Has downtown Bakersfield reached a "tipping point?" And should we be happy to be named a "drunk city?"

  * ... A TIPPING POINT? It's easy to exaggerate these things, but I am sensing downtown Bakersfield has reached a "tipping point" in terms of its long renaissance. And I am saying this with full knowledge that our local economy remains in a deep funk, as evidenced by the latest "Crabtree report" that shows our local housing market stabilizing but flirting with a double dip recession. (more on that later) Still, if you were downtown this weekend, it was impossible to ignore the energy that the newly opened Padre Hotel brought to the local arts and restaurant scene. The Padre was packed all weekend, four deep at the long oak bar until the wee hours of the morning, but so were the other local businesses. Boosted by the monthly "First Friday" festivities, virtually every venue was full of revelers shoulder to shoulder: Metro Galleries, the Surface Gallery, Mama Roomba, Uricchio's Trattoria, even Cafe Med on Stockdale Highway. In addition, entertainer Martin Lawrence appeared at the Fox Theater and the Crystal Palace featured country crooner Clay Walker. Remember, this is downtown Bakersfield, once known more for a salty crowd and the occasional stabbing or bouncer-related incident that ended up in the police files. But something has changed, and it is clearly for the better.

 * ... OVER AT CASA MUNOZ: I stopped by Casa Munoz Mexican Restaurant located at Union Avenue and 18th Street on Saturday, not exactly downtown but a wonderful family eatery nonetheless. Julie Hernandez, the peppy and engaging daughter of owner Joe Munoz, says she too was jammed all weekend, particularly on Saturday when the restaurant was full of kids in their tuxedos and evening dresses headed to the winter formal at Garces Memorial High School. Both Julie and father Joe are Garces graduates and big-time supporters of the Catholic school located on the hill near Panorama Drive. Julie's youngest son Julian is a St. Francis School student and spends his weekends helping out at the restaurant, stopping by tables and charming the diners with his wit and charm..

* ... BULLDOG OR VOLUNTEER? I received a nice note from Dave Price, the retired director of the county Resource Management Agency who now lives in Kingsport, Tennessee. Dave was a first rate public servant with a keen wit and easy style, and one way he keeps up with Bakersfield is through this blog online (thanks Dave.) Although he's an alumnus of Fresno State University, he told me he had made a "successful transition" to becoming a rabid University of Tennessee fan, all part of living in the Volunteer state. He wrote: "All this comes at some personal cost, though, as oilman Les Clark gave me some Fresno State Bulldog gear when I left and told not me not to sell out to the Orange. He and I are both FSU alums and I was even student body vice president and president!" To prove his new loyalty to the Vols, he enclosed a picture of his family, all wearing Orange. Stay in touch, Dave.

 * ... NEW HEAD COP: I had a chance to meet with newly installed Bakersfield City Police Chief Greg Williamson the other day in his Truxtun Avenue conference room. There's no doubt he has taken over at a critical time for the department, which like all city departments is facing an uncertainty over its budget. Williamson did say that he is hiring 17 new police officers funded with stimulus money and that combating gangs remains a high priority. The gang issue is one that is not going away.

 * ... THE BUZZ: So now comes word that Bakersfield has been named one of the "drunkest" cities in America by Men's Health magazine. We have enough image problems already, and this comes on the heels of hearing that "The Biggest Loser" was in town last week rounding up our more obese local citizens to appear on the program. So now we're not only overweight, but drunks as well. At least we can take some comfort that Fresno was ranked the nation's drunkest city, and we were down at No. 10. (The top five were Fresno, Reno, Billings, MT., Riverside and Austin, TX.) The survey was based on DUI rates, alcohol related car accidents and other incidents. Click here to read the entire story.

.

Bako bits: more concerns about housing and Bakersfield prepares to look for a new police chief

 Some short takes around down on this first day of the Kern County Fair...

 * ... AS IF BUSINESS ISN'T BAD ENOUGH: Turns out the decision to close the courts once a month to save money has had the unintended consequence of hurting the businesses of downtown eateries. If you remember the local courts are now furloughed every third Wednesday. If you work downtown, as I do, you know how strongly the court system fuels downtown commerce. Restaurants like Uricchios and the Sequoia Sandwich Co. thrive off the court clerks, jurors and bailiffs who dine there for lunch, and denying them that commerce once a month can be devastating. Jeff Simpson, one of Sequoia's owners, says the furlough has cost him 25 percent of his business on that one day. Just one more example of tough times all around.


 * ... POLICE CHIEF RECTOR ON HIS WAY OUT: It's well known that Police Chief Bill Rector has been thinking about retiring, and now I hear he's made the decision to leave in early January and is likely to announce it in November. It's no coincidence that Rector will turn 50 in January, thus making him eligible for the lucrative city pension that has come under such scrutiny lately. Insiders say the leading candidates to replace Rector are Assistant Police Chief Lyle Martin (pictured right) and Capt. Greg Williamson. (that's him on the left) My money is on Martin, who would become the city's second African-American chief following the popular Eric Matlock who preceded Rector.

 * ... MORE HOUSING CONCERNS: The complexity and depth of this Great Recession cannot be understated, and you do so at your own risk. Real estate, for example, has certainly shown some signs of life, but most of the sales are on the low end of the market reflecting the continuing purge of excess inventory and foreclosures. While it's certainly appropriate to celebrate any good news, it's also wise to be cautious. Which is why a story in today's Wall Street Journal was so disturbing. It noted the growing number of "delayed foreclosures" caused by "legal snarls, bureaucracy and well meaning efforts to keep families in their homes" which are "slowing the flow of properties headed toward foreclosure." It continued:

 "While that buys time for families to work out their problems, some analysts believe the delays are prolonging the mortgage crisis and creating a growing 'shadow' inventory of pent-up supply that will eventually hit the market. The size of this shadow inventory is a source of concern and debate among real estate agents and analysts who worry that when the supply is unleashed, it could interrupt the budding housing recovery and ignite a new wave of stress in the housing market."

 One Irvine real estate  consultant predicted a "flood (of bank owned homes) listed for sale at some point." Stay tuned. We're not out of the woods yet.

 * ... MINTER FIELD HANGAR DEDICATION: Don't forget the big to-do out at Minter Field in Shafter this weekend. They'll be dedicating an historic hangar and there will be a B-17 flyover to highlight the weekend. It promises to be a perfect weekend weatherwise. This is a splendid event for youngsters to give them a sense of history, and for history buffs of all ages. The show runs Friday and Saturday and admission is free. The B-17 will be flying in the morning and around noon so don't arrive too later. And you gotta love their poster promoting the event.