The state warns against recharging electric cars during this heat wave, Supervisor Mike Maggard supports a tougher stand on the homeless and who knows how to drive a manual transmission here?

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.

 * ... HEAT AND THE GRID: It's no secret that these sizzling days have strained the California electrical power grid, but did you know the state is also discouraging the use of electric vehicles? That's right, in addition to lowering the thermostat the state is asking residents to refrain from charging their electric vehicles to avoid power outages during a persistent heatwave. The California Independent System Operator has issued the call to “pre-cool your home by lowering the thermostat,” “use major appliances, like your dishwasher, and clothes washer and dryer,” “close window coverings to keep your home or apartment cool,” “charge electronic devices,” and “charge electric vehicles” before “Flex Alerts” enter into effect. This is coming from a state that seems bound and determined to outlaw fossil fuels and natural gas, and yet we can't produce enough electricity to keep the AC running or charge our cars. Go figure.

 * ... HOMELESS: Three cheers to Supervisor Mike Maggard who has suggested looking into tup on news that the Los Angeles City Council may do something similar, Maggard said "if they can do it there, I think we could do it here." Maggard's statement is long overdue and an acknowledgement that what we are doing now is falling short of its goals. Thanks in part to the homeless and the trash and filth they generate, our city has never looked worse, and we weren't gifted with a lot of natural beauty anyway. 

 * ... EAST HILLS MALL: So after all this time someone is going to finally deal with East Hills Mall, which for the past decade resembles the Kern County Dump more than a retail establishment. Built in 1988 to great fanfare, the mall fell on hard times, lost its anchor tenants, was shut down and slowly became a haven for the homeless, the drug addicted and the curious. Now, it looks like the new owners are serious about tearing it down and starting new. But with what? It is anyone's guess but it is safe to say that anything will be an improvement over the current eyesore.

 * ... DEPRESSION: Did you know that what time you wake in the morning says a lot about your overall health? That's the word from The New York Times that cited studies linking earlier risers to less risk for depression. Conducted by JAMA Psychiatry, the study found that those who go to be at 10 and wake at 6 a.m. have a sleep midpoint around 2 a.m. For every hour earlier the sleep in the midpoint, there was a 23 percent decrease in depression. The study noted that those who rise early often have healthier lifestyles: exercise and less chronic pain.

 * ... STICK SHIFTS: If you grew up learning to drive with a manual transmission, you are among a shrinking population of Americans who know how to use the stick shift. Consider this: The New York Times says more electric vehicles were sold in the United States than cars with a manual transmission this past year.  In 1980, fully 35 percent of cars built for the US market had manual transmissions, and today it is less than 1 percent. The upside: cars with stick shifts are now collectibles and the prices are going up.

 * ... EYTAN WALLACE: Congratulations to Eytan Wallace of KGET who won a local Emmy for his political coverage this past year. This is the curse of local TV: really smart young reporters like Wallace come to town, excel, and invariably move on to a larger market, leaving behind less talented others who are well past their prime. Wallace joins a long list of young TV talent who has served time in the Bakersfield market before moving on. We have been lucky to have Eytan Wallace as long as we have.

  * ... MEMORIES: Thanks to the Kern County History Fans for this post.

New study finds yoga alone is not enough to obtain overall fitness, the sadness of the death of comedian Robin Williams and locals express more disgust with panhandlers

 * … YOGA: This is for all you yoga fanatics out there: new research shows that yoga really doesn't do much for overall muscle strength or cardiovascular fitness. That's according to a study published in the New York Times that followed two groups of women for eight months, one that completed twice

weekly, hour-long yoga sessions and the other that continued with their normal activities. The result? "Yoga appears top be too gentle physically to be anyone's lone exercise. "Yoga will certainly strengthen your legs but you need to include other forms of exercise in your weekly routine to obtain more complete fitness.

 * … WILLIAMS: Let's hope the death of comic genius Robin Williams focuses more attention on depression and related illnesses that are near epidemic in our society. I know of very few people who have not dealt with severe depression in their own families, and it is long past time for an honest conversation about this national malady.

 * … PANHANDLERS: More feedback on the panhandlers across our community. This note from reader Terry Meier: "I understand there are needy people in our community, but being confronted by them at every turn is aggravating. I was even pinned down by one in the drive-through line at Starbucks!  My husband and I give generously to charities every year, so I have no guilt in turning them down. Furthermore, I’ve seen some of them work the same area telling the same story over and over.…  I’ve joked with my friends that I’m going to make a large sign and stand on a corner or median and beg for money to buy an iPad. Hey, I’m a part-time professor so I need the money!"

 * … RADIO WARS: The local radio group American General Media has acquired another FM signal in its battle to attract more listeners throughout the day. The new FM signal will simulcast the First Look with Scott Cox morning show that originates in the newsroom of The Californian and is video streamed live on Bakersfield.com. The show will be simulcast at 96.1 FM. The sale is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission and should be completed by Thanksgiving.

 * … BACKPACK: Kudos to the North Bakersfield Rotary Club whose members stuffed 675 backpacks for students of the Standard and Beardsley school districts. Chevron chipped in to help fund the program, called Kindergarten Roundup, and club President Sheri Horn Bunk tells me they will be distributed as soon as school starts.

 * … BAD FORM: Barbara Waggoner was at the Ramco gas station downtown recently when, to her surprise, a red haired woman walked to her car, started it up and began pumping gas while the car was idling. "Surprised that someone would do such a stupid thing, I asked if she realized she could start a fire. She gave me a 'really?' look. I told her a friend of mine had seen it happen. After I got the same look from her again, the back window rolled down and out popped a small child. I was thinking now not only does she want to take the chance of blowing all of us up but wants to blow up what I assume to be her grandchild."

 * … GOOD FORM: And then there was Dr. Randal Beeman who crashed on his bicycle at 18th and Chester the other day. No fewer than three different people stopped to help him. "When I go to other places and hear the standard blather about Bakersfield I remind myself that even though we live in one of the largest cities in California we still exhibit the small town values of cooperation and kindness towards others."