Can we please put down the selfie stick and start addressing the homeless problem taking over our community? Plus Monsignor Craig Harrison gets some support at home and PETA and CALM get ready for a radio debate face-off

Monday, July 15, 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. Send news items to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

* ... HOMELESS: Don't say I didn't warn you, but Bakersfield is well on its way to having the type of homeless crisis that Los Angeles and other larger cities are facing. Just take a look around you: our downtown is literally inundated with the homeless, mindlessly walking in the middle of the street in heavy traffic much like you would see in a zombie movie, setting up camp on a public sidewalk,

urinating and defecating in broad daylight, harassing individuals, stealing from local businesses and leaving trash wherever they go. Sound harsh? It is meant to be, because if our city does not take this problem more seriously, we may reach a tipping point where we will lose the battle. Our downtown is particularly at risk. A leisurely Sunday morning drive downtown reveals mini encampments (six or more homeless) on the east side of F Street across from the old Red Door Furniture, behind the Golden Empire Gleaners, behind Adventist Hospital and on both sides of the Garces circle. Nice, eh? After years of progress that saw the downtown hit its stride in new businesses and developments, it is once again at risk of reverting to a no man's land. I would prefer fewer Facebook selfies by our elected leaders and more action on this dangerous problem in our midst. Is anyone listening?

 * ... MORE HOMLELESS: I saw this take on a local website devoted to the homeless problem:  "Our business is on L Street and, of course, we’ve had struggles with persons of questionable character, thefts, trespassing, etc. But... I want to warn everyone in the downtown community that on Wednesday evening, I witnessed a woman: Caucasian, thin, with short hair (sides of head shaved), between late 30s to early 40s, light a non-cooking fire at the corner of Golden State and M Street. I confronted her and she ran away with her shopping cart in tow. After calling 911 and returning to the intersection with water, I found three fires burning. What is concerning? She was 'dancing' while holding the burning clothing she lit before throwing it down. The fire department said they would turn the matter over to their arson investigation but until she is located, we should all be aware that she’s out there."

 * ... AND MORE FROM FACEBOOK: "I was getting gas at ARCO on 24 Street and a drunk homeless guy was sleeping in between the pumps. Nobody did anything. Nobody except me. I kicked him with my four toes and told him to 'GET UP BEFORE you CATCH FIRE!' The bad ass ARCO girl poured water on his face. He went away!"

 * ... MY HOUSE: And sure enough, it doesn't take long for it to hit home. It turns out a homeless person was using my back gate to camp in my alley downtown, leaving behind a Hobby Lobby shopping cart and some personal possessions which we disposed of.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "A man at the gas station just asked me to take a look at his shorts. He wanted to know if they were too short. I was naive and agreed to give my opinion. He stepped out of his car and they weren’t short at all however you could practically see through them and he had an erection. He then proceeded to ask me what I thought. I answered, 'Ewww.' WTF is wrong with some men?"

 * ... CALM VERSUS PETA: The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called for a criminal investigation into CALM after the deaths of a few animals, and on Monday CALM and PETA will square off on The Richard Beene Show for a healthy debate. It all goes down at 2:30 p.m. on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM. This, as they say, should be rich.

* ... FATHER CRAIG: As we all await the resolution of the accusations of sexual impropriety against Monsignor Craig Harrison, his supporters have found a clever way to express their love for the man: they are putting up signs in their yards like the once shown here. Expect more of these to pop up around town in the days and weeks again.

* ... MEMORIES: Check out this incredible picture (from the Kern County of Old Facebook page) showing Charles Lindburgh dining at the old Lebec Hotel on the old Ridge Route. Lindburg is the third person from the right and his wife, Anna Morrow, is seated next to him.

