The victim of the downtown stabbing was an aspiring Hell's Angel, Jennifer Self lands a gig at CSUB and Cafe Smitten celebrates two years in business

Friday, February 22, 2019

 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... DOWNTOWN STABBING: Does it surprise you to learn that the victim of a brutal murder last weekend was an aspiring member of the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang? That's the word from

authorities about Michael Adam Morales, the 32-year-old man who was stabbed to death and left for dead in the middle of Eye Street in front of Mama Roomba restaurant last weekend. Speaking of Mama Roomba, I was there a couple days ago and an employee told me that after the 9 p.m. stabbing, police roped off the area and would not allow anyone to move their cars until 3:30 a.m. It is not certain where the altercation started, either in Guthrie's Alley Cat or in the Wall Street alley.

 * ... JUSSIE SMOLLETT: The weirdest story of the month has to be the story of Jussie Smollett, the Empire actor who staged an attack on himself and blamed it on Trump supporters and white supremacist. Chicago police say he staged the whole thing, and now he faces jail time for his misdeeds. What does Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy think about the whole mess? "I need he needs help," McCarthy told me. "He may have some mental problems." That seems an understatement. Stay tuned.

 * ... CSUB HIRE: Congratulations to Jennifer Self, a lifelong journalist who has been named director of public affairs and communications in University Advancement at CSU Bakersfield. Born and raised in Bakersfield, Self worked for 30 years as a reporter and editor at The Bakersfield Californian before leaving to join Clinica Sierra Vista in public relations. Self joined CSUB at a pivotal time for the university with the arrival of president Lynnette Zelezny in July and CSUB's yearlong 50th anniversary celebration coming in 2020. She will report to Victor Martin, VP of University Advancement

 * ... LOCAL EATS: Did you see that Goose Loonies is looking to open a second branch over off Truxton Avenue where the old salad bar was once located? And hats off to Cafe Smitten, the popular deli and coffee bar on 18th Street that is celebrating its two year anniversary of being in business.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "'Do what you love' is shitty career advice because mostly what I love is spending time alone and eating breakfast food."

 * ... MAC 'N CHEESE: Get ready for the Mac 'n Cheese Festival, arguably our town's most popular and successful outdoor event featuring dozens of variations of macaroni and cheese, beer and wine. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 20, at CSUB. Earlybird tickets are now on sale.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this old, colorized photo of our city's founder, Col. Thomas Baker, and his wife.

Water returns to the Kern River through town, a stabbing death downtown and a horrific crash in Delano leaves five people dead

Monday, February 18, 2019

 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... KERN RIVER: Did you notice the water in the Kern River this weekend? Apparently we can thank the West Kern Water District which was involved in a deal that sent water to a county water

agency, which released it into the river as part of a plan to use some otherwise dry canals. Enjoy it while we can folks because it never lasts long.

 * ... STABBING DEATH: There was a stabbing death downtown Saturday evening, the first such incident downtown in a long time. Details are sketchy but apparently there was a fight in the alley that spilled out onto Eye Street near Mama Roomb'a's restaurant and Guthrie's Alleycat. A witness said the victim was a young man and he died at the scene. (photo courtesy of The Californian)

 * ... DELANO CRASH: There was a horrible wreck in Delano Saturday that left five people dead, including two children. The Highway Patrol said an SUV hit a tree on Highway 99 just south of Highway 155. The names of the victims were not immediately released, but the SUV was registered in Delano, according to the CHP. The accident happened on the northbound side of the freeway at about 5:05 p.m. (photo courtesy of KGET)

 * ... MEASURE N TAX: Social media is good for a lot of things, but certainly not for a sober examination of politics. Rather, it's populated with wild rants, partial truths and outright lies. Take for example the reaction to City Manager Alan Tandy saying in The Californian that part of the $50 million raised from the Measure N tax would go to pay down the pension deficit, and by making one lump sum annual payment, the city will save millions in interest. Almost immediately, social media lit up with people claiming that Tandy lied to get the measure passed. But hold on. Tandy was crystal clear, on my radio show and others, that a portion of the Measure N money would be used for this exact purpose. So in fairness to our city manager, he was consistent in saying some of the money would be earmarked for pension obligations.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I talk dirtier in traffic than I do during sex."

