The homeless take over the bike path through Bakersfield, the county flirts with regulating medical marijuana, Miranda Whitworth is hired by Townsend Design and get read for excessive heat this week

Monday, June 10, 2019

 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.

 * ... HOMELESSNESS: Think about this the next time you drive by a homeless person's stolen grocery cart filled to the brim with junk: Despite billions of dollars of tax money, the homeless

population in California is spiking with no end in sight. According to the Wall Street Journal, the homeless population in Los Angeles jumped 16 percent last year. There are a staggering 56,000 homless people in LA county alone, and while there are far fewer in Kern County, there is no doubt it is growing here as well. The sheer amount of trash and litter from homeless encampments on our bike path (once heralded as one of the jewels of our city) is our collective shame.  It's no surprise that California has more homeless than any other state, and the reasons go far beyond our mild weather. Well intentioned state laws to reclassify crimes and reduce prison crowding have backfired, and our streets have turned ugly and dangerous.

 * ... OH, THE IRONY: Does it strike you as highly ironic that the Kern County firefighter's union has refused all efforts to cut back on overtime while the Sheriff's Department has been forced to shutter its gang unit because of budget cuts? While firefighters earn tens of thousands of dollars in overtime, the sheriff's department is losing deputies who find better paying jobs elsewhere. The county has now declared an "impasse in its negotiations with the firemen's union. A tad greedy ya think?

 * ... SAY WHAT? And just what is going on at the county where the supervisors are now weighing their options for overturning the ban on the sale of cannabis in Kern County? That's right, you heard that right. Even after multiple pro-legalization ballot measures failed, it appears we may be moving in that direction. At Tuesday's board meeting, the Planning Department is expected to recommend that staff draft a medical marijuana ordinance for the March 2020 ballot.

 * ... HEAT: This graphic pretty much explains what we can expect this week. Stay cool.

 * ... CRIME: Running a business is hard enough these days, particularly in regulatory heavy California, but dealing with a surge in crime just makes it even more daunting. In the last week, two prominent local restaurants - Pyrennes Cafe and Moo Creamery - have been broken into overnight as petty crime continues to plague local businesses.

 * ... ALAN TANDY: Alan Tandy has accomplished a lot during his 27 years as Bakersfield's city manager, but if forced to choose, he is most proud of the road improvements associated with the Thomas Road Improvement Program (TRIP) and the construction of the Rabobank Arena downtown. Tandy made those comments on The Richard Beene Show and confirmed he will be retiring on December 1 of this year.

 * ... MIRANDA MOVING UP: Congratulations to Miranda Whitworth who has joined Townsend Design to work in marketing. The company, now owned by a French firm, makes state of the art custom knee braces. Whitworth previously worked in marketing and communications for Kern Medical.

 * ... MUSHROOM CLOUD: Check out this rather unusual cloud formation captured by Jack McGee this past week.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out these old pictures from the Kern County History Fans Facebook page.

Remembering the legacy of Harvey Hall, Bakersfield has its own version of a royal wedding and someone was caught cheating in the La Cresta area

Monday, May 21, 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. Email your news and notes to rsbeene@yahoo.com. 

 * ... RIP HARVEY: We lost Harvey Hall this weekend, and with it a bit of Bakersfield history. Everyone has their own story of the former mayor, but all of them have one thing in common: his

love for this community and his big heart. Harvey's lesson for me? Wake up every day and be thankful for what you have, embrace your community even with all its flaws, and love your neighbor. This is his legacy, and he left us all in a better place because of it.

 * ... ROYAL MARRIAGE BAKO STYLE: Did you know that Bakersfield had its own form of a royal wedding right here at home this weekend? That's what friends of Matt Munoz and Miranda Whitworth were calling it with the popular pair tied the knot before friends at the Kern County Museum. Matt is the marketing director for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (he is also the lead singer in the wildly popular band Mento Buru) while Miranda works in marketing for Kern Medical. Congrats to these two who make this a special place to call home.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "You can't please everybody. You are not a taco."

