Californian staffers fear big changes as the newspaper changes hands after 122 years, a new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is coming south of Town and the homeless who have seemed to take over our streets

Friday, June 7, 2019

 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.

 * ... RIP TBC: After 122 years The Bakersfield Californian has been sold, ending a long and distinguished period under the Harrell-Fritts family. The new owners, based in Canada, have pledged no major changes but we can expect just the opposite. In fact, staffers at The Californian are expecting the new owners to force all employees to reapply for their own jobs, a common event in an asset sale. Sound Publishing, the new owners, also operate newspapers in Palmdale and Lodi, so you can expect "back office" jobs like those in human resources, circulation and accounting could go away and replaced by a corporate shared services model. The bottom line: big changes are coming, and not all of them will be good for current employees.

 * ... TEJON CASINO: So be honest here ... just how excited are you about the news that the Tejon Indian Tribe will open a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino just 20 minutes south of town? The project will be built on 350 acres at Highway 99 and state Highway 166 (Mettler exit), with the hotel on 52 acres and an adjacent RV park on 22 acres. It will feature 13 restaurants and bars as well as a live concert venue and employ some 2,000 people. No word on when ground will be broken.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "It's so hot I almost called my ex to be around someone shady."

 * ... ALAN TANDY: City manager Alan Tandy is retiring in December, and no matter what your opinion is of him, his legacy will be a lasting one. After 27 years in the position, consider some of projectsTandy will leave behind: completing the hotel that is now the downtown Marriott, Rabobank Arena, McMurtrey Aquatic Center, Valley Children's Ice Center, the senior housing at 21st and R streets, the new federal courthouse in Central Park, the Westside police station, Maya Cinemas, the Amtrak station, the Park at River Walk, the Mesa Marin Sports Complex, the Kaiser Sports Village, the Mill Creek developments, Yokuts Park and let's not forget the 24th Street widening.

 * ... FOODIE: If you are a fan of Uricchio's Trattoria downtown, check out their roasted vegetable ravioli which is beyond delicious. It's not on the menu yet, but this gluten-free vegetarian dish will knock your socks off.

 * ... GAS PRICES: Think our gas prices are high? Check out this telling graph.

 * ... LAUREN MAE: Congratulations to Lauren Mae Skidmore who has been appointed to the Kern County Planning Commission by Supervisor Mike Maggard. Mae is one of our community's rising millennial stars and has already established herself as a talented leader who knows the workings of government.

 * ... DOWNTOWN: Well now, here is a snapshot from downtown that is becoming increasingly common these days. How long, as citizens, will be put up with this before our civic leaders respond?Or is this the new norm in California? Thanks to my friend Dee Rhodes for sharing.

 * ... MEMORIES: Enjoy this old photo of one of our downtown churches back in the day.

Is the gluten free movement one based on science or hysteria? A CSUB lecturer says it is "rampant nutritional misinformation," more bad form at Starbucks and a good way to support the arts

 * ... GLUTEN: Last week I posted a comment from a reader about what causes gluten intolerance, and it triggered a firestorm of emails. This one, from CSUB lecturer Adam Pennell, sums up how a lot of folks feel: "I am an adjunct lecturer/instructor at CSUB (Department of Physical Education and Kinesiology; Department of Biology) and BC (Department of Health & Physical Education).

One of my biology courses at CSUB has been nutrition for the past three years. My two cents... The gluten-free fad diet has been disproved - by the same scientists who started it (Biesiekierski et al., 2013). Most people do not have Celiac disease and do not even know what gluten is. The true culprit? Rampant nutritional misinformation, sensationalism, and exploitation. Are GMOs (genetically modified organisms) causing food allergies? Plain and simple, we need more high-caliber research. If increased FDA involvement is what you think we need, look into the supplement industry. I have a presentation that would scare you silly."

* ... BAD FORM: Shame on the driver at the Starbucks on Ming and Ashe who unleashed a torrent of vulgarities on fellow driver Toni De Rosa. Toni was trying to park her car while maneuvering through the drive-through line when the other driver, a young woman, "jammed her foot on the gas and almost hit me by sideswiping my car for fear I might pull in line ahead of her... She started screaming and yelling as I drove through. I could hear her through my rolled-up window.
I just want this rude person to know I saw her and I was not trying to steal her spot in the line - I was just parking my car. She almost caused a collision because of her unnecessary fear of losing her place in line... Please let your readers know your spot in line is not worth an accident and yes, some people are rude and what goes around comes around. They will get theirs when they least expect it."