Celebrating the legacy of kindness of the late John Rous, get ready for another Thanksgiving Day Pie Run and a reader shares some love of Uricchio's Trattoria

 * ... RIP JOHN ROUS: Our community lost one of our best with the death of John Rous, a kind and gregarious man who died earlier this week while riding his bicycle near Ethel's Old Corral. Rous was

killed when his bike was hit by woman driving a late model Scion around 10:30 a.m. He was a lifelong athlete and the founder of the Bakersfield Pie Run, one of our community's signature events that brings hundreds together for a run through the hills on Thanksgiving morning. But I will remember him most for his smile, his kindness and his heart. He was 78 years old and had enough energy, drive and curiosity to live another 78, but he left us with a legacy of passion and decency. Keep his widow, Stella, son David and other members of the family in your thoughts.

 * ... PIE RUN: Speaking of the Pie Run, it is still on for Thanksgiving morning out at Hart Park. If you are new to town, and want to get a good start on Thanksgiving, bring your spouse (and dogs) and join a couple hundred new friends for a brisk run (or walk) in the hills above Hart Park. Just follow the lights to the park and get ready to go off at dawn. Make sure you bring some breakfast snacks, cookies or a pie for the feast after the run.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Hats off to Supervisor Leticia Perez who saved the Arvin Christmas parade with a $5,000 donation to the city. The annual parade was going to be canceled until Perez stepped in to make the donation.

 * ... OVERHEARD: A friend of mine overheard this conversation at a coffee shop in Irvine: "A couple in their early 20s. Woman: since this is our first date, we need to talk to get to know each other better. Man: Ok, what would you like to know? Woman: I don’t know... I guess what are your plans? Man: To give you cute babies. Woman, laughing: You practiced that line. Man: No, I’m very spontaneous! Woman: So am I. She got up from the table, spilled her hot coffee in his lap, turned and walked out."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I’m not shy. I’m just very good at figuring out who’s worth talking to."

  * ... URICCHIO'S: One of my favorite local eateries, Uricchio's Trattoria downtown, picked up a new fan when Anna Mulock went there recently to celebrate her 80th birthday. Said Mulock:  "What a great bunch of people, wonderful food and warm hospitality. The owner came over, met our family, visited with us and treated us as family.  I know how much you like them. There are many good reasons to recommend them."

 * ... BAD FORM: Reader Pat Sherrill and I have at least one thing in common: we both despise the way so many of our fellow citizens trash our community. "RiverWalk Park is the jewel in our park system but you would never know it the way it is treated. Numerous mornings the parking lot is full of cases of empty beer bottles and empty booze bottles. People just leave their yogurt cup or drink cup where they consumed it when there are plenty trash cans. Monday morning was the icing on the cake as someone had knocked over a bank of port-a-potties that had not been picked up yet after the weekend Beer and Bacon event. What is the matter with some of the people in our community?"

The debate over marijuana moves to the medical arena, where a prominent farmer and businessman claims it helped him survive cancer

* ... CANNABIS: As recent as last February Arvin businessman John Trino believed marijuana was a dangerous 'gateway drug' that should be banned. But that was before the 76-year-old former farmer

was diagnosed with an insidious form of cancer, and before his doctors at Cedars Sinai recommended medical marijuana to help him survive the radiation and chemotherapy treatments. His view now? "It saved my life," he told me on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM. He is now denouncing the Kern County Board of Supervisors for voting to ban the sale of cannabis, calling it a cynical, short sighted political move that puts lives at risk. "They haven't heard the last of me," he said. "I believe I survived to fight this fight." And the best news for Trino: a few minutes before appearing on the radio he learned from his doctor that he was cancer free.

 * ... DANGEROUS CITIES: Here is a list I am happy that Bakersfield did not make. According to the website FinancialHub, the most dangerous cities in California (starting with the most dangerous) are Emeryville, Oakland, Red Bluff, San Bernardino, Grass Valley, Big Bear Lake, Modesto, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Commerce.

 * ... GOOD ADVICE: From comedian Peter King: "I think the golden rule for a man should be: don't say anything to a woman that you wouldn't want a man saying to you in prison."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Constance Corbell wrote to thank a stranger: "The six mature expatriate British ladies who lunched at the Wool Growers Restaurant Tuesday, October 24,  would like to thank the gentleman who anonymously covered their bill. His kindness is truly appreciated."