 * ... MEA CULPA: I goofed last week in saying that district attorney candidate Cynthia Zimmer was represented by Cathy Abernathy's Western Pacific Research. In fact, Zimmer is using the Sacramento-based Meridian Pacific Political Consulting, a highly regarding consultant known for its tough tactics to win elections.

 * ... MOVING UP: Congratulations to Amy Radditz who has taken a job with OneLegacy, an organization dedicated to saving and healing lives through organ, eye and tissue donation. She will join the organization as a Donation Development Coordinator. Radditz has served six years with CASA as a resource development manager.

 * ... ACHIEVER: And add Alex Shelbourne to your list of local young people making their mark in the world. The Bakersfield High graduate is now entering New York University as a sophomore and was recently appointed to the board of the Tisch New Theater. The TNT has become the premiere student theatre organization at NYU.  It has established itself as an avenue for students to work in all facets of the theatre: performance, management, direction, production, and other technical and design aspects. Alex is the son of Jeff and Sarah Shelbourne. His mother is CEO of Optimal Health Services.

 * ... CHEATING HUSBAND: Well now, check out these posters that appeared in the La Cresta area this weekend. Looks like someone is cheating.

Rosedale Highway Lions Club launches blood drive to honor the late county supervisor Trice Harvey, the search for the missing Trout's sign continues and Jeep chooses Kern County for a national commercial

 * ... BLOOD DRIVE: Former county supervisor and Assemblyman Trice Harvey died in January but his legacy of wit and love for our community lives on. On Saturday the Rosedale Highway Lions Club, where Harvey was a member for 43 years, is sponsoring a blood drive in his honor at the

Houchin Blood Bank on Bolthouse Drive. If Saturday doesn't work, the Lions club said anyone can donate blood in Harvey's name at any of the blood bank locations during the month of July. The club is trying to match Harvey's lifetime donation of 26 gallons.

 * ... LOCAL CRIME: Mike Huston sounded a familiar lament about crime when he dropped me this note: "Living in the gated Bellagio community, across from Centennial High School, you'd think it's safe. This past weekend, someone broke into my friend's car and stole her gym bag and her dad's ashes! Yes, her dad's ashes. If you are the person, or know of those responsible, it would be a nice gesture to atone, by returning, at the very least, the ashes. It's the proper thing to do.":

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Scientists predict hipsters' man buns to fully evolve into beehive hairdos by mid 2017."

 * ... TROUT'S: Ken Barnes weighed in on the missing, iconic neon sign at Trout's with this missive: "Like everyone else, I am wondering where the Trout's fish sign might be. Back in the early 1970s after I sold my tire shop on the Garces Circle, the 'Big Indian' I had in front of the store went missing. One night in the late 1980s I received a call from my son Mike about one in the morning. At the time he was a Kern County deputy, and he said, 'Dad... you won't believe what I am looking at in the back yard of someone's house here in an alley in Oildale. It's the Big Indian. It was later restored and now stands proudly at Ethyl's Cafe on the way to Hart Park. So I would like to think there is still hope for the Trout's fish."

 * ... ASSISTANCE LEAGUE: The Assistance League of Bakersfield has awarded a new round of college scholarships to seven graduating high school seniors. Among those awarded $1,000 each were Yesenia Aguilar of Arvin High; Belen Bravo of Ridgeview High; Luisa Guzman Gomez of East High; Rosa Linda Lopez of McFarland High, Edgar Sanchez Jr. of North High; Ashleen Kaur Sodhi of Ridgeview High and Amy Tinoco of McFarland High.

 *... MOVING UP: Congratulations to a couple of young Bakersfield professionals on the move. Matt Munoz has been hired as the membership service and marketing coodinator for the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, Miranda Whitworth is leaving her job at Kern Federal Credit Union to take a position as manager of communications for Kern Medical.

 * ... SCENIC ROADS: Next time you are watching television pay attention to a new Jeep commercial that features a familiar stretch of road. The spot focuses in on the intersection of the Bena-Caliente Bodfish loop just off Highway 58, a favorite venue for local cyclists.