High drama is being playing out as farmers and governments spar over the re-emerging Tulare Lake, a class of new county firefighters graduates and celebrating Ricochet the famous surfing dog

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.

 * ... POWER, INFLUENCE AND WATER: Keep an eye on the tug-of-war among farmers and local governments out where Tulare Lake is re-emerging after the deluge of local rains. Thousands of acres of prime farmland is now under water or about to be under water, and how this plays out could affect both farmers (who stand to lose their crops) and residents of smaller valley communities (who stand to lose their towns to flooding). There isn't a better place to follow this story than San Joaquin Valley Water
(SJVWater.org or https://tinyurl.com/39m9apz5), a non-profit run by investigative journalist Lois Henry who is not afraid to speak truth to power. Already the huge farming conglomerate J.G. Boswell has reported Lois to the local sheriff's department for the mere infraction of asking for a quote. This story will only grow in importance - and don't expect Lois Henry or SJVWater.org to back down - as time goes on and the melting snowmelt brings more water to the valley, and the emerging Tulare Lake.

* ... MORE TULARE LAKE: The story of Tulare Lake captured the attention of The New York Times, which put the sheer size of the lake in perspective: "The lake is essentially at 790-square-mile bathtub - the side of four Lake Tahoes - that dates back to the Ice Age. Mammoths once sipped at Tulare Lake's shores, and tule elk ranged in its marshlands."

 * ... THE BEAUTY OF WHERE WE LIVE: More beauty to share of our valley from local photographers. Let's start with two shots out near the Taft prison by Pam Taylor, followed by another remarkable shot by Taylor of Mount Able. Then we have two pictures by JoJo Paredes Butingan (how about those wildflowers near Woody?), Gabby Osdale provides a lovely picture of the Kern River and Landon Peppel closes it out with a sunset over water.

 * ... RIP RICOCHET: Did you hear Ricochet, the amazing surfing therapy dog from San Diego, died recently at the age of 15? That's the word from the Los Angeles Times who said the golden retriever had been diagnosed with liver cancer in August and passed away Friday. Said the Times: "Ricochet was raised to be a service dog, but the energetic pup was more fond of chasing birds than assisting with household chores...Throughout her life, the beloved dog touched the lives of kids with special needs, wounded service members and families of fallen veterans. Ricochet was known as an affectionate companion, a shameless belly-rub beggar and had an intuition for people who needed a cuddle." (Los Angeles Times photo)

 * ... NEW FIREFIGHTERS: Kern County graduated a new class of firefighters this week and they will be reporting to their respective stations almost immediately. Among the graduates was Colin Ames, son of Sam and Andrea Ames and shown here with his proud mother.

* ... MEMORIES: Take a look at this old postcard that shows where the old Sears store was on 19th Street near the Kress Building. Thanks to the folks over at Kern County History Fans for this one.

Are rolling blackouts the "new norm" in California and will Gov. Gavin Newsom pay a political price? Plus Kelly Ardis leaves The Californian to join CSUB and another trip down memory lane with some old photos

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. 

 * ... WINDS: Hey California, does it feel like we are becoming the next Venezuela, a nation-state of endless shortages, uncertainty and bloated bureaucracy? It sure looks like it when we wake up and

find the power has been shut off and the state bureaucracy is telling us to shut up because this is the "new norm" in California. It is all because of Pacific Gas and Electric, the utility that cannot seem to shoot straight, has instituted rolling blackouts during the windy season to prevent wildfires. That's right, after the lack of maintenance led to horrifying fires in northern California, the utility has decided to pass the buck to us instead of doing what we expect it to do. But here is the ugly truth: historically the utility has put the pockets of its investors over routine maintenance of its power lines, creating a system that puts shareholder profits over safety. (Thankfully that practice ended recently thanks to a federal judge), Now you know what I mean when I say California is starting to look a lot like Venezuela.

 * ... RECALL NEWSOM: So where does all this leave our Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has long been eyeing a run for the presidency at some point? Will the rolling power outages lead to more pressure on Newsom, and act as a catalyst for the "recall Newsom" movement? Recall supporters point to Newsom's moratorium on the death penalty (after being upheld by voters), his decision to take gas tax money meant to improve highways and divert it to pet rail projects, and now this. Time will tell but the pressure is growing on Newsom as the state struggles to keep the lights on.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "You're an adult now. That means nobody can stop you from putting shrimp in a bowl of melted butter and eating it like cereal. Not anymore."

