Bakersfield welcomes home the college kids who flock to Basque eateries, the pet explosion has forced the county to begin euthanizing puppies and a local cardiologist shares some sentiments for the holiday

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 represent any other company or publication.

 

 * ... A NOTE FROM BRIJ: Dr. Brij Bhambi is many things: a world class cardiologist, owner of

Bakersfield Heart Hospital, runner, philanthropist and not to be forgotten, a grateful immigrant. From his vantage point as a successful immigrant and community pillar, his thoughts on our world and the politics of the day have always intrigued me. And his annual Thanksgiving message did not disappoint, reminding us all that Thanksgiving is "a 'carve out' when we take time away from complaints and live in the moment. It is a privileged day ... Let this day remind us that we can live the moment now, the moment next, and build a chain of moments that becomes a life of happiness. We can triumph over challenges and yet be happy." A chain of moments that becomes a life of happiness. Works for me.

 * ... HAPPY THANKSGIVING: If it's the Thanksgiving weekend in Bakersfield you can bet the restaurants, bars and pubs will be jammed with many of our grown children who return home for the holidays. It's one of the joys of the season, running into kids who now attend Cal Poly or Arizona or Texas Christian or UCLA. You can find them at their favorite haunts, places like Luigi's, Woolgrower's, Uricchio's, Pyrenees Cafe, Narducci's,  Dewar's or any other place that gives them a taste of home. 

 * ... BEST AIRPORTS: Now that we are in the holiday travel season it's time to look at newly released on-time ratings for airports. Given San Francisco's dismal reputation, it might surprise you that its airport ranked the best among larger airports and nearby Sacramento headed the list off midsize airports. According to the Wall Street Journal, the worst performing large airport was in Newark, N.J., and La Guardia in New York. San Francisco and Minneapolis have the highest domestic ticket rices in the country. Airports in Florida, which fared poorly in the survey because of congested airspace, had the best prices.

 * ... ELECTIONS: With almost all the votes counted we have some winners in some tight races. At the top of the ticket, Congressman David Valadao survived a challenge from Democrat Rudy Salas, holding onto his seat for another term. Valadao becomes the only member of Congress to vote for Trump's impeachment to return to office, and it was one of the most expensive congressional races in the nation. Some other notable races:

 a) Measure K, the sales tax increase on the county ballot, survived thanks to a well orchestrated and effective campaign by chief administrative officer Ryan Alsop, District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer and Sheriff Donny Youngblood. The fact that the tax passed is remarkable, given how conservative our county is, and it was pushed over the top by the traveling road show of Alsop/Zimmer and Youngblood, perhaps three of the most trusted public officials in the county.

 b) Jeff Flores will succeed Mike Maggard as 3rd District Supervisor, narrowly defeating retired highway patrolman Brian Smith. Interestingly, Smith admitted late in the race he was an election denier and one has to wonder, given how close the race was, if just enough voters were repelled by this that it tipped the race in Flores favor. Some believe Smith shot himself in the foot when running against a fellow conservative who did not fall in line with Trump's list.

c) Taft Dr. Jasmeet Bains had little trouble turning back Supervisor Leticia Perez for a seat in the State Assembly.

 * ... EUTHANIZING PETS: We have some terrible news to report concerning a recent spike in the number of dogs and cats - and puppies as well - that are being euthanized in Kern County because of the explosion of pets. During the pandemic, with people stuck at home, there was a rush on pet adoptions and Kern County came close to becoming a "no kill" shelter. But that was then, and today so many dogs and cats are being returned or simply let loose, that county animal control officials say they must resort to euthanizing puppies to keep up.

 * ... MORE CRIME: Narducci's has become the latest business to suffer from a wave of crime across the city. Over the weekend someone broke into the famous Basque bar and stole cash register machines and other items.

 * ... SOUND WALLS: Downtown residents who live south of 24th Street are getting sound walls at the end of their cue-de-sacs. The long promised walls, which will block some sound of rushing traffic while providing a better view, started going up this week and the work should be completed in a few weeks.

