Neighbors square off against each other in the Bakersfield Country Club area over a proposal to gate off parts of the community, and David Gordon takes over the Arts Council

 * … GATES: There is a mini-storm brewing up in the Bakersfield County Club area where some residents are asking the county for permission to gate off parts of the neighborhood. The gates would be installed at Dalehurst Drive and Wingfoot, Wingfoot and Country Club and at Pinehurst and Country

Club, even though a number of homes in that area are already behind their own private gates  I am told a spike in home burglaries has led to this proposal, but opponents say it will only divide the neighborhood and funnel traffic down non-gated streets, not to mention close off streets to folks who like to take a morning walk. I have a feeling this topic will make the installation of cul-de-sacs in Westchester look like walk in the park.

 * … ARTS COUNCIL: I was happy to hear that David Gordon has been appointed director of the Arts Council of Kern. Gordon is an accomplished artist himself and a former employee of the Bakersfield Museum of Art. His experience will no doubt be an asset to the Arts Council, which has struggled in recent years to remain relevant.

 * … OLD SALT: My pal and Navy veteran Gene Bonas provided this shout out to all his fellow submariners: "Thought you'd like to know that on April 11, 1900, the Holland VI was acquired by the U.S. Navy. Although not actually commissioned as a warship until October 12, 1900, April 11th is celebrated as the birthday of the U.S. submarine fleet.  The U.S.S. Holland was considered to be the world's first truly successful submarine. In honor of our special day, this Friday all submariners are encouraged to wear their 'dolphins' to work or play.  Happy birthday, fellow bubbleheads!

* … SPOTTED: Talk about bad form. Cheryle DeMarco was at the Target store on Mall View Road a few months ago when she spotted this:  "I was getting in my car which was parked about three spaces down from the entrence. I looked at the car parked in front of me and a little girl (about 8 or 9) was unloading quite a bit of trash right onto the parking lot. Her mother stood at the opened car door on the other side looking all around the lot like pretending to not see what she probably told her daughter to do, throw all the trash from the car out. We were only about 40 feet from a trash can. I thought this is one reason we have a litter problem. Parents teach their kids this bad habit. I always made my kids throw their trash out, even in places like the movie theater. You clean up after yourself, simple as that!"

 * … MORE TRASH: Deanna Haulman extended props to the Just Johnson Park Work Center. "These young men and women are faithfully out at Hart Park Monday through Friday cleaning rest rooms and picking up trash that people are too lazy to do.  I think even if large trash bags were provided it still wouldn't help because these are the same people who can't walk 20 steps to a large trash can. There are those that leave their trash bags but do not realize or don't care that the park critters get into those bags at night."

 * … GRANT: Hats off to the Kern Economic Development Corp. and the East Bakersfield High Health Careers Academy for winning a $15,000 grant to prepare the local workforce to fill healthcare positions in Kern County. The grant will support the purchase of medical equipment for Academy students to practice treatment solutions as well as job shadowing at Kern Medical Center. The grant came from the Office of Statewide Planning and Development.

Former House Ways and Means Committee chairman Bill Thomas: I wouldn't know how to operate in such a toxic environment that exists in Congress these days

* ... THOMAS: Bill Thomas served in the House of Representatives for 28 years and left widely regarded as an expert in tax policy and health care. As chairman of the House Ways and Means

Committee, he was instrumental in influencing some of the biggest pieces of legislation that passed in the Clinton presidency. His view of the mess in Washington now? "I wouldn't know how to operate" in that toxic of an environment, he said, referring to the stalemate and  extreme views on both sides of the aisle. Truth is, Thomas just might bring an adult influence were he to return to Washington, but his statement is indicative of the frustration we all have with the inability of our elective representatives to compromise. He also called the Republican strategy of trying to defund the Affordable Care Act a mistake. The ACA is so flawed, he said, the Republicans should have simply allowed it to roll out so Americans could view the mess it is and blame the appropriate party.

 * ... MERGER: Two locally owned and high powered engineering firms are merging effective Nov. 3. Innovative Engineering Systems, Inc., founded here in 2002, is merging with Technical Services and Management, Inc., a local company that was founded here in 2008. David Wolfer, president of IES, will remain president of the combined entity. "Combining the expertise and knowledge of both companies will be very valuable to us and to our clients," he said.

 * ...GRAFTON: The latest book by novelist Sue Grafton spends a lot of time in Bakersfield. Called "W is for Wasted" the novel is the twenty-third entry in the long-running Kinsey Millhone series. In it, she talks about visiting Bakersfield, Beale Park, driving along Truxtun and the Central Valley.

* ... NAVY: From Navy veteran and submariner Gene Bonas comes this: "Thought you'd like to know that our United States Navy is celebrating its 238 years of service to our country. It was 1775 when early American leaders foresaw the importance of a fighting force at sea.  On October 13, George Washington commissioned a small fleet to intercept British supply ships off the coast of Massachusetts. The Continental Congress approved two additional armed vessels, and the U.S. Navy was born.
For 238 years since, the Navy has excelled at its mission of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas."