 * ... SHOUTOUT: Lynn Finch wrote to send a shoutout to the Ovation Theater. "On Sunday my friends and I attended a wonderful local performance of 'Gypsy' at the Ovation Theater, across from The Mark Restaurant downtown. This historic theater (formerly the Spotlight Theater) has been beautifully restored and the performance was stellar. Such talented local performers with beautiful singing, great costumes and acting. I hope many people will take time to discover this little jewel in our community. Gypsy continues for three more performances, Oct. 27th, 28th, and 29th."

 * ... VENTING: Reader Ronal Reynier sent this rant: "I have a pet peeve. Well a combination of pet peeves. I starts with parents who say if high school teachers were doing their jobs they would not
have to give out homework. This is combined with; high school teachers are paid too much for all the days they have off. Having two and soon three high school teachers in the family; their opinion is laughable. High school teachers spend at least 20 hours or more a week at home grading their kids
homework. If you add this the to the hours they spend in the classroom they are well under paid. These complaining parents would and could not do their jobs."

 * ... MAILBAG: And this note from Arthur Helming showed up in my mailbag: "I live on Panorama and we use the bluff area for exercise almost daily and pick up trash left by individuals that use the drive throughs at the various restaurants on Columbus Avenue. The individuals that leave the trash are not the ones who exercise, they are the people that eat their burgers and fries after dark and are too lazy to use the receptacles for trash. When we exercise at 5 a.m. the trash is already scattered around the base of the benches and blown around by the wind. If you walk or run on the north side of the street where the visitors park you will also find condoms in the gutter on occasion along with trash. The park is supposed to be closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m."

Facebook is flooded with warnings the Lake Isabella dam is about to fail, triggering a huge flood, TigerFight Casino Night is a huge success and some really good form up on the Panorama Bluffs

 * ... ISABELLA DAM: Facebook is good for many things, but distributing unfounded and alarming "news" should not be one of them. One of the posts making the rounds these days concerns Lake

Isabella Dam, which is nearing its recommended capacity after a season of heavy rains. The post warns the dam could fail, and inundate downtown Bakersfield under a wall of 20 feet of water. Not so fast, say the experts, who told KGET the dam is far from capacity and well within its recommended limit. Regarding a Facebook post that says the dam will pose an "unacceptably high risk of failure as soon as next week," Kern River Watermaster Dana Munn told 17 News this is "altogether wrong," adding the only thing that could cause the dam to fail at this point would be a "super earthquake."

 * ... FATHER'S DAY: Americans will spend about $12.7 billion on Father's Day this Sunday, but that pales in comparison to the $21 billion we spend on Mother's Day. The average person spends about $115 on presents for dad, about $2 million more than last year, according to the National Retail Federation. The most popular presents for dad come in three categories: eating (grilling, food etc) drinking (whiskey, wine or beer) or casual wear (t-shirts, sports shirts etc).

* ... TIGERFIGHT: Hats off to Chris Wilson and the folks who organized the annual TigerFight Casino Night gala to help fight childhood leukemia. Now in its ninth year, TigerFight has grown into a huge, elaborate fund raiser that takes control of the second floor of the iconic Padre Hotel with food, beer, wine, dancing and silent auctions. Since its humble beginnings at Luigi's, the event now raises north of $60,000 for research and to aid families who have a son or daughter fighting leukemia.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "So a baby crawls across the floor to its bottle and it's cute but when I do it I'm in need of an intervention?

* ... GOOD FORM: If you regularly walk the Panorama Bluffs, you know it is often littered and marked by graffiti. Which is why Jerry Evelyn, who just turned 97, is doing his part to clean up the place. His son dropped me this note last week: "My mother and father have been walking the Panorama Bluff park daily for more than 30 years. His 97th birthday is Saturday and he wants to  give back to the place and the people that have given them so much joy these 30 plus years. After applying to the Kern County Parks Department for approval he will restore a graffiti filled bench and will plant a tree in a weedy area."

