An "island" of trash twice the size of Texas drifts in the Pacific, Bakersfield shows up on a list of hot home markets and Jerry's Pizza is sold

Monday, March 26, 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 to rsbeene@yahoo.com.


* ... GARBAGE ISLAND: Here's one result of generations of not taking care of our planet. There is now a floating island of garbage in the Pacific Ocean that stretches 600,000 square miles - twice the size of Texas and three times the size of France - and it is growing every day. It's called the Great

Pacific Garbage patch and it stands as mute testimony to the carelessness in which we treat our planet. Consider this from a story in the New York Post: "Environmentalists expressed concern in October 2016 after a team of researchers from The Ocean Cleanup Foundation surveyed the vortex of trash piling up between California and Hawaii, spotting chunks of plastic glued together measuring more than a yard. '[It’s a] ticking time bomb because the big stuff will crumble down to micro-plastics over the next few decades if we don’t act,”' Boyan Slat, founder of Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit that helps remove pollution from the world’s oceans, told Newser at the time. The size of the trash pile has nearly doubled in size since then, containing at least 79,000 tons of plastic — “a figure four to sixteen times higher than previously reported,” Scientific Reports said.

* ... HOUSING: Bakersfield has popped up on a list of the top ten hot home markets to watch. According to Forbes, the top ten markets considered "secondary" and under the radar are, in order: Spokane, Washington, Portland, Maine, Knoxville, Deltona, Fla., Boise, Jacksonville, Fla., Charleston, North Port, Fla. and Bakersfield. Said Javier Vivas, director of economic research at realtor.com: "It's pretty much Millennials who are looking at these markets because they offer inventory at the right price point. Over the next few months I think inventory in these markets may start to go quickly as the spring buying season begins. It's a trend we saw begin last year and are now seeing the pace pick up."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Never do you get a greater sense of your advancing age than when you have to find your year of birth on an online drop-down menu."

 * ... RESTAURANT NEWS: It looks like the Tower Craft Bar and Grill, the latest restaurant to take over the elegant old church on Truxtun Avenue downtown, is getting ready to open. Chef Robert Alimiraie, formerly head chef at The Petroleum Club, is planning on an open house this week and he prepares to open to the public. Meanwhile, over at the new Wood-Dale Market in Grand Island Village, they are on the cusp of opening a small dine-in area for small plates, anything from tri-tip sandwiches to barbecue.

 * ... JERRY'S PIZZA: After more than 27 years in business, the iconic downtown music and pie venue Jerry's Pizza has been sold. The owner who guided Jerry's Pizza through the years and made it a musical hotspot for young adults, said the new owners, Corina and Ernesto Topete,  will take over on April 1. Ernesto and his brothers worked at Jerry's for years and promise to retain the most popular pizzas while introducing new ones themselves.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this picture The Club Saloon located at 1302 19th Street circa 1905. Photo courtesy of the Kern County of Old Facebook page.

A prowler with a scoped rifle cases homes in Seven Oaks, new retail around the Maya Cinemas, some important work being done by Jim Scott and KGET and some old pics of Disneyland

Monday, March 12, 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 to rsbeene@yahoo.com. 

* ... PROWLER: Did you see the story on the local television website about a prowler in Seven

Oaks? A homeowner's security camera caught the prowler, a young black man, holding a scoped rifle, or possibly an assault weapon, walking up to the front door. The security camera scared him off but it's enough to make you think about crime throughout our community. This is Seven Oaks, not downtown, not Oleander, not the east side, and not Niles Street. Let that sink in for a minute. Police later arrested William Kindred, 24, and believe he may be the man with the weapon.

 * ... NEW RETAIL: Two new businesses opened in the new retail area built adjacent to the downtown Maya Cinemas. The first tenants are Yogurtland and China Bistro. There is room for another half dozen or so retail tenants.

