Kern County loses its top CAO to Napa County, Generation Z goes to pot (literally, cannabis) and order some popcorn to watch the Democratics fight each other when Andrae Gonzales challenges Dr. Jasmeet Bains in the Assembly race

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.

* ... FAREWELL RYAN ALSOP:  Ryan Alsop, the county's chief administrative officer since 2017, is leaving his post to take a similar job in Napa County. This is a huge lost for the county, which enjoyed a

period of steady, adult leadership during a period of great challenge, from the issues over firefighter's pay, to balancing the budget, the historic snowmelt and the threat of flooding and his efforts to successfully past a tax increase in unincorporated parts of the county. Alsop is just 52, a prime age for county administrators, and he was a unique fit for Kern County: he grew up in Bakersfield, went to Highland High and Bakersfield College, and knew the players. Next up? Stay tuned. (photo courtesy of The Californian)

 * .... GONZALES VERSUS BAINS? The worst kept secret in local politics is the emergence of Bakersfield City Councilman Andrae Gonazales as a challenger to freshman Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains in the March 2024 primary. The richness of this scenario is that they are both Democrats and we are about to have a front row seat to watch the Democratic Party cannabalize itself in this Bains-Gonzales matchup. So what is behind all this besides Gonzales' outsized personal political ambition?  Can Gonzales run on his record on the City Council when his downtown Ward 2 is awash in lawlessness, crime and vagrants, and his efforts to combat it have been largely ineffectual? And what is the Democrats' beef with Bains, who easily defeated Supervisor Leticia Perez to win the Assembly post but has quickly irked Sacramento Democrats by showing an independent side aligned with Valley sensibilities? Who knows but it's serious enough to bring together Perez and Gonzales, two Democrats who have been at odds with each other for as long as I can remember. And wasn't Gonzales thinking of running against Perez for her supervisor seat? And of course, what happens to the Ward 2 seat if Gonzales vacates it? This is all going to be fun to watch and it doesn't cost us a nickel. So grab a popcorn and join me.

 * ... GENERATION Z GOES TO POT: When it comes to cannabis consumption, it appears that Generation Z is fully on board. Gen Z - born between 1996 and 2010 - is the first generation to grow up with widespread legal access to cannabis. A recent study found that 65 percent or Generation Zero smoke marijuana and 51 percent consume cannabis infused beverages. Gen Zers are just as likely to visit a marijuana lounge as they are a bar. Gen Zers are also drinking less than past generations.

 * ... MOVING ON: Michael Burroughs, head of CSUB's Kegley Institute of Ethics, is leaving to join the University of Southern California as Executive Director of Organizational Change in the Office of Ethics, Culture, and Compliance. Burroughs siad he was "excited for this new chapter in life and opportunity to lead the strategic vision for USC's focus on values and engagement with the entire university community to guide the USC Culture Journey."

 * ... DOWNTOWN WOES: You can add Smith's Bakery on Union Avenue to the long and growing list of businesses that have suffered at the hands of the lawlessness of downtown. Employees came to work to find the windows smashed out.

 * ... PHOTO OF THE DAY: Once again local photographer JoJo Paredes Butingan blows us away with this incredible picture, a virtual carpet of green.

 

* ... MEMORIES: These two cool old photos of  Bakersfield back in the day come to you courtesy of the Kern County History Fans Facebook page, a treasure trove of good stuff.

A crazy week brings snow to the Valley floor, conspiracy theorists turn out to oppose the use of Dominion Voting Systems and a shootout in a quiet neighborhood shakes the confidence of downtown homeowners

 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.

