San Francisco Chronicle takes a pulse of Kern County and our pro Trump voters, high school lacrosse comes to Bakersfield and calling attention to a local eyesore

 * ... CHRONICLE: If your perspective of politics and life comes from a Bay Area high rise, you can bet it will be different than how we feel here in the great Central Valley of California. For many in the more populous regions of San Francisco and Los Angeles, Kern County is a mere curiosity, a vast region serving the blue collar poor, the under served and those of us employed in such unpopular pursuits as fossil fuel extraction and water hogging agriculture. And you wonder why we are so often misunderstood? Which is why I was pleased to read a fairly balanced story on Kern County this weekend in the San Francisco Chronicle, which sent a reporter to our town to explore the support for Trump and our more conservative tendencies. For the most part the Chronicle eschewed broad stereotypes and focused on our quest for job growth, water security and the expansion of Medi-Cal under the Affordable Care Act. It is worth your read.

 * ... OBAMACARE: The number of folks who are now insured under Medi-Cal because of the

Affordable Care Act in California is staggering. These are some of the numbers from the Chronicle story: “51 percent Merced County residents have Medi-Cal, 45 percent in Madera County, 50 percent in Fresno County and 55 percent in Tulare County."

 * ... LACROSSE: It's nice to see the sport of lacrosse taking a hold in Kern County. Up at Garces Memorial High School, a club team has emerged featuring players from Garces, Frontier, Centennial and Stockdale high schools, many of whom had never played before. The lads recorded a 4-3 win on goals by Cameron Garcia, Logan McMurtrey, Corbin McMurtrey and the game's most valuable player, Jack "Wags" Waguespack.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If I ever go missing and there’s a big search party out looking for me, you can save time by not looking at any gyms."

 * ... SUMMER: Enjoy these springs days because summer is coming and in this town that means bracing for 106-degree days. My choice for a light meal on a scorching hot day? Try the new yogurt Parfait from QwikCafe on 18th Street, a perfect compliment to a season when the heat rules.

 * ... BAD FORM: If you regularly travel on Fairfax Road from Alfred Harrell Highway up to Panorama, you know it is often used as a dumping ground for old mattresses, discarded appliances and trash. It's an eyesore and in recent months it has gotten worse. Memo to my friend Sal Moretti at the city Solid Waste Division: can I strong-arm you into looking into this mess?

 * ... BARNES: Hats off to CSUB basketball coach Rod Barnes who chalked up another honor after leading the Roadrunners to the National Invitational Tournament semi finals. Barnes was named the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year. Can we keep Barnes or will he be recruited by a larger program with a higher salary? Stay tuned.

Dining al fresco before the temperature rises to 106, beware of those sting rays at the beach and lamenting the dying coastal redwoods

 * … HEAT: Are you ready for 106 degrees next week? How about 108? It seems improbable after

this incredible mild week we have had, and I took advantage of it by dining al fresco: dinner outside at Uricchio's Trattoria, brunch on the patio at Tahoe Joe's, and appetizers at Wiki's Wine Dive. Remember this week when the sidewalks are frying in a few short days.

 * … FOODIE: And speaking of food, my recommendation of the week is the tuna salad atop a bed of avocado over at the Union Station Deli downtown across from the Post Office. The tuna comes with diced green apples and cranberries.

 * … DROUGHT: One of the long-tail effects of the drought: the sheer number of coastal redwoods dying about town. From the east side out to White Lane, hundreds of these water-needy trees are brown and dying. Beautiful trees true, but not suitable for our dry climate.

