Local family fights with California Coastal Commission to build a home on the coast near Avila Beach, and RIP to Carol Stepanovich and soap opera star Jeanne Cooper

 * ... PERMIT: I have been following the saga of a private/public land battle that Bakersfield's Judi and Rob McCarthy are having in San Luis Obispo County. Seems the California Coastal Commission doesn't like the McCarthys' plan to build a home on 37 acres of prime coastal land above Cave Landing Road between Pismo Beach and Avila Beach. The San Luis Planning Commission approved the project three years ago with no public dissent, but two members of the Coastal Commission appealed the permit to the commission, and it's been all lawyers since then. And now the commission is talking about taking all of the McCarthy land through "prescriptive access" (even eminent domain would be preferable; at least then they have to pay for it). The McCarthys have offered to build a safe hiking trail for the public, but it looks like the Coastal Commission has an appetite for the entire parcel. Wonder how this would play in Kern County? Stay tuned. (file photo of Cave Landing Road)

 * ... GOODNIGHT CAROL: Our community lost a wonderful citizen the other day when retired Panama Buena Vista school district teacher Carol Stepanovich died after suffering a stroke. Carol taught at Stockdale Elementary for years and was involved in many local organizations, including the Assistance League of Bakersfield. Her husband is Mike Stepanovich, executive director of the Bakersfield College Foundation and a local wine expert. Keep Mike and his family in your thoughts. (Facebook picture of Mike and Carol)

 * ... RIP JEANNE: Jeanne Cooper, who played the role of matriarch Katherine Chancellor on the long running soap opera "The Young and the Restless," also died this week. She grew up in Taft and studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse and the College of the Pacific in Stockton. She had one son, actor Corbin Bernsen. She was 84.

* ... SYMPHONY: The ouster of longtime Bakersfield Symphony conductor John Farrer drew this response from reader Stephen Montgomery: "First they cut the symphony's funding including various youth oriented programs, then they blame Farrer for the shortcomings. Is that new CEO (Bryan Burrow) old enough to even remember what the symphony sounded like before Farrer? For lovers of serious music a well performed program rivaling those of much bigger cities was the reward. Any acoustic issues can be laid at the feet of those who don't see the need for a more up to date performing arts center. I don't have a journalist's access to the back story but none of the shortcomings apparent to me can be with any accuracy blamed on Farrer. What am I missing here?"

 * ... MORE FARRER: And then there was this from Maxine Pihlaja Love: "In your column a couple of days ago you mentioned that the symphony concert audiences are getting smaller and older.  That is not the fault of the conductor or his music selections for concerts. That has been happening all over the country for the last 25 or more years. People do not get exposed or connected with classical music in their early years, which needs to happen by about age seven. School curriculum used to include information about classical composers... which helped to round out the education of all."

 * ... ACHIEVER: Hats off to Kimberly Jensen, a fourth grader at Endeavour Elementary who ended up third in the state in the California History Day competition. Kimberly participated in the Elementary 2-D division in the state competition.

Nothing like a Bakersfield spring and the Kern County Museum gets a makeover

* ... A BAKERSFIELD SPRING: It's hard to beat the spring weather we've had this year. Cool mornings, wonderful evenings, folks sitting outside on their porches or in their lawn chairs, the parks and bike path filled to capacity, runners out early, water in the river. Everyone is talking about it and why not? But you know summer is around the corner. The surest sign hot weather is coming? My cycling group passed four snakes on the road to Woody this weekend. When the rattlers take to the roads for warmth, you can bet the heat is on its way. (photo courtesy of Don Martin, taken during his Sunday run along the river)

 * ... BAKO BOUND: The job market is tough all over, but Kern County's robust oil and energy sector is a bright spot for all those young engineering graduates. One of them is Roshani Patel, a Bakersfield native who is receiving her bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She is returning home to work for Aera Energy. Patel's father encouraged her to pursue a degree in science or math, but after taking an introductory class in engineering at Bakersfield College, she was hooked. Thousands of graduates around the country are looking for jobs, but STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates find lots of opportunity in Kern County's high tech energy field.


* ... SAN JOSE STATE: Touched base with old friend Mike Stepanovich the other day and he shared the story of how wife Carol ended up at San Jose State. "After graduating from East Bakersfield High School, she attended Bakersfield College for two years where she earned an associate of arts  degree, and planned to transfer to Fresno State. In fact she had been accepted to Fresno State – already had her dorm reservation there  – when her late father, Roy Christensen, who at the time was chief salesman for Golden Bear Refinery, said, 'That’s great! I can pick up your laundry for you on Fridays, have mom do it for you over the weekend, and bring it back to you on Mondays.' Thinking quickly, because she had been looking forward to going away to school and away from the constant gaze of her father, Carol asked, 'How often do you get to San Jose?' Her dad said, 'Oh, I never get to San Jose, that’s not my territory.' We always wondered if he ever made the connection between that revelation and her sudden enrollment at San Jose State. She graduated two years later from SJSU with a double major in speech pathology and elementary education, and returned to Bakersfield where she taught for 34 years. She also earned a master’s degree from CSUB." Mike is executive director of the Bakersfield College Foundation and Carol is now retired.

 * ... NEW PAINT: Drove by the old Kern County Museum Chester Avenue and was pleasantly surprised to see it finally received a much needed makeover. It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint and some landscaping will do. The place is looking sharp. If you haven't visited for a while, you should drop by.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Christina Blaine: you know you're from Bakersfield when "you run into all your friends, family and acquaintances at Trader Joe's."