Another "seismic legal clash" adds to woes in the housing market and the SPCA plans its Mutt Strut

 * ... REAL ESTATE: Can things possibly get worse with the housing crisis? Well apparently they can. Amid a market that is swamped in foreclosures and uncertainty, the focus now is on thousands of documents that went missing in the 2005 to 2007 frenzy when the market was red hot. As the New York Times noted, "now those missing and possibly fraudulent documents are at the center of a potentially seismic legal clash that pits big lenders against homeowners and their advocates concerned that the lenders' rush to foreclose flouts private property rights." So how have the big banks responded to this crisis? They've made it near impossible to qualify for a loan, at least according to local Realtors I have spoken with. I saw one the other day and the look of frustration on his face was almost painful to witness. Yet another escrow on a house - a beautiful place at the right price in a wonderful neighborhood - had fallen through because of the reluctance of a bank to make a loan. "You wouldn't believe what they dragged my client through - sixty days of it! - and his credit is perfect. This neighborhood lost a wonderful family." One thing is clear: we are a long way from crawling out of this hole and meanwhile, wonderful homes at reasonable prices sit on the market.

 * ... SPOOK: One of the more successful but little known annual events is this Saturday's Spooktacular, a 100-mile bike ride featuring more than 10,000 feet of climbing in the impressive mountains that frame our community. It is put on annually by the Kern Wheelmen cycling club and draws several hundred riders from across the West. There are shorter courses available, but the two 100-mile jaunts - one goes up White Wolf grade outside of Arvin and then the switch backs of Lion's Trail to Walker Basin while the other tackles Breckenridge mountain - test even the fittest of riders.

* ... MUTT STRUT:  If riding 100 miles is too much for you, check out another worthwhile event this Saturday, the eighth annual Mutt Strut walk and run to benefit the SPCA at Yokuts Park. The SPCA's Chuck Nordstrom said all runners will receive a T-shirt and goody bag. Registration starts at 7 a.m. and there will be plenty of food after the race and walk. "Following our race will be Anderson Acres Responsible Dog Day Event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. where the SPCA will be offering a microchip clinic and the county will be offering rabies vaccinations and licensing," he said.

 * ... BROCKS: John Brock Jr. wrote to share some history of the old Trailway's bus depot that was located at the northwest corner of 20th and K streets. "My family bought the property in the late 1950s or early 1960s, demolished the building and created an additional parking lot for Brock's."

 * ... GO DUCKS: Heard from reader Lori Peters that Lauren Kotz, a 2010 graduate of Stockdale High School, has landed a spot on the University of Oregon softball team. Peters said Kotz was the only player to make the team as a walk-on. Not a bad time to be a Duck given the strength of its football team this year.

 * ... SPOTTED: As seen by KGFM radio host Rachel Legan: "A couple smoking outside the cancer clinic. Oh, the irony."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if "you saw Pancho Gonzales and Lew Hoad play an exhibition at the Bakersfield Racquet Club."

Hot new hair straightening product is under scrutiny and Wall Street Journal spotlights Kevin McCarthy

 * ... YOUNG GUNS: Rep. Kevin McCarthy has received some more positive press, this time a front page analysis in the Wall Street Journal focusing on the group of moderate Republicans who likely will be in control of the House after the election. McCarthy was singled out for recruiting a class of candidates across the country who have political experience and will be open to compromise to push through important legislation. Said the Journal: "Among the ideas is to bring a series of bills to the floor, as often as once a week, designed to cut spending in some way. Longer term, GOP leaders say they recognize they may have to compromise with Democrats in tackling broader problems." (photo courtesy of the Wall Street Journal)

 * ... THE BUZZ: Lots of chatter in local hair salons over the safety of a hot new hair straightening product. Some reports say the product, called the Brazilian Blowout, contains dangerous levels of formaldehyde, a chemical the National Cancer Institute calls a cancer-causing substance. Apparently when it's exposed to heat from hair dryers,  it emits a nasty smell that causes sore throats and eye irritation. Some stylists worry that other customers not undergoing the procedure may become sick by inhaling the fumes if the salon is not properly ventilated.  An NPR report said the product's maker maintains it is perfectly safe, but the state of Oregon is warning salon workers to use it with caution. And in Canada, NPR said it has been pulled from the shelves. KBAK TV reported earlier that the treatment can cost up to $250 per session and that Cal OSHA has received complaints about the product.