 * ... DOMINION VOTE: The Board of Supervisors meeting turned into a donnybrook this week when the board approved a new three-year deal with Dominion Voting Systems on a 3-2 split vote. With Phil Peters and David Couch dissenting, Supervisors Jeff Flores, Leticia Perez and Zack Scrivner voted to

continue using Dominion systems to count the votes. Despite there being not an inkling of evidence that Dominion Systems have been compromised (they contain no modems or internet access to allow them to be compromised electronically) speaker after speaker appeared before the board to oppose Dominion, some refusing the leave the speaker dais and engaging in shouting matches. This is what happens when the business of running a county runs smack into wild conspiracy theories not connected to reality. Kudos for Scrivner, Flores and Perez for doing the right thing. (photo by The Bakersfield Californian)

 * ... DOWNTOWN CRIME: Poor Ward 2 doesn't seem to get any respect. The downtown district is already home to the lion's share of homeless and vagrants, city parks have become safe zones to inject drugs, the shadows of burned vacant buildings are now commonplace and crime runs rampant. But a gun battle in front of a downtown residence? Is that what it has come to? And yet that is exactly what happened around 7:30 p.m. last Thursday (Feb. 23) at a residence on the south side of Pine Street at 23rd Street. According to police, the homeowner (armed with a CCW and sidearm) pulled into this driveway to find three men breaking into his home. A shootout followed (that's right, bullets were flying) and one of the suspects was shot and the homeowner was apparently grazed by a bullet. (Two of the suspects are in custody, one at Kern Medical Center) If this is a random act of violence in a normally sleepy neighborhood, then we have a real crime problem that threatens the entire city. The real threat here, it seems to me, is the lack of political will to deal with a very tricky problem that requires more than press conferences and self congratulatory selfies. Where are the BPD foot patrols to protect businesses? Who is reaching out to the owners of vacant buildings? Where are the new city lights promised so long ago? The reaction among some downtown residents? Groups of women are arming themselves and taking gun safety classes to be prepared. And who blames them?

 *... SNOW STORM: Here are a few more random pictures of our recent snowstorm including a flooded Highway 99 near Pixley and some shots from Posey and Tehachapi,.Thanks to Peter Hunt for the shot of traffic backed up on Highway 58, Julie Malcomson Theriault and Michele Brown-Magyar for the use of their photos. The shot of the Hollywood sign was produced by an unknown photographer but the first shot, apparently taken by drone by local photographer Richard Joseph Forrester, is spectacular.

 * ... FRUGATTIS: The new location for Frugattis, that popular Italian restaurant that is now moving to new digs after a few decades at Coffee and Truxtun, gets a frosting of snow during the recent storm. The new location is located at Gosford Road and the Westside Parkway.

 * ... BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB: Congratulations to Ken Carter and Janice Meek for being recognized by the Boys and Girls Club of Kern County for their roles on the board of directors. The two were feted at the organization's “Open Doors & Open Hearts” event last weekend. Congratulations also to Robert Branton, who won the “Youth of the Year” award. Carter is the long time head of Watson Realty fFile photo of Ken Carter along with friends)

* ... CHRIS WILSON: Congratulations to Chris Wilson who was recently honored as Humanitarian of the Year 2022 by the Plank Foundation. Wilson is chairman of the Tigerfight Foundation, which raises money for a crippling childhood disease.

 * ... PYRENEES: The couple that owns Pyrenees Cafe are pushing what they believe is the cafe's secret: breakfast. Long known for its stiff drinks and Basque food, Pyrenees has a large and diverse breakfast menu that the Crawfords are promoting via this billboard near Costco. And the best news? Breakfast is served all day. Breakfast for dinner anyone?

* ... MEMORIES: Take a look down Chester Avenue in the old days and you can see that iconic Coca-Cola sign atop the Sill Building. This picture comes courtesy of the Kern County History Fans Facebook page. And lastly, the History Fans page did not disappoint again with this shot of an advertisement for beautiful new and old homes in Bakersfield.

Another homeless fire claims a downtown office building, the fossil fuel industry fights back and vagrants chip away at the memory of the old Noriega's

 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.