 * ... MEMORIES: Take a look at this picture, at the intersection of North Chester and Washington Avenue, back in the day. This photo is courtesy of the Kern County of Old Facebook page. The second photo comes from the same group and may be one of the best pictures of the old clock tower and the nearby Haberfelde Building.

Bakersfield grows west toward a new "epicenter," the owners of Pyrenees Cafe benefit from customer and employee loyalty and a new sports radio program makes its debut

 * … GROWTH: The intersection of Panama Lane and Gosford Road is positioned to be the

"epicenter" of growth in the southwest and could eventually be as large a retail center as the Northwest Promenade. That's according to Vince Roche, a partner in the commercial brokerage firm Cushman and Wakefield, who was my guest on First Look with Scott Cox. Roche said that intersection, which just a few years ago was a sleepy little farming area, will provide the same kind of retail coverage that the Northwest Promenade does off Rosedale Highway. Roche also said that Total Wine, another larger wine retailer, is actively looking for locations in Bakersfield. And finally, Cushman and Wakefield has also branched into agricultural development and has hired Kevin Palla to head that operation.

 * … FOODIE:  If you want an example of the benefits of both customer and employee loyalty, look no further than Rod and Julie Crawford, co-owners of Pyrenees Cafe. Before buying Pyrenees, Julie was the long-timer manager of the popular Narducci's Cafe (right next door) until she was booted out in a dispute with owner Jimmy Narducci. What happened? More than 20 Narducci's employees (many of them with more than eight years at Narducci's) followed Rod and Julie next door to Pyrenees, where business is popping, and the customers followed. "We could not be happier," Julie told me. "When you treat people right, they are loyal."

 * … SPORTS RADIO: Bakersfield's newest all sports radio station, ESPN 1230 AM, has announced the launch of the Greg Kerr Show, weekdays from noon to 1 p.m.. Kerr is the dean of sports anchors in Bakersfield, having been the senior sports anchor for KBAK Channel 29 for over 20 years. The Greg Kerr Show will discuss local and national sports, feature great sports legends from the community, and engage the audience to call and share their opinions. ESPN Bakersfield 1230 AM is also the new home of The Jim Rome Show, weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

 * … CAR DEALERS: Not many of us have a memory like Stan Anderson, particularly when it comes to some of our long-gone car dealers. "Like Marilyn Kendig I can’t forget the Leo Meek Automobile jingle that we all heard so many times with the evening news," he wrote. "Another old time car dealer was Motor Center (not to be confused with Motor City).  Motor Center, which was located where the downtown GET terminal is today, sold all GM vehicles under one roof until GM decided to go to separate franchises. When they split Motor Center’s franchise up many of the brands went to managers from Motor Center. Adams took the Pontiac franchise, Gene Winer got Cadillac, and Bill Hawk got the Oldsmobile franchise. I’m not sure if Ed Fant who had the Buick dealership came from the Motor Center breakup. Before Highway 178 joined up with 24th Street, most all these dealers lined 24th Street."

 * … OVERHEARD: A local man is talking about spending the weekend on the Central Coast. "We were coming back on Highway 46 and I swear, as soon as we hit the Kern County line we hit fog. It was a total buzz kill."

 * ..,. MEMORY: J.J. Gianquinto posed this question for all you history buffs out there: (former sheriff "Charlie Dodge often told the story about a relatively prominent man in Bakersfield, initials GCR, who rode his horse into the lobby, and maybe the bar, of the old El Tejon Hotel.  Do you, or does anyone else, know who that person was?"

