Will Rubio and Florez square off in the 21st Congressional District? Stay tuned.

 * ... RUBIO'S MOVE: Keep your eye on the newly created 21st Congressional District where we may be treated to a clash between state Sen. Michael Rubio and his friend and mentor, former state Sen. Dean Florez. Rubio is a rising star with an uncanny ability to raise money and work both sides of the aisle. A Democrat, he casts himself as a politician who puts problem solving and real issues over party loyalty, and likes to note he was the lone Democrat on the Board of Supervisors but thrived nonetheless. Florez, of course, is a veteran politico (also a Democrat) who was termed out in the state Legislature. Rubio is in the race. Florez is interested, but has yet to announce. (file photos of Rubio (top) and Florez)

 * ... VALENTINE: Barbara Teach is originially from Virginia but moved to Bakersfield when her husband landed a job with the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center. They had planned to be here just a couple of years, but like many of us, now call Bakersfield home. Here's her valentine to Kern County: "I am writing because 'you know you are IN Bakersfield' when the people around you are so genuine. My husband, Randy, passed away suddenly four months ago from a heart attack, and this community is still asking, praying, cooking, calling, texting, mailing cards and offering so much support for my kids and me. Even people who didn't know him, or us. Bako friends just checking in on us. So although we are not 'from' Bakersfield, friends here have carried the hospitality torch in true Bakersfield style and touched our lives as if we were one of their own. I am truly grateful and blessed to be here."

 * ... MIKE ELLISON: Charles Conner, retired manager Kern County Office of Emergency Services, wrote to remember James "Mike" Ellison, who died recently.  Conner worked with Ellison when he lived in Kern County and described him as "straightforward, untied (literally), upfront, transparent; what you saw is what you got. Unfortunately, this did not serve him well during his brief tenure as County Animal Control Manager. The last time I spoke with Mike he was Public Safety Director of San Miguel , California . He was an exceptional breed and truly an overall great guy."

* ... SUGAR ANGELS: A group of young girls out at Seven Oaks have spent the summer earning a valuable lesson in giving back. Sisters Katherine, Julianna and Caroline Morton, joined by friends Annie Stone and Kylie Minor, have been selling cookies and baked goods in their neighborhood to benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Homeless Shelter. Last week they raised $807.95. Hats off to these girls, who have branded themselves the "Sugar Coated Angels."

 * ... WOOD BOATS: Most people know Arnie Johnson as president and CEO of Holloway Gypsum Mining Co., but his real passion is restoring classic wooden boats. For the past 25 years, he has been restoring the magnificent mahogany runabouts built by the likes of Chris-Craft and Gar-Wood. (In fact he owns a 1932 and 1936 Gar-Wood) In the recent Lake Tahoe Concours d'Elegance, he took first place in his 1936 18-foot runabout.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Riley Parker writes that you may be a Bakersfield old timer if you remember when "Lakeview Avenue (now Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) was a dirt road south of Virginia Street to Cottonwood Road."

McCarthy sponsors a bill that would rein in the EPA and retract the $29 million fine for Valley air

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip and Bakersfield Republican, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 

 "I have often written that reducing the size and scope of government is crucial to turning our economy around. Locally, I am fighting in two areas to reduce Washington’s burdensome, job-crushing regulations.

 "First, there are hundreds of thousands of acres recommended by the federal government to be opened up that could invigorate our rural communities. In July, the House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a hearing on legislation I introduced, H.R. 1581, which would compel Congress to act on these recommendations. Chris Horgan, the Executive Director of Stewards of the Sequoia and Dave Freeland, a retired Forest Ranger for the Sequoia National Forest traveled to Washington to serve as witnesses. (Click here to read their testimony)

 "The hearing marks an important step for this bill that is simple, straightforward and just good government. It is simple because it acts on recommendations already made by the federal government. It is straightforward because it refers to only the acreage recommended and does not affect any other lands; nor does not preclude Congress from designating these lands as wilderness in the future. It is good government because it returns management to local communities, who know best how to utilize their lands. So whether these lands are used for continued conservation, increased recreation or other development – decisions would be made through the local land management planning process. Approximately 280,000 acres in our district would be opened up under my bill, which could create jobs and increase revenues for our local communities. In addition, greater access and healthy forest management could significantly reduce the risks of catastrophic wildfires. The 2002 McNally Fire burned over 52,000 acres and the 2008 Piute Fire burned more than 18,000 acres, predominately in areas currently under lock and key that my bill would release. H.R. 1581 needs to be heard in the Agriculture Committee and the full Natural Resources Committee before it heads to the House floor, and I am working to ensure it becomes a reality this year.

