Marvin and Nadene Steinert are honored by the Kern Community Foundation with the Spirit of Philanthrophy award, and what is the etiquette about bringing pizza on a small airplane

 * ... LITTER: Carol Knapp is so fed up with litter that she tried to track down the person who dumped a pile of papers in the Big Lots parking lot. Among the trash was a student's paper from Longfellow School, so Carol tried - unsuccessfully - to contact Principal Mario Castro to reach the offending parent.  "I feel if parents are slobs then their children will be the same. Schools need to teach the children as early as the first grade that littering is wrong."

* ... STEINERTS: Hats off to the Kern Community Foundation which recently recognized Marvin and Nadene Steinert with the group's "Spirit of Philanthropy" Award. The Steinerts are among our community's most generous benefactors, and they recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. The event was held at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. (file photo of the Steinerts)

 * ... PADRE: One of the social events of the year was held last weekend at The Padre Hotel, where Imbide Wine and Spirits partnered with the Bakersfield North Rotary Foundation to raise money for charities. There were more than 20 winemakers present and I am told it was a "who's who" of Bakersfield who showed up to support the event. Hats off to Tami and David Dobbs over at Imbibe for helping make this event a success.

* ... ROAD TRIP: Notes from a road trip I took recently. The Phoenix to Bakersfield U.S. Airways flight is always a spectacle (you almost always run into someone you know), but these days it is full of oil field contractors headed to Kern County for work. As one Canadian contractor told me this week: "I feel like Bakersfield is my second home I am here so much."

 * ... PIZZA, REALLY? And speaking of airline travel, is it really necessary to bring an entire, freshly cooked pizza on the plane with you? What is the etiquette about sitting down in a cramped plane and gobbling down an entire pizza while the aroma fills the plane?

 * ... PRESS: Expect to see a major story on Bakersfield and our economy soon in the The Wall Street Journal. The paper is sending one of its veteran San Francisco-based reporters to Bakersfield to report on our oil boom and local economy.  Be looking for this piece in the weeks to come.

 * ... SERVICE: You can add the Kleenerz laundry to the list of local companies that go out of their way to provide terrific customer service. Hard to beat the smiles and efficiency at the company's Brundage Lane office.

 * ... TURKEYS: Hats off to the students and staff at Independence High School who are joining forces with Living Grace Church to provide turkeys and non-perishable food items for the needy this Saturday. Donations will be accepted from 10 a.m. to noon in the high school parking lot to benefit a local ministry, the Flood, and Independence families. Call (661) 428-7265 for details.

Veteran's Day and remembering those who are needy among us... and of course another lament about our trash

 * ... VETERANS: Joseph Covington, a Navy veteran, dropped this heartfelt note to mark the passage of Veteran's Day. While at California Pizza Kitchen with a friend, he was "surprised to discover that they had a special offer of a free pizza to veterans that visited them on Veterans Day. Unlike the many of us Vietnam veterans that were spat on, and cursed at when we returned home, the little thank you and acknowledgement was delightful. To add to this surprise, there were two ladies next to us that helped contribute to our bill. I didn’t know about it until after they left, and thought this would be a way to communicate my gratitude if this gets printed... As an American, I would like to thank the great people who acknowledge the efforts of those who have served to give the freedoms we enjoy. Personally, I do not feel like a hero, or anyone special. The truly great sacrifices were the service men and women that paid the ultimate price of giving their life, and those who have been wounded defending the honor they fight for."

 * ... MORE VETS: One more feel good story for the morning. Gary Schneider wrote to tell me about his son, Lt. Lincoln Schneider, who has been named Officer Recruiter of the Year for the East coast of the U.S. Navy. He graduated from Stockdale High School in 1999 and earned a full scholarship to Tulane University. He later earned his law degree and is working on his master's in hospital administration at the University of Florida. He is based in Jacksonville. Here's to the Stockdale kid to headed to Tulane, then Florida and then to the U.S. Navy.

 * ... SENIORS: I had the chance the other day to hear a presentation by Sandy Morris, the Bakersfield Police Department employee who runs the Christmas for Seniors program. This is a highly worthwhile program, and her stories about the humility of our elderly struck a chord with the audience. If you'd like to help, or donate items as simple as two-ply toilet paper, blank note cards or soap and deodorant, call Sandy at (661) 703-8893.


 * .... RELIGION: From reader Moe Adame, reacting to an earlier post about Christian bumper sitckers: "So let me get this straight.... all it takes to get into heaven is some bumper stickers?  Wow! No need for churches. Heyooohh!!

 * ... SPOTTED: Two architects from a Kansas City design firm are seen having dinner at the Padre Hotel along with Barry Hibbard. The architects are in charge of the design of the new minor league baseball stadium that will be built off Brimhall and Coffee roads and were in town doing research. One thing is for certain: with former Aera Energy CEO Gene Voiland and oilman Chad Hathaway behind this project, you can bet it will be a first class operation.

 * ... TRASH: How do we tackle our problem with litter? Listen to T.A. Hoffman: "As a native Californian who was living in Austin, Texas, in the 1980s and 199's, I can help  with the question of why Texas roads are so litter-free.  It is because the Texas Department of Transportation got
tired of spending $20 million a year to collect litter and therefore hired the Austin advertising company of GSDM to create an advertising campaign to change the culture... it came up with the slogan 'Don't Mess with Texas' superimposed over the Texas flag, which became an actual rallying-cry
for everyone from bikers to downtown bankers. "

Reminiscing about the first general election in a long time without Dan Rather, who once characterized a race was as "tight as rusted lug nuts on a '55 Ford." And California Democrats close in on a super majority in Sacramento

 * ... SACRAMENTO: California Democrats are nearing a "super majority" in Sacramento that will allow them to pass virtually anything without any Republican votes. Along with the passage of Prop 30 tax increase, this is a huge windfall for Gov. Jerry Brown and it reflects the weakness of the Republican Party in California politics. (Republicans now account for just 31 percent of the registered voters in California) As George Skelton of The Los Angeles Times said: "And history teaches us what absolute power can do: affix blinders and corrupt... With a two-thirds vote, there's virtually nothing that can't be done in Sacramento. You can raise taxes, override a governor's veto, write constitutional amendments, propose bond issues."

