Preparing for an historic election and more takes on the CSUB shooting

  * ... ELECTION DAY: If you are like me you've grown weary of the mud slinging and political attack ads that have come to be the norm in a political season. Instead of a sober examination of the issues, character assassination seems to be the preferred method of framing one's campaign. Still, every vote is important and this promises to be an historic election. So get out an vote on Tuesday.

 * ... MORE CSUB: Received a note from reader V. Kretsinger who chastised me for allegedly blaming campus security for the death of 18-year-old Bianca Jackson on the campus of Cal State Bakersfield. For the record, I never blamed campus security but rather questioned the wisdom of having a policy that allows late night parties at the campus. Regardless, here is Kretsinger's take. He said "the blame lies with the 75 students who invited all their friends who shouldn't have been invited and they invited their friends." Good point, but certainly the administration should realize that's how these things work, and they shouldn't be surprised if large crowds show up when parties are hosted on campus.

 * ... FATAL CRASH: A Sonoma County judge has upheld a 13-year prison sentence on a woman who was involved in a drunken driving crash that claimed the life of former Bakersfield resident Kathy O'Daniel. The 54-year-old O'Daniel was killed in September of 2009 when a car driven  by Judy Shafer slammed into her Honda Civic on a rural road. Kathy, her husband Chuck and their five children lived in Bakersfield for years before moving to Northern California. Chuck O'Daniel was the manager of the old Harris Department Store at East Hills Mall and later served as advertising director for The Californian.

 * ... COLLARDS: Hard to beat the spectacular weather on Sunday. Clear and crisp and the best of a Bakersfield fall. On Saturday I stopped by the downtown farmer's market off F Street and it was bustling with folks buying fresh winter greens. There were collards, kale, turnips, green and yellow squash, spinach, cauliflower, apples, nuts, honey, beautiful fresh flowers and of course pumpkins. All this abundance while an acoustic folk country band provided a soothing backdrop to a wonderful fall morning.

 * ... WREATH LAYING: If you haven't been out to the relatively new Bakersfield National Veteran's Cemetery, it's worth the trip. Located off Highway 58, it's on land donated by the Tejon Ranch Co. and now is home to 780 veterans. Recently I heard from Adoree Roberson that Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary is participating in the "Wreaths Across America" event in which wreaths are placed on all veterans' graves across our country. This year it falls on December 11. If you'd like to buy a wreath in honor of a veteran, living or dead, go the website www.bakersfieldwreathproject.org.

 * ... OVERHEARD: A local Realtor telling a friend that her daughter was turned down for a loan even after offering to put $100,000 cash down on a $350,000 home. "They've made it almost impossible to make a sale," she said.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Jo Lynn Moralez:  "You know you're from Bakersfield if you remember, in the 1960s, bomb shelters being sold at the corner of Baker and Niles streets."

McCarthy: Business friendly laws and taxes push Texas ahead of California in luring industry

  Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) provides us with his weekly update from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "It was great to be in Taft last weekend and help Bob Leikam, the owner of Taft’s Domino’s Pizza, break the Guinness Book of World Records for the most medium pepperoni pizzas sold in 24 hours – final tally:
6,838.  I also spent time out in Atascadero this week and was able to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the restoration of City Hall. As you remember, it was damaged during the 2003 San Simeon earthquake,
but now it will reclaim its place as an historic icon on the Central Coast and reopen in time for Atascadero’s bicentennial.

  "Last week, we discussed the new $12 fee on vehicle registrations in the Central Valley that will be leveled on hard working families as a result of the Clean Air Act, which is enforced by the EPA.  This $29
million fine is being imposed even though the Valley has made significant improvement in cleaning up its air quality over the past few years.  My office has contacted the EPA and is examining the penalty.  While I certainly support breathing clean air and continuing to improve air quality, I believe there are unique factors beyond our control such as the pollution that blows in from the north, the Valley’s geography which prevents air circulation, and the traffic that utilizes the 99 and the 5, California’s two strategic north-south
transportation corridors.  What is needed is an assessment of the fairness of this penalty and whether it will make our air significantly cleaner so we meet compliance or whether it’s an outdated fine that will be charged to us annually regardless of any legitimate changes we make to clean the air.

  "Reading an editorial in the Wall Street Journal this week, I was struck by the claim that Texas is the new California.  Part of the evidence that was listed is that Texas’ major cities have now become
attractive places for investment and entrepreneurship and have brought in industries like aeronautics, venture capital, high tech, and even industrial manufacturing.  Further evidence of this was when Texas
added 153,000 jobs while California lost 43,700 last year.  Reasons behind this trend are an out-of-control state budget and an unfriendly tax environment, coupled with the facts that Texas is a right to work
state and there is no income tax translating into a 10% “cost advantage” over our state.  Personally, I do not want California to lose its economic edge and competitiveness.  Let’s work together to restore California to its place of economic leadership and entrepreneurship.

