Layoffs pick up as the national economy stalls, but good news for local horse owners

 * ... ECONOMY: There's more bad news for the economy. The Wall Street Journal reports that the anticipated second half recovery is not happening, and in fact more firms are now laying off records number of workers. Companies as large as Cisco and Lockheed Martin Corp. and as small as Cracker Barrel Country Store have announced more layoffs as firms respond to sagging sales and uncertainty over the debt crisis. "Behind the cuts are jittery employers whose faith in the recovery - and by extension consumers' willingness to spend - has been shaken," it said. "Companies are maintaining profit margins by cutting jobs and costs, and, for the moment at least, are investing in efficiency-enhancing equipment rather than new workers."

 * ... EQUINE VIRUS: Good news for horse owners. It looks like the danger of contagion for the equine herpes virus has passed and it's now safe to transport horses to shows and other competition. That's the word from John Tolley, a veterinarian at Bakersfield Veterinary Hospital. He praised the local horse community for keeping their horses and home and eliminating contact with other equines during the past few months.

 * ... CHARITIES: Teri Goree is one of those people who are growing weary of being constantly hit up for $1 donations at grocery and department stores. "It is especially annoying when the automated machine asks for a donation, I click 'no,' and the clerk asks me again!" she said. "I've been told they are required to ask every customer, but some clerks are just over the top zealous about it and make me feel like the lowest of the low for politely declining to participate." Like others, Teri said she and her husband already have their favorite charitable causes that align to their personal values. "One of these days maybe my response will be, 'Sure, I'll donate a dollar to your charity if you'll donate a dollar to mine!"

 * ... SPOTTED: Ruben Rosales, one of the owner of Happy Jacks, and grandson Kadel Hock from the Napa Valley were seen cleaning the riverbank of trash from Oak Street to the 99 Freeway. Kadel asked his grandfather why anyone would leave so much trash at a public park. Now that's a good question.

 * .... PLASTIC SURGERY: Would it surprise you to know that men comprise one of the fastest grow areas in plastic surgery and cosmetic enhancements? On Friday on Californian radio SmartTalk 1230 I will interview Dr. Milan Shah and Dr. Brett Lehockey from Dr. Shah and Associates to talk about trends and popular procedures in Bakersfield. You might be surprised by what you learn. The show runs from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

 * ... BLAZE: This Friday night is YMCA night at the Bakersfield Blaze game. Tickets purchased at the Kern County Y are half off and can be purchased at 5880 District Boulevard for $7. "Our cheer leading squad with our theater arts kids will lead the crowd in the YMCA song before the game," said Clete Harper, CEO of the local Y.
 
 * ... DID YOU KNOW?  Did you that graffiti artist “Chaka,” who gained notoriety tagging walls in Los Angeles, is now helping troubled youth in Bakersfield by teaching them to channel their pain and frustration into positive art projects and community involvement? His commissioned murals can be seen in East Bakersfield.

Top UC schools move to admit more out of state students and Bryan Goodman joins the CSUB basketball squad

 * ... COLLEGE REPORT: It looks like it is going to get even harder for local students to get into the more selective state universities like UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego. Strapped for cash, the schools are now admitting record numbers of out of state students simply because they pay twice the tuition as California residents. According to the Los Angeles Times, 30 percent of the incoming freshman class at Berkeley will be from out of state, up from 23 percent last year. At UCLA, nonresidents will make up 18 percent of the freshman class, up from 15 percent. And at San Diego, the nonresident freshman class doubled from 9 percent to 18 percent.

 * ... CRIME ALERT: A resident of La Cresta passed along the story of a 14-year-old who stole her car and smashed it into a fire hydrant after the Highway Patrol gave chase. The car was stolen sometime between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. out of her driveway. Apparently her husband, who had moved the car earlier in the day, left the keys in his own car and left that car unlocked. Police say summer is the time when crimes of opportunity spike, and thieves are walking through neighborhoods pulling on door handles trying to find one open. In the La Cresta case, the owners were told that local gangs recruit minors to steal cars because they do so little time after they are caught.

 * ... OVERHEARD: A young women is overheard telling her companion about a trip to Valley Plaza. "In 30 minutes I saw a mother slap her child, a guy shoplift a rice krispy treat from a kiosk and another man talking on his cell phone with his other hand down his pants."

 * ... GOODMAN: Had a chance over the weekend to meet Bryan Goodman, the new CSUB assistant baseketball coach. Coach Rod Barnes recruited Goodman from the University of Oklahoma where he served in a similar position. Before that, the 39-year-old Goodman served at Bucknell University. He and his wife have 5-year-old triplets and she hopes to join him here later this summer.

 * ... MOHAWK BRIDGE: Only in Bakersfield do we get excited about the opening of a new bridge that shortens our commute. How many of you have taken the trip over the new Mohawk bridge just to see it?

