Texas leapfrogs to the third largest oil supplier in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Russia, H.A. Sala defends Supervisor Leticia Perez and the community rallies behind the Gleaners

Friday, July 20, 2018

 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 place. Email your news and notes to rsbeene@yahoo.com. 

 * ... SHALE BOOM: Just how important is the shale oil boom in the United States? Well check this

out: did you know that the Lone Star state is now the world's No. 3 oil producer, behind only Russia and Saudi Arabia? That's what a recent HSBC report said, thanks to two massive Texas oil fields and advances in hydraulic fracturing technology. Said CNN: "Much of the excitement in Texas centers around the Permian Basin. Some oil execs believe the amount of oil in the Permian rivals Saudi Arabia's Ghawar Field, the world's largest conventional oilfield. Rapid technological advances have dramatically brought down the cost of pumping oil everywhere, especially out of the Permian. Wells there can be profitable below $40 a barrel."

 * ... LETICIA PEREZ: The lawyer defending Supervisor Leticia Perez on conflict of interest charges appears to be focusing on unequal treatment under the law, and not that she was the victim of racism. H.A. Sala, one of the keenest criminal defense attorneys in the valley, told me on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM that District Attorney Lisa Green had not presented one shred of evidence that Perez stood to benefit from her position supporting the regulation and sale of marijuana in Kern County, even though her husband, Fernando Jara, was a cannabis consultant. Instead, he said, there might be a stronger underlying reason why Green chose to prosecute. And that, he said, was because Perez did not actively campaign for assistant DA Scott Spielman to replace Green as district attorney. Further, he wondered why Perez was not treated similarly to City Councilman Bob Smith, when Smith was cited for lobbying for a client before the city Planning Commission. Both Smith and Perez, Sala said, stood to benefit financially and unlike Smith, Perez never lobbied on behalf of one of her husband's clients. Sala said he would demand a full dismissal of the charges, and if not, we are headed for a trial.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Here’s the thing, I love you but I don’t want to rearrange furniture just to see how it looks."

 * ... MORE TWITTER: "Next up, Melania holds a presser to say she thought her jacket said 'I really do care' not "I really don't care.'"

 * ... GLEANERS: You know how they say that Kern County is such a generous place to live? Well there was more evidence of that when the community rallied behind the Golden Empire Gleaners after thieves stripped its air conditioning unit of all copper. The community stepped forward with grants and in-kind donations and the unit has now been replaced. The Gleaners specifically thanks California Resources Corp., Whisler Air Conditioning and Heating and Reese's Crane Service.

 * ... CRIME: How bad is crime about town? Check out this Facebook post from a man who video taped a young man stealing items out of cars and trucks near White Lane and Old River Road: "Confronted this guy and his buddy just causally walking down the street this morning at 5:30 AM, check car doors, stealing stuff, claiming they need to feed their family. Brazen, defiant, bold. Near Old River and White Lane. The early bird gets the worm! There were several cars unlocked that they just reached inside, filled their backpack, and kept on walking. What would you do? Is it worth escalating? It's only 'just stuff' being stolen when it's not your stuff...right? I just followed them for about 30 minutes and called the police. Is it only me but does it feel like our culture is against law and order? Yes, I filed a police report."

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out these old photos from a personal photo album, take in December 1946.

A northern California city comes out of bankruptcy with steep cuts in union pensions, and more defense of the NRA

 * ...PENSION REFORM: With all the talk about rising pensions costs, experts say the city of Vallejo in the Bay Area may provide a road map for reform. The city has the dubious distinction of being home to the largest municipal bankruptcy in years, and it is now submitting reforms to a federal judge. According to the Wall Street Journal, union salaries and benefits rose to make up 80 percent of the city's budget, untenable by any standards. The city has now reached new contracts with the police, fire and management unions that - among other things - will shrink health care benefits for retires to $300 a month, down from $1,500 a month. The former city manager of another Bay Area city said Vallejo was "an example of how compensation and benefits had been part of the politics of the city and it ultimately got the city in trouble." Sound familiar?

 * ... GLEANERS: One of the great benefits of living in California is the abundance of fruit trees that grace our yards. Many of us have an orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit tree somewhere on our property. And this is the time of year when so much of our back yard fruit goes unused. The folks over at the Golden Empire Gleaners would love to redirect some of that fruit to the needy. Pam Fiorini, Gleaners executive director, is looking for community groups that would be willing to pick fruit at homes of folks who want to donate it. It could be a Scout troop, church group or an individual. Or, if you can do it yourself, ,you can drop off the fruit at the Gleaner warehouse at 1326 30th Street, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon. Or call and arrange for it to be picked up, (661) 324-2767. 

 * ... LEMONADE LOCKS: Touched base the other day with Kelly Giblin, administrator over at the LeBeau Thelen law firm. Turns out she has a new side business trying to help those who are losing their hair because of cancer or other ailments. The idea: in-home consultations with a full line of wigs. "Having been diagnosed with alopecia several years ago and going through the trauma of losing my hair, I realized that there is a huge need in this community for this type of service. I also realized how embarrassing, intimidating and impersonal it can be to try on wig in the middle of a store if you are suffering from hair loss." The business is called Lemonade Locks: when life hands you lemons, call Lemonade Locks. Interested? Call (661) 900-6672.