  Quick reminder – my office will host an Academy Forum next Saturday, November 6th for those students interested in attending one of our nation’s U.S. Service Academies.  RSVP by emailing:
RSVP.McCarthy@mail.house.gov or call my office: 327-3611.  The forum will be from 10 to 11am at the Kern County Board of Supervisors’ Chambers.

New poll shows Costa trailing Vidak in 20th Congressional District and Cal State looks at security

  

* ... COSTA POLL: Read with interest a new poll that has Rep. Jim Costa trailing Republican challenger Andy Vidak by a healthy 10 points. The poll was conducted by SurveyUSA for a Fresno ABC affiliate and reflects a sharp move to Vidak in the last several weeks. Costa challenged the poll and said it didn't reflect his strength in the valley, but in this election season, almost anything goes. Several farmers who have supported Costa in the past have contacted me to say they are now supporting Vidak, upset with Costa's support of what they see as extreme leftist Democratic policies and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Costa's 20th Congressional District includes parts of Kern and Fresno counties and all of Kings County.

 * ... CSUB: Cal State Bakersfield is doing the right thing in reviewing its security procedures following the shooting death of 18-year-old Bianca Jackson at a late-night party. But one hopes President Horace Mitchell and his team are able to look beyond the fact that the campus has been relatively safe over the years and get aggressive about dealing with security. Some have questioned whether there are enough campus security officers, but the real question is not the number of officers the school has on the payroll, but rather how and when they are deployed. If the university is going to allow parties of 100 more young people on its campus late at night (and let's not be surprised if alcohol is present), seems to me you need more than one sworn officer on duty in case things get out of hand. Either that, or face the inevitable lawsuit that always seems to accompany these tragedies.

 * ... THE BUZZ: Looks like the retailer Home Goods may be coming to Bakersfield after all. The rumor has been all over town and now it appears they will open an outlet on Stockdale Highway, possibly in the old Long's Drug Store building, in 2011. At least that is what a manager of the Valencia outlet told a reader, who passed it along to me. Home Goods is owned by the parent company of TJ Maxx and Marshalls.

 * ... ANOTHER AIRSTRIP: Reader Les Cofer wrote in with his own Bakersfieldism, recalling Joe Gottlieb's air strip at the northeast corner of Nord Road and Amy Avenue "and him taking off in his plane and landing behind his house to the dismay of his neighbors... Incidentally, the air strip is still there and still on aviation maps listed as an air strip."

 * ... MOVING UP: Heard the other day that two long-time Bakersfield supporters and Rabobank executives are moving into new positions with the bank. Vice president Dana Fabbri is moving into human resource training and Michele McClure is moving to Napa to work in a bank recently acquired by Rabobank. Best of luck to these two.

 * ... RED CROSS: Lots of positive energy at the local chapter of the Red Cross, which does so much good in our community. The Kern chapter held its "Tee for Charity" golf tournament at Seven Oaks Country Club recently and raised more than $18,000, not bad in the middle of the worst recession since the Great Depression. Red Cross CEO Holly Arnold singled out Dr. Vipul Dev, named a Red Cross Real Hero, and his wife Jodi who she said were "so instrumental since the inception of the event."
 
 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Linda L. Welch: "You know you're from Oildale if you remember the River Theater. Cost five cents to get in. Good old Roy and Gene every Saturday morning."

North High's Colby Lewis to lead Texas in the World Series and Kevin McCarthy's rise to a GOP leadership position

 * ... CSUB: Charlie Powell, a retired division manager for State Farm Insurance and one of the coordinators behind the company's move to Bakersfield, wrote with an interesting perspective on the recent shooting death of a teenager by suspected gang members at Cal State Bakersfield. "I enjoy your blog, especially when you cut to the chase on things like the shooting at CSUB. I suspect that many of the commuter universities in California (Los Angeles, Long Beach, Dominguez Hills, Fullerton) have much bigger security forces than CSUB. We're not a sleepy college town. (CSUB President) Horace Mitchell needs to address this with a sense of urgency. Items like this are not a boon to recruiting, or the community."