* ... LOCAL TV: Some of the best reporting on local television appears every Saturday afternoon hosted by veteran anchor Jim Scott. In a world when media is fragmenting, and the ranks of reporters who play the watchdog role have dwindled to almost nothing, we desperately need the kind of reporting that Scott brings with "Kern County In Depth." It's relevant, local, civil and presents all sides. The problem? KGET buries it in the Saturday afternoon time slot, a ratings disaster for such an important show that should be more widely viewed.

* ... ADAM BOWLES: Congratulations to meteorologist Adam Bowles who has left KERO TV for a new job in New Orleans. The Mississippi State University alumni announced his departure on Facebook, pretty much par for the course for the millennial generation.

 * ... WOOD-DALE: The opening of the second location for Wood-Dale Market in Grand Island Village has been a huge hit. Perhaps this is no surprise but for owner Israel Vasquez, pouring thousands of dollars into a new location - with its pricey rent - is enough to make you sweat. But both Vasquez and his son Chris told me the reception in the Seven Oaks area has been outstanding. One of the big hits: the locally produced Santa Carota, grass-fed and carrot finished beef.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "There’s someone out there for everyone. All you have to do is sort through 6.93 billion people. Good luck."

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this old picture from the 1955 opening of Disneyland and its commissary.

Teachers live in fear as the Dolores Huerta Foundation seeks to strip them of their ability to suspend students due to "willfull defiance," Sequoia Sandwich Co. is sold and Wood-Dale Market opens in Seven Oaks

Wednesday February 28, 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 to rsbeene@yahoo.com. 

* ... SHAME ON DOLORES: Shame on Dolores Huerta and her foundation for pushing a bill (SB 607) that would virtually strip local high schools of their ability to suspend students. In the name of

"equality" and in a mad rush to reduce suspensions, Huerta argues more Latino students are being

suspended than whites, and therefore this amounts to discrimination. Say what? To follow that logic, teachers and administrators would have to be all racists, singling out Latino students for punishment, and that is patently absurd. SB 607, authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, would delete a provision of the Education Code that allows a child in grades 4 to 12 to be suspended or expelled from school for  disrupting school activities or willfully defying teachers or other school personnel.
Meanwhile, talk to a teacher in one of our public high schools, and they will tell you moves like this scare them to death. Students routinely tell teachers to "fuck off" and teachers are physically attacked by students. One teacher told me he asked a student's name and was told, "I don't need to tell you, you fucking retard." If teachers cannot discipline students, chaos will rein supreme, and in some schools, it already does.

 * ... RIP BILL MURRAY: A good man and a longtime local businessman died unexpectedly recently. I learned of the death of Bill Murray on Facebook via a post from his son, Tyler. Murray was the longtime manager of local hotels, including the Doubletree, and recently moved to Washington state. A service will be held Friday in Des Moines, WA.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: CSUB basketball Coach Rod Barnes knows the multiple roles he plays in the lives of his players: coach, surrogate father, mentor, counselor and consoler. Which is why I was touched with what he posted on Twitter Sunday after his team beat Seattle on "senior night. Said Barnes: "Every year senior night is tough for me. Grateful to be a part of these young men's journey. The best is yet to come. Go Runners!"

* ... WOOD-DALE: The owners of Wood-Dale meat market say they will open their second location in Seven Oaks later this week. Israel Vasquez, owner of the iconic butcher shop, said the second storefront at Grand Island Village will open Thursday, featuring an expanded meat market, fresh fish and hot meals to go. The original Wood-Dale, on Stine Road, will remain open. Under Israel and his son Chris, Wood-Dale has won a large and loyal following who appreciate the quality and customer service of a world class butcher shop.

 * ... SEQUOIA: Another popular Bakersfield restaurant, Sequoia Sandwich Company, has been sold. Long a favorite of the lunch crowd under owners Jeff Simpson and Gary Blackburn, Sequoia grew from its original 18th Street location to branches on Rosedale Highway and Ming Avenue. Originally bankers, Simpson and Blackburn opened Sequoia in 1999. The company was sold to the same people who purchased Sequoia's Clovis location a couple of years ago. I am told that longtime Sequoia manager Valerie Damron will become the new operational manager.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this notice for the opening of the old La Cresta airfield up where Greenlawn Cemetery now sits.

