District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer criticizes a Superior Court judge for going soft on crime, Wool Grower's opens for outdoor dining and longtime tennis pro Hank Pfister prepares to retire

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.

 * ... CYNTHIA ZIMMER: District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer has come under fire for criticizing a Superior Court judge for alleged having a "pro criminal bias" when handing down sentencing. The Criminal Defense Bar of Kern County said Zimmer's comment "undermines the public's confidence in the judicial system and is affront to the principles reflected in the Constitution." A statement went on to say

that "these comments instill fear in and pressure on all judges to act in accordance with the prosecutions wishes or face unfair attacks on their integrity." Zimmer has defended her statements and said the public should be well informed about where judges stand on crime and sentencing.

 * ... WOOL GROWERS: KC Steakhouse has enjoyed good success with its "Stockyard" outdoor dining, and now Woolgrowers has introduced its own version of that called the "Sheep Camp." The popular Basque eatery said seating was limited and it urged customers to make reservations.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "While I was talking to a young colleague the other day I discovered that she's never seen 'Pulp Fiction.' As I prepared to exclaim my disbelief, I realized SHE HADN'T YET BEEN BORN WHEN IT WAS RELEASED."

 * ... RETIREMENT: Congratulations to Hank Pfister, the longtime tennis pro at Stockdale Country Club who is retiring in October. Once one of the top ranked singles players in the world, Pfister enjoyed a long career on the professional circuit before returning to Bakersfield where he eventually landed at Stockdale Country Club. Pfister said he and his wife, Kim, plan to spend time at a ranch they purchased in the lower Sierras. At one time Pfister was ranked No. 12 in the world in professional tennis.

 * ... RIP FRANK HOOVER: Former Kern County Superior Court Judge Frank Hoover died this week, leaving a legacy for honesty, wit and treating everyone with dignity. For a time Hoover presided a "drug court" where he was known for his equitable treatment of people dealing with difficult times. His son posted this on Facebook: "Maybe during these hard times, with the pandemic, ever growing political division, and natural disasters, we can pay homage to the memory of Frank Hoover by taking a moment to reflect on his belief that, ultimately, we are all human, that we all need to be loved, we all deserve to be treated with dignity and belonging, and that by giving it we can make real and lasting difference in the lives of people around us. Can you think of someone today that needs to hear from you? Can you think of anyone that would benefit from being given a hand up?"

 * ... MEMORIES: I picked up this old photo of the area that became Lake Isabella off the Kern County History Fans Facebook page. The picture dates from July, 1927.

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And how about this classic shot of Chester Avenue, looking toward the clock tower, in the mid 1930s? Courtesy of the Kern County of Old Facebook page.

Wool Growers restaurant likely to get some new love in an upcoming feature of Saveur magazine, and an old timer remembers the original Green Frog market

 * ... WOOL GROWER'S: It looks like Wool Growers, the famous Basque restaurant on 19th Street, will be getting some more love from the national press. Christiane Camou, daughter of Wool Grower' owner Jenny Maitia-Poncetta, tipped me that the editor of Saveur magazine (James Oseland) popped into the eatery last week.  "He enjoyed it so much that he had his photographer take hundreds of pictures of the food, and visited with my grandmother and myself about the history of Basque restaurants in Bakersfield," she said.

 * ... CAL RADIO: Tune in to Californian Radio (KERN1180) Monday at 9 a.m. when Assemblywoman Shannon Grove will be my guest to talk about AB 202, the school marshal's bill. In addition, I will be chatting with Cal State Bakersfield Athletic Director Jeff Konya and Runners baseball coach Bill Kernen.

 * ... HIGH ACHIEVER: Hats off to Stacy Vanderhurst, valedictorian of her 1994 graduating class at Centennial High. She went on to graduate from Notre Dame with honors and is now completing her doctorate at Brown University. In addition, Stacy is teaching an "Anthropology of Globalization" class at Brown this semester.

* ... NIGHTMARE: Here's a nightmare story on air flight that I wouldn't wish on anybody. Lois Henry, our Californian columnist, was flying back from the inauguration when she missed her 6 p.m. connection in Phoenix and was bumped to the 9 p.m. flight. That turned out to be two hours late, but it did make it to Bakersfield only to pass over the city and turn around because of fog at Meadows Field. "They initially rebooked me on the next day's 9 p.m. flight, but I was able to finagle a seat on the 11 a.m. flight. And no, US Airways did not put us up in hotels. You either had to pay for your own room, or schlump around the airport all night. If I don't see the Phoenix airport again for a good long while, it still won't be long enough!"

* ... WHAT'S IN A NAME: Cheryle DeMaro shared with me the origin of her own namne. "In the mid 1950s there were quite a few female babies (me included, except my dad changed my middle name to Jeanette in a compromise with my mom) that were named Cheryl Ann. Working in banks over the years I met a few of them in Bakersfield. I got curious and asked my mom why she picked that name. She said while in the hospital a new TV series came on and it was called 'On the Waterfront' starring the hunk at the time Preston Foster. His famous tug boat was named the Cheryl Ann. It was only on a couple of years but he had some Bakersfield women who had a crush on him. I thought maybe these 'Cheryle Anns ' would like to know. Also, does anyone know the story of the beautiful old Victorian house located behind the new Maya?"

 * ... GREEN FROG: Stan Anderson wrote to recall the old Green Frog Market that was located on the southeast corner of California and Chester. "In the early 1950s, Paul Taylor owned and operated the grocery department, and my dad, Clif Anderson, owned and operated the 'full service' meat department while Charlie Everett owned and operated the produce department  Somewhere around 1953 or 1954 Mr. Everett built the store at Alta Vista and Bernard and the Chester store closed. At this point, my dad went to work in the Alta Vista store where he worked for Mr. Everett as a meat cutter until he retired in 1974.  My Mom, Naomi Anderson, was the bookkeeper for the Bernard store from about 1955 until she retired in about 1992."