 * ... MOVING UP: Congratulations to Kelly Ardis, a longtime Bakersfield Californian features reporter who is joining the ranks at CSUB in a marketing position. Ardis is the latest TBC alumni to join CSUB, closing ranks with Christine Bedell who works in alumni affairs, and head communications director Jennifer Self. Ardis will work for the school of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering, reporting to Dean Kathleen Madden and working closely with Jennifer Self, director of public affairs and communications. The school of NSME is on the rise at CSUB, having earned a prestigious engineering accreditation in 2018.

 * ... THE POLITICS OF WATER: If you live in California, you should pay closer attention to water policy and how politics plays a role in who gets this precious resources, and who doesn't. And now there is a comprehensive new non-profit that offers in-depth reporting and writing on California's love/hate relationship with water. It's called SJVWATER.ORG and it is run by award winning journalist Lois Henry, who has devoted her life to reporting and writing about water in the Central Valley. Go to the website and support it, financially, by becoming a subscriber. I did.

 * ... MEMORIES: And what do you think of this, a shot of "West side girls" back in the day. Thanks to Art Moore and the Kern County History Fans Facebook page. And check out this second photo of the old Ridge Route back in the day.

Lois Henry creates a non-profit to focus on Central Valley water issues, Bob Price takes a swipe at House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy and some really bad form by our local Downtown Business Association

 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. 

 * ... SHE'S BACK: How great was it to open the Sunday Bakersfield Californian and see Lois

Henry's mug on the front page? That's right, more than a year after she unceremoniously left the newspaper (more on that later) Lois is back writing as a contractor representing her new non-profit, SJV Water, devoted to California's long and complex history with water. The Sunday story is yet another Lois must-read, exposing how local water agencies and officials are struggling to comply with tough new regulations on groundwater. Lois understands, as few do, that the issue of water and water rights is more than just a simple question of who gets the water: farmers or city folk? Even in years of severe drought, our farmers and water agencies have been selling water to other agencies and cities (losing it forever) all the while increasing the acreage under cultivation via drip irrigation that allows cultivation on land that heretofore was unsuitable for farming, like the west side of Kern. While this is going on, farmers draw on groundwater that is gradually sinking the valley floor- literally. Lois is a local crown jewel resource who should never have left the newspaper (former editor Jim Lawitz wins my 'bonehead of the year" award for allowing her and Eye Street editor Jennifer Self to walk out the door at a time newspapers are struggling to stay relevant) but having her back in print writing about water is a good compromise. Check out Lois' non-profit website at SJVwater.org. And by the way, Lois appears on The Richard Beene Show every Monday at 1:30 p.m. on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM.

 * ... BAD FORM: And speaking of boneheaded moves, shame on the Downtown Business Association for seeking to profit on our homeless crisis. The DBA, never missing a chance to feather its own nest, is having a luncheon to address homelessness, featuring people like DA Cynthia Zimmer and City Councilman Andrae Gonzales, two public officials who are always accessible to the media and others. The DBA is charging the princely sum of $65 for lunch, held at a venue owned by one of the DBA supporters and officers Bob Bell. Do we really have to pay the DBA to hear our public officials talk? And there you have it.

 * ... BOB PRICE: One of the handful of award winning journalists left at The Californian is Bob Price, who used his column Sunday to criticize House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy for his unwavering support of President Trump. "It is well past time for McCarthy to cautiously extricate himself from the circle of support around this president, toward whom I believe history will not be kind. I understand attempting such a maneuver is fraught wth challenge, but lingering near this looming implosion will be further detrimental to McCarthy's career and yes, his legacy." McCarthy replied, citing the robust Trump economy, the loosening of regulations to the benefit of business and his renegotiation of trade deals with other countries.