 * ... GRADUATIONS: Stephen A. Montgomery has a solution for those people who disrupt local graduations. "It seems we can’t get through a graduation ceremony without a bunch of low life types making an ugly embarrassing scene. Seating should be arranged and security staff should be on hand to remove the bad behaviors. There needs to be accountability for such unjustifiable and selfish behavior. One idea is, stop the ceremony, on the PA announce that there are some ill behaved people in the audience who have interrupted the ceremony and after they are removed and order is resumed the ceremony will resume."

 * ... CONCERTS: Want to support the arts? Then you might consider joining the Bakersfield Community Concert Association, a group that offers some of the best concerts in town at a reasonable price. All its concerts are held at Rabobank Theater and feature everything from Grammy-nominated song writers to jazz quartets. Season tickets for all eight concerts are $80 for adults, $34 for full time college students and $24 for students through high school. For details check it out at www.bakersfieldcca.org.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Darlyn Baker sent a shout out to city work crews for making the best of a bad situation. "Recently, a vehicle ran through a wrought iron fence into the garage of a condemned house at Spruce and 24th St. The plywood used to close up the opening has been painted the two tone colors of the house.  How nice for the city to make the most of a bad situation.

Memorial Hospital unveils its Pediatric Care Unit and Bakersfield prepares to host state cyclo cross championships

  * ... MEMORIAL: I was afforded a sneak peek of the new Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Hospital recently during a reception for donors. Hospital president Jon Van Boening deserves a lot of credit for having the vision of bringing a children's hospital to Bakersfield, and it's just short of amazing how much has been accomplished in such a short period of time. All this, no doubt, is due to the generosity of the people of our community. Among those I spotted at the reception were Dr. Javier and Laurie Bustamante,  Tracy Walker Kiser of H. Walker's Men's Clothiers, whose Rotary Club of Bakersfield donated $100,000 to the cause, Duane and Corey Keathley, Nancy Carr, Pat and Steve Loyd, Jill Thayer, Dr. Madhu Bhogal, Dr. Tommy Lee, Valley Republic Bank's Bruce Jay and many others.

* ... BIKE FRIENDLY: Get ready for a huge cyclo cross bicycle race out at Hart Park this weekend. It's the official Southern California versus Northern California cyclo cross championship which always draws a good crowd. Sam Ames, the manager over at Action Sports and himself and accomplished cyclist, is coordinating the race and will be my guest on Californian Radio KERN 1180 Monday morning at 9 a.m. Later in the hour I will be talking with representatives of Bike Bakersfield about efforts to create a cycling master plan for our community.

* ... OVERHEARD: A young woman remarking on the spectacular weather this past Friday: "I had business down on Union Avenue and it was so nice even the hookers were in their summer attire!"


* ... BLOWBACK: The Las Vegas sportswriter who penned a childish rant about Bakersfield has received some feedback from my readers. Said one: "The next time you come to Bakersfield (if you dare lower yourself to grace us with your presence), take some time out of your hectic schedule to actually investigate our city. We're obviously not going to be as flashy as Las Vegas (who is, by the way?) and our city has been built around the cornerstone of hard work, industriousness, and family. Our main contributions (agriculture and oil) to this world are things that are actually useful and tangible endeavors. Compare that to a city whose entire existence has relied on tourists dollars through the arguable seedy business of gambling. Now don’t get me wrong, I love going to Las Vegas and seeing the beautiful hotels and incredible shows. But there is no way in hell I would ever choose to live there."

 * ... GLUTEN-FREE: The latest issue of Fortune magazine notes that going gluten-free is the latest food industry craze. It's apparently so popular that Subway is testing a gluten-free sandwich roll and brownie and McDonald's offers a gluten-free bun in Spain, Sweden, Finland and Norway.

 * ... BEST OF KERN: Make sure you go to www.BestofKern.com to add your voice to the annual "Best of  Kern County" polling. This year is a tad different; each week for a month a new group of businesses will be nominated. The results will be published in the April 28 issue of BakersfieldLife magazine.


* ... WHO KNEW? Did you know that Highland High grad Cami Benjamin turned tennis pro by the age of 15 and competed against players like Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and Steffi Graf? She’s also featured in the book “Blacks at the Net: Black Achievement in the History of Tennis.”