Prepare for massive Bakersfield gridlock and learning to obey police commands

  

* ... HOUSING SALES: Local appraiser Gary Crabtree brought some perspective to my earlier somewhat downbeat post (read the earlier story here) regarding three straight months of declining home sales. Crabtree is one of Kern County's foremost experts on local housing statistics, and cautioned me "not to make this any worse than it is." He said the Bakersfield market bottomed in April 2009 at $114,000, "then over the peak season increased to a high of $141,250 in November, then entered the off peak season that ended in January at $128,000 (a drop of 9 percent with 5-6 percent being typical)... then started its recovery and as of today has a median price of $141,000 or equal to the price entering the off peak season."
 At the current rate of sales and foreclosures," he said "we should reach REO (real estate owned) liquidation by October 2011. If a second wave of foreclosures does take place, all bets are off."

 * ... JOEY PORTER: I read about Joey Porter's arrest early Sunday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence over off Calloway Drive. The incomprehensible part of the story: he also allegedly resisted arrest and may be charged with battery on a California Highway Patrol officer. Here's some free advice: generally speaking, it's always better to obey the officer's commands.

 * ... GRIDLOCK: Get ready for a couple years of gridlock on our local roads. It's all part of the Westside Parkway project that - at the end of the day - will be a wonderful thing for our community. But getting there is going to be a nightmare. The intersection of Coffee Road and Truxtun (already a mess) will be totally redone and there will be major disruptions on Jewetta, Calloway, Brimhall and Allen roads. If you didn't catch Gretchen Wenner's piece in Sunday's Californian, check it out here. Brace yourself.

* ...  KCUHS REUNION: Ken Shelton, one of my early-bird gym pals, pulled me aside the other day to tell me about the upcoming 70th reunion of the 1940 class of Kern County Union High School. It is set for noon, May 1, at the Petroleum Club. Anyone in the class, or even Drillers from another class, should call Ken at 661-663-9187. By the way, Ken served as 1940 Senior Class President and still seems to be presiding.

 * ... MARK EHLY DIES: Mark Ehly, the California Highway Patrol officer hospitalized after complications from a brain aneurysm, died over the weekend at San Joaquin Hospital. Ehly suffered the aneurysm in December and was sent back to the hospital last week. You might recognize him as the public affairs face of the CHP based in Fort Tejon. He was just 50 years old. Please keep his family in your thoughts.

 * ... PADRE BUZZ: Had a chance to catch up the other day with Brett Miller, one of the owners of the new downtown Padre Hotel. He said the Prairie Fire restaurant and outdoor dining area on the second floor will be open early next month and it is already being booked for weddings. At the same time, all the furniture in the ground floor bar will be swapped out for higher tables and chairs that have been on back order. Business is brisk and the hotel is slowly starting to lure business travelers to its rooms.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISMS: You know when you're from Bakersfield when "the stranger you met the other night turns out to be the aunt of the person you are buying a house from." Big city, small-town flavor.

Another Bakersfield allergy season, the death of June Aaron and remembering UC Santa Barbara in the early days

* ... ALLERGY SEASON:  The downside of the annual explosion of wildflowers and greenery in Kern County is the onset of allergy season. This year it seems like everyone I know is suffering from a scratchy throat, watery eyes and headaches. I checked in with Dr. Raj Patel over at Preferred Family Physicians on Truxtun Extension who said this is starting as a fairly typical year, but he has some advice about how to protect yourself. "If everyone would keep their windows closed at night you would reduce the symptoms by 50 percent. The weather is so nice there is a temptation to open up and enjoy the cool air." Patel said the worst months for allergies here are March and August. He recommended three over-the-counter drugs if you're suffering: Claritin, Zyrtec and Cetirizine, a generic for Zyrtec.

* ... JUNE AARON: I was saddened to hear of the death of June Aaron after a 20-year battle with lupus. June was the wife of Hal Aaron, one our community's true gentlemen and the owner of the real estate development firm Aaron Development. Hal told me he was fortunate to be there at the end, and that his wife died in his arms. He had nothing but wonderful things to say about Hoffmann Hospice, and he mentioned that a memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. June served on the Kern County Grand Jury, was a volunteer at the Guild House and was a member of the Kern County Republican Central Committee. The Aarons have also been huge supporters of both the Bakersfield SPCA and Children's Home Society. They were married 52 years.

 * ... SICK BAY: I also heard that Mark Ehly, a longtime California Highway Patrol officer stationed at Fort Tejon, had a setback in his recovery from a December brain aneurysm. Mark was in rehabilitation locally when he experienced more problems and was rushed to San Joaquin Hospital where he underwent surgery to control the bleeding in his brain. He is now in an induced coma. You may remember Mark because he's the public affairs "face" of the CHP at Fort Tejon and has appeared numerous times on local TV and in the newspaper. He is just 50 years old. Keep his wife Shannon and their family in your thoughts.

* ... LOOKING BACK: Retired Cal State Bakersfield math professor Lee Webb wrote to tell me about growing up in Santa Barbara in the days when UC Santa Barbara didn't enjoy the stature it does today. His father had been a geology professor at UCLA and joined the new UC Santa Barbara campus. In Lee's words:"
  "Apparently UCSB was to be UCSBC and not to have the stature of a Berkeley or UCLA (little did they know that a few year's ago UCSB would produce more Nobel Laureates than Berkeley and UCLA).  All of my father's science colleagues at UCLA told him he was crazy to go to that backwater place to be called UCSBC.  As I remember in 1947 there weren't even any stop lights in the Santa Barbara. My father was a very wise man, because he accepted the position. What a place to be raised as a child, compared to LA!  I remember in the late 1940's going to UCSBC football games at La Playa Stadium, which is now the stadium for Santa Barbara City College. UCSBC was up on the Riviera above the mission and Industrial Arts was located where the current SBCC campus is now located.  Dad often had one of his antique Franklin cars in the building where students worked on it in the Automotive class."
 Lee graduated from UCSB as did his son Rob. His daughter Tamara was accepted there but chose Cal Poly and eventually ended up with a degree from Cal State Bakersfield.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: This from work colleague Evan Jones: You know you're from Bakersfield when "your funeral is followed by a car wash." Ouch!