* ... YOUNG ACHIEVER: Hats off to Andrew Tibbetts, a 2012 Frontier High School graduate, who was recently named to the Dean's List at Briar Cliff University, Sioux City, Iowa. Andrew also received an award for Outstanding and Scholarly Achievement by the Elementary Education Department and was named to the NAIA Academic All America baseball team. Andrew will be working as a camp counselor In Pittsfield, Massachusetts, this summer before returning to Briar Cliff to complete his student teaching.

 * ... MEMORIES: Someone posted a picture of a menu from the old Bakersfield Inn on Union Avenue from the summer of 1956. Among the entrees: Spring lamb for $1.50, Yankee pot roast for $1.65, filet of Alaskan halibut, $1.50, and the chef's special- barbecued prime beef ribs, $1.10

Austin sets an example of how to keep its downtown clean, Carol Ferguson retires at KBAK TV, more retail closings and Stockdale Principal Ramon Hendrix gets a promotion

 * ... RETAIL: If you don't think this is a tough time for retailers as they try to compete with online

shopping, check out this list of companies and the number of stores they have been forced to close:
Sears and Kmart 150 stores; JC Penny 138 stores, Macy’s 68 stores Abercrombie and Fitch 60 stores, Guess 60 stores, Crocs 160 stores, American Apparel 110 stores, Payless 400 stores, RadioShack 552 stores, Staples 70 stores and CVS 70 stores.

* ... ADIOS: One of our most prominent and longest serving local TV reporters, Carol Ferguson, has retired from KBAK after a distinguished career. Ferguson spent 25 of her 37-year career with KBAK and served as a role model for dozens of young reporters who used Bakersfield as a stepping stone to move on to larger markets. Prior to working in local TV, she also worked as the news director at KERN-AM as well as news director and anchor at KKXX.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Which vitamins work best for fighting a cold or the urge to hit my ex boyfriend with my car?"

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Surround yourself with tacos, not negativity."

 * ... TRASH: Mayor Karen Goh's recent litter survey that seemed to downplay our trash problem prompted a flurry of emails, virtually all of them reflecting comments like the one from this reader: "Thanks for keeping this trash issue alive... (Mayor Goh's) results were laughable. It brought to mind another survey a while back that failed miserably: homeless population. Their count determined the homeless numbers had dropped by 50 percent.  But buried in their information was the comment they’d reduced the census taking hours from a 24-hour day to only 12. Duh!"

* ... DOWNTOWN: And speaking of trash I spent a few days in Austin recently and had the opportunity to see how a progressive city takes on litter. Historic downtown Austin is beautiful, but like Bakersfield it has a serious homeless problem. So how does it handle trash? There is a group called the Downtown Austin Alliance (a more focused, ambitious and strategic version of our Downtown Business Association) in which dozens of red shirted workers with push carts loaded with cleaning liquids go block by block picking up trash. I witnessed workers picking up litter as small as cigarette butts and on the day after Memorial Day one worker was busy cleaning up sidewalk vomit and urine on the side of a high rise - seriously. The idea? Downtown is the Austin's welcome mat to the world and it deserves to look as clean as possible. Is there a cost to it? Certainly. But this is a city that takes its welcome mat seriously.

 * ... RAMON: Congratulations to longtime Stockdale High School principal Ramon Hendrix, who is moving on to become the superintendent of the Greenfield Union school district. Hendrix led Stockdale with a steady hand, and while my daughter was there I witnessed his deep commitment to the students and their parents. Stockdale's loss is Greenfield's gain.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Here's yet another example of how some local companies feel it is important to give back to our community. Some 150 Grimmway Farms employees are volunteering to help restore the Greenfield Baseball Park this weekend. They will be sanding and repainting backstops, bleachers and dugouts, restrooms and storage facilities They will be joined by 25 Greenfield Baseball Association volunteers. The local little league, adult intramural teams and others will benefit from a refurbished baseball field and facilities to enhance their recreation activities.