 * ... OVERHEARD: A woman is talking about being stuck in the Sears elevator last week along with 100-year-old Connie Narez. "I asked her if this was ever on her bucket list," the woman said. "She was just fine and I think I was more worried than her!"

 * ... COOKOUT:  The Taft College Foundation is putting on its annual Alumni and Friends Cougar Ribeye Cookout to salute veterans and soldiers this Thursday. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students and children. You can buy them by calling (661) 763-7700. The following day, on Friday, the West Kern Petroleum Summit will be held on the Taft College campus.

The city of Fresno pops up on a list of 20 cities that may be headed to bankruptcy due to unfunded pensions, and the evolving and utterly weird story of the PGE implosion gets odder by the day

 * ... FINANCIAL WOES: The city of Fresno has popped up on a list of cities that could be headed for bankruptcy. According to the website Newsmax, Fresno ranked No. 3 on a list of 20 cities with

serious financial problems due to unfunded pension liabilities. Said Newsmax: "Fresno had the ratings of its lease-revenue bonds downgraded to junk-level by Moody's, which also downgraded its convention center and pension obligation bonds due to the city's 'exceedingly weak financial position.' The other cities in the top five were Compton, East Greenbush, N.Y., Gulf County, Fla., and Harrisburg, Pa.

 * ... EXPLOSION: Can this story about the disastrous implosion of the PGE plant on Rosedale Highway get any weirder? Californian reporter John Cox is now reporting that one of the subcontractors was not legally licensed, and it seems no one can figure out just who - if anyone - reviewed the plans to implode the twin plant towers. Build a wheelchair ramp on your house and you need a permit, but blow up a power plant and no one seems to know exactly who needs to review the plans.


 * ... SAN FRAN: Kern County Auditor and Controller Mary B. Bedard dropped me a note about a previous blog post noting that an astounding one in 28 residents of San Francisco are on the public payroll. She noted: "While not defending San Francisco, I would like to point out that the staffing levels at the city of Bakersfield and San Francisco are not comparable because San Francisco is organized as both a city and county in a single governmental entity. Therefore, San Francisco is providing services such as libraries, public health, district attorney, public defender, aging and adult services, child support services, and many other services that are provided to the residents of Bakersfield by the County of Kern."



 * ... BOOMERS: Did you know that this week (August 6, actually) marked the 68th anniversary of the last submarine lost in World War II? Gene Bonas, a friend who served on two different 'boomers,' told me the last sub lost was the USS Bullhead SS 332 with the loss of 84 men. "The month of August saw the loss of four subs and 241 men. One sub, the USS S-39, ran aground on a reef with all crew rescued. Another sub, the USS Cochino SS-345, was lost in 1949 due to a battery explosion and fire.  One Cochino submariner was lost and six men assisting from the USS Tusk SS 426 were lost."

 * ... JINGLE: Matt Koelzer wrote to settle the riddle on the old radio jingle advertising a business on Wible Road. He said it was the Bakersfield Swap Meet, located on the site where 3 Way Chevrolet now sits.

* ... MEMORIES: From reader Mike Stewart: "I thoroughly enjoy your column, as it brings back memories of old Bakersfield. I have a question for you and fellow readers. Does anyone remember a little neighborhood market called Gus's? It was on E Street, off Palm? I remember swimming at the Beale Park pool and then going to the small store for candy afterwards."

Local housing market is in a squeeze with bidding wars breaking out on homes and a man literally gives "the shirt off his back" to a homeless man in Oildale

* ... HOUSING: Last week I cited a Realtor.com report on the local housing market, indicating as many as 1,815 homes were on the market locally. That triggered responses from local experts saying the real number was actually much lower. Here's appraiser Gary Crabtree, one of the leading experts on our local market: "In June, there were only 545 homes on the market, not 1,815 and it’s down 32 percent from the same period last year. There is an extreme undersupply of active listings on the market when you consider that the number of active listings comprise 0.4 percent of the total single family homes in Bakersfield. The main reason for the discrepancy is that they count homes with accepted contingent offers on them as active listings. There are bidding wars on homes with 2 to 4 offers not uncommon, but prices are being held in check by the restrictive appraisal practices mandated by Fannie and the continued use of 'distressed' sales as comparable."

  * ... SPOTTED: This heart warming encounter was related to me by reader Darlene Stewart: "On a recent trip to the Oildale Post Office I observed a man with no shirt (possibly homeless) asking directions to the morgue, because his brother had just died. He asked a couple driving out of the post office parking lot about directions to the morgue. They in turn asked me and I directed them next door to Mish Funeral Home. The gentleman in the car, not wanting him to have to go into the funeral home without a shirt, took his shirt off and offered it to him but he did not want to accept it. The gentleman wouldn’t take no for an answer and just slipped it over his head. This is the only time I have ever witnessed someone literally 'giving the shirt off his back.'"

* ... SPAY-NEUTER: Good news for all you out there who care about our pets. Bakersfield will soon have its own high-volume, low-cost spay-neuter clinic, called Critters Without Litters. The non-profit group was founded by Joann and Larry Keller, the couple behind the successful “Fix Your Pit” voucher program, which subsidized the cost for over 1,800 pit bulls and pit mixes since 2010. The equipment is on order and staffing is under way for the clinic, which is scheduled to open this fall. The clinic expects to perform 35 to 40 spay and neuter surgeries a day. For more details or to support this program call Larry Keller at (661) 831-6000.

