Hundreds expect to show up to support the oil and gas industry before the Board of Supervisors, will the city ever make up its mind on a homeless shelter, and a crackdown on street racing nets some arrests

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.

 * ... THE FUTURE OF OIL: If you are concerned about the future of our community, as well as the long history of Kern County and fossil fuels, pay attention to the Tuesday meeting of the Board of

Supervisors. It will be there when a group of state energy regulators, as well as a representative of Gov. Gavin Newsom's office, will get an earful from local residents about the importance of oil and natural gas to our community. Expect to hear about Big Oil's safety record, its adoption of best practices, its commitment to solar and other forms of alternative energy, and its role in providing well paying jobs to thousands of people in an economically distressed part of the state.

 * ... THE HOMELESS: Meanwhile, over at the city there seems to be a clear lack of consensus on how to move forward to combat homelessness. Does Ward 2 Councilman Andrae Gonzales have the votes to approve the purchase of 17 acres of land on East Brundage for a homeless shelter? Does Ward 1 Councilman Willie Rivera have the votes to block it? Or, as some people fear, will the city drop the whole idea of building its own shelter and partner with Kern County on its low barrier shelter off Golden State? That shelter, meanwhile, is well under way and will open in February.

 * ... MORE DECISIONS: The city of Bakersfield faces two more big decisions this month: it is expected to name new City Manager to replace Alan Tandy at its Jan. 22 meeting, and the new city manager will then face the task of appointing a new police chief to replace Lyle Martin.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Common sense is like deodorant; those who need it most don’t use it.":

 * ... STREET RACING: It's nice to see that Bakersfield police are cracking on street racing across town, an epidemic that has already cost the life of one woman during a crash on Ming Avenue near Old River Road. Over the weekend, police officers conducted sweeps Saturday night into early Sunday morning, stopping 18 cars and issuing 10 citations. Two people were arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto.

 * ... OUR WORLD: Check out this lovely picture from the Panorama Bluffs, taken by hiker Esther Brandon on her early Sunday hike. And who says Bakersfield's isn't beautiful?

 * ... STOLEN CAR: How many of us live with the nightmare that our vehicles will be stolen in the middle of the night? Here is what happens, compliments of a post in the "Bakersfield Thieves" Facebook page. The caption reads: "My poor Car... door panels removed 2 missing, wheel and tires missing, speakers missing. Battery gone. Dog hair and starburst candy rappers inside. Got into my car with a slim jim. Found on the east side 604 Tanner street."

 * ... MEMORIES: I am stunned by these two old pictures of Kern County back in the day, compliments of the Kern County of Old Facebook page.

Bako bits: more concerns about housing and Bakersfield prepares to look for a new police chief

 Some short takes around down on this first day of the Kern County Fair...

 * ... AS IF BUSINESS ISN'T BAD ENOUGH: Turns out the decision to close the courts once a month to save money has had the unintended consequence of hurting the businesses of downtown eateries. If you remember the local courts are now furloughed every third Wednesday. If you work downtown, as I do, you know how strongly the court system fuels downtown commerce. Restaurants like Uricchios and the Sequoia Sandwich Co. thrive off the court clerks, jurors and bailiffs who dine there for lunch, and denying them that commerce once a month can be devastating. Jeff Simpson, one of Sequoia's owners, says the furlough has cost him 25 percent of his business on that one day. Just one more example of tough times all around.


 * ... POLICE CHIEF RECTOR ON HIS WAY OUT: It's well known that Police Chief Bill Rector has been thinking about retiring, and now I hear he's made the decision to leave in early January and is likely to announce it in November. It's no coincidence that Rector will turn 50 in January, thus making him eligible for the lucrative city pension that has come under such scrutiny lately. Insiders say the leading candidates to replace Rector are Assistant Police Chief Lyle Martin (pictured right) and Capt. Greg Williamson. (that's him on the left) My money is on Martin, who would become the city's second African-American chief following the popular Eric Matlock who preceded Rector.

 * ... MORE HOUSING CONCERNS: The complexity and depth of this Great Recession cannot be understated, and you do so at your own risk. Real estate, for example, has certainly shown some signs of life, but most of the sales are on the low end of the market reflecting the continuing purge of excess inventory and foreclosures. While it's certainly appropriate to celebrate any good news, it's also wise to be cautious. Which is why a story in today's Wall Street Journal was so disturbing. It noted the growing number of "delayed foreclosures" caused by "legal snarls, bureaucracy and well meaning efforts to keep families in their homes" which are "slowing the flow of properties headed toward foreclosure." It continued:

 "While that buys time for families to work out their problems, some analysts believe the delays are prolonging the mortgage crisis and creating a growing 'shadow' inventory of pent-up supply that will eventually hit the market. The size of this shadow inventory is a source of concern and debate among real estate agents and analysts who worry that when the supply is unleashed, it could interrupt the budding housing recovery and ignite a new wave of stress in the housing market."

 One Irvine real estate  consultant predicted a "flood (of bank owned homes) listed for sale at some point." Stay tuned. We're not out of the woods yet.

 * ... MINTER FIELD HANGAR DEDICATION: Don't forget the big to-do out at Minter Field in Shafter this weekend. They'll be dedicating an historic hangar and there will be a B-17 flyover to highlight the weekend. It promises to be a perfect weekend weatherwise. This is a splendid event for youngsters to give them a sense of history, and for history buffs of all ages. The show runs Friday and Saturday and admission is free. The B-17 will be flying in the morning and around noon so don't arrive too later. And you gotta love their poster promoting the event.