* ... VIBE'S... Reader Nancy Vibe says you are a real Bakersfield old timer if you can remember the tune to the old "Vibe's Market" jingle. Her father-in-law said the markets were on California Avenue, Rosedale Highway and in Greenfield and Arvin. The jingle: "Vibe's, Vibe's... Vibe's is a working man's friend ... You spend less money and you get more too ... Vibe's, Vibe's, Vibe's is a working man's friend."

 * ... MORE VIBE'S: And there is this from reader John Croson: "I had the pleasure of working for Roy Vibe when I was in high school. He had the best product in Bakersfield by far and was the greatest boss a kid could work with. He even bought my black figs from my back yard and sold them at the store."

 * ... FOUNDATION: The Women's and Girls' Fund of Kern County is accepting applications for a new round of grants focusing on "education and training." The fund, part of the Kern Community Foundation, will award grants totaling $16,000 to $20,000. Interested nonprofits should send a letter of intent to apply to the Foundation office, 3300 Truxtun Avenue, Suite 220, Bakersfield, 93301, or fax it to 661-325-5358. The Fund was launched in 2005 and has awarded $63,000 in grants from an endowment exceeding $440,000.

 * ... OVERHEARD: Two women talking at Oildorado Days celebration in Taft. "Girl, How are you?" Other woman responds, " I am great! I got new teeth!"  With that, she pulled them out and proudly showed off her new dentures.

 * ... SPOTTED: Middle-aged man gives a hot cup of coffee to a homeless, obviously unstable woman at the Chevron station at the corner of 23rd and L streets in a random act of kindness.

* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield "if your gift packages to your children away at college include Dewar's Chews."

Warning newcomers about the dangers of Valley Fever and musing about about Zack Scrivner's pot conviction

* ... VALLEY FEVER: Pauline Larwood, a former county supervisor and one of the leaders in an effort to find a cure for valley fever, dropped me this note regarding what every newcomer to our town should know: "September's reported cases show a sharp rise in valley fever infection in Kern County. The number of monthly cases in tracked by both the Kern County Health Department and Physician's Automated Lab. September's cases likely were exposed to Coccidioides immitis spores six weeks prior to infection. people who have lived here all their lives are likely still susceptible. History shows that the old, the very young, those who are immune suppressed, blacks and Filipinos and some other Asian ancestries all seem to be more susceptible to serious disease. New residents probably know little about the disease and should educate themselves. One way to do that is to visit www.valleyfever.com."

 * ... THE BUZZ: Lots of talk around town about county supervisor candidate Zack Scrivner's disclosure that he was arrested on a marijuana charge while a student at UC Santa Barbara. Call me jaded, but I can't get overly agitated over this whole affair. Isla Vista, where Zack was busted, is not much different from Chico, Berkeley, Boulder, Austin, Ann Arbor or any other college town. Marijuana is a fact of life and the idea that kids experiment with it should come as no surprise to anyone .That's not an endorsement of his behavior, or the fact that he didn't come clean about it earlier, but rather a concession that with youth comes indiscretion.

 * ... SHE'S BACK: Read with interest Californian opinion editor Robert Price's Sunday column talking about the very real possibility that Nicole Parra will be appointed county supervisor to replace the state Senate bound Michael Rubio. Parra, a former Assemblywoman, would be appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger if Rubio wins the 16th State Senate race as he is expected to do. As Price points out, this is rich with irony since Parra would return to reclaim her "deposed father's place on the dais, replacing the man who defeated Pete Parra six years ago - and who happens to be a former protege of her sworn blood enemy, termed out 16th District state Sen. Dean Florez."

* ... GREEN FROG: Reader Nancy Vibe recalled when her father-in-law leased the produce section of the Green Frog market on Alta Vista for 32 years. In the old days, he said "people would come in on Saturday, dressed in their good clothes, and shop. He said the men had on nice sport coats and ties, and the women had on - get this - fur coats! So they would come in all dolled up, buy their veggies and give and get the latest gossip about Bakersfield's finest. You had to see Roy Vibe on Saturday to get the good stuff!"