Sexual harassment is alive and well in Kern County, Wood-Dale Market to carry fresh fish at its new location and Kevin Burton joins a local law firm

 * ... SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Given all the sexual harassment and groping charges on the national level, did you ever think if it is better - or worse - here in Kern County? I posed that question to Katy Raytis, a lawyer who specializes in sexual harassment for Belden/Blaine/Raytis. Her answer might surprise you. It is actually worse here, she told me, because of the chummy nature of our community. "Everyone knows everyone," she said, "and that leads to familiarity and the idea that it
can't happen to me. But it does." The time of year when we should all watch our behavior? The holidays, of course, when we find ourselves at company Christmas parties with our guard down while alcohol is being served.

 * ... ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS: And speaking of surprising, did you know that only 2 percent of high school athletes actually receive some sort of athletic scholarship to attend college? That's the word from Trevor Horn, prep sports writer for The Bakersfield Californian. The number is so small, in fact, that Horn has this advice for parents who are dreaming their children will get a scholarship: "Relax and just enjoy the ride," he said. "Enjoy them participating in sports and let them play multiple sports."

 * ... FISH MARKET: It looks like the new Wood-Dale Market at Grand Island Village will be opening sometime after the first of the year. And here is some good news: Chris Vasquez, son of owner Israel Vasquez, says the old-style meat market will also be carrying fresh fish. Vasquez told me they will start with the most popular types of fish - salmon, sea bass etc - but will let the customers decide what they should carry. Work at the new location, next to the Sol Y Luna restaurant across from Wiki's Wine Dive and Grill, is well under way as they shoot to open after the first of the year.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Congressmen only make $174,000 a year! How can they be expected, on such a meager pittance, to raise a family, buy groceries, send their kids to school, and pay massive sexual harassment settlements? Impossible."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "One day you're 18, eating pizza for every meal, wearing a size 4 and the next you're 30, drinking kale and debating wearing a T-shirt in the pool."

  * ... KEVIN BURTON: Kevin Burton, who has been the face of the marketing for Adventist Health for the past seven years, is leaving his job as head of its foundation to join the law firm of Klein DeNatale Goldner. Burton will be overseeing corporate and business development as well as marketing the firm.

 * ... THE TOWER: It looks like the old downtown church that has housed several restaurants (Bell Tower Club, The Ivy) is about to get a new owner. Robert Alimirzaie, executive chef at Bakersfield Country Club, has purchased the elegant old church and will open it as a restaurant called "The Tower" in February.

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.

Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco and other California cities make the list of the costliest places to live, but here at home we celebrate the humble margarita, Wood-Dale Market and Juicy Burger

 * ... COSTLIEST CITIES: Would it surprise you that California consistently shows up as one of the costliest places to live in America.?Check out this list from Forbes on the 20 costliest places to

live, starting with the most expensive: Kings County, NY; Marin County; Santa Cruz; San Francisco; Maui; San Luis Obispo; Napa; Monterey, Queens County, NY; Sonoma, San Mateo County; Orange County; Honolulu; Alameda County; New York City; Ventura; Santa Barbara; Los Angeles, El Dorado and San Diego.

* ... TRASH AND THE POST OFFICE: Dan Flores had this to say about the condition of our local post offices: "My recent travels to various city post offices paints a picture of 'we don't care.'
The Stockdale post office should be a gem - and maybe it is after you get past the weeds and trash. This is a public building. Why should it look so shabby and poor? The self image is bad.
The post office on Planz and Larson lane is actually worse. After a time, the  general population might start to believe that this is who we are - just a piece of the great Central Valley SuperGhetto."

 * ... INSECT EXPLOSION: Have you ever seen so many moths, flies, ants and bugs this time of year? We can thank the record wet winter.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I heard you like bad boys, so I brought 11 items to a 10 items or less checkout lane."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Life is short. Summer is shorter. Tan your legs."

