Good news for the California snowpack, the state wants to limit your indoor water use, thieves run amok about town with near impunity and two F-18s fly low over town

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. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not reflect the views of any other individual, organization or company.

 * ... SNOWPACK: Here's some good news on the California snowpack: experts say the frozen

water supply is at 97 percent of normal. This comes after California was hit by a series of storms that brought some much needed rain in December. We are now at 33.5 inches deep, ,which state officials say is 97 percent of average for this time of year. And we will need it, because officials say the rest of the year will be drier than normal. The snowpack provides 30 percent of the annual water needed for the state.

  * ... WATER NAZIS: Speaking of water, the California nanny state has passed a new law that will make it almost illegal to do laundry and take a shower on the same day. That's right, our state Legislature passed a law that will limit personal usage of water to 55 gallons a day. Just so you know, if you take a shower and do your laundry on the same day, chances are you will exceed that 55 gallon limit. Of course, this being California, there is no way for the state to determine how we actually use water in our homes. Water meters measure gross usage, including both inside and outside, but that doesn't seem to matter to the powers at be. And guess what? By the year 2025, that limit drops to 52.5 gallons day.

 * ... THAT SOUND: That deafening sound of aircraft heard about town on Saturday around 10 a.m. apparently came from two F-18 Eagles that took off from Meadows Field on a training flight. Facebook lit up after the planes took off, and no word yet on where the planes are stationed or why they landed at Meadows Field.

 * ... BAKERSFIELD THIEVES: Petty theft is rampant across town now that the state of California has basically decriminalized (that is, classified it as a misdemeanor) any theft of goods with a value of less than $950. Across town people are waltzing into stores, filling the carts and walking out, almost daring employees to confront them. Take a look at this woman, wearing an ankle monitor no less, caught on camera. The photos were posted in the Bakersfield Thieves Facebook page. The captionL "And here it is,,, Fun Zones 1st and dumbest Dildo of 2020! Stole lingerie and forgot to leave her ankle monitor at home! And since her ankle monitor is putting holes in her stockings Will someone please let her know I'll kindly give her a new pair of stockings so she can wear back to jail if she returns the lingerie!"

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: Now here is some redneck ingenuity. This was spotted on Facebook: "I was at the Tractor Supply Store and saw this pick-up that got its side window knocked out. Hooray for duck tape and the removable Tupperware lid to see the the side mirror. A redneck solution in action."

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this old picture of the Angelo National Bank at 18th and Chester Avenue, home of the law offices of Chain Cohn Stiles.

The county moves forward with its homeless shelter despite concerns from the High Speed Rail Authority, Tiler Peck shows up in the Ray Donovan series and ABC23's Tim Calahan calls it quits

* ... THREE CHEERS: You just have to love the county's response to the California High-Speed Rail Authority who signaled it has a problem with the county's location for a new low barrier homeless shelter. The Authority warned it may need the land over off Golden State Highway where the shelter is being built. The county's response: we are going forward. Said county communications director Megan Person: “The talk about the high speed rail has been going on for 20 years. So the

county is just saying we are not going to be holding our breath anymore. We have a crisis that we need to address. We understand we’re in the pathway. We’re moving forward... ” This is exactly the kind of response we need, and I for one applaud it. The idea that this state boondoggle called high speed rail could de-rail (pardon the pun) an important project is absurd.

 * ... WAS THAT TILER PECK?: It's not every day when you are watching one of your favorite cable shows and you spot a Bakersfield girl in the cast. But there she was, our own Tiler Peck, a member of the New York City Ballet, appearing on a Showtime episode of Ray Donovan. Peck appeared in the season debut of Ray Donovan's new season called “Faith. Hope. Love. Luck" as the friend (girlfriend?) in a character pursued and beaten by Ray Donovan. Peck is not only a star with the ballet, but she regularly dabbles in TV and movies.

 * ... TIM CALAHAN: Adios to Tim Calahan, ABC23's evening anchor who brought wit, dignity and insight into our homes nightly. Calahan won't say what his next move is, but he appears to be staying in town and looking for a new chapter that does not involve the demanding hours of being a TV anchor. Calahan previously worked for KGET and the Mission of Kern County before joining KERO TV.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: From Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak: "In order to save our planet, I’m asking everyone in America who’s 73-years-old or older to join me in pledging not to have any more children. #SignThePledge."

 * ... BAD FORM: I spotted this post on Facebook regarding some alleged thieves at The Marketplace. It read: "So today at Vons at the Marketplace, I saw management kicking three known shoplifters out. I decided to take a few pictures of their plate as they left. The fat one in the pictures below rolled down the rear window and struck me in the face and chest with an unopened bottle of Gatorade as they fled. Unfortunately, BPD doesn't have the ability to run the numbers on the temp plates the DMV uses now like they can a regular plate. They did take a report for assault with a deadly weapon. If you know where these pieces of trash live, please let me know.
Vons management stated these three have stolen around $12k in liquor from them this year and are known to hit multiple stores in a day."

 * ... FIRE MUSEUM: Have you heard about the proposed new fire museum downtown? It will be located directly behind the Fox Theater and across from the downtown fire station on G Street. Check out the artist rendering.

 * ... BRATCHER: A new home design business has opened on 18th Street next to Sequoia Sandwich Co. downtown. Bratcher design studio was founded by creative director Brooke Bratcher, who has worked in residential interior design for more than eight years. The store is open from 10 am. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, the studio offers "grab and go" items and exclusive furniture lines, as well as a space for planning customized interiors.

* .. MEMORIES: Yet another trip down memory lane looking at 19th Street back in the day.