"Second, I am aggressively pushing legislation - H.R. 1582 – to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing a new air quality standard that could cripple our local economy and result in a de facto ban on new businesses until a compliance feasibility study can be conducted. This bill would also repeal the $29 million fine EPA has already levied on us for violation of an air standard that isn’t even in existence! Cleaning up the air is important, and I commend the strides the Central Valley has made to that end. H.R. 1582 ensures we continue those efforts, but does so in a commonsense way, and I am working with the Energy and Commerce Committee to move it.  

 "EPA’s muddled air quality regulations are just the tip of the iceberg. In the coming weeks, you will see a concerted effort by my colleagues and me to tackle more unnecessary and burdensome federal regulations in order to make it easier to get people back to work.

Bakersfield makes another Top 10 list, this one for urban poverty and remembering the Army Air Corps

 * ... POVERTY: One of the fallouts of this recession has been the spike in poverty in some of our nation's larger cities. And not surprisingly the hardest hit cities are those - like Bakersfield - that benefitted most from the housing bubble and are now struggling to recover. Bakersfield is ranked No. 3 on the list of the top ten markets with high poverty in urban suburbs, surpassed only by the Texas border towns of El Paso and McAllen. The Brookings Institute report noted that poverty "in the entire Bakersfield metropolitan area rose 23 percent from 2007 to 2009. The suburban portion of the metro has been affected far more. Bakersfield's two main industries, oil and agriculture, require a large amount of manpower. Much of this is supplied by immigrants, who often -- especially when it comes to agricultural jobs -- don't make enough money to lift them out of poverty. As of 2009, 29.1 percent of those living below the poverty line in Bakersfield were born outside the U.S. That's one of the highest rates in the country, according to Brookings." Others on the top ten list include Albuquerque, N.N., Augusta, Ga., Jackson, Miss., Little Rock, Ark., Modesto, Ca., Lakeland, Fla., and Fresno.

 * ... AIR CORPS: Edward Gaede is a World War II veteran, having served 30 months in the Pacific, and gave me a call to correct a piece in the newspaper that recalled a U.S. Air Force bombing in Europe in 1942. Edward reminded me that the U.S. Air Force was not formed until 1947, and that prior to that the branch was known as the Army Air Corps. I should know since my own father served as a captain in the Army Air Corps and was fond of singing its fight song ('Nothing can stop the Army Air Corps!). Now 88, Edward lived for years in Shafter and now resides in Bakersfield, a proud member of "the greatest generation."

 * ... ACCIDENT: A horrible accident between a bicylist and a runner led to the death of the rider, a 41-year-old Visalia school teacher. These things can happen quickly - in this case the runner turned around and ran right into the cyclists - it serves as a reminder that we all share the same road. This is the season for running and cycling, and locally both sports are enjoying a surge in popularity. In the Visalia incident, 41-year-old math teacher Scott Nelson was thrown off his bike and later died. Whether running, cycling or driving, be safe out there.

 * ... AMGEN TOUR: City leaders are busy rounding up support to lure the 2012 Amgen Tour of California back to Bakersfield. When the tour made a stop in Bakersfield in 2010 it was a huge success, with thousands of spectators lining the Panorama Bluffs to watch some of the world's best cyclists race to the finish. The Tour skipped Bakersfield this year and coordinators are crossing their fingers we will get back on the map.

 * ... HIGH ACHIEVER: Jason McPhetridge wrote to highlight his step daughter, Cynthia Begay, now a senior at UC San Diego. A Highland High School graduate, Cynthia's goal is to attend medical school (she did an internship at the Harvard Medical School in Boston) and eventually help treat Native Americans. She is half Native American and half Hispanic and recently left to work on a Navajo Reservation.

 * ... AND ANOTHER: Another local youngster heading off is Prnay Copra, an honors graduate from Bakersfield Christian High School who is bound for Northeastern University in Boston to study behavioral neuroscience. Prnay, who graduated with honors at BCHS, is the son of Caltrans engineer Ray Copra and wife Ameeta.

 * ... CALIFORNIAN RADIO: I will be interviewing Jeff Konya, athletic director at Cal State Bakersfield, Friday at 10 a.m. on Californian Radio SmartTalk 1230. Make sure you tune in as Jeff shares his expectations for the new year and we talk college sports.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield if "you've become an expert at dodging tumbleweeds during the windy season."