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this colorized version of an old post card from back in the day.

Rains bring good news for the snowpack in the high Sierras, the hi-speed rail to nowhere will end in Bakersfield, and a happy ending for a stray dog

Friday, February 15, 2019

 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... SNOWPACK: Do you remember just a few years ago when we thought it would never rain in

Bakersfield again? We went three straight winters with hardly a trace of rain and then this year comes and - voila - we are deluged with rainfall. At this point, the high Sierras are at 123 percent of the normal snowpack, and more is coming. Enjoy these days because this stuff doesn't happen often.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Someone just called me a pompous ass... I was so flummoxed, my monocle fell right into my shark fin soup."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "You can a lot about a woman by her hands. For example, if they are around your throat she is probably upset."

 * ... HI-SPEED RAIL: After Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he was killing parts of the high-speed rail project, this is what it will look like at the end and billions of dollars.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Remember the black labrador mix who was abandoned near Lake Ming the other day? Well the dog has now been adopted by a couple who were looking to replace their own dog who recently died of cancer. Richard McDonald adopted the 2-year-old lab mix as a Valentine's Day gift for his wife Patty, who has been looking for a "special" dog to replace their own dog. They were told the dog's name was Anakin, but may in fact rename it. By whatever name this dog is going to have a good home. (photo courtesy of The Bakersfield Californian)

 * ... ANNE FRANK: If you are a history buff you are in for a treat next month when the step-sister of Anne Frank will appear at the Fox Theater for a special lecture. Eva Schloss, now 90, will discuss her relationship with the young Anne Frank before she was rounded up by the Nazis and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp where she died. This event is expected to sell out so you will want to buy your tickets soon. The talk will be particularly relevant given the anti-Semitic comments coming from freshmen in Congress and the ongoing attacks on the state of Israel.

 * ... RAISING CANE'S: We have a new fast food franchise in town, and this one comes with some serious positive reviews. Raising Cane's, which specializes in chicken strips, has opened on Coffee Road north of Rosedale Highway. In typical Bakersfield style, it is standing room only since it opened earlier this week.

 * ... MEMORIES: A full service gas station on the old Grapevine.

The California snowpack is rocking this year thanks to a wave of storms in the Sierras, Carl's Jr. hops on the plant-based meat trend, Crabfest nets some big money for St. Francis Parish School and Mexicali does a gang busters business

Monday, February 11, 2019

 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... PLANT BASED MEAT: If you think the move toward plant based diets is a fad, think again. Sales of plant based meat substitutes are growing at 23 percent a year and have now reached $1.5

billion in sales annually. Carl's Jr. recently introduced the Beyond Burger, a fully plant based alternative that uses beet juice to mimic meat juices, and Taco Bell is touting its meatless alternatives. The meat industry is so concerned that cattle ranchers are lobbying lawmakers across the country to define "meat" as coming from true meat sources like cattle.

 * ... MEXICALI: Have you been to the downtown Mexicali since Mexicali West closed? Suffice it to say but the place is packed, drawing customers from the now shuttered Stockdale Highway location. Some of the Mexicali West employees are now working downtown, including the ever popular waiter Jackie.

 * ... SNOWPACK: They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and no where is that truer than these images of the California snowpack this year compared to last. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which is a primary water source for the state, is 123 percent of normal — an astounding number when you consider at this same time last year, it was a mere 26 percent."

 * ... CRABFEST: Monsignor Craig Harrison and the St. Francis Parish wrapped up another successful Crabfest this weekend, raising more than $200,0000 for the elementary school before a packed crowd at the fair grounds. Crabfest is always one of the grand networking events of the year, and I found myself seated with Frank and Rosemary DeMarco of Rosemary's Creamery (and their daughter Rosemary) along with state Sen. Shannon Grove, Mayor Karen Goh and Roy Charles Keenan. So many others I spotted there, including St. Francis Principal Kelli Gruszka, Adam Belter, Fran and Gregg Gunner, Lisa and Craig Edmonston, Holly Arnold, Jim and Beverly Camp, Corey and Duane Keathley, Michael Turnipseed, Assemblyman Vince Fong, Chamber president Nick Ortiz and Hispanic Chamber president Jay Tamsi, City Councilman Andrae Gonzales, Sylvia Mendez and H.A. Sala, Dr. Javier and Laurie Bustamante, Jim Cretol, Jim Scott and Robin Mangarin Scott, Annalise and Trevor Townsend, Lillian and David Brust, Paul Andre, Lauren and Jeremy Helper, Brandon Stallings and Gina and Joey Pearl. Special awards of excellence honors were given to Teresa and Shawn Shambaugh and Mary Johnson. (photo of state Sen. Shannon Grove and Rosemary's Creamery owner Frank DeMarco)