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Reader Linda Welch is asking if anyone remembers the downtown bowling alley that was located on 18th Street east of Chester Avenue back in the 1940s. She said her brothers were pin setters there but we can't recall the exact location.

Time to rally around Cal State Bakersfield and President Horace Mitchell in the face of budget troubles

 * ... MOVE ON: Let's all hope that the recent changes out at Cal State Bakersfield will repair any feelings of ill will between supporters and the administration. CSUB  is facing its greatest budget crunch ever, and it needs the full support of our community and its leaders to continue to provide the best education possible to our local students. President Horace Mitchell has made some tough calls in the face of severe cutbacks, and he now deserves our support. It's time to move on.

 * ... CSUB:  One of the effects of the reorganization at CSUB  is the return of fund raising to the Athletic Department. This is good news for many long-time supporters of CSUB athletic programs, who groused when the University Advancement department under Beverly Byl took over all fund raising, including athletics, several years ago. Supporters complained that funds raised for sports were sometimes used for other purposes. None of this is illegal, of course, but it rankled supporters who didn't like the idea that money raised for a sports program may have been used for another project, however worthy. With the changes, fund raising for sports now reverts to the office of Athletic Director Jeff Konya.

 * ... MOTOR CITY: General Motors has recognized Motor City GMC as one of the top dealerships in the nation. A GM representative was at the dealership Thursday to present the "Dealer of the Year" award to Richard Stricklen, owner of Motor City, and his team. The award recognizes the top 2 percent of GM dealers by region. This is a high honor and - at least from my experience buying two cars there - certainly well deserved. 

 * ... Y MEMORY: Today's memory of growing up with the YMCA comes from Jennifer Marble Howes, who recently moved back to Bakersfield after being gone for 20 years. Her father was a YMCA camp counselor in Pasadena and she grew up at the Bakersfield "Y," camping in the mountains and singing songs around the camp fire. "I remember learning how to row a boat and ride a horse and appreciate wild life," she said. "Singing around the camp fire and everyone yelling Y-M-C-A hoping that we could be heard clear down in Bakersfield. I would recommend utilizing the YMCA to anyone who has children."

 * ... CSUB BASEBALL: Tom Dyer wrote to commend the CSUB Roadrunner baseball team for pitching in to help the 12-year-old All-Stars from the Bakersfield Southwest Baseball team. He said pitcher Mike McCarthy along with teammates Cael Brockmeyer and Oscar Sanay came out and worked with his team for almost three hours. It was all around the time that McCarthy was drafted and "he still made time to make a lasting impression on some of Bakersfield's youth," Dyer said. "Go Southwest baseball and go Roadrunners!"

* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Gene Bonas says you might be a Bakersfield old timer if you "can remember the logo used by Frank and Marie Amestoy to advertise their On the Hill bar and grill. It was an outhouse set on a hill!"

The Kern County YMCA tries for a comeback and a damning new report compares state overregulation with Islamist Iran

 * ... YMCA: If you're like me, you've often wondered what happened to the Kern County YMCA.  Back in the day when it was located at 22nd and O streets, The "Y" was an integral part of life in Bakersfield, but a series of missteps has left it all but invisible to the community. But the "Y" is coming back, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated board of volunteers and a new CEO in retired South High teacher and construction company owner Clete Harper. I had coffee with Clete and Dave Wilkerson, a long-time board member who is committed to bringing the "Y" back to the forefront of local non-profits. The Kern County "Y" currently has the lowest funding of any YMCA in the state, and its current location off District Boulevard does not lend itself to easy access. But it still serves hundreds of youngsters, and is expanding its reach with new programs in Delano and Arvin. Yet the need is great for new supporters and funding. How many of us grew up with a family "Y" in our lives? This is something worth our support. And I would love to hear your personal stories of growing up with the "Y" in Bakersfield. If you want to get involved, call Clete Harper at (661) 837-9622 or Dave Wilkerson at (661) 703-5483.

 * ... GREEN JIHAD: Fascinating story in Forbes recently arguing that a "green jihad" in California is choking the state's economy just at a time when we should be trying to create jobs. Titled "California's Green Jihad" and written by Joel Kotkin, the story compares our state's environmental movement with the Islamic extremist in Iran. Both movements, he writes, are destroying their economies in the name of a higher calling. Kotkin notes California's employment is now worse than Michigan and our state was recently ranked the worst place in the nation to do business. "As with its Iranian counterpart, California’s green theology often leads to illogical economic and political decisions. California has decided, for example,  to impose a rigid regime of state-directed planning related to global warming, making a difficult approval process for new development even more onerous.  It has doubled-down on climate change as other surrounding western states — such as Nevada, Utah and Arizona — have opted out of regional greenhouse gas agreements. The notion that a state economy — particularly one that has lost over 1.15 million jobs in the past decade — can impose draconian regulations beyond those of their more affluent neighbors, or the country, would seem almost absurd."

