County supervisor David Couch to appear on The Richard Beene Show to talk about how he ended up the odd man out in the county redistricting. Is it over yet? He says not yet. And who remembers the old Chateau Health vitamin store?

Sunday April 1, 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.


 * ... SUPERVISORS: So what really happened when the supervisors redrew their districts lines to

comply with a federal court order to create two "safe" districts for Latinos? One thing we do know is that District 4 Supervisor David Couch was the odd man out, and he watched (and silently fumed no doubt) when his colleagues on the board took a 12-inch Wusthop carving knife to his district to satisfy the court's mandate. Couch lost his traditional areas of strong support - Taft, Frazier Park and Pine Mountain Club - and instead picked up heavily Hispanic cities. Meanwhile, Zack Scrivner picked up Taft, Frazier Park and Pine Mountain Club and Mike Maggard emerged with a tighter, Bakersfield centric district that actually put his only challenger - Jeff Heinle - out of District 3. Couch has made no bones that he feels betrayed, and he tells me this isn't the end of it. Couch will be my guest on Monday at 1 p.m. on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM. Tune in to hear his side of the story.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "We enter this world alone, we die alone, and we spend the time in between looking for our car keys."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Let’s get married and have kids so instead of spring break in Cancún we can stop four hours into a road trip to clean puke out of the audio port on the iPad and hose off the car seat."

 * ... KGET: Jason Galvan has left the KGET morning show. Galvan was originally a sports reporter but moved up to the morning anchor desk after Kiyoshi Tomano left to join the private sector. No word on what he will be doing.

 * ... RIP MILT: Milton Huggs, the former school teacher and owner of Milt's Coffee Shop, Milt's Iron Horse and Milt's Ranch Inn, died last week. Milton Oscar Huggs was born on November 29, 1929, in Little Rock, Ark., and died on March 26. His coffee shop is one of the most popular in town, enjoying a loyal following for years.

 * ... ALL I WISH: Congratulations to Selah Victor, a 1999 graduate of Highland High School who has co-produced the new Sharon Stone movie "All I Wish." Victor, one of eight children, graduated from UC Irvine and studied acting in England, but she got the bug as a youngster at Juliet Thorner elementary school. She has a long list of commercial appearances, including roles in "Modern Family," "The Office," "Teachers" and on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. "All I Wish" tells the story of a struggling fashion designer who finds love - and second chances - later in life.

 * ... CHATEAU HEALTH: Who remembers one of Bakersfield's first health food and vitamin stores called Chateau Health that existed in the Stockdale Fashion Plaza in the 1980s? The owner, who worked at KERN radio under the nickname Pete Shannon, did regular radio segments called "The Health Nut" in which he would share healthy living tips.

 * ... SMITH'S: Enjoy this vintage picture of a Smith's delivery truck back in the day.

Kern County politics may be the best spectator sport in town, turmoil at KNZR and remembering the time when Clark Gable visited Bakersfield

Friday, January 19th, 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.

 * ... MIKE MAGGARD: The race for 3rd District supervisor - Mike Maggard is seeking reelection - is starting to resemble a soap opera, full of intrigue, deceit, accusations and denial. The latest:

political activist T.J. Eposito says he has been behind the "Mad Mike" attack ads on the radio and social media. Esposito told me a super PAC was behind the ads, and he vows there is more to come. "A revolution is no picnic," he told me on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM. "It's going to be uncomfortable... dirty acting will be uncovered." As for Maggard, Esposito said "he hasn't seen nothing yet." Esposito is furious with Maggard because he voted against regulating marijuana and seemed to denigrate folks who rely on medicinal marijuana for their health. One thing seems clear: Esposito and his group are not going way, and this race will get uglier as the weeks and months pass.

 * ... SCRIVNER: Meanwhile another incumbent supervisor, Zack Scrivner, has picked up another opponent in high school teacher and LGBT activist Whitney Weddell. No word on if marijuana will be front and center of that campaign, even though Scrivner voted with Maggard not to allow its sale in Kern County. And no supervisor story this year would be complete without a heavy dose of irony. As a college student, Scrivner was busted for possession of marijuana but here decades later positions himself on high moral ground by voting against it. (photo courtesy of The Bakersfield Californian)

 * ... INGA BARKS: Rumors are flying around town that KNZR radio has parted ways with longtime afternoon talk show host Inga Barks. I reached out to KNZR station manager Mary Lou Gunn, as well as Inga herself, but have heard nothing, which may be normal considering we are talking about personnel changes here. Barks has been absent on the radio recently (illnesss? vacation?) and that could have led to the speculation. Her mugshot and bio material remain on the KNZR website. Stay tuned.

