Experts say Californians can expect power blackouts for years to come, Daniel Root becomes a partner in a local law firm, the ugly state of a summer in Bakersfield and is the starter home a thing of the past?

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.

 * ... BLACKOUTS: If you think things are bad now with the California electrical grid, hang on because this could be a seriously issue for decades to come. We saw it this summer with Gov. Newsom announced a deadline to end the sale of gas powered vehicles in California, followed by the state asking the owners of electric vehicles not to charge their cars during the heat wave. And now experts warn that Californians

will be dealing with rolling blackouts for years. "The transition away from fossil fuels has complicated energy operations, as an increasing share of electricity is coming from solar and wind farms that produce power only when the sun shines or the wind blows, making the available supply more variable over a 24-hour period," said one expert in the Wall Street Journal.

 * ... RIP STARTER HOMES: Has America's love affair with "the starter home" come to an end? Is there any such thing as a relatively affordable "starter home" for those just starting out and building equity? In Denver, back in the 1990s, starter homes ran around $90,000 yet today the same house is north of $200,000, and the same thing is happening even in housing friendly Kern County, where the average price of a house is now over $300,000. Said the New York Times: "The disappearance of such affordable homes is central to the American housing crisis. The nation has a deepening shortage of housing... The affordable end of the market has been squeezed from every side. Land costs have risen steeply in booming parts of the country. Construction materials and government fees have become more expensive." And then there are the rising interest rates, all of which seem to spell the end of affordable housing as we once knew it.

 * ... SEXUAL PREDATORS: The profile of a typical sexual predator may read like this: a popular, engaging man in a position of power who uses his influence to curry favor with power brokers while grooming unsuspecting victims with gifts, kindness and attention, all the while subjecting his victims to hideous assaults while the predator maintains his public position of a generous, engaging leader. (The Catholic Church provides us with textbook examples of this) Predators come in all shapes and sizes, but they often come from the ranks of positions that give them access to young children: Scout leaders, teachers, a family friend, an uncle, a doctor and more often than not, a family priest. And that is exactly the theme of a new book that details how a family doctor repeatedly molested a young teenager and how that victim suppressed the memory of that for years. That man and victim is Jeff Pickering, the former head of the Kern Community Foundation, who just published a book detailing all the lurid aspects of his experience at the hands of a Florida doctor who continues to practice to this day. The book, "Better at the Broken Places," is available for pre-order on Amazon. Pickering will be in Bakersfield to promote the book, and sign copies, at Imbibe Wine and Spirits on the afternoon of Oct. 20.

 * .. DANIEL ROOT: A young Bakersfield man has been named a partner in the local law firm of Belden Blaine Raytis LLP. Daniel M. Root, son of the late Dr. Mark Root and his wife Bernadette, has been handling business, water and environmental, real estate and employment at the firm and now becomes one of its partners.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: A woman who was driving downtown witnessed a vagrant squatting down to defecate on 23rd Street. Her post: "I just witnessed a drive-by shitting."

 * ... BAD LOOK: Coming off yet another hot summer, Bakersfield is not looking its best. Lawns and shrubs are beaten down and scorched by long periods of extreme temperatures, the air quality is miserable, homeless fires have burned countless empty buildings and the sight of skinny, dirty street vagrants sleeping on the sidewalks has become an embarrassing spectacle that surprises no one. And now, you can add to the draining to Lake Truxtun and the lakes at the Park at RiverWalk to the decisions that have rendered our community ugly and irritable.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this picture from the Kern County of Old Facebook group. "Soldiers soon to join the war in France assemble on the Bakersfield courthouse steps in April 1917. Civil War veterans (last row) stand behind them."

New York City learns the hard way that most homeless want to remain on the streets, downtown Bakersfield retailers turn to private security to fend off crime and vagrants and sculptor Ben Victor gets some well deserved recognition

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.

 * ... DO THE HOMELESS WANT HELP? One of the more vexing issues facing our city is determining to what extent the thousands of homeless and vagrants actually want real help. Housing for the homeless is in woefully short supply, yet affordable housing remains one of the primary focuses by those charged with getting people off the streets and back on the road to self sufficiency. But what if all

those drug addicts, petty criminals and mentally challenged individuals could care less about finding a roof over their head? What if - gasp - they actually prefer being on the street? Before you dismiss the idea, understand that this is exactly what authorities are finding out in New York City where Mayor Eric Adams has launched a major push to clear the subways and get people off the streets. So far, according to the New York Times, of the hundreds of homeless moved from more than 239 homeless camps, only five have opted to move into shelters. That's right, just FIVE people have agreed to go into a city-run shelter out of hundreds. The others? They just want to stay on the street. This is the reality on the ground, and the sooner the powers that be in Bakersfield realize it, the better off we all will be. Shelter is the way to go for some, but for others it simply isn't realistic.