 * ... IRON MAN: Mike Toland is one of those guys who makes us all look bad. Fit, trim and disciplined, this geologist at the state Department of Conservation is one of our community's most committed athletes, not to mention a gracious and decent man. So it was nice to hear that Toland is headed to the International Triathlon Union's World Long Course Championships in Las Vegas next year. Mike qualified to be part of Team USA in the 55-59 age group by competing in the National Long Course Championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The race included a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13-mile run. Now that's something to crow about.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if you "remember what was on the northwest corner of 20th and K streets. (The Trailways Santa Fe Bus Depot)

McCarthy: federal budget deficit now tops a trillion dollars and let's count the votes of our service men and women overseas

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "This week we learned that certain states have failed to get ballots to our overseas military personnel in enough time so that their votes can be properly counted.  This is infuriating.  Last October, Congress
worked together to enact a bipartisan law that requires state and local election jurisdictions to transmit ballots to overseas and military voters no later than 45 days before a general election.
  "Today, joining with neighboring Congressman Buck McKeon, the Senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee, we sent a letter to the Department of Justice calling on them to address this issue.  In order to ensure that our overseas servicemen and servicewomen are not disenfranchised, we are urging the Justice Department to work with the Department of Defense and election officials to send ballots by
express delivery so that their ballots can be counted.

  "Speaking of military service, my office will host an Academy Forum on Saturday, November 6th for all students interested in attending one of our nation’s U.S. Service Academies.  If you know of a student who is
interested please let them know that they can RSVP by emailing my office at RSVP.McCarthy@mail.house.gov or by calling 327-3611.  The forum will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 am at the Kern County Board of Supervisors’ Chambers, and representatives from each Academy will be
there, along with various visiting cadets and midshipmen who will be able to offer a first-hand account of what school and life are like at the academies.  Parents are welcome to come too.

  "It was great to be in Taft today to help celebrate the city’s 100th Anniversary during Oildorado Days.  As you know in the late 1800’s, oil was discovered and overnight Taft was born.  Taft has a rich
historical connection to America’s domestic natural energy production, and I was proud to celebrate its rich heritage today.   To celebrate its centennial, Taft unveiled the long awaited Oil Workers Monument,
which was created and sculpted by Kern County’s own Foothill High School graduate, Benjamin Victor.  It stands 40 feet tall and weighs 13 tons and is now the largest bronze monument in California.  Check
out pictures on my facebook.com/CongressmanKevinMcCarthy from today’s unveiling.  If you did not have a chance to visit Taft this weekend, Oildorado Days will continue next weekend.  For more information on a
good family outing, visit: oildoradodays.com.

  "Not to end on a negative note, but today a sobering report from the Administration informed us that the federal deficit for 2010 is expected to be $1.29 trillion, which means that the federal government
borrowed 37 cents out every dollar it spent.  How we act on this news will impact future generations.  In A Pledge to America, my colleagues and I put forth a plan that we can act on now to stop out-of-control
spending and reduce the size of government.  To read it, visit: pledge.gop.gov.  Thanks for reading.

Bakersfield tops list of cities with the worst air and recalling Trice Harvey's "political whore" remark

 * ... OLE TRICE: Weighing on the weak public apology Jerry Brown offered Meg Whitman after comparing her to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels,  Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Morain recalled a 1994 incident involving our own Trice Harvey, a former Republican assemblyman from Bakersfield. Harvey had called Republican Paul Horcher a "political whore" for voting for Willie Brown as Speaker. Democrats demanded an apology and Harvey shot back: "I'm sorry he's a whore." You have to love ole Trice.

 * ... BAD AIR: A report by the American Lung Association has ranked Bakersfield as having the worst air to breathe in the nation. This hardly comes as any surprise given the San Joaquin Valley's reputation but it's never encouraging to see us so high on any such list of dubious distinction. Rounding out the top ten were Los Angeles, Fresno, Visalia-Porterville, Birmingham, Ala., Hanford, St. Louis, Mo., New York City, Pittsburgh and Sacramento. Said one report on the list: "Wondering what's in the air in Bakersfield? Unfortunately it's heavy smog and pollution that cloud the sunny city. Financially reliant on petroleum extraction and refinement, it's no surprise that this west coast town falls in the top three of ozone levels, long-term and short-term particle emissions and levels are rising each year. It looks like the residents of Bakersfield need to cook up ways to get clean"

 * ... BURGLARIES: The rash of burglaries across town has continued into the fall seemingly unabated. Readers have told me of break-ins in virtually every area of town, from the Bakersfield Country Club area to Laurelglen to Westchester. In the downtown area where I live, there have been three burglaries in the last two weeks, and all at homes with alarm systems. Police characterize these as classic "smash and grab" burglaries where the thieves are in and out in two or three minutes, taking flat screen TVs, jewelry, computers and whatever will fit into a pillowcase.

