More charges of political intrigue in the local pot debate, the Washington Post looks into Kevin O's Deli and both Inga Barks and Jaz McKay are out at KNZR radio

Wednesday, January 24, 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 (good form, bad form, kids doing well, anniversaries, observations) to rsbeene@yahoo.com. 

* ... CALIFORNIA POLITICS: California has some of the highest utility rates in the nation, so why are we selling excess power to neighboring states for less than we charge state residents? That's right, this is one of those 'only in California' stories that will drive you nuts. Over the past 20 years,

the number of power plants and green energy farms fueled by cheap natural gas and renewable energy in California have soared, bringing the state a windfall in excess capacity power. But instead of lowering our rates - what a concept - California has instead chosen to sell the excess power to neighboring states at rates cheaper than they charge us who live here. Why? Because the environmental lobby, which rules the day in Sacramento, believes only higher rates will lead to reduced consumption to battle global warming. And the green lobby hates natural gas, even though it is cheap and much cleaner than coal, because it's a fossil fuel. And so it goes.

 * ... POT DEBATE: Just when you think the local debate over marijuana can't get any whackier, it does. At the Board of Supervisors meeting this week David Abbasi, president of the Central Valley Cannabis Association, unleashed a broadside against Supervisor Mike Maggard, accusing him of being part of a criminal conspiracy to design regulations to approve a limited number of dispensaries associated with his friends. It's a serious charge, perhaps a reckless one, in that Abbasi is accusing a sitting supervisor of criminal wrongdoing. "What I am putting on the record today is Maggard's connection to a notorious, criminal drug trafficking organization in the cannabis business," he said. "I asked for help from federal investigators to end the real 'fraud being foisted on Kern County' by Kim Schaefer, Jimmy Lee, Mike Maggard and their high powered dispensary owners that paid them in exchange for a monopoly on cannabis in Kern County. Abbasi argues that Maggard is favoring dispensaries under the loose organization Kern Citizens For Patient Rights, a group Schaefer works with as a consultant. (Schaefer also is a consultant on Maggard's reelection campaign). Maggard denies any such connection, as does Schaefer by the way. Stay tuned because this debate is just heating up.

 * ... KEVIN MCCARTHY: And check this out: it turns out the Washington Post is investigating Rep. Kevin McCarthy's background to fact check his personal story. And what is the big story the Post wants to expose? It is McCarthy's well known story of how he started a deli as a young man back in the 1980s. I spotted this on Californian food critic Pete Titll's Facebook page: "Yesterday's weirdness: contacted by a Washington Post fact checker who was trying to get the details on exactly what kind of business Congressman Kevin McCarthy operated back in 1986 when I reviewed Kevin O's Deli. He said someone had complained that McCarthy was exaggerating the scope of his operation, which he set up in a family yogurt shop while I believe he was studying at CSUB. Oddly, they attached a pdf of the review and I mentioned McCarthy by name as he took my order and waited on us. Not sure what they're going to do with it." I am not sure what the point here is; there are plenty of people (including Tittl) who remember with fondness the old Kevin O's Deli.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Everything can be taken as an insult. You've just got to want it."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "If you had to choose between eating tacos the rest of your life or being skinny, would you choose hard or soft tacos?"

 * ... INGA BARKS: There has been a total house cleaning at local talk show station KNZR, the Alpha Media owned local station. First, they cut ties with longtime radio host Inga Barks, and now comes word that afternoon host Jaz McKay has been fired because if his fondness for racist slurs, insults and vulgarities. Alpha Media is not talking but both Barks and McKay confirmed their dismissals on social media.

  * ... MAURY WILLS: If you were at Luigi's recently you may have spotted former Dodger great Maury Wills. The legendary Dodger shortstop and former manager was in town for the Taft College Triple Play dinner and was seen at Luigi's with Michael Bowers and Traco Mathews.

McCarthy: Herman Lippert Jr. represents the greatest generation, a hero of World War II who answered the call of duty

 Our weekly update from Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House Majority Whip from Bakersfield:

 "Last week I had the honor of presenting Army Private First Class Herman Lippert, Jr., with six medals he earned in World War II.  Born in Fellows, California in 1923 and raised in Taft, Herman attended Midway Grammar school, Taft High School, and Taft College.  He was drafted and served in the U.S. Army from March 2, 1943 to December 3, 1945 where he served as a Combat Engineer with the 97th Infantry Division stationed in France, Germany, and Austria.  He showed me photos and maps of where he supported the infantry through the front lines in intense battle, yet made it through the war without a scratch.  And to meet his wife Peggy and his children and grandchildren, I saw a man of character and humility.

 "This war hero fought on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge and is a reflection of the great Americans that did so much on our behalf.  I was honored to present him with the Army Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Triple Bronze Star Attachment, the Honorable Service Lapel Pin, the Expert Badge and Rifle Bar, and the World War II Victory Medal.  As I presented Herman with each medal, I could not help but be inspired by the life that Herman has lived and the love that surrounds him.  In fact, I was going to present these medals to Herman last Christmas Eve, but he unexpectedly went into the hospital, and Herman insisted that he wanted to get stronger before we presented these medals to him.
 "Herman answered the call so that we would be able to have a future of freedom and opportunity.  Today, our nation faces tremendous challenges and the most pressing challenge is the growing debt burdens that weigh on our future generations.

 "In the coming months, our country will have to make the necessary decisions to confront the looming debt crisis and address the issue of government spending.  Our current spending levels are unsustainable, will weaken Social Security and Medicare, and lead our country on a path towards insolvency.  The longer we ignore the problem, the more the debt burden crushes the next generation of Americans. The next generation is not mere words; they are our high school and college seniors that will be graduating this summer. These are my children and your children. We have a responsibility to leave them a better future than we inherited, and I want them to have every opportunity to achieve their hopes and dreams with hard work and perseverance.  But the longer we ignore the fiscal reality that is before us, the more we deny opportunities to the next generation because the level of debt will stifle our long-term economic prosperity.  Every generation has risen to the occasion to tackle the challenges of their time with resolve, courage, and conviction, and I will continue to fight to ensure that we leave our children with a future of endless possibilities.