Preparing for an historic election and more takes on the CSUB shooting

  * ... ELECTION DAY: If you are like me you've grown weary of the mud slinging and political attack ads that have come to be the norm in a political season. Instead of a sober examination of the issues, character assassination seems to be the preferred method of framing one's campaign. Still, every vote is important and this promises to be an historic election. So get out an vote on Tuesday.

 * ... MORE CSUB: Received a note from reader V. Kretsinger who chastised me for allegedly blaming campus security for the death of 18-year-old Bianca Jackson on the campus of Cal State Bakersfield. For the record, I never blamed campus security but rather questioned the wisdom of having a policy that allows late night parties at the campus. Regardless, here is Kretsinger's take. He said "the blame lies with the 75 students who invited all their friends who shouldn't have been invited and they invited their friends." Good point, but certainly the administration should realize that's how these things work, and they shouldn't be surprised if large crowds show up when parties are hosted on campus.

 * ... FATAL CRASH: A Sonoma County judge has upheld a 13-year prison sentence on a woman who was involved in a drunken driving crash that claimed the life of former Bakersfield resident Kathy O'Daniel. The 54-year-old O'Daniel was killed in September of 2009 when a car driven  by Judy Shafer slammed into her Honda Civic on a rural road. Kathy, her husband Chuck and their five children lived in Bakersfield for years before moving to Northern California. Chuck O'Daniel was the manager of the old Harris Department Store at East Hills Mall and later served as advertising director for The Californian.

 * ... COLLARDS: Hard to beat the spectacular weather on Sunday. Clear and crisp and the best of a Bakersfield fall. On Saturday I stopped by the downtown farmer's market off F Street and it was bustling with folks buying fresh winter greens. There were collards, kale, turnips, green and yellow squash, spinach, cauliflower, apples, nuts, honey, beautiful fresh flowers and of course pumpkins. All this abundance while an acoustic folk country band provided a soothing backdrop to a wonderful fall morning.

 * ... WREATH LAYING: If you haven't been out to the relatively new Bakersfield National Veteran's Cemetery, it's worth the trip. Located off Highway 58, it's on land donated by the Tejon Ranch Co. and now is home to 780 veterans. Recently I heard from Adoree Roberson that Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary is participating in the "Wreaths Across America" event in which wreaths are placed on all veterans' graves across our country. This year it falls on December 11. If you'd like to buy a wreath in honor of a veteran, living or dead, go the website www.bakersfieldwreathproject.org.

 * ... OVERHEARD: A local Realtor telling a friend that her daughter was turned down for a loan even after offering to put $100,000 cash down on a $350,000 home. "They've made it almost impossible to make a sale," she said.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Jo Lynn Moralez:  "You know you're from Bakersfield if you remember, in the 1960s, bomb shelters being sold at the corner of Baker and Niles streets."

The consequences of drunk driving: another "life interrupted" while a local program gets some much deserved recognition

  Received a lot of email and comments on the death of Kathy O'Daniel, the 54-year-old Bakersfield resident who was killed in an apparent drunk driving incident outside Santa Rosa. Kathy and her husband Chuck lived in Bakersfield for years, raising five kids and always remaining active in their church, and they left behind many friends. Kathy was invariably cheerful and a terrific, devoted mother, and folks were understandably stunned to hear of her death. (read the previous post here) Services have now been set for Saturday, Sept. 26, at 11 a.m. at Calvary Chapel Petaluma, located at 1995 McDowell Boulevard. Meanwhile, I hear that Kathy's 15-year-old daugher Kelcee, who was injured in the accident, is doing better but has a long recovery in front of her.

 Given the latest tragedy it was good to learn that the local effort to spread the word on the dangers of drinking and driving won some much deserved recognition. The program is called "A life Interrupted DUI Mobile Crash Exhibit" and is run by the Bakersfield Police Department and some concerned citizens, including local businesses like State Farm Insurance, Hall Ambulance, W.A. Thompson and families who have lost children in traffic crashes. The program was just named the California Crime Prevention Program of the Year, a well deserved honor for these folks who have worked so hard. One of those involved is Nancy Chaffin, the Californian's Human Resources vice president who lost her own son Jeff in a DUI incident eight years ago. In that incident (Jeff was not driving) Jeff was among four teenagers killed when Michael Hugh Curtis crashed on Seventh Standard Road. The program started in 2002 and involves taking the wreck of a car to local schools and showing kids what could happen. I've seen the presentation and it's a moving and (hopefully) effective program.  (that's a picture of the trailer below)

 Police chief Bill Rector  has thrown his full support behind the program as have companies like Three-Way Chevrolet, which donated a new Chevy truck, and State Farm which threw in $68,000 to build the trailer. Every death is tragic, and no one affiliated with the program is claiming this is a panacea, but it is encouraging that only one teen died locally in an alcohol related accident in 2007, compared to 12 in 2002. There was also an 18-month period between 2007 and 2008 when there wasn't a single teen killed.

 Pictured above are Nancy Chaffin, Police Chief Bill Rector and Sgt. Greg Terry. Photo courtesy of The Californian.

Kathy O'Daniel, former Bakersfield resident, killed in Santa Rosa crash

 Was saddened to hear that Kathy O'Daniel, a former Bakersfield resident now living in Rohnert Park, was killed yesterday (Sept. 14) in a car crash near Santa Rosa. Kathy was 54. Kathy and her husband Chuck and their five children, lived in Bakersfield for at least a decade before they left in 2002. Chuck worked at The Californian as advertising director and one of his daughters, Kacee, also sold advertising here. Before that he was manager of the old Harris Department store at East Hills Mall. Early reports said Kathy was driving on Llano Road with one of her other daughters (15-year-old Kelcee) when they were hit by a late model Jeep. Police believe the driver of the other car may have been drinking, but that has not been firmly established. Kelsey has been hospitalized in critical condition. (Read the initial report of the crash here) (Photo courtesy of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat)