We will be skiing at Mammoth into August thanks to the snowpack, CNN will focus on Tom and Christy Morgan and Dignity Health wins Corporation of the Year at the annual Beautiful Bakersfield awards

Monday, June 3, 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.

 * ... SNOWPACK:  How much rain did we get this summer? Enough to make the snowpack in the

high Sierras 202 percent of average, or 33 percent bigger than last year. That's right, that means there is enough snow to keep the ski lifts at Mammoth open until August. It's all great news for the spring and summer runoff that will feed rivers and reservoirs, water crops and fill bathtubs.

 * ... WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE: The Kern River is bank to bank with water through town, giving all of us a sneak peak into how our city would look with year-round water. Kayaks and canoes were out in force this weekend, but they had to contend with the visual pollution of literally dozens of homeless emcampments along the river, a kind of homeless "House Hunters" episode where everyone gets a waterfront camping spot.

 * ... DIGNITY HEALTH: It's been a great week for Dignity Health. First, it won the coveted Corporation of the Year award at the Beautiful Bakersfield Awards, and later it was announced that Derek and David Car had signed on to continue their sponsorship and endorsement of Dignity Health Central California. Not a bad week I would say.

 * ... MONEYWISE GUYS: And speaking of the Beautiful Bakersfield Awards, it was great to see the Moneywise Wealth group (known as the Moneywise Guys on KERN NewsTalk radio) recognized as the Small Business of the Year. Outstanding people and outstanding service.

 * ... REDEMPTION PROJECT: If you watched CNN's Redemption Project Sunday night chances are you spotted a few familiar faces. The project focuses on victims of crime facing their accusers, and among those featured was former Kern County deputy (and later county counsel) Tom Morgan, who was shot and left for dead by a gang member more than 20 years ago. In the series, Morgan comes face to face with the shooter and talks about forgiveness, hope and salvation.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Welcome to middle age. Prepare to pay for all the damage  you did to your body over the past 40 years."

 * ... MORE SPOTTED: "Got one of those laser pointer things for my cat, and now I'm having to sit through all these presentations."

 * ... CLIFFORD AND BROWN: There has been a mass exodus at the law firm of Clifford and Brown, where eight attorneys have left to form their own firm. Leaving to form the new comprehensive law firm called Zimmer and Melton were Charles Melton, Richard Zimmer, T. Mark Smith, Nicholas Street, Victoria Trichell, Jeffrey Travis, Dennis Gallagher and William Zimmer. The head of the firm, Steve Clifford, died last year and his son, Dan Clifford, recently left the firm to become house counsel for Bolthouse Properties.

 * ... FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Think about this for a minute.

 * ... MEMORIES: Courtesy of the Facebook page Kern County History Fans,. check out this picture of the old Vincent's across from the post office.

The California snowpack is rocking this year thanks to a wave of storms in the Sierras, Carl's Jr. hops on the plant-based meat trend, Crabfest nets some big money for St. Francis Parish School and Mexicali does a gang busters business

Monday, February 11, 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... PLANT BASED MEAT: If you think the move toward plant based diets is a fad, think again. Sales of plant based meat substitutes are growing at 23 percent a year and have now reached $1.5

billion in sales annually. Carl's Jr. recently introduced the Beyond Burger, a fully plant based alternative that uses beet juice to mimic meat juices, and Taco Bell is touting its meatless alternatives. The meat industry is so concerned that cattle ranchers are lobbying lawmakers across the country to define "meat" as coming from true meat sources like cattle.

 * ... MEXICALI: Have you been to the downtown Mexicali since Mexicali West closed? Suffice it to say but the place is packed, drawing customers from the now shuttered Stockdale Highway location. Some of the Mexicali West employees are now working downtown, including the ever popular waiter Jackie.

 * ... SNOWPACK: They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and no where is that truer than these images of the California snowpack this year compared to last. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which is a primary water source for the state, is 123 percent of normal — an astounding number when you consider at this same time last year, it was a mere 26 percent."

 * ... CRABFEST: Monsignor Craig Harrison and the St. Francis Parish wrapped up another successful Crabfest this weekend, raising more than $200,0000 for the elementary school before a packed crowd at the fair grounds. Crabfest is always one of the grand networking events of the year, and I found myself seated with Frank and Rosemary DeMarco of Rosemary's Creamery (and their daughter Rosemary) along with state Sen. Shannon Grove, Mayor Karen Goh and Roy Charles Keenan. So many others I spotted there, including St. Francis Principal Kelli Gruszka, Adam Belter, Fran and Gregg Gunner, Lisa and Craig Edmonston, Holly Arnold, Jim and Beverly Camp, Corey and Duane Keathley, Michael Turnipseed, Assemblyman Vince Fong, Chamber president Nick Ortiz and Hispanic Chamber president Jay Tamsi, City Councilman Andrae Gonzales, Sylvia Mendez and H.A. Sala, Dr. Javier and Laurie Bustamante, Jim Cretol, Jim Scott and Robin Mangarin Scott, Annalise and Trevor Townsend, Lillian and David Brust, Paul Andre, Lauren and Jeremy Helper, Brandon Stallings and Gina and Joey Pearl. Special awards of excellence honors were given to Teresa and Shawn Shambaugh and Mary Johnson. (photo of state Sen. Shannon Grove and Rosemary's Creamery owner Frank DeMarco)

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 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "What if a politician did blackface and ended up getting murdered by a revenge-seeking Liam Neeson?"

 * ... CHANTRY: Michelle Chantry, who resigned as chief executive officer of The Bakersfield Californian, has been appointed chief operating officer of Western Valve in Bakersfield. Western Valve was established in 1991 as a valve repair and machine shop but now features an impressive 50,000 square foot state of the art manufacturing facility on five acres.

 * ... MEMORIES: And lastly, I can't get enough of these old pictures of the old clock tower. Enjoy.

California welcomes the "atmospheric river" of rain and snow, what's going on at the Fox Theater and my seven month retirement ends with a daily radio show starting next week

 * ... RAIN AND SNOW: Take a deep breath and enjoy this "atmospheric river" of rain that has been pummeling California for the past few weeks. To be sure it is not enough to end the long drought, but there is plenty of good news for our lakes and reservoirs. As Louis Sahagun of the Los

Angeles Times reported: "Lake Tahoe has risen 12 inches in just the last two weeks as the storms have dumped 33.6 billion gallons of water into the massive landmark, which measures 72 miles around and has a capacity for 37 trillion gallons of water. As of Tuesday morning, 154 of the largest reservoirs tracked by the California Department of Water Resources had filled to about 97 percent of their collective average for the day ... Just a year ago, many were at or below 50 percent of average." Even Lake Oroville has risen 90 feet since December. (photo courtesy of SFGate)

 * ... GOING, GOING, GONE?: The Wall Street Journal recently compiled a list of popular products that have fallen out of favor with consumers. Among them: powder detergent (replaced by pods), processed cheese, bar soap, margarine, ground coffee (replaced by the Keurig cups), frozen juice concentrate and alkaline batteries.

 * ... FOX THEATER: What is going on over at the Fox Theater and the folks who are running the show? Jennifer Self, the Californian's longtime features editor who is plugged into the local entertainment community, shed some light this week when she questioned what happened to Bob Bender, who apparently lost his job running the Fox and booking shows at the iconic venue. So who is running this local community treasure? I hope it's not Melanie Farmer, the head of the Fox Theater Foundation who has zero experience in concert promotion. Other than telling Self the foundation was looking at being a more "hands-on operation" (what does that mean?) we are left in the dark. Memo to Farmer: The Fox is a community treasure and many of us have opened our wallets to preserve and restore it. If Bender is out, tell us what the plan is for the grand old dame of Bakersfield.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I've never done jail time, but I've been stuck in a group text with my family and it can't be much worse."