 * ... GOP SWEEP: If the Republicans gain control of the House of Representatives as expected, California's GOP delegation will be well positioned in the halls of power. According to The Los Angeles Times, among those lined up for key positions is Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), who is expected to be appointed Whip. Others in line for leadership positions include Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista, to chair of the top investigative committee, Rep. David Dreier of San Dimas, head of the Rules Committee, and Rep. Jerry Lewis of Redlands, chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

* ... COLBY: All eyes will be on North High graduate Colby Lewis when he gets the starting nod for the Texas Rangers against the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. Jennifer Rose-Kavanaugh, a former Bakersfield resident now living outside of Dallas with her husband Bryan, attended Game 6 of the Rangers-Yankees series and left me this note. "My husband and his brother both attended North High School with Colby and remain friends with him to this day. We attended Game 6 and witnessed first hand Colby's commanding performance. It actually brought tears to my eyes when 51,040 fans chanted "Colby, Colby, Colby!"

 * ... TAFT COLLEGE: I am always impressed by the personal generosity of so many people in our community. Which is why it's worth noting a $200,000 gift the Taft College Foundation received from the Rowe Family Trust. Herbert John (Jack) Rowe and Evelyn (Beck) Rowe both went to high school and community college in Taft. Jack is now deceased but Evelyn is 95 years old. The gift will be used to upgrade the Taft High School soccer field which is used by both the college and the high school. Sheri Horn Bunk, director of the Taft College Foundation, said the gift "changed me as much as it might change the soccer field. Philanthropy does that. It gives me hope and I guess that is why I do what I do."

 * ... SPORTSMAN: It was nice to see Gene Thome honored as "Sportsman of the Year" in Kern County. Thome is the engaging and popular owner of Bear Mountain Sports on Weedpatch Highway and has done a lot over the years to promote gun safety and the outdoor shooting sports. (He's also a gifted country singer and has a killer imitation of Merle Haggard) He was honored at a banquet Tuesday night at the Kern County Fairgrounds. Thome is active in the Kern Sports Foundation, the 4-H, the Kern County Gun Club, Friends of the NRA among other organizations.

* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if you remember "the name of one of Bakersfield's first fast-food hamburger joint, where it was located and who owned it. (Warren's, at 4th and Chester, owned by Warren Yackey)"

Musing over the death of Bianca Jackson and worrying about our state's jobless rate

 * ... SHOOTING: The shooting death of 18-year-old Bianca Jackson on the campus of Cal State Bakersfield is tragic beyond words, and it certainly raises a lot of questions about how, and why, it happened. Bianca was not a student at CSUB and neither are the two suspects in the shooting. And why was there a late night party at the campus anyway? One answer is that - unlike the larger public universities - CSUB is largely a commuter school. There are only a handful of dormitories and the area surrounding the campus - Seven Oaks, Haggin Oaks, Stockdale Estates - are not conducive to student rentals. In addition, there are no fraternity or sorority houses so parties like the Young Black Stars end up on campus, which at least to me is odd. One thing is for sure: if CSUB is going to continue to allow late night partying on campus, it better beef up its security.

 * ... FAREWELL: Stopped by the home of Wendy Wayne and Gene Tackett the other day to say goodbye to Jan Bans, the ATT marketing specialist who is being transferred to Oregon for a six-month stint. She'll be living in Portland and dealing with statewide issues and spending a lot of time in Salem. Among the big crowd to wish her well were Beth Pandol of the Bakersfield Museum of Art, City Councilwoman and Memorial Hospital's Sue Benham, Les Clark of the Independent Petroleum Association, Don Martin of the Metro Galleries, Jeff Green of Grimmway Farms,  Superior Court Judge Lorna Brumfield and attorney husband Bob, Sheri Horn Bunk of the Taft College Foundation, Donna Hylton of the Kern Adult Literacy Council, Diego Wilkinson of KBAK TV,  Lois Henry of The Californian, local arborist Dana Karcher and Robin Noble, owner of The Noble Plan home delivered meal business.

 * ... SPOOK: It's amazing how quickly our weather turns from early to late October. Local attorney George Martin, famous for the Bakersfield Business Conference, must have consulted the Farmer's Almanac by always hosting the conference in early October, taking advantage of the wonderful fall weather. Folks at the Kern Wheelmen bicycle club should take a hint from George. The Wheelmen held its annual Spooktacular bicycle ride this weekend and once again the riders were met with freezing rain and horrible conditions while riding over Breckenridge Mountain and Lion's Trail. At least three riders tumbled on the descent but luckily were only scraped up. This is a wonderful event but it perplexes me why they don't just host it a few weeks earlier in October.


