Local theater artist David Zent suffering from throat cancer, I take some heat on my defense of fossil fuels and a shoutout to a city employee from a local business owner

* ... DAVID ZENT: I was shocked to learn that David Zent, one of our community's great creative talents in local theater, was suffering from throat cancer. Zent shared his condition in a very public way, posting a lengthy update on Facebook that triggered hundreds of prayers and positive comments. Said Zent: "I have stage four throat cancer,

involving the tonsil and tongue area, a condition which began nearly two years ago. It reached this rather dire stage because, although I applied five times for Medi-Cal insurance, I was essentially stonewalled until September of this year.... Now my life is about to change in a most radical way... I want to thank all the people out there it has been my privilege to work in theatre and music with, to know socially, to have been close friends with, to have loved. In fact, I have loved you all in my own way. Even adversaries have given me many welcome life lessons, and made me a better person." Friends have stepped up to help Zent deal with his medical expenses. To participate, go to http://tinyurl.com/pjofafd.

* … ENERGY: There are a handful of issues that seem to get folks' blood boiling (climate change, abortion, immigration among others) and I expose myself to criticism each time I weigh in on one or the other. So it wasn't surprising to get an email from Margie Bell, a retired high school journalism teacher, who rose to defend the folks from San Francisco and Los Angeles who have pledged to show up at a Nov. 9 hearing to protest streamlining local energy regulations. "Your sneering attitude towards people who may come to Bakersfield to protest the oil production fast tracking proposal is unbecoming to you as a journalist and human being. It is apparent (to anyone who knows about valley air quality issues and unacceptable oil industry practices) that you don't understand all the issues. You pander far too often to the oil industry. I'll leave it at that." Thank you Margie, I appreciate that feedback and here is my take, not necessarily directed at you: I don't awake each morning lamenting the fact that fossil fuels have helped create the world's most prosperous society, and my dreams are not focused on demonizing those who work in the sector or profit from it. Proper oversight and regulation? You bet. Hold Big Oil accountable to protect the environment and safeguard our ground water supplies? Of course. But I accept fossil fuels as part of our future until that time - and it is a long way off - when alternative energy is affordable and scalable. Devoting your life to opposing every new pipeline or power plant simply because you don't like the idea of fossil fuels (and in the absence of clear alternatives) seems foolhardy and unproductive.

 * ... NAMES: Did you know that Noah and Emma are the most popular names for boys and girls born in 2014? It wasn't long ago that those names were out of style, but they are now among a long list of "old" names making a comeback. Other classic names making a comeback include Ruby, Rose, Oscar, Josephine, Joel, Hazel, Silas, Max, Stella, Evelyn and Levi.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason."

 * ... FOODIE: If you haven't tried Quig's BBQ and Catering, head over to the Garces Circle to enjoy some of the best ribs and pulled pork in town. At lunch, the aroma emanating from the brightly colored Quig's trailer makes the circle the best smelling block in town.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Linda Sheffield, owner of the Five and Dime Antique Mall on 19th Street, gave a shoutout to one of our city employees. "I am writing in praise of Bakersfield City Street Cleaning Supervisor, Damon Chow.  I called his office concerned about excessive litter around my business, Five and Dime Antique Mall, on the corner of 19th and K streets.  Within three days, Damon came to our store to personally check this out.He determined that at the time of our scheduled sweeping a nearby bar was open and using the K Street side for parking. This situation was preventing the street from being cleaned.  Also, some trees at the front of the building prevented the sweeper from getting close.  He not only got the city to come and trim the trees, but he changed the sweep schedule to come after the bar closed! This has resulted in regularly cleaned streets on both sides.  Problem completely solved in a matter of a few weeks! What a difference in the appearance of a busy downtown corner!"

McCarthy: Simplify and tax code and allow for the production of reliable energy sources. These are keys to the next great American century

  House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "This century is poised to be a new American century. I believe there are two areas that if addressed and reformed, will unleash the enormous economic potential that currently exists in our country - we must reform our tax code and allow for the production of abundant and reliable energy sources.

