City of Stockton's bankruptcy was borne by recklessness and promises that could not be kept, and more memories of old Bakersfield

* ... STOCKTON: The most disturbing aspect of the city of Stockton's bankruptcy is the sheer recklessness the city made in offering lifetime pensions to its employees. The city owes the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) more than $900 million, a staggering amount of debt that the city simply cannot repay. One of the key questions before the bankruptcy court is do you continue to honor the pension promises at the expense of other creditors? The case in Stockton is a business school case study in fiscal irresponsibility, and a warning to other municipalities about being realistic about promises made to public employee unions. (photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times)

 * ... SPOTTED: From reader Candace Bumes: "To the driver of a red Mercedes SUV who did not yeild to an emergency vehicle with lights and siren: next time the paramedics could be going after your loved one. Think about it."

 * ... BUCKEYES: Sunny Kapoor is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University and took son Nigel to the Staples Center to take in the Buckeyes-Wichita State game during the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Tournament.  "As a Buckeye alumni, it was my opportunity to support my alma mater, and be surrounded by the best college fans in the country, and be entertained by the 'best damn band in the land.' Even though we lost, the experience was priceless, and we had a great time." Nigel is now a senior at Centennial High School and will be interning soon with a local engineering firm.

 * ... MEMORIES: Reader Victoria Shallock was among several folks who responded to an earlier post about old memories. Said Vickie: "I, too, fondly remember the 'Un-Lock-A-Loc' game from the local afternoon kid show with 'Meet Mitchel' (I believe his first name was really Harry?) You had to send in your entry along with the end panel from a loaf of Golden Crust Bread (another local entity/memory) and select which lock you wanted to open (there were three). I won a really cool microscope set one time! And I think one of Don Rodewald's features was a 'Come as You Are' segment on the local afternoon matinee show. Our family was called one afternoon and hurried down to the studio to be interviewed and appear on his show. I recall Don and my dad (who was a CHP officer) having a very interesting conversation about traffic laws. Great memories of wonderful times gone by when life was much more simple and uncomplicated."

 * ... FACE CREAM: And Rick Kreiser and other readers identified the woman who used to market a face cream that was "so pure you can eat it." Said Kreiser:  "Her name was Hazel Allen...a staple of Channel 10's (23) movie breaks... Don Rodewald lived in my neighborhood and I went through school with his girls, April and Judy... smart cookies, they were.  His tag line was 'half an hour before three, when it's just you and me.""

 * ... BREAD: And finally there is this from Albert Lyons: "Does anyone remember the jingle for Golden Crust Bread? I think it was a contest on a local children's program and I think Zippy was the clown and it might have been sponsored by Toy Circus. If you got on the program and was able to sing the jingle you could when a bike from the Toy Circus. "

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Randy Martin, the head honcho over at Covenant Coffee, says you may be a Bakersfield old timer if "you remember the dump located on the bluffs near where Bakersfield College now sits."

Touting the benefits of a college education and the Griders host an event for Assembly candidate Shannon Grove

  

* ... READER SOUNDOFF: Reader Brian Landis responded to an earlier post with these thoughtful comments. "I can't hold my tongue anymore. A woman mentioned in your blog last week that she's sick about hearing about Bakersfield kids going off to college, or words to that effect. My wife and I were locals who went away to college and returned home. All my life I heard from my oilfield working grandfathers, 'You get your butt a college education, boy! You can do better for yourself.'  Eventually I did get that education graduating from Santa Barbara's other college, Westmont College, after graduating from, Highland High in '90.  My wife had no choice about going to college since her grandfather was superintendent of Lost Hills School which now has the middle school named after him, A.M. Thomas. She was class co-valedictorian at East Bakersfield High '86. She is now an attorney here in town. I am now a 8th grade history teacher at Curran Middle School. Getting an education is one of our nation's great opportunities and is a must for our Republic to function. My grandparents didn't have much, especially during the Depression. But what they did have instilled a desire to do my best, to learn, and make a better life for myself and my family. I'm sure you can paraphrase something to that effect." Actually, I could not have said it better. Thanks for writing.

 * ... ART WALK: If you're looking for something to do this weekend consider the Walk for the Arts, a Saturday morning stroll through downtown to support the arts. It begins at 8 a.m. at the Betty Younger Sculpture Garden on Truxtun Avenue between Chester and L Street and ends at noon at the Rabobank Arena Pavilion. Count on lots of live music and awards and free entry to all the galleries and museums. The Arts Council of Kern is putting it on and there is a $10 day of the event sign up fee. 

* ... SHANNON GROVE: Heard that retired Bakersfield College football coach Dallas and wife Mary Grider hosted a neighborhood party to “Meet and Greet” Assembly candidate Shannon Grove earlier this week.  Mary, who works at Rabobank, said this was the night the "wind kicked up and all the colorful umbrellas in the back yard blew over but the party moved in doors when Shannon talked about her positions on many hot issues." Among those attending were Bob and Lani Wattenbarger, Richard and Teddi Fanucchi, Katy Valentich, Chad and Camille Grider, Paul and Claudia Milazzo, Bruce and Cheryl Biggar, Chris Champness, Dr. Paul Ansolebehere, Amber Grider-Turner, Charles and Joan Lortz, Dr. Gary and Kathy Williams, Doug Wattenbarger, Cathy Abernathy and Jim and Fawn Antt ( former California State Real Estate Commissioner), who asked Shannon if she had thick skin and could withstand the brutality in Sacramento. 

 * ... BUCKEYE BOUND: Greg Hanel, a senior at Stockdale High School, is headed to Big Ten powerhouse The Ohio State University to study aeronautical engineering. He's senior class president, swim team captain and an accomplished bassoon and alto saxophone player. In fact, he teamed up with his sophomore brother Dan to earn a command performance at the California Music Educators Association State Solo and Ensemble Festival this past week in Sacramento. Dan plays the trombone. Parents Mary and Greg Hanel credited Stockdale band director John Biller and the school's music program for encouraging their boys to succeed.


 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield when "you've actually offered someone a Dewar's chew from the bowl on your coffee table."