 * ... RANDOM FOOD THOUGHTS: The most underrated hamburger in town can be found at Juicy Burger; if there a better margarita than the one sold at Mexicali downtown, somebody needs to tell me about it; and word on the street is that the best butcher shop in town - Wood-Dale Market over on Stine Road - may be looking for a second location.

 * ... WIND WOLVES: The Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce nailed it by giving its Chairman's Award during the Beautiful Bakersfield Awards to the Wildlands Conservancy and its spectacular Wind Wolves Preserve. If you haven't visited this 93,000 acre treasure, you need to do so.

 * ... CONSTRUCTION: I would avoid California Avenue between Oak and South H streets this week until city work crews finish repaving that stretch in front of Bakersfield High School. Expect the roadwork to continue for at least another month.

 * ... BAD FORM: Nancy Bryant shared this bit of bad form: "This morning my husband was T-boned by a Dodge pickup while riding his bicycle through the Graces traffic circle. Yes, he was wearing a helmet, neon green cycling shirt, and following the rules of the road. The pickup driver decided to blow through the yield sign after the slightest of hesitation, and plowed into my husband.   My husband said the driver didn't look before he pulled into traffic, and he was unable to stop. He only saw my husband after he bounced off the drivers side of the truck. Luckily, BPD was flagged down, and reports taken.  He just suffered some scrapes, and the bike almost totaled.  I would like to thank the driver of the Dodge truck for stopping.  Now, my question is, what was so important that he had to blow the yield sign?  Clear day, no other traffic, and obviously distracted.  You could have killed or maimed my husband because of your inattention.  I hope next time, you are not distracted, and you pay attention to the rules of the road.  The life you save may be your own."

More scams involving the Internal Revenue Service make the rounds, texting while driving a motorcycle and the best meat in town? Wood-Dale market

 * … SCAM: I have been alerted to yet another telephone scam make the founds. This one involves a call from someone purporting to be from the Internal Revenue Service, claiming that back taxes are due and threatening to jail you unless the case is settled immediately. It happened to Terry Kropp of Rosedale,

who described herself ad pretty savvy about these things. "This was scary," she told me. "They were very, very convincing. I demanded to talk to a supervisor, they gave me a case number and they wanted me to admit I owned them money." Terry wisely called her attorney and then the IRS itself, which confirmed the scam. "They told me they get five to six calls a day like this," she said.

 * … SPOTTED: Motorcyclist driving down Rosedale Highway during rush hour with one hand on the handlebars while texting with the another.

* … GOOD FORM: Jayne Lee passes on this nice note about the folks over at Advanced Smog on District Boulevard. "Last week while paying for my smog inspection at Advanced Smog I noticed something out of place in a large pen behind the counter. Looking closely I discovered seven, six-week old puppies. The staff had seen a dog wandering in the busy street, took it in, and three days later the rescue had seven puppies. Homes had already been found for five of the babies. Kudos to the employees there for their care for this new mom and her babies."

 * … BAD FORM: My friend Pete Wonderly poses this question: "Folks, is it at all possible to show consideration for others (and obey the county law) by having your dogs on a leash when walking or running along the bike path or foothills? For three out of the four past Saturdays, I've crossed paths with a woman accompanied by her two Labrador Retrievers, both off-leash. My two small terriers, both on-leash, are not terribly impressed when her dogs rush them. My friends and I have patiently tried to explain courtesy and the county leash law to her, but to know avail. I'm tempted to carry an extra lead and put the woman on leash the next time I encounter her."

 * … TRASH: And speaking of bad form, it looks like Fairfax Drive between Panorama and Alfred Harrell Highway has become a new dumping ground for old mattresses, sofas and love seats.

 * … FOODIE BEST BET: It is hard to beat the freshness of the steaks, chicken and pork - all offered with outstanding customer service - at the Wood-Dale Market on Stine Road.