Recession takes toll on nation's consumer confidence and spotting a Bakersfield landmark in Prague

 * ... CONFIDENCE: Nice to see gas prices down to around $3.50 a gallon around town, a welcome reprieve for local drivers. But it's clear this is about the only good news out there. Consumer confidence in the economy has plunged, thanks to a volatile stock market, high unemployment and political paralysis in Washington, D.C. The latest survey by the University of Michigan now shows overall consumer confidence at the lowest level since 1980. That has forced folks to sharply curtail spending, not only on major purchases like new cars and appliances but on everything from eating out to new clothes.

 *  ... SMALL WORLD: In the category of "it's a small world," Larry Adams wrote that he visited  Prague recently with his grandson, Matt, when they stopped in a small sandwich shop that was adorned with old Coca-Cola signs. "To my absolute amazement in front of my table was a picture of the Sill  Building with a gigantic Coca-Cola sign on the roof. I thought 'not possible' but when I looked closer there was Kimball and Stone Pharmacy on the ground floor! I was almost speechless." The $70 lunch was not memorable, he added, "but seeing that picture was worth the price of lunch."

 * ... KUDOS: Hats off to Lisa  Kimble Edmonston, the former  TV anchor and now local writer who won some well deserved recognition from her alma mater. Turns out Lisa has been named 2011 alumna of the year from Mount St. Mary's College, recognizing her years of community service.

 * ...  SPOTTED: In the parking lot of Fresh and  Easy at California and Stockdale Highway, a young mother is scolding her two children as she casually tosses paper cups and fast food wrappings from the back seat of her black SUV onto the pavement. Candidate for mother of the year?

 * ... STILL THE JOCK: Local golf shop owner Ken Hurlbert took a break from building custom clubs to compete in the California State Games Track Meet recently in San Diego. After a 50-year absence from the sports, he took first place in the Masters Division (ages 70-74) in shot put, discus and javelin. Hurlbert was joined by his University of Redlands teammate, Charles Wilkinson, who still holds the all time Redlands javelin record with a throw of 248 feet and 9 inches back in 1961.

 * ... RIP: Karla Jadwin wrote to remember James Michael Ellison, who died recently at the age of 67. Though he left Bakersfield a dozen or so years ago, he made a big impression while here "This was a wonderful, giving, funny guy," she wrote. "We met in Kiwanis when he served as president two years before I did. Since retiring from the Lompoc Fire Department and coming here to head the Red Cross he earned the nickname Pugsley ... because the goofus almost always wore striped T-shirts and Bermuda shorts to work!" Keep this family in your thoughts.
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 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From Riley Parker: You might be a Bakersfield old timer if you remember Lloyd Plank as the then 25-year-old manager of The University Shop and we all thought he was "old."

A proud family of five generations of UC graduates and Roscoe rescues a mannequin foot

 * ... CAL BEARS: Robert Hargreaves wrote to weigh in on the old Cal Drinking Song, saying the lyrics referred to the town of Lakeport, not Newport. Hargreaves should know, given his family's history with Berkeley and the UC system. "My grandfather got his BS and MS from Berkeley in the early 1900s," he said. "Both my parents graduated from Berkeley back in the 1930s, back when Berkeley was still an ag school. I graduated from UC Davis with a BS in agricultural education and a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. My brother Bruce graduated from UC Santa Barbara and then went to New York for his PhD. My son Leo graduated from UC Irvine. My granddaughter, Cassie Horn, is enrolled at UC Irvine. Five generations of UC attendees."

 * ... RENEGADE: From a reader: "Did you know that Renegade public address announcer Carl Bryan, spotter Chuck Cunningham and spotter Norm Ranalo have been together for over 25 years doing home games at Memorial Stadium? They will be back again in September."

 * ... ROSCO:  Roscoe Rolnik of Guarantee Shoe Center knows something about feet, so it stands to reason he was there to help a mannequin foot make it through TSA security at Meadows Field. Seems that Suzanne Bryan had checked into her flight to Minneapolis for a national knitting convention when she discovered she had forgotten her demonstration mannequin foot. Her husband, Carl Bryan, rushed to the airport with the foot, worried about what he would say to the TSA agents, when he spotted his good friend Roscoe going through security. "He agreed to take our foot through security as part of his carry on luggage," Carl said. "A true miracle. He has probably handled more mannequin feet than anyone else in town."

 * ... TRIATHLON: North High graduate Suzanne Filkins finished the Nyiad New York City Triathlon recently, all in honor of her dear friend Vikki Kastner Harrison who lost her battle with lymphoma five years ago. Suzanne graduated from Long Beach State University and now lives and works in New York City. Her parents are Dr. Mylon and Patricia Filkins. The triathlon benefitted the Lymphoma and Leukemia Cancer Society. Suzanne raised over $2,000 for this worthy cause.

