Kern supervisors appear ready to strike down medical marijuana sales and remembering the Chinese school boycott of 1920

* ... POT LAWS: The Kern County Board of Supervisors seems poised to outlaw the sale of medicinal marijuana, despite the fact that some 20,000 local citizens have joined the cooperatives. Sheriff Donny Youngblood calls the law a sham, saying virtually anyone can qualify for a pot ID card and adding that the storefronts attract crime and other bad elements. Others, like local attorney Phil Ganong, argue that thousands of people suffering from illness and pain are benefiting from being able to legally purchase pot. What is your view? On Friday, I will be discussing the issue on Californian Radio SmartTalk 1230 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Call in at (661) 631-1230 to share your view.

* ... BAD BILLS: Got a chuckle out of a press release from the office of state Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, who pointed out some examples of government-run-amok bills introduced in the Legislature. One example: Senate Bill 432 "requires hotels to use fitted bottom sheets and not flat sheets so housekeepers won’t need to fold in corners." Said Rep. Grove: "Can’t hotels serve their patrons without state legislators telling them what they can and can’t put on their beds?" Could not agree more. (File photo of Shannon Grove)

* ... LOCAL HISTORY: The story of Bakersfield's Chinese community is a fascinating one, which is why I enjoyed reading Gilbert Gia's history of the Chinese boycott of local schools in 1910. It seems that 40 Chinese students were assigned to a special "Oriental class" at the Hawthorne School (24th and P streets). Chinese parents rebelled, arguing that their children would not learn English fast enough in a segregated classroom. One of the leaders of the boycott was Sing Lee, a respected wealthy businessman and laundry owner who died in 1922 at the age of 107. The boycott eventually failed but the local Chinese population had made its voice heard.

* ... COLLEGE COSTS:With the cost of a California college education steadily rising, a growing number of students are looking abroad for bargains at equally prestigious universities. According to Forbes, the cost of tuition at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, alma mater of Britain's Prince William and wife Kate, is $21,650. Likewise, tuition and fees at McGill Universty in Canada is $17,400. Compare that to public universities like the University of Michigan, which charges out of state students more than $40,000 a year in tuition alone, and going abroad starts to look like a real bargain.

* ... FRAUD: My mailbox is brimming with stories of credit card fraud. This one from reader Rhonda MacGillivray-Brady explaining how her husband's personal and business American Express cards were compromised. "He learned this by a phone call from the card company asking if he was in Canada as one of his cards have been used four times that day, once at a gas station for $100. Two days later, the second card was also used in Canada. I don't know what is going on or hwere these criminals obtained both of his card numbers, but at least American Express is keeping an eye out."

* ... SPOTTED: Young woman driving a green Toyota Camry down Rosedale Highway in the morning commute, shaving her chin with a razor.

* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You may be a Bakersfield old timer if you had a charge account at Brock's department store "because each generation did ... you qualified because your parents paid their bills and Mr. Brock believed that you would too." Thanks to Riley Parker for that gem.

The misguided furor over the latest fee hike at Cal State and what's with all the flies in Bako?

  

* ... CAL STATE FEES: It's unfortunate that Cal State trustees had to increase undergraduate fees by 5 percent this year, but I have little sympathy for those crying foul. Times are tough, the state is broke and the 1960 California legislature's promise of a tuition-free college education is now nothing more than an historical curiosity. The total university fee will rise to $4,230 per year, and while that's not cheap, it is still a bargain by any standard. Consider this: the average annual tuition for a public school in the U.S. is more than $7,000 a year, and it's almost $26,000 a year for private schools. For Cal State students, the increase comes to about $200 a year - a small price to pay for an excellent California education.

 * ...  BAKO LOVE: Reader Michelle Humecky passed along a "bravo" to civic booster Sheryl Barbich's list of everything that is right about living here. Now prevention services facilitator for the Kern County Network for Children, Humecky lived in Orange County for a few years before returning to graduate from CSUB. "It is great to enjoy the fresh faces around town ... (and) when going to the movies or eating out people still know your name. I also am thrilled to see the connection between public service agencies and private business... we are all in this together, and what happens on the east side of town impacts what happens in Seven Oaks! I have great expectations for the future of Bakersfield!"

 * ... KISER TO OXY: Heard the other day that Brian Kiser is leaving Rio Tinto Minerals and heading to work for Vintage Production California, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum. Brian worked at the U.S. Borax Plant in Boron for 17 1/2 years, the last 7 1/2 with Rio Tinto. He was there during the recent strike as part of the management team and is looking forward to giving up the long daily commute from Bakersfield to Boron. Brian is married to Tracy Walker-Kiser, owner of H. Walker's Men's Clothing Co. If you are involved in our community at all, you have seen this couple working at fund raisers and attending community functions. As Tracy told me: "It's going to be weird and exciting for us. He now has the opportunity to stay up late and sleep until 6 a.m." Congrats, Brian.

 . * ...LORD OF THE FLIES: Okay, so what is it with the fly infestation lately? I've got so many flies around my house I fear I'm turning into Jeff Goldblum's character in the 1986 movie "The Fly." A few  flies this time of year are to be expected, but this season seems particularly bad. They are swarming over patios and porches on every side of town. I'm looking for a good remedy to get rid of them. Thoughts?

 * ... SPOTTED: Is it really acceptable, even in casual Bakersfield, to wear your flat-brimmed black baseball cap during dinner at one of our nicer restaurants? 

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if  "You remember where Brock's Big Top was, and why." (In the parking lot of the Westchester shopping center while the damage at the store from the 1952 earthquake damage was being repaired.)