 * ... DOWNTOWN CRIME: And speaking of the homeless and rampant, out of control crime, you have to feel for all those downtown business people who have been struggling with graffiti, vandalism and petty theft for four years now. So far, the city has failed these businesses miserably, leaving retailers to fend for themselves as they battle chronic lawlessness. And now comes this: the Downtown Business Assn. is experimenting with an idea to have a local private security guards walk the streets downtown, hoping the mere presence of a rent-a-cop will bring order to the streets. Well, it's certainly a better idea than the DBA had a few years ago when its solution was printing cards that retailers could give vagrants telling them where they could get a hot shower and warm meal. That was an astonishing bad idea. The hard truth is this: both the DBA and city have been unable to make a real dent in this problem, and it won't be until the state legislature deals with a series of laws that decriminalized almost everything from heroin to street drugs before things will get better.

 * ... COVID TESTS: If you have not used that free Covid test sent to you by our government, make sure the test kit has not expired. It turns out all these Covid test kits are printed with an expiration date, but be careful because different tests have different expiration dates.

 * ... BEN VICTOR: One of the truly talented people to come out of Bakersfield is Ben Victor, son of Joyce and Doc Victor, and he received some overdue recognition recently by Assemblyman Vince Fong. Victor is an amazing sculptor, and he is the genius behind the Roadrunner sculpture out at CSUB as well as some remarkable work that now grace the halls of our nation's Capitol. Said Fong on his Facebook page: "Honored to be able to give an early surprise recognition to world renowned sculptor Benjamin Victor who is getting inducted into the Foothill High School Hall of Fame this weekend! He is the only living artist to have three sculptures in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol and he is the artistic creator of the Oil Worker Monument in Taft! Amazing work! Victor was just 26 years old when his first statue, Sarah Winnemucca, a Paiute activist in Nevada, was dedicated in the Hall in 2005, making him the youngest artist to ever be represented in the Hall. In 2014, his sculpture of Norman Borlaug, "the father of the Green Revolution," was dedicated in the National Statuary Hall and in 2019, his statue of Chief Standing Bear, a Native American rights leader, was dedicated in the National Statuary Hall making him the only living artist to have three sculptures in the Hall. (a few of Victor's works of art) 

* ... THE NEW AMERICAN HOUSEHOLD: The number of Americans who live in multi-generational households is skyrocketing and demographers say it just may become the norm. Since 1971, the number of us living with relatives has quadrupled. In March, says the New York Times, nearly 60 million people were living "with" multiple generations under one roof. Financial issues and caregiving are the top reasons why we live together, but overall those who do live with relatives are happy about it. "More adults living in multigenerational households say the experience has been positive (30 percent) or somewhat positive (27 percent) than say it has been somewhat negative (14 percent) or very negative (3 percent)," said the Pew Research Center.

 * ... MEMORIES: Enjoy these shots of some of our old hospitals, captured in vintage photos. Thanks to the Kern County History Fans.

Plans for affordable housing run into a firestorm of resistance in Westchester, Coachella plans for a mask free concert and California grants parole to a man who stabbed his mother more than 30 times in a horrific local killing

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.

 * ... AFFORDABLE HOUSING: There is unrest brewing in Ward 2, which arguably encompasses an area of town hardest hit by the homeless issue. Confrontations between homeowners and vagrants are on the rise and crime in the downtown neighborhoods is out of control. And now, amid all this, CityServe has announced plans to build affordable housing in the parking lot of the old Montgomery Ward building on F Street. Part of the project includes counseling services to help the homeless, turning the CityServe offices into even more of a magnet for the homeless. It's hard to argue against the need for affordable housing,

and NIMBY protests are both predictable and inevitable, but this one has enraged residents of the Westchester area who have traditionally taken the brunt of the homeless crisis. The problem, according to residents Felix Adamo and Chris Lowe who both penned their objections to The Californian, is that there was simply no attempt by Ward 2 Councilman Andrae Gonzales or CityServe to warn the residents the project was being considered. And here is another odd thing: apparently the project was funded under a state program that bypasses local control and renders impotent any local opposition. In other words, once CityServe accepted the money for the project it was a done deal, no matter what the neighbors think. This lack of transparency has triggered grumblings in Ward 2 aimed at Gonzales, who is in favor of the project. Where will all this go? Who knows but there is a growing concern about town that the city has lost control of its streets, that the new city-county homeless bureaucracy is deaf to the concerns of residents, and these kinds of things eventually make their way to the political arena. Stay tuned.

