CSUB and other state schools will demand proof of vaccination to enroll, the city cleans homeless camps along the Kern River and three business people are appointed to the city Planning Commission

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 company or publication.

 * ... PROOF OF VACCINE: If you are thinking of enrolling at CSUB or any campus in the CSU or University of California system this fall you will need to show proof of vaccination. That's the word from

the CSU Chancellor’s Office, who noted the mandate is dependent on an adequate supply of vaccines. As of now, the only exemptions will be allowed for medical or religious reasons. There have been discussions for allowing other exemptions in the future although no decision has been made.

 * ... KERN RIVER TRASH: I was thrilled to see a half dozen city of Bakersfield dump trucks and pickups on the Kern River bike path this week, busy cleaning up dozens of homeless camps along the dry riverbed. Most of the action was happening between Beach Park and Manor, a stretch of the bike path that is heavily infested with homeless encampments. The cleanup coincides with a volunteer river cleanup session set for Saturday at the parking lot off Manor.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Never understood the phrase 'I’ll give you something to cry about.' I’ve already found something to cry about. Problem solved, call off the search."

 * ... CRIME VICTIMS: A sobering view from national Crime Victim's Rights Week, down Truxtun in front of the courthouse.

 * ... CASSIE BITTLE: Cassie Bittle, owner of KC Steakhouse downtown, has been appointed to the Planning Commission. Bittle said her role on the commission would be to "give back" after local government supported small businesses during the long pandemic. There were three openings on the commission and joining Bittle as new members were Zack Bashirtash of Infiniti and businessman Larry Koman.

 * ... MEMORIES: Thanks to the Kern County of Old Facebook page for these two pictures of The Hopkins Building at 19th and Chester, one from July 1952 after the earthquake and the second in March 2021.

Volunteers pick up a thousand pounds of trash left by the homeless in the Kern River and ask: Where is our city? Meanwhile restaurants open up to crowds and Disneyland looks to April 1 to open

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 company or publication.

 * ... KERN RIVER CLEANUP: Volunteers were out in force this Saturday to help pick up mountains of debris in the littered Kern River, and they were quick to show their frustration with city and state policies that have created the mess we have today. Dozens of tents and encampments, some seemingly permanent, have shot up along the riverbank in the last few months, leaving tons of trash, igniting the occasional fire

and endangering the safety of runners, walkers and cyclists who often are attacked by pit bulls and other breeds owned by the homeless. Said Bill Cooper, whose work years ago led to the creation of the bike path: "BringBackTheKern! and KRPF volunteers took about 1,000 pounds of really disgusting trash and debris from the river at Beach Park. Homeless were hauling more trash to their camps on dirt bikes as we worked. One guy was flashing women volunteers. No control by the city." As an aside, it's interesting to note that while the city does occasionally "sweep" the riverbed area of homeless and debris, the hard work is left to those who actually use the bike path and trails: the taxpayers.

 * .. MISSING BOYS: There are few who expect the search for two California City boys who disappeared at the end of last year -Orrin West and Orson West - to end well. This weekend Bakersfield police joined the search forcing on a rural area by East Pacheco and Cottonwood roads, but came up empty. It is an odd and frightening story, made stranger by the fact that neither the boys' biological parents nor his foster parents have been part of the search or have spoken to the public about what happened to Orrin and Orson.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I don’t want a one-time stimulus check. I want you to stop stealing so much of my paycheck every week."

 * ... OPENING FOR BUSINESS: We already are getting a glimpse of the post-Covid world. On Sunday, the usual lines of customers waited for seats at the 24th Street Cafe, and restaurants are starting to fill as the nation eagerly waits the end of the pandemic. And in another sign things are improving, state has announced that some fans will be allowed to attend major league baseball games, and Disneyland will be opening with some restrictions on April 1.

 * .... MEMORIES: A classic old picture of the budding of the Kern River power plant around 1905 and another shot of old Bakersfield sign. Both classics.