Former Bakersfield High Driller and Seattle Super Sonic Robert Swift arrested on robbery charges in Seattle, and my pick eatery of the week goes to the newly remodeled Pyrenees Cafe

 * … SWIFT: It's hard to think of things getting worse for former NBA star Robert Swift, but they have. In case you missed it Swift, who graduated from Bakersfield High and went to the NBA straight out of high school, was arrested in Seattle on charges of attempted robbery. In November, was busted on drugs and weapons charges and lost his home to foreclosure. Seattle media reported that Swift, who stands at 7 foot 1 inch, admitted he was a heroin addict. Swift played for the Seattle Super Sonics and the Oklahoma Thunder before his life went into a downward spiral.

 * … PYRENEES: My restaurant of the week goes to the Pyrenees Cafe, which has been smartly remodeled by new owners Julie and Rod Crawford, who also own Narducci's just a block away. The bar has been spruced up without losing its Basque character and the dining room is adorned with some wonderful photos of Bakersfield from the 1890s, including a huge photo of a parade at the intersection of Chester Avenue and 19th Street. The food, classic Basque, is excellent. By the way, I goofed last week in saying that the new eatery Narducci's North Beach downtown was owned by the Crawfords. Different ownership.

 * … SPOTTED:  On Twitter there was this bit of wisdom: "I’m suspicious of people who don’t like dogs, but I trust a dog when it doesn’t like a person."

* … PHOTO: Gene Thome, owner of Bear Mountain Sports, spotted a yard sale sign on a local telephone pole in the Northeast and posted the picture on social media. The sign read: "Going to Jail Yard Sale… Coke 50 cents." Only in Bakersfield.

 * … GOOD FORM: This note came from a woman who only wanted to be identified as "an impressed senior citizen." She said: "Kudos to Serena Perez for her good deed today. The Highland High School freshman walked her bike through University Park after school today until she found the owner of the parked car with its door wide open and lights on. The owner was with her children at the play structure. I'm sure Serena prevented a theft and a dead battery. Good citizenship at work!"

 * … SERVICE: I experienced some top flight customer service this weekend when a technician named Brian from J. Noble Binns Plumbing took care of a cranky tankless hot water heater. He was  efficient and patient enough to give me a clinic in how these things work.

 * … BAKERSFIELDISM: You might be from Bakersfield if you "bought your first car from Wally Tucker Datsun, Bill Wright Toyota or Haberfeld Ford."

Researchers say getting cancer for many people may just be plain bad luck, Guy Fieri rolls into town looking for good bar food and another random act of kindness gets a nod

 * … CANCER: I am not sure if this is good news or bad, but researchers now say that in most cases, coming down with various types of cancer may just be plain bad luck. In fact, random genetic mistakes may account for "two thirds of the risk of getting many types of cancer, leaving the usual suspects -

heredity and environmental factors - to account for only one third," reported The New York Times. Said one researcher: "For the average cancer patient, I think this is good news. Knowing that over all, a lot of it is just bad luck, I think in a sense it's comforting." Of course, some cancers like lung disease can largely be avoided by our own personal behavior, but other deadly forms of cancer appear to be tied to random luck.

 * … KINDNESS: A reader whose wife underwent a recent liver transplant in Los Angeles reached out to thank his longtime neighbors in the Polo Grounds, Vickie and Mike Taylor, who have been caring for his 4-year-old dachshund while they have been away. (He asked not to be identified since he is out of town so much). "Frannie (the dog) got out of the yard Friday and Vickie called in tears. Bakersfield City Animal Control called and said a nice lady had Frannie at her home and was holding her for Vickie to pick up. Thank you to the unknown Bakersfield good Samaritan and the Taylors for keeping our pet well cared for."

 * … GUY FIERI: It looks like a number of local restaurants will be featured on Guy Fieri's popular Food Network show Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. In addition to Pyrennes Cafe, I have heard the show will also be filming at Mama Roomba downtown, 24th Street Cafe and Salty's BBQ. This doesn't guarantee that all the restaurants will make the cut, but film crews are about town chronicling some of our favorite lunch spots.

 * … NARDUCCI'S: More local restaurant news; the popular lunch spot Narducci's has opened a second location called Narducci's North Beach Cafe on 21st and O streets.