 * ... PARKER CHAMBERLAIN: Its hard to argue that some reform in criminal sentencing were not necessary, but the case of Parker Chamberlain shows just how far off track the whole thing has become. Chamberlain learned this week that he was granted parole after serving only part of his prison sentence. What was he convicted of? Well, Chamberlain was convicted of using a kitchen knife to stab his own mother, Torie Knapp, to death on July 3, 2001. That's right, even someone who kills their own mother in an unspeakably horrific way can be granted parole in today's California, despite opposition from the Kern County District Attorney's office. And so it goes. (Photo off Chamberlain by Alex Horvath of The Californian)

 * ... LEAST EDUCATED: In a new survey of California's counties it turns out that Kern County ranks No. 8 among the "least educated" counties in the state. As it turns out just 16.4 percent of Kern's population 25 years and over has a Bachelor’s degree or higher and 26 percent of adults have less than a high school diploma. Kern's high school graduates account for 27.8 percent of the population and only 5.4 percent have a graduate or a professional degree. The "least educated" California counties: Tulare, Green, Merced and Lassen.

 * ... MASK FREE COACHELLA? Are we finally turning the corner on the coronavirus? Are we nearing the end to the long, two year dance with masks and social distancing? That is what the organizers of the Coachella music festival are banking on as they announced that Coachella 2022 will be mask and vaccine free in April. That's right, no masks will be required and no need for proof of vaccines.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "You ever get road rage standing behind someone in a grocery aisle?"

 * ... TYLER WILLIAMS: Tyler Williams is local Bakersfield boy who has turned his passion for cycling into a full-time career. After racing on the European circuit, Williams is now racing for the L39ION, a UCI Continental Cycling team. This week, while training Williams bumped into retired NBA superstar Reggie Miller and posed for this picture.

 * ... DUTCH BROTHERS: Dutch Brothers Coffee has opened a new location on S. Chester, the fifth location for the coffee brewer in town. Other Dutch Brothers locations include Columbus, California Avenue, Calloway Drive and Panama Lane.

 * ... MEMORIES: A couple old pictures to share, the first coming from the Kern County History Fans Facebook page and the second an historic shot of the Garces Circle back in the day.

Kern County's CAO warns the Newsom administration its energy policies could devastate our economy, the strange case of Michael Bowers and we lose two civil voices in town: KERO's Elaina Rusk and The Californian's Herb Benham

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. 

 * ... ALARM BELL: Kern County's chief administrative officer has fired a warning shot across the bow of the Newsom administration, charging that its "Regions Rising Together" economic plan will "devastate" our economy by destroying thousands of high paying jobs in the energy sector. Alsop's warning came in an Op-Ed piece for The Californian where he denounced as "insufficient" a one-time $15 million fund to train displaced oil workers. "With 1 in 7 workers in Kern employed by or associated with the petroleum industry, the state's efforts to shut down energy production translates into layoffs, business closures, human suffering and greatly impacts the county's ability to provide necessary services including health care, police and fire, education and social service," he wrote. Alsop went on to argue that the state had "no realistic plan" for Kern County. "There is no ability to retain high quality jobs, no obvious industry waiting in the wings and no existing plan to expand a fraying safety net," Alsop said. Will Newsom listen? What do you think?

