764 installations, more than San Francisco, Los Angeles or San Jose.
"Joseph Oldham, the city of Fresno's sustainability manager, said leadership by the current and previous mayor and the City Council has helped spur acceptance of solar power here.
"The city allowed 9.5 acres of solar panels to be built at Fresno Yosemite International Airport by a private company and buys the power it produces. The city also has a 668-kilowatt system on a rooftop at the Municipal Service Center, where city buses and other vehicles are serviced."

To read the complete Bee story, click on the link here.

No place for "green" here: Fresno top "green" city in Valley; Bakersfield (surprise!) down the list

It seems like an exercise in futility: studying which cities in the Central Valley are the "greenest" in terms of land use, zoning, transportation and economic development. Let's face it: the only thing "green" in this Valley are our magnificent farms that make us the country's bread basket. (We ain't got no stinking green here!) The rest of the story - our air, our congested roads, our short-sighted policymakers who have always put growth ahead of planning - would hardly qualify us as "green" in the environmental sense. (Now, green in the economic sense - read that profits - is another story) So I read with interest a story that, according to a study by UC Davis, Fresno came out tops among 100 Valley cities in terms of "the greenest ideas for growth over the next three decades." (read complete Fresno Bee story here) I'm still scratching my head because it's hard to imagine any cash-strapped Central Valley town as being "green" in any sense, but I suppose if you grade on the curve, then someone has to come in first. Lead author Mark Lubell suggested revising Prop 13 (good luck) which he said led to more uncontrolled growth. Said the story:

"These issues soon will become more important, Lubell said. The Central Valley -- which includes the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys -- is forecast to expand from 7 million to 12 million residents by 2040, making it one of the fastest-growing places in America. For the last 18 months, Lubell and a team of researchers looked at Central Valley cities to see whether they are preparing for sustainable growth. In the study, sustainable growth refers to such factors as air quality, ground-water recharge, high-density residential land use and renewable energy sources, such as solar."




Bakersfield apparently ranked No. 9 on the list, which in itself proves the bar wasn't set too high. Bako does have recycling, but it was only adopted after a couple of civic activists shamed the City Council into acting, and the percentage of folks who pay next-to-nothing for the blue recycling bins is abysmal. This has always been a community that has prided itself on being one of the cheapest places in California to live, and now we're living with the consequences: thousands of those cheap homes are in foreclosure, the roads remain congested and air is foul. And so it goes.

(photo of garbage truck courtesty of The Fresno Bee)