 * ... RADIO: Join me tomorrow at 9 a.m. on Californian Radio KERN 1180 when I will be chatting with Ryan Beckwith, the athletic director at Bakersfield College. We'll be talking about his priorities and the upcoming Gades football season. (file photo of Beckwith)

* ... SUBMARINE: Gene M. Bonas is a Navy veteran and former submariner who is part of a group trying to save the USS Clamagore (SS343), which he called the last Guppy III submarine now destined for the scrap heap. "The Clamagore, commissioned in 1945, has served as a museum since 1981. It played a critical role as a prototype sub and Cold War warrior in helping to develop the technology that truly won the Cold War. Now, the Clamagore needs a $3 million overhaul.  If we, as past and present submariners and Navy veterans, don't save the Clamagore, she will be sold to the highest bidder for scrap or sunk to make an artificial reef." If you want to donate, send a check payable to "Save the Clamagore" to George Bass, 110 River Birch Drive,  Salisbury, N.C. 28146. (file photo of the USS Clamagore)

 * .... BAKERSFIELDISM: From John Strand in Lake Isabella: "You might be a Bakersfield old-timer if you remember the 210-foot 'Eiffel Tower' which stood on the Pacific Telephone building at 20th and Eye streets for many years. It was part of the YJ radiotelephone system which preceded our current cell-phones. Back in the day it was the highest structure in Bakersfield.

Downtown Bakersfield boasts new eateries including the new upscale steak house The Mark, and local kids bust the clays in skeet tournaments

* ... EATS: I wandered into the new downtown steak house called The Mark this week and I have one word for it: spectacular. It's located in the old Goose Loonies building on 19th Street just around the corner from the Fox Theater and the Padre Hotel, and though its sign is not yet up, the renovated building with a handsome outdoor patio are easy to find. The eatery features wide distressed wood floors and long dark bar that remind me of some old place on Union Square in San Francisco or a rusty speakeasy in the swank Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The owners, two podiatrists, tell me the grand opening will come later, but this is a place to stop by if you are in the mood for something new and exciting. Meanwhile just a block down the street Dr. Nick Hansa says business is brisk at his Chef's Choice Noodle Bar, a clean and welcoming Thai restaurant with a friendly buzz and terrific food. Chef's Choice opened in April of last year and has now gotten into the catering business as well. If you are one of those who live in the Southwest or Northwest and haven't ventured downtown recently, you are missing some terrific eateries. (file photos of Chef's Choice Noodle Bar)

* ... SKEET: Bakersfield has a long tradition of producing world champion skeet shooters, and the Buoni children continued that legacy at the Junior World Skeet Shoot in Stockton this past weekend. Dominic Buoni, a graduate of Bakersfield Christian High School who now attends Lindenwood University on a skeet scholarship, was crowned Collegiate .410 bore champion and Collegiate high overall runner up by busting 397 out of 400 targets. Meanwhile his little sister, Jenna, took home high overall Junior Lady Runner-up third and Junior Lady .410 champ. Congratulations to these kids. (Dominic, center, shown with his skeet squad)

*  ... SPOTTED: Donald Taylor spotted actor Ned Beatty at Noriega's last week enjoying lunch. "He looked fit and was very gracious to all. Semper Fi," Taylor said. (file photo of Ned Beatty)

 * ... OVERHEARD: A resident of La Cresta is sharing the story of a neighbor who stumbled upon a homeless encampment at the rear of his property near Garces Memorial High School. "It looked like someone had been living there for months," she said.


* ... LANE SPLITTING: What is your feeling about motorcyclists who split lanes in traffic? Kerry McGill said he generally has no problem with it unless it is done at reckless, high speeds. "Several years ago while returning from Irvine I was in the car pool lane doing 10 miles an hour when a motorcycle passed me doing 65 mph and hit my passenger side mirror. He ended up crashing, breaking both legs. A motorcyclist behind him stopped and said he could not believe how reckless that guy was. How many times, I wonder, have we drivers been startled by those lane splitting in stopped or almost stopped traffic. I think it should be illegal, and I have a motorcycle license."

* .... EARTHQUAKE: Here's one last memory of the 1952 earthquake, a note from Linda Meadows Polston who was just three and a half years old but recalls it vividly.  Her parents had been awakened by a loud roar and ran into their back yard where her father held her tightly. "My grandma Perry was saying loudly, 'I hear the trumpets of the Lord.' She kept repeating it ... my grandma was convinced that the Lord's kingdom was coming and right now! It's amazing how a traumatic incident sticks in one's mind with clarity, even for a small child." (photo courtesy of BakersfieldNow.com)

 * ... LEGION: The good folks over at the American Legion Post 26 have opened a thrift shop on the southeast corner of 21st and H streets. It is staffed by volunteers and customers pay what they can afford. All this to support local veterans, a cause worth supporting. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.