 * ... JOBLESS: Our once Golden State comes out a bit tarnished in the latest unemployment figures. California now has the third highest jobless rate among all states, following only Nevada and Michigan. We come in at 12.4 percent while locally here in Kern County, we're hovering around 15 percent. The lowest jobless rate in the country is in North Dakota at 3.7 percent.

 * ... NEW OFFICE: Local attorney Robert Brumfield III is leaving the firm of Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann and Girard to strike out on his own. His new offices will be located at 1601 F Street. Brumfield, who is married to Superior Court Judge Lorna Brumfield, specializes in business law and is a long-time litigator. A native of New Orleans, he grew up in Roanoke, VA., earned his B.A. degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and his law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.

 * ... SPOTTED: Posted on the door of Coconut Joe's restaurant: "Conveniently located in the once-thriving heart of Bakersfield."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From Ken Barnes: "You know you're from Oildale if you remember where Mud Lake was."

McCarthy: California only behind Nevada and Michigan in high unemployment rate

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, brings us his weekly update. In his words:

"It was another sad week for the community of Rosamond and our larger Kern community as we learned about the loss of Lance Corporal Joseph C. Lopez, U.S. Marine Corps.  Lance Corporal Lopez was serving with the 3rd Battalion based out of Camp Pendleton in Afghanistan.  Our condolences go out to his family and friends in Rosamond as we remember him for his ultimate sacrifice in defending our freedom. ‬

‪ "This week the U.S. Army recognized one of Bakersfield’s own, Sgt. Zachary R. Reese with the Silver Star, the third-highest military decoration awarded to a member of the Armed Forces for valor in the
face of mortal danger from the enemy.   Last April, Sgt. Reese, a sniper by training, was serving in Afghanistan, and while on patrol was able to warn his platoon of a large number of insurgents heading
in their direction.  He organized an ambush which would be one of the most successful operations linked to changing the momentum of the spring campaign in the Kunar province.  Again, we are so grateful for
our warfighters like Sgt. Reese who put their lives on the line every day to defend our freedom.  ‬
‪ "In economic news, California once again was ranked number 3 when it comes to jobless rates in our nation.  Coming in behind Nevada and Michigan, our state has a 12.4% jobless rate.  Apparently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t seem to pay attention to vital statistics like this.  Thursday, as a result of the Clean Air Act, which is enforced by the EPA, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District voted to impose an additional $12 fee on vehicle registrations in the Central Valley due to certain Federal requirements not being met earlier this year.  While it is important the air we all breathe is clean, this action will result in a unacceptable $29 million fine, which is another example of inflexible
Federal environmental policies.  This will punish hardworking Americans  and contribute to economic uncertainty as our local communities struggle to create jobs.  Residents in the Central Valley
need jobs, not another fee that takes money from hard working families.‬

‪ "I head down to Taft again this weekend for the conclusion of Oildorado Days and Taft’s 100th Anniversary celebration.  This time I hope to be a part of breaking a world record.  Bob Leikam, the owner
of Taft’s Domino’s Pizza, will be working to break the Guinness Book of World Records for the most medium pepperoni pizzas sold in 24 hours.  As a former deli owner, I may not have that much experience
making pizza, but I will be lending Bob a hand to make this record a reality.  Come down to Taft and order a medium pepperoni for you and your family.‬

‪

Two suspects arrested in shooting death on Cal State campus

 Bakersfield police have arrested two men in the tragic shooting death of 18-year-old Bianca Jackson on the campus of Cal State Bakersfield late Thursday night. Here's what is new: police believe this was a gang shooting involving teens who crashed a campus party. The victim was apparently leaving when she was hit with a random shot.
 The two suspects are Jonathan Darnel Bell, 18, and Christoper Lee Miller, 19, neither of them a student. Police are now looking for a dark gray Chevrolet Avalanche that fled the scene. It is speculated that Bell and Miller were shooting at occupants in the Avalanche.
 The shooting happened when the student party great to around 150 young bell, fights broke out, campus police intervened and the fight continued in a parking lot where the shooting broke out. Read The Californian for the latest developments.

Teen shot and killed at Cal State Bakersfield Halloween party

 An 18-year-old woman was shot and killed when a small party grew out of control on the campus of Cal State Bakersfield Thursday night. It's the first time anyone has been shot on the campus. Police said 30 to 40 people were invited to attend the Halloween party but more than 100 showed up. A fight broke out, shots rang out and Biana Jackson, a graduate of Ridgeview High School, was killed. She apparently was not a student at CSUB and neither were many of the party goers. Police are looking for several younger black men who were seen in a black Cadillac Escalade.