 * ... JAZ MCKAY: Meanwhile, KNZR owner Alpha Media faced greater problems at the local station when social media exploded over a post by afternoon host Jaz McKay making racist comments about local Hispanics. McKay apparently posted a Facebook live post of him listening to Spanish language radio stations and referring them as "Spic" channels. That was picked up by former KNZR employee Chad Garcia who shared it with his followers, triggering a firestorm of complaints. McKay was not on the air Friday (a guest host filled in) and he told the local newspaper he was sorry if it offended anyone. All in all a bad day for Alpha Media. What is it they say about karma?

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Accidentally liked two posts from the same person and now Facebook thinks we’re getting married."

 * ... MORE TWITTER: "I just want one month where a headline doesn't appear that makes me picture Donald Trump having sex with someone."

* ... TRAGEDY: What a horrible week for our young people in Bakersfield. First, 16-year-old Centennial High student Clayton Boen died after falling out of a vehicle in a DUI related incident. Then, it was revealed that a 13-year-old Rosedale Middle School student committed suicide after she was bullied at school.

 * ... HOLIDAY LIGHTS: The folks who run the annual holiday light show out at CALM had their biggest year ever. According to Steve Sanders over at the Kern Superintendent of Schools, this was a record year with 67,618 people enjoying the light show that celebrated its 15th year. "That was about 15,000 more than last year and 10,000 more than our previous record year in 2012 of 57,993," Sanders said. He explained that will net over $200,000 for CALM, all of which goes directly into exhibits and improvements.

 * ... OLD DAYS: The other day I interviewed local historian John Kelley on the Old Ridge Route, the circuitous, winding road built in 1915 that connected Bakersfield and Los Angeles. Among the fascinating tidbits: how Hollywood celebrities like Clark Gable and Carole Lombard would visit some of the old hotels like the Lebec Hotel as a weekend retreat. When I returned home, a neighbor (I  live in a 1934 bungalow downtown) sent me a note about Clark Gable visiting my street. Julie (Clerou) Riegel said this: "On a Sunday afternoon in the mid 1950s, Clark Gable and his wife, Kay Williams, drove down Cedar Street in their long, shiny, beautiful black car to visit Kay Williams’ brother who lived next door to you. Even though I was a young kid, I can remember every detail... his dark overcoat, crooked smile, slick chocolate brown hair, and the confident and friendly wave he gave to all of us kids waiting in the street. I think he and his wife visited a few more times but I can’t remember those visits. So Clark Gable stood, walked, parked, smiled and waved not more than 20 feet from your yard."

Karen Goh's rookie mistakes, celebrating the big tipper around town and unions denounce Scrivner as the 'devil'

* ... JUST EMAIL ME: By all accounts Karen Goh, who went from director of a religious-based non-profit to an appointment to the Kern County Board of Supervisors, appears to be a good choice. I know Goh from the downtown Rotary club and can tell you she is both smart and articulate. But to most of the residents of the Fifth District, she's a virtual stranger. Which is why it's so puzzling that she consistently declines to speak in depth to reporters, choosing instead to communicate via sound bites or email, as in "just email me your questions and I'll send you a statement."  What keeps Goh so busy that she can't share her views with her constituents? Posting pictures to her Facebook profile? Playing Guitar Hero? I doubt it. Going silent is a rookie mistake for a public official, particularly a freshman like Goh whose views are unknown. It only leads to idle speculation, which in this case has her taking orders from local political power broker Mark Abernathy. I have no doubt Goh is qualified for the job, but I couldn't tell you where she stands on a single substantive issue. (She did tell KGET TV that she supports jobs, but gosh, who doesn't?) Eventually Goh will need to prove she is not anybody's puppet and can stand on her own. (photo by Felix Adamo)