* ... CSUB WRESTLING: The CSUB wrestling program is a civic treasure, and its success well documented. But (like litter) it doesn't happen without public support. That's why I purchased a $100 ticket in hopes of winning an Infiniti QX30 to support the program, which lives year by year via the generosity of all of us. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold and the drawing will be held on June 29. Call (661) 654-2343 for more information, or mail a check paid to CSUB Wrestling to 9001 Stockdale Highway, 8 GYM, Bakersfield, 93311.

Expedia ranks the most annoying things about flying (seat kickers, crying children, arm rest hogs etc), Stinson's celebrates its anniversary by giving away $70,000 and lamenting our trash filled streets

 * ... FLYING ETIQUETTE: Would you pay extra for a seat on an airplane in a designated "quiet zone?" It turns out a lot of folks would, anything to get away from pesky young children to seat mates who talk too much. That is one of the conclusions of Expedia's annual survey of plane travel, which

ranked the most annoying things about flying. The top things that bug us about flying include rear seat kickers, inattentive parents, aromatic (smelly or overly perfumed) passengers, the audio insensitive, the boozer, the chatty Cathy, the queue jumper, the seat back guy and finally the arm rest hog.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "How to get a woman mad in two easy steps: Take a picture of her and don't show it to her."

 * ... VAN KOPP: Welcome back to town 29-year-old Samuel Van Kopp, the Bakersfield High graduate who went on to West Point only to be gravely injured in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan in 2012. Van Kopp was a platoon leader when a suicide bomber approached and blew himself up, killing two soldiers and leaving Van Kopp with serious brain trauma. My interview with him, in which he questioned the politically driven rules of engagement for troops on the ground, is posted on Kernradio.com. Van Kopp has finished his first year of law school at Georgetown and his working this summer at the law firm of Klein Denatale and Goldner.

 * ... FOODIE: The new QwikCafe on 18th Street, brought to you by the owners of Sequoia Sandwich Co., is off to a good start and is starting to expand its offerings. A few of my favorites: a new "protein box" featuring hardboiled eggs, roast turkey, gouda or brie cheese, humus, veggies and grapes, or the "lite lunch premium" with half a roast turkey sandwich with a beet or kale-quinoa salad. Two of the more popular new offerings include the beef dip on baguette and a tuna melt panini.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Hats off to Stinson Stationers, the long-time office and furniture retailer that is celebrating 70 years in business. And in true Stinson's style, owner Ben Stinson III says the company will give away $70,000 in merchandise to needy local non-profits. To apply, go to Stinsons.com and click on the non-profit link. Applications are due June 15.

 * ... MORE GOOD FORM: And here is some more good form compliments of reader Denise Watson: "One of the best things about shopping at the new Grocery Outlet Store on Brimhall is the veteran parking spot…nothing is better than seeing the surprise and pride on the face of a veteran when they pull into the parking lot and see that there is a parking spot reserved especially for them.  Even better when another customer notices them and says, 'Thank you for your service.' Pride, gratitude, appreciation and honor in the parking lot of a grocery store – now that is fantastic!"

 * ... TRASH: I was driving through the littered streets of downtown Bakersfield on Sunday when I thought about the "trash survey" that Mayor Karen Goh conducted in which she scored us between 1 and 2, ratings that assume our community is only slightly littered. I am all for the aspirational, but our city is a mess, and a casual drive through town reveals a culture that views our streets as its personal trash cans. How about a public campaign to take pride in our community?

The race for Kern County District Attorney starts to pick up some steam, Grimmway Farms awards 65 college scholarships and Dee Whitley gets a school named in her honor

 * ... DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The election for District Attorney is over a year away but that is not stopping the candidates from organizing early. I dropped by an event for Assistant DA Scott Spielman at the downtown home of deputy DA Gina Pearl, where a nice crowd turned out to meet and greet and support Spielman's candidacy. Among those I spotted were former Bakersfield police chiefs Bill Rector and Greg Williamson, city councilmen Andrae Gonzales, Bob Smith and Chris

Parlier, attorney Tim Osborn, deputy DAs Kim Richardson and Mike Yraceburn, Linda Sullenger, Dave Dmohowski, Ted Pierce, and Dave and Kym Plivelich. The only other announced candidate in the race, supervising deputy DA Cynthia Zimmer, is also off to a fast start and has picked up endorsements from the Kern County Law Enforcement Association and the police officers associations from Bakersfield, Ridgecrest and Delano.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I always thought a bachelor's degree was awarded when you could make a five course meal out of only condiments from your fridge."