 * ... THE HOMELESS ISSUE: It's a new year but don't expect 2022 to be much different than the past couple years when it comes to the homeless. Let's just be honest here: a lot has been accomplished over the past couple years as the city and county have thrown millions into the fight against homelessness. Dozens of once homeless are now in their own apartments and more have been counseled out. Hundreds are being exposed to mental health and substance abuse counselors at the new homeless navigation

centers. All that is terrific, but this is also true: the homeless still rule our streets and alleyways, and no amount of cheerleading can change that. Our city is an awful mess. The Kern River Parkway bike path, once the crown jewel of Bakersfield, has been rendered a dangerous, filthy place. I ride that path almost every day and between the drug addicts and mentally ill, it is not a safe place to be alone cycling, walking or running. And yet, our city accepts it as our fate. When was the last time you heard our mayor or anyone on the city council lament what our city has become? Well, I haven't heard it either. And finally there is this: one day (and I take no joy in predicting this) there will be a horrific crime involving a vagrant. Someone will die, or be seriously injured. There will be the predictable press conferences and hand wringing, but by then it will be too late. And all the warning signs were there.

 * ... THEY DID WHAT? I don't know the full story behind the attempt by City Councilman Eric Arias to push Michael Bowers off the Planning Commission, but it doesn't sound right. In fact, it stinks. Bowers, a rising star and next generation leader in town who just happens to have worked for Republican politicians, said he is considering moving and that would render him ineligible to continue to serve on the Planning Committee. So far, so good. But along comes Arias, seemingly hellbent on putting a target on Bowers' back, leading a charge to get Bowers off the city panel before he has moved. At least that's the way Bowers put it and it took a groundswell of support for Bowers in the black community to retain his seat, even if it is only for a few weeks or months. I understand politics and Arias' desire to appoint his own people, but Bowers is a smart, articulate guy and Arias committed a huge blunder trying to speed the process. It made him look small, petty and undignified. Bowers dismissed it as all politics, which seems gracious in this case. 

 * ... ADIOS AND FAREWELL: Bakersfield lost two of its strongest voices and personalities this week, both due to retirements of sorts. First, longtime Californian columnist Herb Benham announced his retirement, ending a few decades of column writing that paid a tribute to family, neighbors, the weather and whatever issues Herb was tackling at the time. He will now write once a week, on Sunday, in a special contract arrangement with The Californian. Also leaving is Elaina Rusk, the KERO-TV meteorologist whose professionalism, wit and grace was on display for more than 13 years. For Rusk it was a family decision. Both Rusk and Benham will be remaining in Kern County but their contributions to civility and our community will be missed.

 * ... MEMORIES: Compliments of the Kern County of Old Facebook page, take a look at the old Kern County Courthouse and other shots of old downtown.

Gov. Newsom orders bars shut in Kern and six other counties because of the coronavirus, Medicali becomes the latest restaurant to close temporarily, vagrants take over the old 24 Hour Fitness and the hold bar at Noriega's is salvaged

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 person or organization.

 * ... BARS TO CLOSE:  Faced with an alarming spike in coronavirus cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered bars in Kern and six other counties to close. The order came Sunday for bars in the

following counties to close: Los Angeles, Fresno, Kern, San Joaquin, Tulare, Kings and Imperial.  In addition, eight other counties have have been asked by state officials to issue local health orders closing bars: Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Sacramento, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Stanislaus. “COVID-19 is still circulating in California, and in some parts of the state, growing stronger,” Newsom was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying. “That’s why it is critical we take this step to limit the spread of the virus in the counties that are seeing the biggest increases.” The question here: faced with their own dire economic circumstances, will bar owners comply?

 * ... COVID VICTIM: It looks like Mexicali has become the latest victim of Covid-19. Word is at least two employees have tested positive (other employees have been tested but the results are not

back) and the popular downtown restaurant has been closed all weekend, the only notice being a sign on the door. Mexicali joins a growing list of local eateries to close because of the pandemic, including Luigi's, In-N-Out, Dewar's and Woolgrowers.

 * ... HBO MOVIE: A new HBO mini series called "I'll Be Gone In The Dark" debuted this weekend, the story of the notorious Golden State Killer who terrorized multiple communities and was only tracked down because of DNA evidence. A local expert on the case, former Kern County sheriff's deputy Martin Downs, will appear on The Richard Beene Show Tuesday to discuss the case that started in Tulare County as the killer spread fear throughout the state. Tune in Tuesday at 1:30 for my conversation with Martin Downs.

 * ... 24 HOUR FITNESS: One of our city's hot spots for the homeless is near the intersection of Gosford Road and White Lane, home of the 24 Hour Fitness that closed a couple weeks ago. As soon as the company hauled away its exercise equipment, the building became a magnet for the homeless. I drove by there Saturday to find more than a dozen homeless making the building their new outposts. Two men were using a syringe to feed drugs into their veins while others had set up camps in the shade near the front entrance. And so it goes.