* … SUMMER: My friend Howdy Miller had some sound advice about visiting the beach this summer. Listen up: "Just a reminder to all those who enjoy the ocean by swimming - surfing - or wading in it! Please remember to SHUFFLE IN AND OUT to eliminate any possibility of stepping near, around or in my case on a cruising stingray. Happens about 1,500 times a year on the beaches of California, Texas and Florida. Last September I came out of the water in Solana Beach (near San Diego) stepping on top of a relatively small stingray. It reacted by giving me a four inch slash on my ankle and I still do not have any  feeling in the big toe of my right foot. The barbs and venom deposited by said stingray resulted in great pain and discomfort that could have been avoided by a simple shuffle. My podiatrist suggests the response may indeed last a year or longer. I love the ocean and will be surfing again this September, but lease learn to do a simple shuffle to avoid a lot of discomfort or worse!"

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Oh, you hate your job? There’s a support group for that. It’s called 'Everybody' and we meet at the bar."

 * … SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "If you want to test the strength of your willpower, just try ignoring a mosquito bite."

 * … PIE SHOP: Superior Court Judge Thomas S. Clark wrote to say he was among those who remember Scotty's Pie shop near Brundage and Highway 58. "I remember the pie shop well.  I grew up just to the east of Chester, a couple blocks away.  I have fond memories of the pies, but I only got to patronize the shop on very special occasions. The building is still there.  Unfortunately, I don’t know what type of chocolate they used, but it was very good.

China becomes top consumer for California almonds and welcoming another hot summer in Bakersfield

 * ... ALMOND DEMAND: Good news for our local almond growers. According to The New York Times, China is now the top foreign buyer of American almonds, "more than doubling its purchases from two years ago." That's according to the California Almond Board of California, which is launching an aggressive marketing campaign directed straight at the Chinese consumer. The Times said China purchased $737 million in tree nuts from the United States last year, a huge increase from the $89 million it spent just five years earlier. The California Almond Board is now spending $3.3 million to market our almonds to the Chinese consumer. The paper said Chinese consumers tend to buy nuts roasted, salted and in the shell.

 * ... HEAT IS ON: Where were you when Mother Nature snapped her fingers and ordered in the heat? I could almost pinpoint the time when I felt the end of our long happy period of mild weather. It was Sunday, around 10:30 a.m. and I was on a bike, out near Zerker Road and Porterville Highway, when I felt the full rush of a hot wind and knew instantly that summer was here.

 * ... REMEMBERING ALTON: Hard to believe it's been a full year since a motorist struck and killed Alton Saceaux. Alton was one of our community's true great spirits and a committed recreational cyclist. He was cycling home on South Union Avenue when he was struck and killed. (see a previous post here) His friends planned a twilight ride in his memory.  

* ... HIGHLAND ENGINEERS: It's not often that you hear of an entire family of engineers, but reader Randy Airey reminded me of at least one. He said his aunt, Marcelle Ansolabehere, is married to retired civil engineer George Ansolabehere. They have three daughters and all of them are civil engineers, and all went to Highland High. Monique finished at the top of her class at USC in 1985, Helene graduated from Cal Poly in 1988 and Denise also went to Cal Poly, graduating in 1990. Denise finished a masters in civil engineering in 2000 and Helene is working writing her Doctorate Dissertation from UCSB and will have a PhD is civil engineering. The girls have a brother, Tony, who graduated from USC in computer science. Wow.

 * ... POWER COUPLE: Heard that Betty Eaves is the incoming president of the Assistance League, one of the more prominent charities in town. Apparently this is Betty's second stint as president of the AL. She is married to Ron Eaves, the chairman of the board at the Golden Empire Gleaners, another important local charity. This is one couple who chooses to give back to their community. (Betty shown below in photo taken by Casey Christie)

 * ... MEA CULPA: I goofed on Monday in referring to Siobhan O'Rourke as a "he." As reader Michelle Beck noted: "Lovely mention for Siobhan O'Rourke, but I wanted to mention that she is a she, not a he. Her name is Irish and is pronounced 'Sha-vaughn.' My dad and her dad have been friends for years. She is a great kid and deserved the recognition." Siobhan received a scholarship from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and plans to enter the nursing program at Cal State Bakersfield. She graduated from Bakersfield Christian High School.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield if you "know Thursday night is steak night at Narducci's. Ten bucks for a steak and the set up."