 * ... GRIMMWAY: Hats off to the folks over at Grimmway Farms who awarded 65 college scholarships at its annual company picnic. President and CEO Jeff Huckaby said the scholarships, awarded since 2005, are based on scholastic achievement and provide support to students attending two- and four-year colleges and universities – and are renewable for four years. This year’s recipients will attend a variety of schools, including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCLA, UC Irvine, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the University of Oregon. The annual picnic is quite a show, feeding more than 10,000 employees and family members at the Kern County Fair Grounds.

 * ... RIP SHAUNA: The wife of longtime KBAK sports anchor Greg Kerr lost her battle with cancer last week. Shauna Clay Kerr was in hospice when she finally passed away after a long struggle with the disease. Kerr delivered a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to his late wife on ESPN Bakersfield 1230 AM/98.1 FM, available and the KERNRADIO.COM website. “There is no playbook for this,” Kerr said. “And, quite frankly, it sucks but I know how much more it would suck if I didn’t have Jesus Christ in my life. That doesn’t mean that I’m not reminded of her hundreds of times a day.” A memorial service in her honor will be held June 10 at New Life Church at White Lane and Stine. Keep Greg and his family in your thoughts.

* ... FOODIE: The Padre Hotel is mixing up its menu again, seemingly always experimenting with what works and what falls flat. Two bar offerings I can highly recommend: the steak and blue salad, light and crisp for a summer day, and the hearty grilled cheese with (optional) bacon and egg.

 * ... RECALL: Michael C. Stock is a Californian fed up with taxes, and he had this rant: "It is time to clean house in Sacramento, beginning with an initiative recalling our illustrious and incompetent governor. His recent approval of gas tax and vehicle registration increases that he boldly declared, were a fee and not a tax... I have word from a competent Sacramento senator that the millions of dollars in gas taxes already collected have been funneled into the general fund rather than used for that which it was intended (road infrastructure improvement)... If it's BROWN, flush it. If it is disguised as our governor, RECALL IT! I am a avid reader and strong advocate of your informative column."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Congratulations to Delores S. Whitley, the longtime educator and principal who attended the ground breaking for a new elementary school named in her honor. The Delores S. Whitley Elementary School will be located at the corner of Wible and McKee roads. I got to know Whitley, a tireless and dedicated educator, when she was principal of Christa McAuliffe Elementary School where my own daughters attended.

Maze Cup, Plein Air Festival and Haggard home all happening this weekend, some good form about town and a shout out to the Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust

 * ... WEEKEND: Here are three things to consider this weekend, each unique and affordable: this is the weekend of the Plein Air Festival and on Friday a dozen artists will be painting downtown with their works on display at the Metro Galleries on 19th Street for First Friday. On Saturday, other

paintings by these artists will go on sale at The Bakersfield Museum of Art from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. If that doesn't suit your tastes, head over to Stockdale Country Club where the Maze Cup features some of the best 16 and 18 year old tennis players in the nation, and admission is free. Finally, on Sunday you can drop by Kern Pioneer Village to check out the public debut of Merle Haggard's family home, appropriately opening on the year anniversary of his death.

 * ... CYNTHIA LAKE: And by the way, here's a big shout out to the Cynthia Lake Charitable Trust that funded the restoration of Merle Haggard's childhood home, an expensive undertaking that will serve generations of Kern County residents.

* ... RAIDERS: The move of the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas triggered this note from Alan Hine: "Good news for Bakersfield Raider's fans. Google says it is only two minutes longer to drive to Las Vegas than it is to drive to Oakland, and there is a lot more to do in Vegas than there is in Oakland and the food and lodging is also better."
                         '
* ... TRASH: My earlier post about the people who use Fairfax as their personal dumping group drew this response from Sam Colt: "Thanks for the article on trash along Fairfax. I too have seen alot of it along Comanche Road on the way to the dump. It might be a good idea to refresh memories the city will pick up large items (matresses, etc) from your house just call them at (661) 326-3114 to make an appointment."

