A CSUB economic predicts the coronavirus will trigger a recession, Grimmway Farms celebrates 50 years in business and Bishop Joseph Brennan makes an appearance at St Francis no less

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 person or organization.

 * ... CORONAVIRUS: Will the coronavirus plunge the United States into a recession? CSUB

economics professor Dr. Richard Gearhart believes it will, and it's hard to argue against when you look at the economic hit we are taking as we respond to the virus. CSUB has suspended classes for the rest of the semester, Disneyland has closed, Broadway shows have shuttered, the NCAA has canceled the men's and women's college basketball tournament known as March Madness, the NBA and NHL seasons have been suspended, major league baseball delayed the start of spring training, the Bakersfield Tennis Open has been canceled and there will be no more audiences at hit TV show recordings like Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune and The Ellen Show. Can the closing of public elementary and high schools be far behind? What about all the charity events and walks that start in the spring? What about high school and college graduations? How will this affect the homeless and their encampments? All signs point to a tough few months ahead of us, so stay calm, and stay tuned.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The wage gap isn't real. Men just tend to go for higher paying jobs, like doctor, engineer and CEO. Whereas women go for lower paying jobs like female doctor, female engineer and female CEO."

 * ... GRIMMWAY FARMS: Grimmway Farms is celebrating its 50th anniversary, one of the truly inspiring local stories of two brothers (Rob and Bob Grimm) who started hawking corn on street corners in Anaheim and went on to build what is now the nation's largest carrot producer. The Grimms have both died but CEO Jeff Huckaby is now at the helm and says Grimmway is weathering the coronavirus scare quite nicely. Orders for Grimmway's line of organic produce sold under the Cal-Organic brand are up, and fully 50 percent of all of Grimmway's business now comes from organic produce. The company employs some 7,000 people in seven states and ships product to 20 countries.

 * ... BISHOP BRENNAN:  The Kern County Catholic Prayer breakfast was held this week, featuring an address by Bishop Joseph Brennan from the Diocese of Fresno. The irony in the room was rich: here was the bishop who will make the final decision on the fate of Monsignor Craig Harrison, who has been accused by multiple men of sexually molesting them dating back to the late 1980s. Some Father Craig supporters boycotted the event although there was a robust turnout nonetheless. And this is the same bishop whose diocese is being sued by Father Craig for defamation. Finally, the event was held in the Monsignor Craig Harrison Youth Center at St. Francis. If Harrison is kicked out of the church, that signage will undoubtedly come down. 

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: A sign of the times.

* ... MEMORIES: Workers attend to the wreckage of the Porche Spider that James Dean was driving when he lost control and went off the road on Highway 46, dying at the scene.

The exodus of people and businesses from California continues, street racing becomes a public nuisance and some historic photos of the crash that claimed the life of actor James Dean

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 reflect the views of any other individual, organization or company. 

 * ... GOODBYE, CALIFORNIA: The exodus from California by people and business continues wth no end in sight, sign of growing discontent over a spendthrift government fond of higher taxes and heavier regulations. According to the Dallas Business Journal, some 660 companies moved 765

facilities out of California in the past two years, and yes the Dallas-Fort Worth has been the beneficiary of many of the relocations.  "The departures from the Golden State between January 2018 and now involve corporate headquarters, manufacturing facilities, data centers, research hubs, software and engineering centers and a few warehouses, according to business relocation expert Joe Vranich, president of Spectrum Location Services." California companies large, midsize and small are shifting their regional or corporate headquarters to North Texas because of the DFW area’s generally lower taxes, more affordable housing, lower expenses, central location, access to an international airport and other factors.

 * ... STREET RACING: How bad is street racing in our town? Pretty bad, and even more widespread than I ever imagined if you read Bob Price's "Sound Off" column in The Californian this weekend. The latest tragic incident happened on Ming Avenue near Old River road, taking the life of a 58-year-old woman and injuring two children, when street racers plowed into her vehicle. Ming Avenue has long been plagued by street racing, but readers indicated it was going on across town. Other favorite sites for racing: the stretch between Stine Road and Ashe Road on Ming; the Westside Parkway; Oswell Street and Panama Lane.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Your relationship can overcome any obstacles as long as you have separate bathrooms."