 * … OVERHEARD: At the Garden Spot recently and man is overheard talking about reading the newspaper: "I always check the obituaries. Mainly to make sure I'm not in there."

 * … SPOTTED: From reporter Steve Mayer's Facebook wall: "Someone has invented a smart belt with a buckle that automatically loosens when you've eaten too much. First, this is a sad commentary on our society. Second, where can I get one?"

 * … BUCKEYES: I always hear from reader Sunny Kapoor when his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes post a victory (which is often these days) so it was just a manner of time before his email landed in my in-box. "The Buckeyes were amazing last night," he wrote after OSU upset Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, "and the victory was very much enjoyed at my household, where I watched the game with my wife, and sons Arie (Chico State) and Nigel (Ohio State). I hope to be able to go watch them play in the National Championship game in Dallas, but if not, I am sure they will make this Buckeye proud. Go Bucks!"

China becomes top consumer for California almonds and welcoming another hot summer in Bakersfield

 * ... ALMOND DEMAND: Good news for our local almond growers. According to The New York Times, China is now the top foreign buyer of American almonds, "more than doubling its purchases from two years ago." That's according to the California Almond Board of California, which is launching an aggressive marketing campaign directed straight at the Chinese consumer. The Times said China purchased $737 million in tree nuts from the United States last year, a huge increase from the $89 million it spent just five years earlier. The California Almond Board is now spending $3.3 million to market our almonds to the Chinese consumer. The paper said Chinese consumers tend to buy nuts roasted, salted and in the shell.

 * ... HEAT IS ON: Where were you when Mother Nature snapped her fingers and ordered in the heat? I could almost pinpoint the time when I felt the end of our long happy period of mild weather. It was Sunday, around 10:30 a.m. and I was on a bike, out near Zerker Road and Porterville Highway, when I felt the full rush of a hot wind and knew instantly that summer was here.

 * ... REMEMBERING ALTON: Hard to believe it's been a full year since a motorist struck and killed Alton Saceaux. Alton was one of our community's true great spirits and a committed recreational cyclist. He was cycling home on South Union Avenue when he was struck and killed. (see a previous post here) His friends planned a twilight ride in his memory.  

* ... HIGHLAND ENGINEERS: It's not often that you hear of an entire family of engineers, but reader Randy Airey reminded me of at least one. He said his aunt, Marcelle Ansolabehere, is married to retired civil engineer George Ansolabehere. They have three daughters and all of them are civil engineers, and all went to Highland High. Monique finished at the top of her class at USC in 1985, Helene graduated from Cal Poly in 1988 and Denise also went to Cal Poly, graduating in 1990. Denise finished a masters in civil engineering in 2000 and Helene is working writing her Doctorate Dissertation from UCSB and will have a PhD is civil engineering. The girls have a brother, Tony, who graduated from USC in computer science. Wow.

 * ... POWER COUPLE: Heard that Betty Eaves is the incoming president of the Assistance League, one of the more prominent charities in town. Apparently this is Betty's second stint as president of the AL. She is married to Ron Eaves, the chairman of the board at the Golden Empire Gleaners, another important local charity. This is one couple who chooses to give back to their community. (Betty shown below in photo taken by Casey Christie)

 * ... MEA CULPA: I goofed on Monday in referring to Siobhan O'Rourke as a "he." As reader Michelle Beck noted: "Lovely mention for Siobhan O'Rourke, but I wanted to mention that she is a she, not a he. Her name is Irish and is pronounced 'Sha-vaughn.' My dad and her dad have been friends for years. She is a great kid and deserved the recognition." Siobhan received a scholarship from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and plans to enter the nursing program at Cal State Bakersfield. She graduated from Bakersfield Christian High School.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield if you "know Thursday night is steak night at Narducci's. Ten bucks for a steak and the set up."

Random shots of iconic Bakersfield.... things we miss about town

 Some more random shots around town of some of more (or less) famous landmarks ... enjoy...