* ... SPOTTED: In the Kern River near Beach Park a man is being baptized on the shoreline. Nice to see a little rain bring out the religion in us.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "When going on a roller coaster bring nuts and bolts, lean to the person in front and say… 'Woah dude, these came out of your seat!'"

 * ... GOOD FORM: Here's a note from Larry Jenks that should brighten your day: "I would like to share with you a recent event my wife and I were party to. We were having dinner at Chili's Monday night. After ordering and receiving our meal the server approached and handed us our bill, saying a couple had paid for our meal. Written in the bill was the following: 'We wanted to treat you to dinner! This is our second anniversary, we pray to be as in love and as cute as the two of you are as we grow older together. Have a super blessed night. Love, the Swatzells.' My bride and I are going to celebrate our 65th wedding anniversary June 28. We are blessed!"

 * ... MORE GOOD FORM: And there was this from reader Don Luvisi: "Purchased some items at Floyd's this week and when checking out the cashier asked if I wanted to round up my three cents to an even five e cents with the two cents going to a charity. A great idea. If more stores followed suit less pennies to deal with and local charities would benefit."

Charles Manson ends up in Bakersfield at a local hospital, record rain hits Kern County and Karen Goh's impressive swearing-in ceremony

 * ... RAIN: Count me among those who are enjoying this long period of persistent rain. I can't

remember a time when the rain was so steady and hard, and Lord knows we need it. The irony: we expected this last year when we had an El Nino event but this year we are experiencing La Nina, just more proof that you should never underestimate a woman.

* ... CHARLES MANSON: Did you see the headline in the New York Daily News about Charles Manson being hospitalized in Bakersfield? It read: "Satan Calls For The Devil." Meanwhile, social media lit up with comments, many of them lamenting that even a monster like Manson is afforded the best health care while other Americans go without.

 * ... BED BUGS: Did you know that 10 years ago bed bugs were virtually unheard of yet now there has been an explosion of them across the country? It's something I think about every time I check into a hotel, so I was intrigued by pest control company Orkin's list of the top bed bug infested cities. (Good news! Bakersfield didn't make the list.) Here is the dirty dozen: Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York, Columbus, Ohio, Los Angeles, Detroit, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Oakland, Richmond, Va., and Raleigh-Durman, N.C.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Peggy Mellon share this uplifting moment with me: "Yesterday morning, I went to Trader Joes to buy sunflowers for my neighbor, Lenor Freeland, who was celebrating her 102nd birthday. As I was being checked-out, I made mention of this to the young woman who was helping me. She smiled as I told her about Lenor who is still active and continues to be a part of our Brighton Parks Community. Then this smiling Trader Joes employee said 'Please tell her =bappy birthday from Trader Joes' as she took off the cost of the flowers from my bill. One more act of kindness that I thought I should pass on to your readers.  Keep smiling."

* ... KAREN GOH: If the turnout for Mayor Karen Goh's swearing in was any indication of how successful she will be, then she just might become one of our most wildly popular mayors. I stopped by a reception for her at The Metro Galleries on 19th Street, and the place was packed wall to wall with well wishers. The goodwill in the room was impressive, and it's clear the community is behind her.

 * ... OVERHEARD: At the downtown Post Office a woman greets a friend this way: "Did you hear Jack is back in jail? Won't get out until July."

 * ... PLASTIC BAGS: Earlier this week I mentioned that - finally - I am in the habit of remembering to take my own reusable bags to the grocery store. This prompted a friend to mention: "My new rule: never by more than I can carry out in my arms."