 * ... SEMPER FIDELIS: Congratulatons to Phililp R. Brandon, a local boy who graduated from the U.S. Marine Corps boot camp this weekend in Parris Island, S.C. He now heads to Camp Lejeune, N.C. for eight weeks of rifle and munitions training. Phil went to grade school at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and was a 2010 graduate of Garces Memorial High School. He now lives on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, where he volunteers for the Edgartown Fire Department and works Eversource, the local utility. His parents are Esther and Rogers Brandon of La Cresta and his brother, Sam, also graduated from Garces Memorial.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: Here is something to think about, lifted from Facebook: "Do you think Bakersfield could get away with this today? I lived on a street named Monitor and walked to my grade school named Plantation, which was on a street named White Lane. My Jr High was named Greenfield and my high school was South High. South was surrounded by streets named after the Confederacy. At that time (early 70s) our mascots where Johnny and Jody Rebel... for half of the four years I attended we actually had the authentic Confederate flag, which the Rebels twirled behind the marching band at every football game and parade. Our student body was at least (guessing) 30 percent black. I often wonder how they felt about their school.?Times were different then to say the least. Trying not to make a judgment just an observation."

* ... HOMELESS: Meanwhile the vagrant curse in our community continues unabated. Missing a trash or green waster dumpster? Chances are it is being used by one of our street vagrants.

 * ... MEMORES: Here are some more random shots of the old Hotel Lebec on the old Grapevine Road. Enjoy.

Steve Schilling given a proper sendoff as he heads to retirement, the Wounded Heroes Fund puts on a comedy jam and Rod and Julie Crawford survive the nuclear scare in Hawaii

Monday, January 15, 2018

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 such a special place. We value your feedback. Email your news and notes (good form, bad form, kids doing well, anniversaries, observations) to rsbeene@yahoo.com.


 * ... OLD GUARD: There was a big send off for Steve Schilling as the outgoing CEO of Clinica Sierra Vista last week, and it many ways it showcased the changing of the guard in Kern County.

Schilling spent more than 40 years building Clinica into one of the largest providers of healthcare in the West, and over that time he moved adroitly on the political right and left to get what he needed to provide basic health care for the underserved. Among those I spotted at a reception at the downtown Women's Club were former Congressman Bill Thomas, former state senator and supervisor Roy Ashburn, Supervisor Mike Maggard, Mayor Karen Goh, Ben Stinson III, cardiologist Dr. Brij Bhambi, attorney Matt Clark and Schilling's replacement, new Clinica CEO Brian Harris. At one time Schilling, Thomas and Ashburn were at the center of political power in Bakersfield, and it was curious to see them back together for perhaps one of the last times.

 * ... TBC TROIKA: And speaking of the old guard, it was also curious to see so many former Bakersfield Californian big wigs at the reception, all of whom have since left TBC to strike out on their own. (Full disclosure: I too am a former TBC employee). The exodus from our local newspaper of top talent in the past year has been stunning, and it was on full display at the Schilling reception. Among those I spotted were former lifestyles editor Jennifer Self, now a director of advocacy for Clinica, former city editor Christine Bedell, now an alumni affairs director at CSUB, and former columnist Lois Henry, TBC's star editor/reporter who abandoned ship to work with a business advocacy group. And taking their picture? None other than John Hart, formerly one of TBC's talented photographers. Between the four of them, they represented more than 80 years of reporting on Kern County.

 * ... SOUND WALLS: It looks like work has started to build sound walls on the north side of 24th Street as the widening project moves into the construction phase. The sound walls (only on the north side, not the south) go in first followed by a total widening, resurfacing and installation of a landscaped median. The entire project, from Highway 99 to C Street, is expected to take two years. As City Manager Alan Tandy told me: "It will be a mess." Ain't that the truth.

 * ... COMEDY HOUR: Hats off to Julio Torres and the folks over at the Wounded Heroes Fund for a raucous, hilarious and successful comedy night to support the service dog program for combat veterans. Held Saturday night at the  Elks Club near the Garces Circle, the event raised money to train service dogs for veterans suffering from post traumatic issues.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If I got a nuke alert I wouldn't call my family and say goodbye or anything. I'd be here tweeting top quality content for you all, harvesting retweets until the fireball took me."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: A tropical outdoor bar is shown in a picture with this written on a chalkboard: "We have beer as cold as your ex's heart."

 * ... HAWAII: Rod and Julie Crawford, owner of Pyrenees Cafe and the Silver Fox Starlite Lounge, had just arrived in Hawaii for a vacation when the alarm sounded that a nuclear strike was imminent. This Facebook post from Julie says it all:  "Just want to say I LOVE YOU to all my friends and family today. I didn’t realize how sweet life is till I thought it was gone. Huddling between the beds holding our six year old baby girl between us kissing each other good bye was the real deal. I’ve never been so scared or more thankful all at the same time. I was not happy to die but glad we were all together as a family. Ok so now back to the vacation in beautiful Hawaii."