 * ... RIP PHIL WYMAN: Former conservative assemblyman Phil Wyman has died at the age of 74. Wyman was a beloved arch conservative, supporting legislation to require patent notification of teenage abortions, all the while backing the claims of some religious conservatives that satanic messages could be heard by playing rock music backward. He was beloved by many but that sentiment that has largely been overtaken by demographics that are making Kern County more Democratic and politically progressive. Wyman was a rancher and a camp operator.

 * ... NEW PUBLISHER: Cliff Chandler has been named publisher of The Bakersfield Californian after serving as its general manager for six months. Chandler is the first publisher since the Fritts-Moorhouse family sold the newspaper to Sound News Media last July.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out these old photos of the day James Dean crashed on Highway 46.

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And finally, feast on this wonderful old photo I spotted on Facebook with this caption: "Eagle Creek Gusher No. 1, Fellows, California. Image taken 1909-1910. Well strikes like this one were exciting and dangerous moments for the workers. The roar of the oil shooting out of the ground was deafening and the potential for fire was great. Shown here is the gusher in full force. To give you the size of the derrick, I placed a red dot under a man walking next to it."

James Dean's last autograph came on the Grapevine to a CHP officer, and Cal Radio looks at downtown Bako

 * ... JAMES DEAN: Two hours before the great young actor James Dean died in a 1955 car crash he was ticketed for speeding coming down the Grapevine. That little bit of trivia comes from Bakersfield resident Jack Skaggs, a retired California Highway Patrol officer who has a copy of the original ticket. "It was the last time James Dean ever gave his autograph, and it was to a CHP officer," he told me. The ticketing officer was O.D. Hunter, who stopped Dean for going 65 mph in a 55 mph zone. The time was 3:30 p.m. on Friday,  September 30. Two hours later his Porsche 550 Spyder flew off the road near Cholame and he was dead a half an hour later.

* ... CRABFEST: I stopped by "Crabfest" Friday evening, the annual dinner that raises money for the St. Francis Parish School, and it proved to be another hit. Almost 500 people showed up at the fairgrounds to dine on crab, potatoes, salad and pork ribs and participate in a silent and oral auction. Monsignor Craig Harrison was working the room, encouraging the crowd to open their checkbooks for a good cause. This is one of the most difficult tickets to score on the long list of our community's fund raisers, and the ribs alone are worth the price of admission. Among some of the people I spotted were Kay and Harold Meek, Jim and Beverly Camp, Tracy and Brian Kiser, Jay Rosenlieb, Annalisa and Trevor Townsend, Dan and Miki Hay, Karen Goh and so many others.

 * ... CITY LIFE: Behind every great movement are the true believers who make things happen, often against enormous odds. The resurgence of downtown Bakersfield is no different, and on Monday on Californian Radio KERN 1180 I will be talking with two of the change agents who bear a lot of the credit for the downtown renaissance. The first is Donna Kunz, who heads the city's ambitious economic development effort that until recently used redevelopment money to spur renovation and growth. With Donna will be Don Martin, who with little money but a lot of marketing savvy has helped transform parts of downtown from a gritty danger zone to an arts district. Join us at 9 a.m. for a discussion on what the future holds for downtown.

* ... SPOTTED: Man driving a green Dodge Stratus with no plates speeds through a red light on F Street while his small white dog sits on his lap.

 * ... CYCLOCROSS: Hats off to Sam Ames and his amazing group of volunteers who put on a successful cyclocross state championship this weekend out at Hart Park. While cyclocross is certainly a niche sport with a small following, the races provided a spectacular venue for spectators to take in some amazing racing. Peter Wonderly provided the "voice" and Hart Park afforded a world class course that challenged even the most fit athletes.

* ... OVERHEARD: A woman telling her friend she hopes that DressBarn's remodel includes a ladies' room.  The woman said she made a sizable purchase  there recently, then asked to use the ladies' room. She was told to go next door to Target. Susan Schwartz, DressBarn's manager, said customers can use a restroom located in the stockroom but it is not clearly marked and is not sure this will change in the remodel.

* ... BAKERFIELDISM: Vincent Bertolucci wrote that you might be a Bakersfield "old-timer if you remember the La Granada Ball Room at the corner of Eye and 16th Streets with music by Bob Sisson's Band during the late 1930s or early 1940s."