 * ... ANOTHER WEEK, MORE DESTRUCTION: Another week has passed in Bakersfield and that usually means another vacant building downtown has been burned to the ground by vagrants. This time they torched a once unique office complex on 18th Street directly across the street from the
Women's Club, the latest in a long string of homeless fires to strike our community. The building in question has burned four times in six months - twice in two days - and yet city Code Enforcement

apparently did nothing to prevent this from happening again. City Councilman Andrae Gonzales told KGET he saw this coming and pushed his proposed city ordinance to force landlords to list vacant property for the city. That's all well and fine but where was Code Enforcement and the city in the years leading up to this fire, when everyone (including Gonzales) saw this coming? Aside from the loss of historic buildings, the seemingly endless string of fires has aggravated those who have had dealings before with Code Enforcement. Said one downtown businessman: "They (Code Enforcement) were going to fine me and shut me down because a door threshold was a quarter inch too high. But half the city is burning and nothing is done." The city is indeed burning. Is anyone paying attention?

 * ... PAM TAYLOR: Thanks to advances in technology and the ever present iPhone, rank and file citizens have been turned into world class photographers. Just take a look at these two Kern County sunrise pictures from my friend Pam Taylor. Simply outstanding.

 * ... FOSSIL FUELS: For years I have argued that the fossil fuel industry needs to do a better job of explaining its mission to combat the current effort to drastically reduce or ban oil and natural gas in California. It looks like the energy sector finally has fought back and is spending millions on a TV advertising campaign funded by a group called Californians For Energy Independence, which receives financial backing from the energy sector. The message is clear: why import foreign oil from countries run by dictators and tyrants when you and pump oil right here in California amid the strictest safety standards in the world.

 * ... STATE OF DOWNTOWN: Some random scenes around town (primarily Ward 2) that speak to our inability to effectively address a problem that is negatively affecting businesses and residents alike. Some things the city has tried, like hiring contractors from Flood Ministries to help clean up the streets and private security guards for some areas, are clearing helping to keep the crime and grime to a manageable level. The new city and county homeless navigation shelters are doing their job, as is the Mission of Kern Country, but a solution to the toughest problem - what to do with the criminals, tweakers and mentally ill - has eluded us. Progress is slow, people are frustrated, and this collage of photographs illustrate where we are today.

 * ... ALSOP, PEREZ HONORED: The Highland High School Hall of Fame is set to induct two local political and government leaders into its latest class. Ryan Alsop, chief administrative officer for Kern County, and Supervisor Leticia Perez will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with members of the school's 1977 championship wrestling team.  Members of that team included Mike Gonzales, Fred Gonzales, Joe Calvillo, Dale Dow, Aaron Duckworth, Flint Pulskamp, John Hopkins, Rob Romine, Mike McKeehan, Mike Osthimer, Donny Monsibais, David Kincaid, Richie Phillips and Freddie Torres. (File photos of Alsop and Perez)

 * ... JASON GALVIN: Do you remember Jason Galvin, the likable morning news anchor with KGET a few years ago? Well it turns out Galvin, a longtime racing fan, has landed a big job in the car racing world by being named the second announcer for “the biggest and baddest Pro Mod race in the history of the known universe.” Galvin joins veteran drag racing announcer Al Tucci, previously named as one of the voices of the 2023 Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod. Galvin served admirably as a morning anchor at KGET, a likable young professional who delivered the news straight without trying to become a personality.  “It’s a huge honor,” said Galvin. “I’m still – I guess you could say the new guy – when it comes to announcing major drag races, and in the world of Pro Mod, this is absolutely the event to be at. Honestly, I was shocked and humbled when the DI team approached me. I can’t wait to get to Florida and get going. The money, the grudge matches, the star power, it all already feels so big. I’m stoked.”

* ... MOSRITE MEMORIES: If you are a guitarist, you likely know the story of the fabled Mosrite guitar made right here in Bakersfield. Some of the biggest names in rock used the Mosrite, and thanks to the Kern County of Old Facebook page, here musicians Joe Maples plays a rare double-necked Mosrite.