 * ... THE DEVIL? The other newcomer to the Board of Supervisors is Zack Scrivner, whose past and positions - unlike Goh's - have been picked apart and dissected like a lab rat. Scrivner led the much-needed pension reform while on the Bakersfield City Council, incurring the wrath of the powerful police and fire unions. And they haven't forgotten him. On the California Professional Firefighters website, 2nd District, Scrivner is likened to "the devil" for daring to rein in pension costs. "The supervisor race that we  lost will have a greater impact then the two city council seats we won," said firefighter Derek Robinson. "The devil now sits on the Board of Supervisors and pension reform is coming, like it or not." Scrivner told me the remark was "unfortunate" and "inflammatory" and added this: "I think it's interesting and perhaps telling that he characterizes the election of Rudy Salas and Russell Johnson to the Council as wins for the unions, but goes on to say that my election trumps those victories. I guess time will tell."

 
 * ... BIG TIP: Remember that generous patron who tipped his server a sweet $5,000 last week at Cafe Med? Well now I learn that after leaving Cafe Med, he went to the Padre Hotel where he tipped a bartender $2,000. That's right. Seven thousand dollars in tips. Merry Christmas.


 * ... THE BUZZ: Everyone is talking about the rain, which has made our bone dry community appear more like Seattle, albeit for a brief few days.  It's been non-stop for days and let's hope it fills the reservoirs and means we'll have water in the river again next summer. One thing is for certain: if you have a leaky roof, you know it by now. 


  * ... DUSTIN'S DINER: Folks over in Haggin Oaks are continuing the long tradition of Dustin's Diner, a hot cocoa and cookie stand that collects money for the homeless through the holidays. This all started years ago on St. Cloud Lane when Dustin Kilpatrick, son of Dave and Danielle Kilpatrick, started the stand with the help of neighborhood kids. It has since grown huge, regularly collecting more than $10,000 a year for the Bakersfield Homeless Center. So if you want to enjoy the Christmas lights and help the homeless, drop by the dinner now located at 2301 Haggin Oaks Boulevard. It runs through December 23.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Robert E. Holland: You know you're an East Bakersfield old timer if "your mom sent you to the Green Frog Market for an item and reminded you to pick up the new copies of Women's Day and Family Circle at the check stand that were given out at no charge."

Warning newcomers about the dangers of Valley Fever and musing about about Zack Scrivner's pot conviction

* ... VALLEY FEVER: Pauline Larwood, a former county supervisor and one of the leaders in an effort to find a cure for valley fever, dropped me this note regarding what every newcomer to our town should know: "September's reported cases show a sharp rise in valley fever infection in Kern County. The number of monthly cases in tracked by both the Kern County Health Department and Physician's Automated Lab. September's cases likely were exposed to Coccidioides immitis spores six weeks prior to infection. people who have lived here all their lives are likely still susceptible. History shows that the old, the very young, those who are immune suppressed, blacks and Filipinos and some other Asian ancestries all seem to be more susceptible to serious disease. New residents probably know little about the disease and should educate themselves. One way to do that is to visit www.valleyfever.com."

 * ... THE BUZZ: Lots of talk around town about county supervisor candidate Zack Scrivner's disclosure that he was arrested on a marijuana charge while a student at UC Santa Barbara. Call me jaded, but I can't get overly agitated over this whole affair. Isla Vista, where Zack was busted, is not much different from Chico, Berkeley, Boulder, Austin, Ann Arbor or any other college town. Marijuana is a fact of life and the idea that kids experiment with it should come as no surprise to anyone .That's not an endorsement of his behavior, or the fact that he didn't come clean about it earlier, but rather a concession that with youth comes indiscretion.

 * ... SHE'S BACK: Read with interest Californian opinion editor Robert Price's Sunday column talking about the very real possibility that Nicole Parra will be appointed county supervisor to replace the state Senate bound Michael Rubio. Parra, a former Assemblywoman, would be appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger if Rubio wins the 16th State Senate race as he is expected to do. As Price points out, this is rich with irony since Parra would return to reclaim her "deposed father's place on the dais, replacing the man who defeated Pete Parra six years ago - and who happens to be a former protege of her sworn blood enemy, termed out 16th District state Sen. Dean Florez."