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 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "What if a politician did blackface and ended up getting murdered by a revenge-seeking Liam Neeson?"

 * ... CHANTRY: Michelle Chantry, who resigned as chief executive officer of The Bakersfield Californian, has been appointed chief operating officer of Western Valve in Bakersfield. Western Valve was established in 1991 as a valve repair and machine shop but now features an impressive 50,000 square foot state of the art manufacturing facility on five acres.

 * ... MEMORIES: And lastly, I can't get enough of these old pictures of the old clock tower. Enjoy.

Three Kern County cities make a list of the "worst cities" in America, McFarland High rolls out the "early college" program and graffiti vandals deface freshly painted utility boxes on Panorama Drive

Friday, February 8, 2019

 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... WORST CITIES: Three Kern County cities made the list of the top 50 "worst cities" in the United States. Arvin, Taft and California all made the list, which was compiled by The Wall Street

Journal based on affordability, the local economy, the quality of life and the community. The top five "worst" cities were Highland Park, Michigan, Makaha, Hawaii, California City, Florida City and Mendota, Ca.

 * ... MCFARLAND HIGH: Did you know that McFarland High School has boasted the highest graduation rate in Kern County for the past three years? And the high school now has become the first in the state to introduce the "early college" program, which allows seniors to graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate's degree from Bakersfield College. Starting next year, all ninth graders at McFarland High will be enrolled in the early college program.

 * ... GRAFFITI: Remember when local artists teamed up with county administrators to paint the utility boxes at Panorama Park with color images of flowers, trees and skylines? It was a thoughtful project, and it brought a new energy and positivity to the popular park along Panorma Drive. And as things go here, it didn't last long before graffiti artists ruined it all. Almost all of the freshly painted utility boxes have been tagged.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Half-time Super Bowl show review: The good news? I saw two nips. The bad news? They belonged to that Maroon 5 guy."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Once you reach that level of dad where you put your phone in your shirt pocket there is no way back."

 * ... JAZZ FESTIVAL KILLED: The Bakersfield Jazz Festival, a benchmark event for our community, is taking a year off and will not be held this year. Jim Scully, the direction, had this to say: "The week of BJF is filled with events at CSUB this year honoring the new CSUB president, so it’s the right year for a reboot. We are taking a year to reinvent and re-imagine our event. We will be back and stronger than ever in 2020 - best to you all, and thanks for your support."

 * ... ETHICS PANEL: The Kegley Institute of Ethics out at CSU Bakersfield has brought on two professors as part of its Faculty Fellowship. They are Dr. Alice Hays (CSUB Department of Teacher Education) and Dr. Jeanine Kraybill( CSUB Department of Political Science). Dr. Hays’ project focuses on collaborating with local teachers and CSUB students to promote the development of ethical, social, and educational competencies in young students. Dr. Kraybill’s project focuses on the “different voice debate,” centered on representation of female judicial officers in the United States and, related to this, whether (and, if so, in what ways) female judges adjudicate differently on key issues than their male counterparts. Dr. Kraybill will investigate this issue by developing a survey that examines this question with juridical officers throughout California. Kraybill appears every Thursday at 2:30 p.m. on The Richard Beene Show on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM.

* ... MEMORIES: Check this out, the old Southern Hotel in its heyday.

Supervisor Mike Maggard tells Jim Scott the remaining local pot shops will have to close this summer, a local writer questions if there is a 'war on men' and does it do more harm than good and a farmer's market is coming to east Bakersfield

Monday, February 4, 2019

 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... POT SHOPS: After years of rancor and political wheeling and dealing that led to a conflict of interest charge against Supervisor Leticia Perez, it looks like Kern County's experimentation with legal marijuana will end this summer. That's according to Supervisor Mike Maggard who told

KGET's Jim Scott this weekend that in May, all of the existing pot shops in the county will have to close, unless they are granted extensions in February. For their part, the pot shop owners have been requesting an extension to recoup their investments, holding out hope that they can stay open a few more months with Supervisor approval.

