The high cost of running for office in Bakersfield, Luigi's gets an honor, Wood-Dale Market to open a second location near Seven Oaks and check out some authentic Mexican food at Iguanas off White Lane

 * ... POLITICS: Would you be surprised if I told you it takes $500,000 to run for mayor of Bakersfield? That's what I heard from Kyle Carter, the former home builder who ran a close second to Karen Goh in the recent mayoral election. And it doesn't get much better running for one of our city
council wards; city councilman-elect Bruce Freeman told me it took a cool $150,000 and change to mount his successful campaign for the Ward 5 seat.

 * ... SCAMS: An old scam is making a comeback and it can happen to you if you pay for your gas at the pump using a credit or debit card. Consider this note from my friend Pam Binns, who was a victim recently at a local Fastrip. "They got my debit numbers and pin, transferred money from savings to checking at an ATM then went to two different post offices in LA and used the card- they made- for money orders. Bank won't refund my money for a week. I know it was Fastrip because that was the only place I had to use my pin. And, there was a guy in his tan truck in front of me just sitting there and not pumping gas. He would not move. I had to back out to leave. I'm sure he was waiting to get the skimmer from my machine. That Fastrip has no cameras outside, apparently, so if you see me on a stakeout there, you'll know why."

 * ... TIP GABRIELA: I was saddened to learn of the death of Gabriela Soto, a popular Wasco teacher who was killed in a car crash earlier this week in Shafter. Soto, 40, was seven months pregnant when she died at Kern Medical. Her unborn baby girl also died. Soto was a teacher at Independence High School in Wasco.

 * ... LUIGIS: Hats off to our very own Luigi's Restaurant Delicatessen which was recognized as the California Small Business of the year in 2017. The extended Valpredo and Lemucchi family spent a day in Sacramento to celebrate with state Sen. Andy Vidak, who recognized Luigi's as his Senate District 14's small business of the year.

 * ... WOOD-DALE: It looks like the venerable Wood-Dale Market, by my standards the best butcher shop in town, is in the final phase of negotiating a deal to open a second location in the Grand Island Shopping Center at Ming Avenue and Buena Vista. This is a smart move by the family owned Wood-Dale, and it secures a second location in the Bolthouse Properties' shopping center that also features some of the hottest businesses in town, including Sully's, Wiki's Wine Dive and Grill, Sol y Luna and In-Shape Health Club.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: Just tried to kill a roach with Axe Body Spray but now his name is Brett and he won't shut up about cross fit."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing."

 * ... FOODIE: A friend treated me to dinner recently at Iguanas, a Mexican restaurant that breaks out of the predictable mold and leaves you both surprised, and delighted. Owned by Sergio Olivares, Iguanas is located on White Lane near Ashe Road and is a showcase for authentic, creative dishes. Try the gorditas as an appetizer.

 * ... ACHIEVER: I chatted with my friend Dave Ewert recently and he brought me up to date on his oldest daughter, Carolyn. A graduate of Centennial High School and later the Naval Academy at Annapolis, she was recently promoted to the rank of lieutenant and is working as a navigator and legal officer on the LCS Independence based in San Diego.

The beautiful coastal redwoods begin to fall victim to the long California drought, and new Mexican eatery Sol y Luna opens to a huge business

 * … DROUGHT: Next time you drive around town keep an eye on those trees that are wilting away in the drought. One of the most prominent is the coastal redwood, a stately and fast growing tree that graces medians in the Southwest and homes throughout the community. Redwoods thrive with plenty of rain and moisture, which wasn't a real problem until several years ago, but today many are dying and will eventually be cut down and replaced.

 * ... RESTAURANT: True to form, the new Sol y Luna restaurant in the Sully's shopping center at Buena Vista and Ming Avenue (home to Wiki's Wine Dive and Grill) is doing gang busters business in its first month of opening. Early reports have been positive, but if you don't want a 45-minute wait, give it a few months. Meanwhile, the new Mexican eatery Centro 18 on 18th Street is getting similar kudos among those who have dined there. Both are work checking out.

* ... GOOD FORM: Patsy Clatterbuck sends this shoutout to an employee of the downtown Sparkling Image car wash: "A young man named Felipe found the $100 in cash I had hidden in my car (and forgotten about) when he was cleaning the interior. When I got in my car to drive away there was the money - left where I would see it. I was so impressed and grateful for his honesty. Way to go, Felipe! Thank you!"

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "It might look like I’m doing nothing, but at the cellular level I’m really quite busy."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "The Wizard of Oz is really just a cautionary tale about the lengths a woman will go to for the right shoes.

* ... PACKAGES: More on those holiday packages, this compliments of Darlyn Baker. "Expecting several FedEx packages, when one arrived I opened it. To my surprise it was a new iphone, which I had not ordered. I looked at the mailing label and saw it was to have been delivered to someone else.  FedEx tracking shows the date/time of delivery all right, but to WHO was it delivered? If a signature is not required, which most senders do not require, you may never find where your package was delivered.  I quickly drove to the recipient's home. He said, 'I was wondering where that was.'  FedEx showed it was delivered but it shows only the address on the mailing label, not the actual address where it was delivered. What recourse would that fellow have had if I had not delivered his phone?  How would he begin to tell FedEx they made a mistake? And, this was in October, not even the busy holiday rush.  If you didn't get something that shows you did, good luck finding out who has it."