 * ... BURGERS: From reader Al Caetano, a proud Bakersfield native: "I look forward to reading your column. Today's mention of Jumbo Burgers brought back fond memories of cruising Stan's, Michener's and making a slight detour to Jumbo's for cheap burgers. I really loved the special sauce. Being from south of town, a special memory as a little boy was mom taking me to Canady's nursery on Taft Highway west of Pumpkin Center. Canady's had a monkey cage in front and I just loved watching the monkeys while mom shopped for plants. Not sure about the spelling. These visits would have taken place in the mid 1940s."

 * ... ENOUGH: Sunny Kapoor took me to task for my obsession with littering in our community. "Enough already about the dirty diapers! I, like most others, am absolutely disgusted in the manner in which some people choose to dispose of them, but the story about it being tossed out of an SUV to hit another SUV is make believe at best! Maybe we should allocate space to speak of other great happenings in our community, like the awesome Oildorado Days in Taft or the weekly soccer players at the Kern County Soccer Complex playing 'the beautiful game.''

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield "if you think using your turn signals is an optional exercise."

An afternoon jog and photos of the Mohawk bridge

 Don Martin, owner of Metro Galleries downtown, shot these pictures of the new bridge at Mohawk and Truxtun extension on his afternoon run along the river. 

 

San Joaquin Bank nears an ominous anniversary and a Rudy Giuliani sighting at Seven Oaks Country Club

 * ... SAN JOAQUIN: Hard to believe it's been almost a full year since San Joaquin Bank was shut down by federal and state regulators. It was October 16, 2010, when a dozen or so regulators in dark suits swept into the bank at the end of the day and closed it forever. So far this year, the FDIC has shuttered 129 banks, well on track to eclipse the 140 closed last year. Since the financial crisis started in 2007, 297 banks have been closed, bringing the loss to the FDIC Deposit Insurance Fund to $72.6 billion. Most of the employees and executives at San Joaquin have landed jobs elsewhere and as time marches on, the bank and its considerable imprint it left on this community become little more than a curious and sad historical footnote.

 * ... SPOTTED: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, one of the speakers at the Bakersfield Business Conference, was seen playing golf at Seven Oaks Country Club on Sunday. Sheri Horn Bunk, head of the Taft College Foundation, and friend Mary King spotted Giuliani playing behind them and stopped to pose for a few pictures. Said Sheri: "We drove back to the hole where he was finishing up his putt and acted like we had lost a club. And I said to the body guard who was a bit like a Sopranos character, 'that man looks like Rudy Giuliani' and he said it is. Rudy walks over with cigar in tow and says 'hello ladies!' We took the picture and both Mary and I said 'can we post it to Facebook?' And he said 'yes please do!' We all cracked up and he continued to play behind us. He also signed two scorecards for us and personalized them too."

  

* ... VALLEY FEVER: Local civic leader Sheryl Barbich wrote in with a warning to folks who are new to our community and are not familiar with Valley Fever. Said Sheryl: "Your comment about (Ralph) Bailey reminded me that Soraya Coley, Provost at CSUB, has one of the stories that people traveling through here need to know. She and her husband were recently vacationing in Hawaii when he suddenly got sick. Of course, no one there knew anything about Valley Fever, so they tried all kinds of TB tests, etc.  Fortunately, Soraya phoned Dr. (Horace) Mitchell who suggested that it might be Valley Fever. Sure enough! With input from Dr. Royce Johnson, her husband wound up in the hospital at UC San Francisco.  He only recently went back to work part time.  I’ve heard stories (Pauline Larwood and Sandy Larson) about people visiting from other countries/states, who got sick when they went home, were not diagnosed properly, and ultimately died." That's sound advice.


* ... NIGHT WALK: Reader Lynn Finch reminded me of the Light the Night Walk this Saturday, a fund raiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, whose mission is to find a cure for the blood cancers. This is a worthy effort and the event will be held at the Marketplace on Saturday starting at 5 p.m. with the walk following at 7 p.m. Lynn's own son, Chad Hathaway, is an 11-year survivor. He had leukemia and underwent a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. My own mother, Julia Squier of Scottsdale, Arizona, died of lymphoma two years ago.