 * ... LETICIA PEREZ: For her part, it looks like we indeed may be heading to a trial for Supervisor Leticia Perez on the conflict of interest charges filed against her. If you are new to town, Perez was charged because she failed to disclose that her husband, Fernando Jara, was lobbying for marijuana interests at the same time she was poised to vote on pot regulation. The charge is a misdemeanor but has hurt her politically and called into question her judgment. Stay tuned and let's see if there is a last minute settlement. Perez is represented by H.A. Sala, one of our town's most accomplished and aggressive defense attorneys.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If you’re ever feeling down on your appearance, remember: even the ugliest potato can become a beautiful delicious French fry. Everybody wants a French fry."

 * ... WAR ON MEN: Are we witnessing a war on men? Has the assault on 'toxic masculinity' gone too far? That is what Stefanie Daubert wondered in a Community Voice opinion piece written for The Bakersfield Californian. I will be interviewing Daubert on The Richard Beene Show on Tuesday. Tune in to hear her explain why this war on men (my words, not hers) could be doing more damage than good.

 * ... FARMER'S MARKET: Is northeast Bakersfield getting a farmer's market? Apparently so if you believe this Facebook post I spotted. Word on the street is that the owner of Hen's Roost, the popular vegan restaurant downtown, is behind the new farmer's market.

 * ... MEMORIES: Don't you love this old postcard promoting the Santa Fe railroad, circa 1950s? Thanks to the Facebook page Kern County History Fans for this one.

A high school teacher and a graphic porn site but Bakersfield in the news, City Councilman Andrae Gonzales brushes off an attack by Fernando Jara and Jean Fuller pushes an "early college" program

Friday, February 1, 2019

 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... FRONTIER PORN: There wasn't a bigger story this week than the revelation that a Frontier High School science teacher allegedly posted graphic videos on a porn site. Will the teacher, Emily

Salazar, lose her job now that virtually every male student at the school has likely watched their teacher perform in the most graphic fashion? Legal experts, including noted plaintiff lawyer Daniel Rodriguez, say it is not clear if Salazar can be fired for her behavior outside the classroom. Rodriguez noted that in some similar cases elsewhere, the teacher was transferred but kept her teaching credentials. Stay tuned for this one. (file photo of Emily Salazar)

 * ... POLITICS: Ah local politics .... dripping with irony and full of grand standing, personal attacks and duplicity. Let's start with the latest dustup in the Kern County Democratic Party where political

consultant Fernando Jara (husband of Supervisor Leticia Perez) launched a vicious personal attack on City Councilman Andrae Gonzales for allegedly not being Democratic enough in the mid-term elections. Among other things, Jara said Gonzales was directly responsible for two Democrats losing their races for supervisor: Jeff Heinle (he lost to Mike Maggard) and Grace Vallejo (she lost to David Couch.) But he didn't leave it there, opting to go personal with this post: "You are the money changer, not a follower of the radical Jesus of the Gospel.You are the inn-keeper who sends children to be born in mangers. Certainly, Councilman, you are the man who reaches out for a bag of coins from the powers that be and hand over your leaders and the poor of this community, people of color, the least of these, to political, economic, and psychological Lynching. Repent." All this hides the fact that there is no love lost between Perez and Gonzales, or the fact that it was Jara's own work for the marijuana industry that led to conflict of interest charges against his wife. For his part, Gonzales took the high road and dismissed Jara's attacks as "nothing. I don't pay attention to him." (Facebook photo of Fernando Jara)

 * ... KAMALA HARRIS: Do you like your health insurance? Is it provided by your employer, or school, or perhaps you work for the county or the city? Polls and any number of surveys reflect that the overwhelming number of Americans are happy with their insurance, despite the fact there is a push on the left to move to a single payer system. And who is leading that charge on the national level? None other that Kamala Harris, the California senator who announced a presidential run this week. Under her plan, all private policies (including plans negotiated with local and state governments) would be stripped and replaced by a Medicare for all program. How does that make you feel?