 * ... OILDALE: Reader Ken Barnes wrote to recall the old days of Oildale. "I wonder how many remember the old Rio Grande service station at the southwest corner of Roberts Lane and North Chester, where McDonalds now sits. I had the tall glass gasoline pumps. My dad bought the place in 1946 and my mom, dad, sister and I lived in a very small attached apartment in the rear until we moved out to El Tejon Avenue west of Airport Drive in the late 1940s. Those were the days."

 * ... LOFTS: The 1612 City Lofts project in downtown Bakersfield is under way again. Workers are installing plumbing and a new roof for the project, which will bring 12 contemporary loft style apartments to the heart of the arts district. The project started three years ago but stalled with the economy. The completion date is set for later this year or early 2012.

* ... LOST PUPPIES:  Reader Randall Dickow dropped me a heart breaking email about dogs being abandoned on the bike path. "Worse than diapers and other trash left on the bike path are unwanted pets. Sunday morning on my ride out to Darrell's there was a father, mother and two pups patiently waiting at the ramp at Yokuts Park for their owner to pick them back up. It was 7 a.m. and no one was in the park. I tried to corral them and called for a pick-up, but they scattered and I didn't want to chase them towards Truxtun. On my return, the mom and dad were sitting in the same place, but no pups. I was able to get both to come to me and then hold them while a ride came for them. We looked for the pups, but couldn't find them. Mom and dad are at the vets now being checked out. This morning, sis-in-law went to the park and there were the pups who fortunately survived the night without becoming coyote food! Pretty lame on the owner's part to just dump them. We'll find homes for all."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You're a relative newcomer if you remember Freddie's Top of the Hill on the east side, and you're a Bakersfield old timer if you remember it by its original name, Paola's. Another reader, Craig Holland, fondly recalls bowling at Paola's and ordering a vanilla cream Coke.

British retailers and brokers in town touring Pandol Brothers grape fields and the YMCA puts out a plea for help

 * .. KERN GRAPES: Was out the other evening and ran into Beth Brookhart Pandol, who was escorting a delightful group of visitors from the United Kingdom who were in town to tour our local grape fields. They were here to see the vineyards of Pandol Brothers, one of our area's larger grape growers. Turns out these folks have done business with the Pandols for years, primarily importing red seedless table grapes. Two of the visitors - Lisa Buckley-Hoyle and Anna Goodall - work for Tesco, which owns the Fresh and Easy chain of grocery outlets. The other two, Alan Guindi and Karen Cleave, work for Richard Hochfeld Ltd., a British fruit importer, broker and technical service company that deals extensively in grapes. Guindi and Cleave had visited Bakersfield numerous times but this time were staying at the newly renovated Padre Hotel, which Cleave called "a breath of fresh air."

 * ... THE BUZZ: With all  the cutbacks and challenges over at Cal State Bakersfield, is this the best time to have your bathroom remodeled? Apparently that's what is happening at the University Advancement office where the public restroom is undergoing a face lift. And it has some folks over at the Southwest Bakersfield campus chattering, first because money is tight and second the office is run by Beverly Byl, the chief fund raiser who is not wildly popular among her peers. (read a previous post here) If you remember, Byl was brought in by President Horace Mitchell to replace the retiring Mike Chertok but she has struggled to build a constituency either inside the campus or among longtime CSUB supporters. Rob Meszaros, the school's communications director, said the bathroom project was part of scheduled campus deferred maintenance and he dismissed the notion that "our office is getting preferential treatment. Our building was one of the last, if not the last, building to have work done." But that didn't stop the tongues from wagging and triggering a new round of talk at the campus about Byl and the perception that she has favored status with President Mitchell.

 * ... TROUBLE AT THE YMCA: Among the victims of this long recession are our local non-profits, who do so much good in our community. And now I hear that the local YMCA is having a particularly hard time because of a steep drop in donations. Said board member Dave Wilkerson: "YMCA's are the number one child care providers in the country and the biggest employer of teens. What a shame it would be if we were not able to continue to serve the kids of our community through our child care and sports programs. No child is turned away due to an inability to pay and we are most proud of that! How many of us in this community grew up at the Y?" If you want to help, call the local YMCA at 661-837-YMCA (9622). This is one non-profit worth supporting.

 * ... OLD BAKO: It was nice to hear from Lucille Bell, who at 91 has been reading The Californian for 65 years. She had her own remembrances of Bakersfield, specifically when "there were no shopping malls. We shopped 'downtown' but there was a small area on Niles Street called The Hillcrest Shopping Center. Was listed on maps as such. (It's still there)." Thanks for reading Lucille.
 

* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Dan Giordano: You know you're from Bakersfield if "you remember Don Rodawald's TV show and his parting shot, 'See you tomorrow at three when it's just you and me.'"