 * ... YMCA: From Dave Wilkerson of the YMCA: "Just wanted to let you know that thanks to Kari Grimm-Anderson and Grimmway Farms the YMCA for the first time ever has programs for the kids in the Arvin-Lamont area. Grimmway is paying half the cost per child, paying for uniforms, soccer field etc. What a blessing this is for the kids in this area of Kern County."

 * ... OPEN HOUSE: Remember the open house for prospective students at Garces Memorial High School is this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader and All-America skeet shooter Ken Barnes: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if you "remember buying two hamburgers, fries and a small drink for 60 cents at the Jumbo drive-in on Golden State Avenue. Or, if you were one of the kids who shot arrows into the Big Indian I put up at my tire store on the Garces Circle."

Busy weekend in old B-town with the Business Conference and other activities

* ... WEEKEND: Could not have asked for better weather for the return of the Bakersfield Business Conference, held under the big white tent out at Cal State Bakersfield. By all measures it was a huge success and no matter your politics, you have to tip your hat to local attorney George Martin, his son Brandon and all the others who worked hard to bring such big name news makers to town. Thanks to the Business Conference, the downtown Padre Hotel enjoyed its first fully booked weekend since its reopening, and restaurants across town were all doing a brisk business. The Padre also benefited from hosting the 20th reunion of the class of 1990 of Garces Memorial High School. At Uricchio's Trattoria downtown, the wait was a full hour and a half on Saturday night.

 * ... FORECLOSURES: The housing market, still sputtering as it works through a virtual tsunami of foreclosures, may be in for yet more trouble with Bank of America's decision to freeze evictions and some foreclosures because of questions over mistakes in handling the paperwork. As one local Realtor told me: "Foreclosed homes make up almost half my sales, and if you take that away, what will be left?" The hard truth is the market will never fully recover until we work through the thousands of foreclosures working their way through the system. Stay tuned for more developments on this story as the politicians weigh in to micro manage the process.

 * ... SPOTTED: This from a friend who was driving down Highway 178 last week: "I was in the left lane and I saw what appeared to be a woman on her knees in the back of a rather large SUV in the center lane just ahead of me. All of a sudden the back window rolls down and out the window at a pretty incredible speed a dirty diaper flung out... catching and sticking to the windshield of another SUV that was following the culprit, obviously following a little too closely. Ewww. Gag. This is an anonymous report. Could be my windshield next time!"

 * ... BIRTHDAY RIDE: Hank Pfister, the long-time tennis pro at Stockdale Country Club, celebrated his 57th birthday with a hundred-mile bike ride to Panorama Heights. Pfister and 19 other locals climbed more than 10,000 feet in the ride that took six and a half hours. During a long pro tennis career, Pfister was once ranked as high as 19th in the world on the ATP Tour.

 * ... OPEN HOUSE: Gordon Westhoff, a fellow gym rat who also happens to be director of admissions at Garces Memorial High School, reminded me that the annual Garces Open House for prospective students will be held Saturday, October 17 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.Garces has a long tradition of serving our community and has always provided a quality education.

* ... CSUB: The CSUB Alumni Association will hold its fall mixer at The Padre Hotel on October 21 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Prospect Lounge. The new "Runnertini" martini - it is made with blueberry and lemondrop to signify school colors - will be unveiled. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at csub.edu/alumni.

 * ... PROUD DAD: This from reader Gregg Hazle on his daughter, West High graduate Stacy Jo Craig. "She has been in the Air Force for 23 years and received her promotion to Lieutenant Colonel on Oct. 4 in Huntsville, Alabama. She has served in Desert Storm and in England, Turkey, Spain, Baghdad and many other postings. We are proud of our gal."

 * ... HAPPY JACKS: Reader Betty Hylton wrote in response to my earlier post on Happy Jack's Pie 'n Burger restaurant. "The original owner who founded Happy Jack's was Jack Boltz and it opened in the early 1960s. I don't remember the exact year. He was the purchasing agent at Union Oil Co. on F Street and left to start his own business. He must have sold the business to the Rosales family. So Happy Jack's has been at the location at least 45 years or more. I enjoy your Bakersfield Observed column." Thanks for the kind words, and the correction, Betty.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM:  You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if you remember what KERO-TV was before it was channel 23. (Channel 10)