 * ... RADIO: I spent a career in print journalism but my second love has always been news radio, a more free wheeling environment that is both authentic and unpredictable. So I am pleased to announce that effective this Monday, Jan. 16, I will host my own two hour daily talk show on KERN NewsTalk (96.1 FM/1180 AM) from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (I will be the lead-in for the popular Ralph Bailey Show that comes on at 3 p.m.) Join me on inauguration week for a lineup of special guests including Monsignor Craig Harrison, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker, former Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, Reuters Washington, D.C., correspondent Bill Trott, CSUB political science professor Jeanine Kraybill, water expert Harry Starkey, Californian columnist Lois Henry, CSUB basketball Coach Rod Barnes, Californian executive editor Bob Price and many more.

 * ... FOODIE: Were you surprised that the Mimi's restaurant on California Avenue closed? Eateries come and go but Mimi's always seemed to have a steady clientele. But the food business is a tough one, and the public can be fickle in its loyalty. Across the street, I made my first visit to the Habit Burger and while it is no In-N-Out, the burger was rich and tasty and the service was excellent. I was also pleased to read that RJ's Bar and Grill had reopened and was back in business on Hageman Road.

 * ... STOLEN CARS: Car and truck theft is rampant here is Bakersfield, and here are some of the most popular targets according to the Bakersfield Police Department: 1990 through 2000 Honda Accords and Civics; 2000 through 2008 Chevrolet Silverado trucks; 2000 through 2008 GMC Sierra trucks; and 1990 through 2000 Acura Integras.

El Nino brings snowpack to the Sierras but it's too early to declare the drought over, and some really good form around town

* ... EL NINO: We spent the early part of the year waiting for El Nino to arrive, hoping a strong storm season would help alleviate our long drought. Well it is here, and there is encouraging news

even if no one is ready to declare the drought over. A series of storm in the Sierras has pushed the snowpack to 111 percent of the average for this time of year, bringing joy to the ski resorts and the mountains. But we have a long way to go and the key date seems to be in April, when the snowpack traditionally peaks. Stay tuned and enjoy the weather.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The two best times to keep your mouth shut are when you’re swimming and when you’re angry."

 * ... SPOTTED: John Strand spotted this message written on a sweatshirt in a Lake Isabella market: "Life is like a roll of toilet paper; the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes."

 * ... LOCAL BUSINESS: Shopping at a locally owned business is always a good idea, and Kay Bardin just gave me another reason to do so. Said Bardin: "Stopped by Knight's Jewelers for a watch battery recently. When I got ready to pay, they said 'Just put the money in the Salvation Army kettle' which was located between their door and Trader Joe's! Wow, that's the Christmas spirit in action."

 * ... GOOD FORM: LaVonne Templeton shared this bit of good form after she locked her keys in her trunk at the Walmart parking lot near East Hills Mall: "Standing there trying to think what I could do, a young couple with two small children came by and asked if they could help me. He got on his cell, found AAA, told them 'There is a lady here that needs help'" and handed me the phone. Their little boy, about four, said to me 'You can come to our house.' How sweet! I apologized to the couple that I was taking up their valuable time but they said they were in no hurry AAA was then on their way.  We exchanged names and hugs and I am sorry to say that I don't remember. I am soooo grateful to them to help a 79-year-old lady in a stressful situation. I hope they read this."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: When Gene Bonas wrote recalling the days when folks would fuel your car and clean your windshield, it triggered some memories from Stephen A. Montgomery. Said Montgomery: "Back then I may have been that guy wearing a white shirt, bow tie and dark blue slacks fueling Gene’s car and cleaning his windshield and checking his tires. Back in the day I used to routinely fuel State Senator Walter Stiern’s car and clean his windshield. However he never let me open the hood. Then I worked for Art Folsom who operated Union 76 stations at the corner of 21st Street and Union Avenue. (a tacky check cashing shack is on the site now), F Street and Golden State, (Mobile station now) SR 99 frontage road just north of 7th Standard. (Volvo equipment rental now) There one of my jobs was to drive the water truck to a fire hydrant on Snow Road to supply the station with water since it had no well or other water supply connection."