Kern County's grape harvest is in full swing, more heat in the 106-degree range is in the forecast, a new manager takes over at The Mark restaurant downtown and a fond farewell to Lois Henry

 * ... GRAPES: If you are lucky, this is the time of year when it's good to count a local grape farmer as one of your close friends. The grape harvest is in full swing, and I watch with envy as a neighbor unloads a case of delicious, red seedless grapes from his car, courtesy of his buddy whose family

owns a vineyard in Delano. Kern County specializes in the classic plump, seedless table grape, but vineyards like The Grapery in Shafter have also brought to market exciting new varieties like the Moon Drops, Tear Drops and Cotton Candy variety. This is the season. Enjoy the harvest.

* ... HEAT: You know you are from Bakersfield when you realize summer is never over until the Kern County Fair ends in October. An example: temperatures are heading back to the 105-106 degree range this weekend and into early next week. Hang tight because winter is coming. Just not tomorrow.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If you scan the barcode tattoo on my neck, it tells you I scored very poorly on my SATs."

 * ... ROBERT LEE: The award for the overreaction of the week goes to ESPN, which told an Asian-American sports broadcaster named Robert Lee that he could not provide the play-by-play for a University of Virginia football game because his name was too similar to the Conferdate war general Robert E. Lee. To which someone tweeted: "From 1862 until his surrender in 1865, ESPN college football announcer Robert Lee commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia." And so it goes.

 * ... STATUES: And speaking of Gen. Lee, it is important to note the distinction between history and heritage in the argument over removing statues of Confederate soldiers. History is the study of exactly what happened in the past while heritage is the celebration of local and regional life via traditions, buildings, statutes etc. As one website put it: "History is the study of the past and heritage refers to valued objects and qualities such as historic buildings and traditions that have been passed down from previous generations."

 *... THE MARK: There is a familiar face hanging around The Mark as the downtown eatery's new  food and beverage manager: George Valencia, who spent six years working in a similar position at The Padre Hotel. The Mark has struggled with a series of short tenured managers who were shown the door (Terry Maxwell and Jeramy Brown were the latest) and are hoping Valencia brings some much needed stability to the popular restaurant. Meir Brown, the Cafe Med owner who was brought it to stabilize the place, said he hopes his temporary assignment ends by late December.

 * ... FAREWELL LOIS HENRY: And finally, a farewell and good luck to Californian columnist Lois Henry, who ends a remarkable 30-year run at the newspaper today (Friday) to explore new opportunities. Her courage, doggedness, honesty and occasional snarkiness (what would a Lois column be without a dose of that?) will be missed on the pages of our local daily newspaper.

Moms rejoice as kids go back to school, Lois Henry gets some well deserved kudos and more on those old sidewalks about our community

 * ... SCHOOL DAYS: So just how happy were all the moms to see their kids go back to school last week? Apparently ecstatic, as evidenced at the Broken Yolk Cafe across the street from Stockdale High

School. I was told the place was packed on the first day of school as celebrating moms consumed three cases of champagne after dropping off their kids.

 * ... COLLEGE DAYS: In a few short years many of those same mothers will be tearful when they drop those same little darlings off to college, a right of passage that is in full swing right now. So there is to all those friends of mine who have shared that final tearful embrace while leaving their kids at places like Arizona, Baylor, Berkeley and UCLA. You have earned the right to be proud.

* ... LOIS HENRY: Kevin Cornelius dropped me this note about my former colleague Lois Henry: "(She) is the Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes when it comes to covering or uncovering a story the public should  know about. Take for instance her article in the newspaper on August 17,  'Kern High School District has some explaining to do'....  Briefly put KHSD police officer Chief Joe Lopeteguy was fixing to get railroaded when he wasn't even on the train. Seems KHSD were trying to get Lopeteguy to take the rap because they got caught up in there own quicksand. All I can say is when this gal digs into a story she leaves no stone unturned. I have advice for all you public agencies... when Lois Henry comes knocking on your front door, run out the back!"

* ... MEMORIES: Don Ambriz added this to the discussion of old markets in east Bakersfield. "My grandmother lived near the corner of Kentucky and Kern streets - right across the street from Mayfair Market. During the 1950s, my cousin and I would buy 10 cents worth of liver from the meat counter and would go craw-dad fishing in the Lake Street canal."