 * ... TRASH: Gerhard Schmidt weighed in about our trash problem. "The key to this problem is prevention. No one, including waste management people, are doing anything about this. Large item pick-up is available for free. Just look in the recycling pages of the phone book. However, the offenders probably do not read the Californian or the phone book. The solution would be public service spots on radio and TV, as well as billboards. Yes, billboards cost some money, but perhaps less than man hours required for clean-up. Advertising companies might even help with the cost, when the billboards are not reserved.  It is therefore not necessary to hoist that sofa onto a pick-up and hunt for a dump site. All that is needed is a phone call and hauling it to the curb."

Hats off to Sal Moretti for cleaning up a community eyesore, Californians rush to buy guns and ammunition and Jackie Parks remembers Bryan Kelly

* ... TRASH: Here's a shout-out to Sal Moretti and the folks over at the city Solid Waste Division for taking the time to clean up a stretch of road that has become a community eyesore. After I posted last week about the mounds of garbage (mattresses, chairs, couches, old washing machines etc) that people

illegally discarded off Fairfax (the old county dump road) Moretti privately messaged me that he was going to send crews out to clean it up. And that they did. Supervisor Robert Manuel and his team filled several dump trucks full and left the area pristine. The city can't force people to do the right thing, and it must be tiring to spend so much time and energy cleaning up after people who view the world as their own personal toilet. But thank you Sal. So here is my remedy for that road: since it already is a dead end, close it off at Fairfax with a gate and code to allow access to authorized personnel. There is no reason for any vehicles to travel that road. And finally, shed the name Old County Dump Road and name it after Sal. (Before and after pictures provided by Sal Moretti)

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "On my marriage license, where they ask in which state I live, I wrote: Depression."

 * ... GUN LAWS: There's another rush on guns and ammunition in California, thanks to a legislature that embraces some of the toughest anti-gun laws in the country. Remarked Realtor Michael Richert: "I’m not good on a crowded day at Disneyland, or anywhere for that matter where my space bubble is pierced. That was never more evident on Saturday, December 17 when I stopped by for some ammo at a local gun store. The last Saturday to purchase certain types of riffles and it was chaos. We usually stay dormant unless someone tells us we can’t have something anymore."

 * ... BRYAN KELLY: When I wrote about the death of 63-year-old Bryan Kelly the other day, it triggered this response from former KBAK anchor Jackie Parks, who moved to a TV market outside of Baltimore with husband Todd Karli. Said Jackie: "You see, he was a dear friend of my eccentric aunt Millie when she lived in Bakersfield many, many years ago. He would later keep her updated on my life (from watching me on TV) and was thrilled to meet me one day at Trader Joe's so he could let Millie know. Over the years he chatted with me about the birth of our kids, recommended kid-friendly foods, talked to them about their interests, encouraged piano and ballet lessons (neither which took hold for long) and never failed to ask about Millie who, at 92, will be heartbroken to hear he is gone. Thanks for writing such a nice farewell."

* ... MAILBOX THEFT: I received a note from reader Kelly Clanton with this plea: "We have suffered our third mail theft this year, this time Friday night with Christmas packages taken from our dropbox. Last time a check was forged and we had to get a new account. At least 10 mail thefts have occurred within a half mile radius of our 'safe' northwest neighborhood this year. Sending this to encourage Postmaster Linda La Force, postal inspectors Jeff Fitch and Bill Zembridge and  Congressman Kevin McCarthy to work faster on this for us, and come up with an immediate solution please.  Running to the mailbox to pick up our mail mid day and driving miles to the post office to drop off outgoing mail is not the answer."

 * ... GOOD SERVICE: James in Taft wrote to thank someone who goes over and above with customer service: "Last Sunday morning (12/18/16) at 7 a.m. I was warming up with my morning tea as it was 32 outside, when my doorbell rang. I thought who would be hear that early. When I opened the door and I was surprised it was my Californian deliverer, Michelle Ayala in Taft. She handed me my paper and said it was too cold to have to come out and get it. She has been doing a great job and it was a pleasure to give her a Christmas gift as I try and do every year.  So all you subscribers be sure and do the same for your deliverer as they have to endure all types of weather and conditions.
MERRY CHRISTMAS."