 * ... RIP NORIEGA'S: Anyone who spent any time in Noriega's has been mourning its demise, closed by its owners after Covid-19 dealt a death blow to family-style eating. These pictures of the restaurant and bar tell the story. The long bar is headed to the Kern County Museum to be on display where, unfortunately, it will be lost in the mountains of displays of other artifacts.

 * ... MEMORIES: Courtesy of the Kern County History Fans Facebook page, check out this old image of roads at the base of the Panorama Bluffs around 1911. The caption reads: "Shown are China Grade Road and Jewett Lane north toward the Kern River Bridge. I think this image is from the Californian of July 1, 1911 posted in anticipation of a major auto race. Of interest is the then-forestation of the general area now called Panorama Preserve."

A leading doctor warns we are entering into a crisis of care locally, The Padre Hotel closes temporarily, words of wisdom from a young teacher and must-see TV in the morning

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 person or organization.

 * ... CORONAVIRUS: If you listen to the medical experts, we are in for a bone chilling, terrifying month as illnesses and deaths from the coronavirus spike in April. Dr. Brij Bhambi, cardiologist and a physician-owner of The Bakersfield Heart Hospital, said the specter of the virus killing thousands and sending thousands of others to the hospital "sends shivers down my spine." Bhambi said California is

not ready for the virus and in fact there is a dangerous shortage of PPE (personal protection equipment) like face masks, gloves and even respirators. Nationally, the experts warn that between 100,000 and 240,000 could die because of the virus, and that is a "best case" scenario. If the public does not heed the call for social distancing, the death toll could go north of 2 million people. Even worse, Bhambi worried that if we run out of hospital beds and critical equipment like respirators physicians may be forced to make heart-breaking decisions on who gets treated, and who doesn't.

 * ... THE PADRE: The iconic Padre Hotel downtown, resurrected to life with a dramatic renovation back in 2009, has shut down because of the coronavirus. A sign on the Padre's main entrance said the hotel was was expected to reopen on April 30.

 * ... BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB: Hats off to Aera Energy, which donated $100,000 to the Boys and Girls Club at a time when non-profit needs it the most. In normal tines, the organization serves some 8,000 kids at four main facilities and 65 satellite facilities, but today because of the coronavirus, it is serving a little over 100 children as well as providing lunches for 1,000 others daily.

 * ... MUST SEE TV: If you want to keep up with the coronavirus, it's wise to tune into the daily press briefings by President Trump and his crisis team, the briefings by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and locally, Maddie Janssen and Dr. Hemmal Kothary on the KGET morning show. Kothary is a breath of fresh air: authoritative, calm and a straight shooter. Kudos for KGET for locking down Kothary for this important daily segment.

 * ... BAD FORM: I suppose it's good to see people wearing face masks and rubber gloves during this crisis, but is it too much to ask them to discard them properly. In parking lots across town, people are unceremoniously discarding their gloves in the parking lots. Go figure.

 * ... WORDS OF WISDOM FROM A TEACHER: Listen to Jolie Brouttier, a first grader teacher at the Downtown Elementary school, on how we should view this time when our children are out of school. Words of wisdom from a teacher who cares: "Whether this lasts two more weeks or two more months, do not worry---we will get your kids caught up. It is our job; it’s what we are trained to do. Don’t worry if you are not the perfect homeschooling parent; don’t worry if you are torn between working at home and helping your kids. Don’t let these days be joyless for your kids. Twenty years from now, your children will not remember what they learned during the spring of 2020---honestly, they won’t. They WILL remember the time they stayed home with you (or with whomever is caring for them) for a few weeks. They will tell their own children about feeling safe, and loved, and peaceful during an anxious time. They will remember the fun things you did with them. Do what is most important for your family these days."

 * ... HOMELESS: If you notice an increase in homeless encampments along the Kern River, there is a reason for it. Adhering to some new national recommendations, authorities are not disturbing the homeless as long as they are not in dense public settings. That's the word from Jim Wheeler, executive director of Flood Ministries, who questioned the wisdom of breaking up homeless camps and dispersing the homeless in established neighborhoods at a time when  the coronavirus poses such a threat to the general public.