* ... GOOD FORM: Here is a shout out to a group of people who rarely get recognized, our postal carriers. Thanks to Madeline Parra for passing this along: "Just wanted to share how great of a mail carrier we have. In the 28 years I have worked at Brown Armstrong I’ve never had a problem with mail delivery, and all because of Rosemary. Boy did I find out different when she went out on leave!
Rosemary Baca Arauza is a 30-year postal employee who delivers to the 4200 Truxtun Extension area where I work. About a month ago, Rosemary went out on leave and the mail delivery has been hit and miss. We are lucky to get our mail by 5 p.m. and there have been some days where we have not received our mail at all. When I called the Stockdale post office to complain, the supervisor said Rosemary has such a high-standard and she’s been doing it for so long that nobody can touch her.  I want to give a big shout out to Rosemary for going over and beyond.  I was aware Rosemary was good and always had a smile on her pretty face, but I had no idea she was in the elite class until she went out on leave and I had something to compare to. Hurry back Rosemary!"

 * ... SIDEWALKS: William Dean wrote with a personal story behind some of those old stamped sidewalks about town. In his words: "My name is William Dean and I was reading your blog about the old sidewalks in town and the contractors that poured the cement and also paved the roads as they went along. My grandfather and my uncle were two of these. They owned a company named Dean and Stroble cement contracting. And from the early 1900s to just about the time of the depression they paved and built many of the old roads and sidewalks in Bakersfield, a lot around Baker Street and also in Oildale. They had 10 model T trucks and about 40 mules plus some big cement mixers that they moved down the street as they went. I don't know how many of the mixers they had but I know of one for sure because I have an old picture of the mixer. My grandfather and my uncle are standing next to it with there work crew. I think it was taken in the area around Baker Street around 1920. My grandfather's name was Fred Thomas Dean and my uncle's name was Vance Stroble."

Moms rejoice askids go back to school, Lois Henry gets some well deserved kudos and more on those old sidewalks about our community

 * ... SCHOOL DAYS: So just how happy were all the moms to see their kids go back to school last week? Apparently ecstatic, as evidenced at the Broken Yolk Cafe across the street from Stockdale High

School. I was told the place was packed on the first day of school as celebrating moms consumed three cases of champagne after dropping off their kids.

 * ... COLLEGE DAYS: In a few short years many of those same mothers will be tearful when they drop those same little darlings off to college, a right of passage that is in full swing right now. So there is to all those friends of mine who have shared that final tearful embrace while leaving their kids at places like Arizona, Baylor, Berkeley and UCLA. You have earned the right to be proud.

* ... LOIS HENRY: Kevin Cornelius dropped me this note about my former colleague Lois Henry: "(She) is the Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes when it comes to covering or uncovering a story the public should  know about. Take for instance her article in the newspaper on August 17,  'Kern High School District has some explaining to do'....  Briefly put KHSD police officer Chief Joe Lopeteguy was fixing to get railroaded when he wasn't even on the train. Seems KHSD were trying to get Lopeteguy to take the rap because they got caught up in there own quicksand. All I can say is when this gal digs into a story she leaves no stone unturned. I have advice for all you public agencies... when Lois Henry comes knocking on your front door, run out the back!"

* ... MEMORIES: Don Ambriz added this to the discussion of old markets in east Bakersfield. "My grandmother lived near the corner of Kentucky and Kern streets - right across the street from Mayfair Market. During the 1950s, my cousin and I would buy 10 cents worth of liver from the meat counter and would go craw-dad fishing in the Lake Street canal."

* ... GOOD FORM: Here is a shout out to a group of people who rarely get recognized, our postal carriers. Thanks to Madeline Parra for passing this along: "Just wanted to share how great of a mail carrier we have. In the 28 years I have worked at Brown Armstrong I’ve never had a problem with mail delivery, and all because of Rosemary. Boy did I find out different when she went out on leave!
Rosemary Baca Arauza is a 30-year postal employee who delivers to the 4200 Truxtun Extension area where I work. About a month ago, Rosemary went out on leave and the mail delivery has been hit and miss. We are lucky to get our mail by 5 p.m. and there have been some days where we have not received our mail at all. When I called the Stockdale post office to complain, the supervisor said Rosemary has such a high-standard and she’s been doing it for so long that nobody can touch her.  I want to give a big shout out to Rosemary for going over and beyond.  I was aware Rosemary was good and always had a smile on her pretty face, but I had no idea she was in the elite class until she went out on leave and I had something to compare to. Hurry back Rosemary!"