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, you’re probably really hot."

 * ... EARLY COLLEGE: A few select high schools in Kern County are the first in the state to offer a new program called "early college" where students can graduate from high school while also earning their junior college associate's degree. The idea: allow students to take college level classes while in high school while forgoing traditional college tuition, and graduate from high school ready to transfer into college as a junior. Heading up the program is Dr. Jean Fuller, former minority leader of the State Senate who has been termed out of office.

 * ... MEMORIES: The Beale Clock Tower circa 1949. Thanks to the folks at the Kern County History Fans Facebook page.

City Councilmen Willie Rivera and Andrae Gonzales are part of the blue wave in the Central Valley, crime plagues our local businesses and hats off to Mayor Karen Goh and others for pitching in to pick up trash

Monday, January 28, 2019

 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... THE BLUE FUTURE: If you want to know what the future looks like for Kern County

politicians, you might start with City Councilmen Willie Rivera and Andres Gonzales. Though the council is a non-partisan office, both Rivera and Gonzales are Democrats, and unlike their brethren in the Bay Area or Los Angeles, they reflect Valley values that put them more in the center of the political left. Both are Hispanic, young, progressive, smart and willing to listen, qualities that elude some on the far left. And both are making their mark on a council that traditionally has been populated by those on the far right. You also have Assemblyman Rudy Salas and Supervisor Leticia Perez as young Democrats, but Perez's future is less certain given her upcoming trial on conflict of interest charges related to her husband's consulting for marijuana interests. Watch both Rivera and Gonzales; they are both to be reckoned with.

 * ... HOMELESS: I started my Sunday with an early bike ride and followed that with errands to Sprouts and Target on Stockdale Highway. If there were ever any doubt about our growing homeless problem, it was dashed by my encounters with the homeless in areas far from the city center. We were on cross bikes and on the dirt trail under Allen Road we encountered an encampment of perhaps 20 or so homeless. Tents, trash and rubbish littered the area., and it reeked of urine. Later in the day at the Target center on Stockdale Highway, there were homeless begging for money at each entrance. And so it goes.

 * ... HISTORY QUIZ: Did you know the Kern River (and Kern County itself) was named after Edward Kern, a cartographer who was on the 1845 expedition led by Gen. John C. Fremont? The Kern River was originally named Rio Bravo de San Felipe by Father Francisco Garcés when he explored the area in 1776. Fremont was known in the period as "The Pathfinder" and he later ran for president twice, as well as serving as general in the Civil War with a checkered record.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Not to brag, but I’ve worked my way through every single class of antidepressants."

 * ... CRIME: Spotted this on Facebook. It speaks for itself: "In the last three days I have witnessed 3 robberies  yes 3! What has this world come to lately. First robbery was at Vons on Ming Ave. Lady walks out with a whole cart full of groceries without paying . She is followed by the store manager and asked for receipt. She fumbles in purse for receipt ( there was no receipt)  Manager asks her come in and he rings her up and low and behold she pays for it and is on her way. I talked to the manager and he said it happens daily and most thieves get away with it. Next day in Sunglasses Hut at Macy’s a guy walks up and grabs sunglasses and runs out of the store. Today at Vons on Stockdale Hwy a guy walked out with 4 large cans of formula and food stuffed up his sweatshirt. He runs through the parking lot with a get away car waiting for him. The employees didn’t run after him because as one said to me that there is no punishment for their crime. It makes me sad when many of us are trying to have a positive attitude and support our country and some just feel that it is theirs for the taking. I don’t think these crimes are because of the government shutdown since before the shutdown I have witnessed thieves walk into a store with a wagon and load it up with alcohol and just walk out. Something has to change! It seems that there is a trend of attitude with some that it is ok to just take what they want."

 * ... TRASH CLEANUP: I have often said that it is up to all of us to combat trash and litter, even if that means giving up some of our spare time to deal with it. So that was way I was thrilled to see a Facebook post by Mayor Karen Goh noting that employees of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools partnered with Keep Bakersfield Beautiful to clean up the downtown area on Saturday morning. Now that is what you call good form.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this old ad for the old Saddle and Sirloin on Union Avenue, circa 1953.