 * ... TRAFFIC (OR LACK THEREOF) When was the last time you saw the 405 this empty. According to a Facebook post, this picture was taken early Monday morning.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out these contrasting pictures from the bottom of the Grapevine, complements of Art Moore and the Kern County History Fans Facebook page.

When Starbucks opened its doors (and bathrooms) to the homeless did it also welcome in the coronavirus? Plus Jeff Pickering's hunt for a monster, and are you ready for a two-week lockdown?

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 person or organization.

 * ... HOARDING AND THE VIRUS: Now that we have survived our first weekend of hoarding and "social distancing" over fears of the coronavirus, are you ready for a total 14-day lockdown ? As

Draconian as that sounds, get ready for it. Throughout Europe - in Italy, France, Spain and Denmark - governments have put the nations on lockdown. The only businesses that are open are banks, grocery stores and gas stations. If you can work at home, do it. Otherwise everything is closed: no bars, restaurants, sporting events or cafes. My hunch is that President Trump, sensing that his reelection is now at stake, will opt for a forceful action that will curtail the virus and show America he is an effective leader. Get ready for it.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I don’t want to be presumptuous, but you can also just wash your hands even if there’s not some pandemic currently capturing your attention. It doesn’t have to be a special occasion."

 * ... GLASS HALF FULL: Meanwhile, is there light at the end of the tunnel? Can something good come from all of this? According to trend forecaster Li Edelkoort, this may be the best thing that has happened to the planet in years. First, Edelkoort said the coronavirus epidemic will lead to "a global recession of a magnitude that has not been experienced before" but will eventually allow humanity to reset its values. According to the website Dezeen, Edelkoort said the virus was causing a "quarantine of consumption" and would have a profound cultural and economic impact. "People would have to get used to living with fewer possessions and traveling less, she said, as the virus disrupts global supply chains and transportation networks. "It seems we are massively entering a quarantine of consumption where we will learn how to be happy just with a simple dress, rediscovering old favorites we own, reading a forgotten book and cooking up a storm to make life beautiful," she said. So there you have it, reason for hope.

 * ... STARBUCKS AND THE VIRUS: Remember two years ago when Starbucks decided to open its doors to the homeless, arguing that we should all be more sensitive to the plight of those who live on the street? It sure seemed like a good idea at the time, unless you happened upon a naked homeless man washing his privates in the sink (yes, that happened to me), or had to endure the endless parade of homeless hitting you up for coffee. And now we have the coronavirus where experts say you can contract it simply by touching a surface where a carrier laid his hands. Those same experts now warn it is just a matter of time before the virus infects the homeless community and spreads like wildfire. Outside of nursing homes, there are few more vulnerable populations than the homeless, many drug addicted and most living in filthy and squalid conditions. So now how will you feel about sitting down at a Starbucks table where a homeless man or woman may have sat? Will you willingly share an eating surface at Starbucks where you know a homeless person may have sat just moments before? Will you lay your hands on the "to go" counter as you wait on your carmel macchiato? Have you ever seen a barista disinfecting the inside of a Starbucks? Well neither have I. Ex Starbucks CEO Howard Schulz loved social engineering, and now his company has to live with his decision.

 * ... HUNTING DOWN A MONSTER: Jeff Pickering is better known as the past CEO of the Kern County Community Foundation, which he ran for five years before landing a new gig in his home state of Florida. But Pickering is now known for something other than philanthropy, the victim of a childhood molestation that he repressed for 30 years before the memory was triggered by the #metoo movement. Grappling with issues he had repressed for decade, Pickering decided to track down the man who molested him when he was just 15 years old, an orthopedic doctor who later faced  similar charges of molestation by other men. To Pickering's horror the doctor, William P. Zink, remains practicing today, despite being prosecuted years ago only to see that trail end in an acquittal. Zink is now practicing in the Orlando area, just an hour or so from where Pickering now lives. Picketing tracked him down, found he was affiliated with AdventHealth in Orlando, and began lobbying the Adventist CEO and others to have him fired. The lobbying seemed to work, and Zink resigned from his Adventist affiliation but his still working. Undaunted Pickering will not give up, and he is now on a mission to have Zink exposed so he can no longer come into contact with young men. Listen to Pickering's story this Wednesday exclusively on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM on the Richard Beene Show. (Jeff and Stephanie Pickering above and Dr. William Zink below)

 * ... MEMORIES: Enjoy these old photos courtesy of my friend Art Moore and the Kern County History Fans Facebook Page.