 * ... OLD NORTH CHESTER: And finally, check out this remarkable photo of North Chester in 1945, a terrific memento featured on the Kern County of Old Facebook page.

Early election results have Rep. David Valadao hanging on against Rudy Salas, the county sales tax increase is leading and remembering the old Blackboard Cafe and the day Hells Angels road into town and visited the honky tonk

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.

 * ... LOCAL ELECTIONS: It is much too early to call many of our local elections but here are a few conclusions, hopefully not submitted too prematurely:

 * Just 13 percent of Kern County's eligible voters cast ballots, another anemic showing in what could be argued was a terribly important election.

 * After months of his ads dominating the airways, it looks like Rep. David Valadao has jumped to an

impressive lead over challenger Rudy Salas. No doubt Valadao can thank his colleague, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, for the money that flowed into his campaign as McCarthy sought to collect enough GOP victories to become Speaker of the House. With so many outstanding ballots to count, it's too early to call this race.

 * Taft doctor Jasmeet Bains has a significant and possibly insurmountable lead over Supervisor Leticia Perez in the 35th Assembly race. Bains was aided by significant media buys on her behalf in the last month of the campaign.

 * If Measure K passes you can thanks a very smart and well executed pro-K campaign by county CAO Ryan Alsop, Sheriff Donny Youngblood and District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer. The trio went on a public road show the past month to push for the tax, which would raise the sales tax in the unincorporated area to pay for vital services

 * ... BLACKBOARD CAFE: The Blackboard Cafe, a honky tonk that thrived in the rollicking days of the Bakersfield Sound and was frequented by all the great singers of the day, is long gone but fondly remembered. It originally stood on Chester Avenue just north of the Garces Circle near 34th Street (3601 Chester Avenue), but is now just a memory. Yet now comes word that an original clock that adorned the club has been donated to the Kern County Museum. Thanks to a story in BeLocal, a relatively new city magazine that is a sister publication to Stroll magazine (formerly known as Westchester mag), I learned the clock was donated and will be on display somewhere at the museum. Here's a picture of the clock along with some classic old photos showing Hells Angels at the Blackboard back in the 1960s. (Photos of the Hells Angels by Bill Ray)

 * ... SEXUAL PREDATORS: There's little doubt that sexual predators live among us - neighbors, coaches, priests, confidents, relatives, teachers - and many go unpunished because the public simply refuses to believe the allegations, or statues of limitations have expired. And that is precisely the theme of a new book by Jeff Pickering entitled "Better at the Broken Places" that recounts his own assault at the hands of a family doctor when he was a teenager living in Florida. Pickering, who spent years as head of the Kern Community Foundation, penned the book after suppressing his own assault for years and finding out years later that the doctor was still practicing in Florida. The book tells Pickering's painful personal story and how - like many victims - he suppressed the memory for years as his attacker continued to practice without consequence. The book is available on Amazon. As an added note, former Bakersfield Californian chief graphic artist Glenn Hannmett did the cover for Pickering's book.

 * ... COMEDY FOR VETERANS: If you are in the mood to help local veterans while enjoying some standup comedy on Veteran's Day, check out a special comedy club benefit set for this Friday. Sponsored by Comrades and Canopies, a group that treats veterans to skydiving in Taft, the show will feature headliner Ellis Rodriguez with Jeremiah Nation, Sam Ridley, Greg "G" Williams and Patrick Rabin. Doors  at The Well comedy club open at 6:30 at 7401 White Lane.

 * ... MEMORIES: More on the Blackboard, that famous country bar of the Bakersfield Sound era. This post from Kern County History Fans reminds us of the place that was the place for musicians to meet.

 * ... DUSTBOWL: And finally, I am sharing these remarkable pictures from the Dust Bowl, all shot in Kern County, that appear courtesy of the Kern County of Old Facebook page. Enjoy.