* ... GREEN FROG: Reader Nancy Vibe recalled when her father-in-law leased the produce section of the Green Frog market on Alta Vista for 32 years. In the old days, he said "people would come in on Saturday, dressed in their good clothes, and shop. He said the men had on nice sport coats and ties, and the women had on - get this - fur coats! So they would come in all dolled up, buy their veggies and give and get the latest gossip about Bakersfield's finest. You had to see Roy Vibe on Saturday to get the good stuff!"

 * ... IRON MAN: Mike Toland is one of those guys who makes us all look bad. Fit, trim and disciplined, this geologist at the state Department of Conservation is one of our community's most committed athletes, not to mention a gracious and decent man. So it was nice to hear that Toland is headed to the International Triathlon Union's World Long Course Championships in Las Vegas next year. Mike qualified to be part of Team USA in the 55-59 age group by competing in the National Long Course Championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The race included a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13-mile run. Now that's something to crow about.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if you "remember what was on the northwest corner of 20th and K streets. (The Trailways Santa Fe Bus Depot)

Scrivner's stand on unions picks up some support while others ponder: Where in the world is Bob's Big Boy?

* ... UNION POWER: Zack Scrivner, the city councilman running for 2nd District County Supervisor, seems to have struck a nerve with voters by taking on the unions over soaring pension costs. Most folks in the private sector have taken pay cuts, been furloughed and witnessed their retirement funds ravaged while city, county and state worker unions continue to protest even the most modest of cutbacks. Some unions have responded with a sharp edged advertising campaign against Scrivner, but clearly many folks are warming to Scrivner's challenge to the unions to belly up and take their share of the cuts. One Tehachapi voter told me she was voting for Scrivner because "it's time government workers start to live like us in the private sector. If they don't like the cutbacks, they can always leave their jobs and join us in the private sector!"

 * ... JUST BRAGGING: Barbara Billington wrote in to do a little bragging on her granddaughter, 2004 North High graduate Alison Tolladay. She graduated from Fresno State in 2008 and just now earned her master's in public policy from Pepperdine University. She is currently working as an intern for the LA Lakers in their community relations department raising money for the Lakers Youth Foundation. Last year, Alison and some of her friends started a group called "Just Like You" that provides after-school programs to Los Angeles elementary schools. The programs focus on viewing the world in a different way and becoming global citizens. Billington said Alison "learned compassion and philanthropy from her membership with the Assistance League of Bakersfield's, Assisteen Auxiliary, which obviously has made an impact on her future goals. This is just another example of local girl makes good."

 * ... ROAD RAGE: More responses to my earlier post (read it here) on drivers who try to scare cyclists  off the road by coming close to hitting them. One reader, Marty Richardson, wrote that cyclists should stay off the roads to Woody simply because they are so dangerous. It brought this response from reader Jerry Sutliff: "Clearly Ms. Richardson doesn't get it. Bicyclists have the right of way when the cyclist and the driver are going in the same direction, at least here in California. It appears she wonders what you and your fellow cyclists are doing in her roadway. Good luck."


 * ... WHERE'S BOB?: So what happened to that Bob's Big Boy statue that was stolen at the new Ming Avenue franchise in town? County supervisor Mike Maggard, on vacation on the coast over Memorial Day, got a chuckle when he happened on a miniature Bob's Big Boy replica in a Cayucos antique store. "I wonder if any others have made similar 'Bob sightings' as they have contemplated the intriguing question, 'Where in the world is Bob?'"

* ... NEW NORMAL: Amazing how the split between Al and Tipper Gore has caught our interest. After 40 years, you'd think they were well past the time of calling it quits. But, as the Wall Street Journal reported, divorces of marriages in the 30 to 40-year range have become the "new normal." And divorce rates among those married between 1970 and 1974 have taken "the biggest generational jump" ever, according to the University of Michigan. The New York  Times, chiming in on the Gores, said the dissolution of long-term marriages was particular to the baby boom generation. "In a sense," the paper said, "getting divorced is the iconic baby boomer act."


 * ... OVERHEARD: A correctional officer giving advice to his mother: "If you want the best health care money can buy, commit a felony and go to prison."


 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if you remember where Bakersfield's first escalator was. (Fedway, 21st and Chester).