 "Simply put, we must simplify and reduce the complexity of the tax code.  A 72,000 page tax code that requires Americans to spend 6.6 billion hours in compliance is not only unacceptable and unfair – it drags down our economy. We need a tax code that allows hardworking Americans to keep more of what they earn in order to maximize economic activity.

 "How many of us know small business owners or families that spend precious time and resources trying to comply with thousands of do’s and don’ts that are in the tax code. Let us start with capping the rate on individuals and businesses to 25 percent. Right now in California, a local business that is competing in the international market will pay a total combined tax rate of 43.84%. That is higher than any of competitor around the world. It is my hope that we will have real proposals to consider in the near future that puts America on a level playing field with the rest of the world.

 "Second, America should lead the way in energy production.  Many may not realize this, but since last November, our nation is the number one petroleum producer in the world and the United States produced more than Europe, Central America, and South America combined.  We should establish a goal of becoming energy independent by 2020.  To achieve this, we need to expedite the permitting process to allow for additional production in existing areas of production of oil, natural gas and renewable energy, build the Keystone XL pipeline, and upgrade our electricity infrastructure to support our energy needs.

 "In California alone, the benefits of additional energy production would be enormous creating hundreds of thousands of jobs by 2030.  Nationally, a recent report noted the potential of 3.6 million new jobs could be created by 2020 as a result of increased energy production, 600,000 would be from oil and natural gas, 1.1 million would be generated to meet the demand in related industrial and manufacturing sectors. No community understands the need to lead the way in innovation and energy production more than Kern County.

 "
Prosperity does not happen by accident, it’s created by the hardworking people in our community. It is time for government to stop making life more difficult, and time for government to get out of the way and allow all Americans to thrive.

McCarthy: Overbearing and restrictive regulations are hurting energy production in California, where we still import half of our crude oil despite abundant reserves

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield and House Majority Whip) gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill.

 "When I travel around the Central Valley, I see tremendous opportunities in harnessing our region’s energy potential. I’ve lived in Bakersfield my entire life, and being from Kern County, one grows up understanding that energy is vital to the health of our economy and way of life. It powers our classrooms, cools our homes, and allows parents to drive children to practice.

We are fortunate to live in a region blessed with an abundance of traditional and renewable energy resources. And with cutting-edge technological advances, we have the ability to safely and innovatively produce and develop these resources, and catapult California – and specifically, Kern – into economic growth and prosperity.

"A figure I’ve talked about frequently on this blog is that over 70 percent of California’s oil and gas – 10 percent of the national total - is produced right here in Kern County.  And this is just the beginning; recent findings uncovered that the Monterey Shale formation holds one of the world’s largest onshore reserves of shale oil, with experts predicting it has roughly 15.4 billion barrels of oil. It has not even been touched yet.

"And yet, as one of the top energy consuming states, California is growing increasingly dependent upon imported oil. For example, in 2012, 50 percent of California’s crude oil was imported.  With known untapped resources at our disposal like the Monterey Shale, this is unfathomable. And while some in this state point to an increase in domestic oil production nationally, that increase in energy production has come from private lands – not federal lands.

 "In addition to limiting public land use for energy production, overbearing and duplicative regulations have made it virtually impossible for local energy companies to survive, much less succeed.  Imagine the potential that could be unleashed if we approved commonsense energy policies that unshackled our domestic energy resources.  It is my goal that we capitalize on our resources in an environmentally respectful manner so that we can boost our regional economy, expand the influence of energy produced by Californians and reduce unnecessary energy dependence.

 "These are some reasons I supported two commonsense pieces of legislation, the Outer Continental Shelf Transboundary Hydrocarbon Agreements Authorization Act (H.R.1613) and the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act (H.R. 2213), which passed the House with bipartisan support this past week. By removing federal government barriers blocking off-shore energy production and expanding domestic production possibilities in the Gulf, these two bills can help America transform energy potential into tangible results, including stabilizing fuel costs, creating over a million new jobs and strengthening the economy.

 "I believe in energy made in America, by Americans, and for Americans. Kern is already a crucial energy source for California and the nation, and our county is poised to lead our state and country towards an energy renaissance that will power our economy and alleviate foreign dependence. Instead of limiting potential, government ought to create an environment that allows growth.  This week’s legislation and more pro-energy legislation coming in the House is a step in the right direction.