 * ... NRA: Another email from a reader defending the National Rifle Association. Said Karla Jadwin: "I am the widow of Tom Jadwin, lifetime member of the NRA and two time chair of the annual Friends of the NRA dinner here in Bakersfield. The group fund raiser about which your reader complained, raises money to educate the youth in our area about firearm safety. Period. It's not much of a stretch of understand the purpose there: saving lives! It saddens me to see the uniformed public decry all firearms. Perhaps legislation should eliminate automobiles since so many senseless deaths are caused on the nation's roads by those enormous hunks of metal?" 

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? Did you know the Kern Valley Bank opened for business on the southeast corner of 18th Street and  Chester Avenue on July 6, 1889. The next day, July 7, was the great fire that leveled downtown, including the bank. The Goodwill is now located in that spot.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Bill Black: "You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if you remember the good root bear at the "Q-ne-Q drive-in on Chester Avenue in the late 1940s." Bill was a student at Bakersfield Junior College at the time.

Bako bits: Luigi's to celebrate 100 years and another bar opens at the Padre Hotel

 * ... LUIGI'S: I was at Luigi's Restaurant and Delicatessen the other day and heard from Gino Valpredo that the popular landmark eatery is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Gino said a huge celebration will be held Sunday, October 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Part of 19th Street will be blocked off and the restaurant will be serving some of its most popular dishes. This is one event that promises to be a hit.

 * ... COLLEGE BOUND: Another Stockdale High School student has been accepted to some of our top universities. Akash Jain, son of Anurag and Shelly Jain, has been accepted to Duke University, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley and UCLA among others. He's interested in bio-engineering and reportedly scored an impressive 2250 on his SAT.  

 * ... PRAIRIE FIRE: Stopped by the new Padre Hotel Friday night for the opening of Prairie Fire, the hotel's impressive new second floor outdoor bar and restaurant. It features a long bar, high seating, fire wall and plenty of room to circulate under the stars. My bet is it will be a huge draw for weddings. Jane Haupt was there celebrating her birthday with a group of friends playing bridge, the museum's David Gordon and pal Sue Deininger showed up, and I heard former Pittsburgh Steeler Joey Porter and his entourage made an appearance later that evening. Even Padre owner Brett Miller was there overseeing things before flying back to San Diego.

* ... GLEANERS ANNIVERSARY: Looks like the Golden Empire Gleaners is getting ready to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Executive director Pam Fiorini says they are looking for clients to share what impact the Gleaners had in their lives as part of the celebration. The Gleaners is also looking to to finish the job of replacing its roof, at a cost of about $80,000. Give Pam a call if you'd like to help, at 661-324-2767,

 * ... MONSTER TRUCKS: Reader Donna Painter wrote in to share her own pet peeve: those huge monster trucks that look like they would run you over in an accident. "One day I looked in my rear view mirror and saw only a big bumper and almost the undercarriage of a pickup truck. If one of those monsters hit me from any direction, they would decapitate anyone in my vehicle. Notice the semi rigs have a drop-down bar that prevents anyone from going underneath them. Why don't they require that for those raised pickup trucks? I think this is a safety issue that someone needs to take up."

 * ... GAUCHO REUNION: A big reunion of UC Santa Barbara alumni is being planned by Elaine McNearney. The event is planned for Saturday, April 24, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will include food and wine pairings. The cost is $25 per person. Among those on the planning committee are Sharon Mettler, Laura Wolfe, Joan Kerr, Suzanne Bunker Kishimoto, Terry Meyer and Patty Smale. To RSVP call McNearney at 661-703-4353.
 , Lui

* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield when "you are no longer surprised when you know half the people in the room at lunch at Luigi's."

Generosity in the midst of a recession

This nasty recession has given everyone plenty of reason to pull back their charitable giving. Which is why it's so encouraging to read about companies and individuals who have continued to give when everyone else is pulling back. Picked up some of this in the annual report of the Golden Empire Gleaners, which reported in 2008 it served 188,000 people, distributed 1.5 million pounds of food and racked up almost 7,000 volunteer shifts. This is a group that relies entirely on the generosity of others to keep feeding the hungry, so it nice to read that:
a) Chevron gave the Gleaners $20,000 to sponsor five senior sack sites for 2009.
b) The Robert Raskind Charitable Foundation gave $15,000 for general support.
c) Claude and Shirley Fiddler donated $10,000 to the Gleaners Endowment Fund.
d) The Bakersfield Californian Foundation donated $7,500 to sponsor the Food for Thought program.
e) St. Francis School donated $6,010 from their student Christmas store proceeds.
f) The Lake Family Foundation tossed in another $5,500 to sponsor costs for a volunteer program.