 * ... SIDEWALKS: William Dean wrote with a personal story behind some of those old stamped sidewalks about town. In his words: "My name is William Dean and I was reading your blog about the old sidewalks in town and the contractors that poured the cement and also paved the roads as they went along. My grandfather and my uncle were two of these. They owned a company named Dean and Stroble cement contracting. And from the early 1900s to just about the time of the depression they paved and built many of the old roads and sidewalks in Bakersfield, a lot around Baker Street and also in Oildale. They had 10 model T trucks and about 40 mules plus some big cement mixers that they moved down the street as they went. I don't know how many of the mixers they had but I know of one for sure because I have an old picture of the mixer. My grandfather and my uncle are standing next to it with there work crew. I think it was taken in the area around Baker Street around 1920. My grandfather's name was Fred Thomas Dean and my uncle's name was Vance Stroble."

Are we seeing more crime or are we just hearing about it more? And the head of a local non-profit tangles with Californian columnist Lois Henry over fireworks

* ... CRIME: I don't know why I torture myself, but occasionally I check the "Bakersfield Thieves" Facebook page to check on all the crime around our town. Here's a sampling of one day's activity: A car is broken into in front of the Body Xchange in the northeast, two women are robbed near Pin Oak Park in the southwest, and a resident comes home to find a burglar breaking into her garage in the area of Hageman and Old Farm roads. My question: is there more crime these days or are we just hearing about it more?

* ... BARC: A nasty little dispute erupted this week between Jim Baldwin, president of the Bakersfield Association of Retarded Citizens (BARC), and Lois Henry after Baldwin accused the columnist of being a "liar." It all started when Henry asked Baldwin a simple question about how much money BARC makes selling fireworks and what they use it for.  (Baldwin opposes a ban on fireworks while Lois supports it) That seems a straight forward enough question for a high profile non profit that routinely seeks donations and grants from local companies and individuals. But apparently it struck Baldwin the wrong way, and he "went ballistic" while accusing Henry of not supporting his non profit. "Frankly, I was unprepared for the extreme vitriol Baldwin spewed at me," she said. "He flat out called me a liar and untrustworthy... and he was just getting started. He refused to tell me anything about BARC's fireworks sales or how the organization spends that money." Baldwin also told Lois he would no longer take her calls, never a wise move by someone of Baldwin's stature. Note to Jim: no one questions whether BARC serves its clients well, but wouldn't you be better off embracing a little transparency rather than throwing a fit over what seems like a reasonable question? Even Jeff Pickering, the former head of the Kern Community Foundation, threw his support behind Lois with this Twitter feed: "Accountability and transparency on money should be SOP for charities like @BakersfieldARC. Keep asking." Apparently some of BARC's board of directors agree. Nick Azemika, a local attorney who serves on the board, was one of several who called to reassure me that BARC's finances and books are "one hundred percent open" to Lois or anyone who cares to look. "This is a great organization and everything is above board," he told me.

* ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "If your entire car fits within the width of a crosswalk, you need to re-evaluate some of your life's choices."

 * ... MCKENZIE: Congratulations to KERO TV anchor Tim Calahan and his wife Erika, a delightful couple, who are the proud parents of newborn McKenzie Lynn Calahan. McKenzie was born Monday at Mercy Southwest Hospital and came into the world at 7 pounds 13 ounces.

* ... FOODIE: Stopped by Meir Brown's Cafe Med this weekend and didn't leave without enjoying the longtime Mediterranean restaurant's signature house salad, which takes cabbage to a whole other level. I added some blackened salmon and it main a hard to beat entree.

* ... SOLAR: If you think there has been an uptick in calls by telemarketers, you are in good company. Greg Laskowski is being inundated with calls from folks selling solar energy systems. "I received seven calls the other day.  I finally took one to task, telling him that he was the seventh solar telemarketer, and the fifteenth so far for the week. The gentleman informed me that there are over 6,100 registered solar marketing firms. Looks as if I am at the bottom end of an enormous funnel full of unwanted phone calls. Thanks to governors Schwarzenegger and Brown there will be no end to this kind of harassment because of their support for green energy."