 * … BAD TASTE?: Wanda G. Reilly wonders if anyone else is put off by the Carl's Jr. commercial of the scantily clad models eating burgers on a car. In her words: "Is anyone other than this 80-year-old woman offended by the tasteless, trashy commercials Carl's Jr. places in prime time? I can't believe those wet bodies slithering over cars has any thing to do with eating a sandwich!"

 * … MEMORIES: A reader dropped off a version of The Californian dated July 4, 1976, celebrating the nation's Bicentennial. Some tidbits from the advertising: porterhouse and T-bone steaks were going for $1.98 a pound and an above ground swimming pool for $769.

The fattest state in the union? Mississippi. The Centers for Disease Control releases an obesity rating list and remembering Dr. Hans Einstein

* ... GOOD CAUSE: If you're like me you have your list of favorite charity fundraisers (West Rotary's annual Cioppino Feed and St. Francis Parish School's CrabFest are near the top of mine). But another one not to miss is the "Elegant Evening of Wine" to benefit the Joe Alexander Scholarship Foundation. This is an East Rotary-inspired event that, while a bit pricey, is always a first class operation thanks to folks like Vernon Varner, Phil Icardo, Daren Alexander and others. It's a great alternative to the time consuming charity golf tournament or chicken dinner at a country club, and it's all for a good cause. This year it's set for Saturday, Sept. 29, at the downtown home of Dr. Mark and Sue Ashley. It's the 10th anniversary of the event and the 100th birthday of Joe Alexander. Tickets are going for $175 each. Contact Vern Varner for more information at (661) 979-5788.

 * ... EINSTEIN: Our community lost a giant recently with the death at 89 of Dr. Hans Einstein, one of the preeminent experts on Valley Fever. Einstein, a distant relative of Albert Einstein, was born in Berlin but his mother moved him to The Netherlands after Hitler took power. He came to the United States as an exchange student and attended Furman University. Dr. Gerhard H. Schmidt recalled this story from Einstein's mother, who had been living in England where political scandals usually involve sex. "So, when Dr. Einstein’s mother was visiting from England just after Watergate and the Nixon resignation, her big question was, 'But where’s the sex?'"

 * ... OBESITY: Obesity is a national epidemic, and now the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has rated the states in terms of the best, and worst. The fattest state? Mississippi leads the nation with a rate of 34.9 percent, followed closely by Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana and Kentucky. Even the "most fit" states have high obesity rates. The least obese state was Colorado where 20.7 percent of the people were overweight, followed by Hawaii and Massachusetts. California came in with a rate under 25 percent.

* ... WOOD-DALE: Marlene Morales, the communications director over at the law firm of Chain, Cohn and Stiles, dropped into the Wood-Dale market for the first time recently. "It's everything I've read and now just experienced. Old fashion fresh meat counter with old fashion customer service. I felt like I was in Ozzie and Harriet's movie. Everyone waiting in line conversed with each other as we all observed the fresh meats (Harris Ranch steaks, stuffed pork chops, various sausages, bison, frog legs, scallops, halibut, etc...)  Then at the cash  register, the checker introduces herself as Darlene and proceeds to tell me that for the holidays they will be offering turducken... Turkey stuffed with duck, the duck stuffed with hen. Needless to say, it was a wonderful experience back in time and glad
Bakersfield still has old fashion values and grocery stores."

 * ... GOOD DEED: Here's a nugget to brighten your morning, compliments of reader Ginny Espinoza. Ginny's friend held a yard sale recently and a couple bought several items and paid with two $100 bills, both of which turned out to be counterfeit. "Last week the mother of the male came to my friend’s house to pay the debt! Her son was guilt-ridden (now in jail for another offense) and asked his mother to make good.  I am just hoping that he will repay her one day! I really have to give kudos to the mother – that couldn’t have been easy!"

 * ... SPOTTED: Peter and Patty Wonderly and a friend were running the foothills just north of Morning Drive and Paladin recently when "we noticed a pickup truck parked on the edge of the hilltop. We ran up the side hill and as we crested the top we witnessed a young couple in the truck bed - complete with mattress - scrambling to get into their clothes. Hey - keep it classy, folks."