 * ... BUCK OWENS: Lee Ann Enns, who works at Buck Owens Production Co., wrote to set the record straight about the old Buck Owens Celebrity Golf Tournament that drew so many big names to town. "Buck Owens only had the golf tournament for four years, 1971-1974. There was a two year hiatus (1975-1976). Then Buck put on the Buck Owens Rodeo Days for eight years. James Brolin did participate in the golf tournament one or two years, however."

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that the city of Bakersfield has an iPhone app for reporting graffiti? Just choose the type of surface the graffiti was on, let your built-in GPS report the location, and attach a photo.

Readers take a leisurely trip down memory lane, remembering a simpler time in Bakersfield

 * ... GO BEARS: Jon Crawford, a proud alum of Cal Berkeley, said he lives south of Valley Plaza where his neighborhood is frequented by three or four ice cream trucks. One of them, he said, plays the hold "Cal Drinking Song" that he sang at football games while at Berkeley in the 1950s. The lyrics start like this: "Oh we had a little party down at Newport - there was Harry, there was Mary, there was Grace. We had a little party down at Newport, and they had to carry Harry from the place." Crawford said he believes the song dates to 1939 and may have been picked up by other schools. It is now part of the song list of the Berkeley Marching Band and is regularly played at games. "Every so often, an ice cream truck comes down my street and plays a wonderful tune that reminds me of some good times at Berkeley."

 * ... GOLF: Don Adams wrote to recall the old Buck Owens Celebrity Golf Tournament that featured so many Hollywood celebs. Adams said Buck discontinued the event when he learned that part of the money raised for the American Cancer Society left the county. "Buck loved Bakersfield and wanted all the money to be distributed locally and withheld the funds from his last tournament in an effort to make that happen," he said. After that, and a dispute with the Cancer Society, Adams said Buck no longer put on the tournament. "Our own George Culver also held an annual golf tournament for several years, featuring many baseball and football celebritries: Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Jack Youngblood ... All the money raised went to local youth baseball."

 * ... EAST SIDE: More memories from growing up on Bakersfield's east side back when it was the place to be. Wrote Steve Richardson: "My family has a rich east side history. "My grand parents Lyle and Erma Richardson owned a radio shop on Baker in the 1930s where the Tejon theater sits now. When I was a kid we went to the golf course by the airpark on Union. We went to Shakey's after Bakersfield College football in the 1960s and 1970s. The town of Arvin was named after my uncle Arvin Richardson in 1914. He started the Niles Street water district back in the 1950s. Arvin has one living daughter and one niece who will be 94 this month. My dad was born in 1933."

 * ... BROCKS:  The old Brock's department store downtown received some more reader love when Doris Wofle wrote to recall an encounter with John Brock Sr. She had moved to Alaska in 1972 and returned for a visit when she bought a pair of shoes. "Upon returning home to Anchorage, I found that the shoes did not fit. So, I put them away until my next trip to Bakersfield.  One of the first things I did was go to Brock's and I took my shoes and receipt with me. The man who waited on me refused to let me return the shoes as it had been several months since I bought them. All of a sudden, Mr. Brock was standing there beside me. He asked how long I had lived in Alaska and I think he told me he was born in Alaska.  He immediately told the young man to do the paper work to return the shoes and wished me a happy day.  Boy,  do I miss Brock's!"

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From Marlene Morales, head of marketing at Chain, Cohn, Stiles law firm: "You know you're a Bakersfield old timer if you remember Larson's Dairy. They actually delivered the best chocolate and whole milk to your door on a weekly basis. Or you could visit the store on Wible Road, drive through and place your order. Better yet, actually see the cows on the premises."

A local Marine pays the ultimate sacrifice and a new spotlight on public pensions

 * ... ULTIMATE SACRIFICE: I was saddened to read of the death of Marine Sgt. Adan Gonzales, the latest Kern County resident to die in the line of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Adan was a regular at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and leaves behind a wife and young children. He was killed Aug. 7 in combat in Helmand province. He was just 28 years old. Adan's death and the quiet dignity in which he served stands in stark contrast to the behavior of our elected representatives back home, many of whom spend far too much time engaged in petty bickering while so many young men and women put their lives at risk overseas. Keep the family of Sgt. Gonzales in your thoughts.

 * ... PENSIONS: Did you read that the retired administrator of the city of Vernon receives a lifetime pension of $500,000 a year? That's right, and it is all perfectly legal. No one begrudges our public employees of a pension, but sweetheart deals like this one - done to buy peace with our public labor unions - has led to abuse of the system. According to The Los Angeles Times, CalPERS is now reviewing and reducing some top pensions, a long overdue exercise triggered by the scandal in the city of Bell.

