The best tacos in California? Right here in downtown Bakersfield. Plus we turn our attention to pit bulls and beware of a pack of sharks spotted off of Pismo Beach!

 Friday, May 11, 2018

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed, now online only. 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 to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... BEST TACOS: So where are the best tacos in California? At one of the many dives in Los

Angeles? Or San Diego? Or San Francisco? Not so fast. According to Thrillist, that honor goes to Nuestro Mexico right here in Bakersfield. Located in the original location of La Costa Mariscos on 21st Street, Nuestro Mexico is my personal favorite and apparently writer Matt Meltzer agreed, explaining that what pushed Nuestro Mexico to the top of the pack was the restaurant's meat, which is expertly seasoned and piled high on the tortilla.

 * ... MASON MAROTTA: It was standing room only for the funeral and mass for Mason Marotta, the 23-year-old Garces High graduate who died suddenly recently. Mason was the son of Lynda and Mike Marotta and like his father, was a gifted athlete with a wide range of interest and friends. The mass at St. Francis Parish was presided over by Monsignor Craig Harrison who used Mason's love of his own family and nieces to remind us all to tell our loved ones how much we love them.

* ... SHARKS: A pack of sharks has been spotted off Pismo Beach and folks are being warned to be careful if you plan to visit the popular beach. It was a pilot who spotted at least 13 large 
sharks swimming in the three-mile stretch of ocean between Pier Avenue in Oceano and the Pismo Beach Pier, California State Parks district superintendent Kevin Pearce said the sharks measured 5 to 12 feet long. Some were within the surf line, he said, while others were within a half mile of the shore.

* ... GOOD FORM: Hats off to four remarkable local women who were honored by Garden Pathways for their contributions to our community. At the "Women with a Heart" lunch at Seven Oaks Country Club, the organization honored Beverly Camp, Robin Fleming, Lili Marsh and Janis Varner for their work.

* ... PIT BULLS: So what is your take on pit bulls and other large, aggressive dogs? Are they ticking time bombs, born aggressive, or are they misunderstood and like any other loving pet? Don't ask that to Lois Henry, the former Californian columnist who has now had two bad experiences with pit bulls. The first time came a couple years ago when she was out walking her dogs (on leashes) and a female pit attacked and killed one of her dogs. Then last week, she was out walking again when three pit bulls charged out of a neighbor's house and attacked her dogs again, injuring a small sweet one named Fugs who was treated  by a local veterinarian. Henry told me the story on my radio show, and it triggered an outpouring of love, and hate, for the breed. Next week, on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM, a group of pit bull owners, including Matt Nelson and Sundae Oberlies Martineau, who runs a pit rescue program, will appear on my show to defend the breed. Tune in at 2 p.m. Tuesday for the show.

 * ... SICK BAY: Here's hoping Harvey Hall bounces back from his undisclosed illness. The former four term mayor was hospitalized in Los Angeles and was forced to step down as head of Hall Ambulance, turning over the reins to his wife Lavonne.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I woke up early and drank coffee on my back porch just like one of those people in a commercial for prescription drugs."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "You cannot make everybody happy. You are not a taco."

* ... MEMORIES: I spotted this old photo in the Bakersfield Memories Facebook page. It's a keeper. The caption read: "Looking west down 19th from Chester in 1910. A Pope automobile sits behind the pedestrians in the foreground. The building with bunting and a flag is a land sales office. Beyond that at 19th and Eye is the Dinkelspiel Brothers store, beyond that is the Hayden Building then the largest one is the Oil Exchange Building which became the Tegeler Hotel. It was operated by Fred Tegeler, former manager of the Southern Hotel. Behind the Oil Exchange can be seen the front of the Kern County Land Co. building at 19th and H."

Sizing up the weekend Uncensored Town Hall political debate, the daughter of political consultant Cathy Abernathy weds and a promising young man just getting started in life dies too young

Monday, April 30, 2018

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed, now online only. 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 to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... RIP MASON: I was stunned to learn of the sudden death of Mason Marotta, an accomplished young man who was just getting started with his life. There is no official word on the cause of death but a family friend indicated he may have died in his sleep. Mason is the son of Mike and Lynda Marotta (Mike is a founder of the physical therapy firm Pair and Marotta) and was an accomplished and skilled go-kart racer. He was just 23 and had attended Fresno State University.

 * ... POLITICS: I was honored to serve as a moderator, along with Supervisor Leticia Perez, for the first Uncensored Town Hall debate Friday night at the Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame. Our goal was to bring candidates together for three hours of straight talk, no gotcha questions, in a non-partisan manner. Unfortunately, this being politics, many of the well entrenched incumbents chose to boycott the debate. But here's a big shoutout to Sheriff Donny Youngblood and district attorney candidate Scott Spielman, who both chose to attend while their opponents (Justin Fleeman and Cynthia Zimmer) did not. Also choosing not to attend were Supervisors Mike Maggard (he was at the CSUB Jazz Festival) and David Couch. Maggard's opponent, Jeff Heinle, did show. The sparks of the night came when judge candidates Brandon Martin and Chad Louie squared off. There was no love lost there. The most impressive candidate of the night in my book was Tatiana Matta, an articulate young Democrat running against Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. She may not unseat McCarthy, but she is a name we will be hearing more of in the future. (file photo of Matta)

* ... AM I A RINO?: Speaking of the debate, if the goal was to search for common ground in a non-partisan manner, it largely succeeded. How do I know? Because it stirred up those who are more comfortable with labels and insults than finding common ground. I was criticized online by a complete stranger named Denice Gary-Pandol,  a pop-up "commentator" with no portfolio who seems to revel in poisonous party politics. She denounced me as a "Rino Republican" (that means Republican In Name Only) which I suppose she meant as an insult. If anyone cares, my politics run the gamut from extreme conservatism on some issues to progressive and centrist positions on others. If slapping a label on me feels good to you, Denice, go for it.

 * ... ABERNATHY NUPTIALS: And finally congratulations to local political consultant Cathy Abernathy whose daughter, Margaret Anne Abernathy, was married this weekend at Stockdale Country Club. In a ceremony officiated by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Abernathy wed Joshua Gerald Brost. Margaret is a law clerk for Judge Evan J. Wallach on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington and Brost is the senior director of government business development for the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. in Washington. The bride's late father was Mark Abernathy, a longtime political consultant in Bakersfield.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "How many dates should you wait before you tell a woman that you can’t go near schools?"

 * ... JAZZ FEST: The CSUB Jazz Fest just concluded and the weather could not have been nicer. That said, the attendance was thin, there was no real headline act and it begs the question if the annual event doesn't need a complete makeover.

 * ... NFL DRAFT: Congratulations to D.J. Reed, an Independence High graduate who was selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. A graduate of Kansas State, Reed was the 142nd overall pick in the draft.