 * ... GOLF TOURNEY: Steve Urner remembers the Buck Owens Celebrity Golf Tournament when so many Hollywood names came to town. Said Steve: "Jane Sears was asking if anyone remembered the Buck Owens Celebrity Golf Tournament. I sure do. I was working at KAFY Radio at the time in 1976 when several of us volunteered to help out with the tournament at the Bakersfield Country Club. I was running ice to various holes in a golf cart. I remembered seeing John Wayne standing next to Mayor Don Hart, both the same height! Max Baer hit a golf ball farther than I’ve ever seen one hit! And while I was making my rounds, a 7-year-old kid with a head full of hair jumped in my golf cart and with his parents permission, rode around with me on my errands. He begged me to let him drive the cart. I did, and I’m sure that was the high point of his trip. He didn’t want to go home when it was all over, but his dad carried him off thanking me for watching him. His dad was James Brolin, and that kid was Josh Brolin.... I’m sure Josh owns a few golf carts by now... Fun times."

 * .... TAFT COLLEGE: Big news out at Taft College where the school is getting ready to break ground on the 24,000 square foot "transition to independent living."  Sheri Horn Bunk, head of the Taft College Foundation, told me this will the the only "living and teaching facility" in a two-year college program for people with autism and intellectual disabilities. Since 1997, she said 95 percent of the graduates are all employed and 86 percent are living independently." These are impressive statistics for an innovative program.

 * ... FRAUD: Yet more stories of credit card fraud, this one coming from Eileen Sanchez who discovered a $10,000 charge made in Florida. "The charge was a truck accessory and it was not mine," she said. At the same time, my mother-in-law's credit card was compromised as well. Just though you would find it interesting that this type of fraud is rampant and Florida seems to be the hot spot."

.* ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer if "you remember the Carnation Ice Cream processing plant and soda fountain on South Union Avenue. As a school kid we were taken on field trips on hot Bakersfield summer days and treated to a tour of the coolest place in town and a cone thrown in for good measure. It was my mother's favorite place to have a hot fudge sundae as well." Thanks to Rhonda MacGillivray-Brady of Tehachapi for that nugget.

Bako Bits: Gridlock in Washington, Sacramento frustrates voters and the demise of the old, folded paper map

 * ... GRIDLOCK: Frustrating to watch the Sunday news shows and hear the finger pointing and name calling from our nation's leaders. It's not much better in our own California legislature where dysfunction seems to rule. Meanwhile voters like Dale Hopwood express disillusionment over proposed laws that would regulate things like what kind of sheets can be used on hotel beds. Said Hopwood: "Your comments about the useless laws mentioned by (Assemblywoman) Shannon Grove just goes to strengthen my belief that we need to return to a part time Legislature. Too often our legslators want to be judged on the quantity of laws introduced, not the quality or need."

 * .... SIDEWALKS: Bill Dean spotted my earlier post on dating our sidewalks by the contractor stamps and said he was the grand son of Fred Dean of Dean and Stroble, one of the familiar names stamped on the sidewalks in the older parts of our community. "The business was lost in the depression and my uncle and grand father never recovered from the loss," he said. Dean and Stroble was just one of the many contractors who built sidewalks around town in the early 1900s.

 * ... OLD SCHOOL: It was over lunch with my 21-year-old college senior daughter and her friend when they began talking about the old folded, paper maps of their childhoods. With GPS now available in cars and smart phones, will these college students may be the last generation to even be familiar with paper maps?

 * ... MARATHON: Jeff Johnson wrote to mention that his daughter, local attorney Amy Barks, ran her first full marathon in the recent San Francisco Marathon. She turned in an impressive time of four hours and 25 minutes. Amy's friend, Jennifer Neil, also ran, as did her triplet 6 year olds in the Munchin Marathon, an equally impressive 100 yards.

 * ... VET CENTER: Bakersfield College is opening a Veteran Information Center for student veterans in an effort to help those coming back from combat and entering the education system. J.R. Browning startied the BC Vets Club last year and the college has been supportive of his efforts. Said his wife Nicole Browning: "My husband has been placed in the role of fund raising for future events at the Veteran Information Center and we hope to help this grow and inspire more veterans to go to school."

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Jane Sears wrote to ask if anyone remembers the celebrity golf tournament at Bakersfield Country Club back in the 1960s which featured the likes of Tennessee Ernie Ford, Charlie Pride, Joseph Campenella, Max Bauer Jr. (Jethro from the Beverly Hillbillies), Telly Savalas and our own Buck Owens. Apparently John Wayne was there early to help raise the flag.