 * ... DAN RATHER: Did you miss former CBS News anchor Dan Rather presiding over election night? Rather certainly had his quirky side, but his humor was legendary. Some of Rather's funnier takes from previous general elections: "His lead is as thin as turnip soup ... This situation in Ohio would give an aspirin a headache ... This race is shakier than cafeteria Jell-O... Now Florida, that race, the heat from it is hot enough to peel house paint ... In southern states they beat him like a rented mule ... He swept through the South like a tornado through a trailer park ... This race is as tight as rusted lug nuts on a '55 Ford."

 * ... SPOTTED: From a longtime reader who asked to remain anonymous. "Yesterday I was driving north on North Chester when I spotted a maroon pickup that was loaded with religious stickers on the bumper, tailgate and windows.  I thought to myself 'Now there's a very good Christian' -- until I witnessed the following: He started tailgating a car and did so for about three blocks. The tailgater got a chance to pass the car and as he went past gave the finger salute! My only hope is that maybe he had borrowed the truck!"

 * ... TRASH: More frustration about the trash on our streets from Bonnie Farrer:  "I see the trash and think 'government failure.' We pay high taxes in this state, yet our roads are disgraceful. A very wise citizen suggested that prisoners clean up our roads, then if people are ever caught throwing trash out their car windows they too can become prisoners!"

 * ... TAGGERS: And finally, reader Rich Partain shares his frustration with taggers. "Nearby there is a nice stretch of concrete block wall that fronts a storm drain sump. One day public employees are dutifully trimming and shaping between the bushes that grow along it.  Within a short time taggers put their mark on the now accessible cleared section. Soon after the graffiti cleanup truck shows up and the worker is busily removing the offending calligraphy. It is a lot harder to leave a painted message on a fast growing shrub than a clean wall. Seems some communication is in order here with faltering government budgets and mandated cost reductions coming from on high."

 * ... SANDY: Hurricane Sandy has come and gone, but the relief effort in parts of New York and New Jersey is still struggling to help thousands impacted by the storm. If you'd like to help, former East Rotary Club president Dan Giordano reminded me that most Rotary clubs are acting as conduits to get donations to the needy. There is always the Red Cross and Salvation Army, but now is the time to give.
--

Does running a picture of President Obama consoling a hurricane victim equate to bias? One reader says yes, another says no.

 * ... FRONT PAGE: More feedback on the front page picture we ran of President Obama consoling a victim of Hurricane Sandy. "A quick comment on your response to reader Randy Grigg's accusation that the front page picture of Obama was biased," wrote Don Craib. "Of course it was biased. That picture jumps right off the page as a picture of a 'loving, caring, giving man.' As an
intelligent newspaper man you know exactly what that pictured conveyed. It's not nice for CEOs to lie Mr. Beene. In fact, the intent of the picture was so obvious, your comments made you look silly." Well silly me, Dan. This is why I am anxious for this election to be over, when readers like you read conspiracy in every movement. Hurricane Sandy inflicted horrific damage on the East coast, and I have no issue showing either candidate as caring and compassionate in situations like this.

 * ... OTHER SIDE: Then there are readers like Kathy Scott, a longtime Republican, who weighed in with this response: "In defense of the newspaper, seeing as it has been attacked as being one sided, let me tell you this. I read the paper cover to cover every morning. It covers everything that I want to know, from the Benghazi attack to hurricane Sandy it covers it all and I see no bias. If a reader wants to truly see bias they need to be in Santa Barbara and read the News Press!  I lived there for 15 years and there is only ONE side you get to see and that is the far liberal left view. I am one of those people who watch news 24/7 (all stations to see what they are saying, although Fox always gives me both sides so I am partial to them), but I also watch the Senate and the Congress and see first hand what is being said. It is amazing to see what a truly biased newspaper will twist (the News Press for instance) thus giving its readers a very untrue view. Our newspaper, the Bakersfield Californian is not biased in its reporting, in my view!" Thanks, Kathy.

 * ... SPOTTED: Kudos to the young woman seen sweeping up trash around a city container on the bike trail off Chester Avenue.

* ... LITTER: Dave Collin has had enough with the garbage and litter on our streets, so he has started a new walking group to spruce up his neighborhood. "I have started a new walking group among the members of the South Oswell Neighborhood Watch, which is located in Southeast Bakersfield.  It is called the 'Tyner Walkers' and named after our neighborhood of Tyner Ranch.  Each of our participants has agreed to pick up just two pieces of litter on their exercise or family walks, helping to keep our area clean and build a community identity." Now, just imagine if groups did this all over our fair city?

 * ... MORE TRASH: Another reader, Charlie Powell, reacted to a recent post about how clean the freeways are in Texas. "That is because of the 'Don't Mess With Texas' program, an outgrowth of the earlier push by Lady Bird Johnson to clean up the Texas highways. First offense is a $500 fine! And is aggressively enforced. Second offense is $2,000! Blue signs all over Texas warn you. California doesn't seem to have the political will to do this, along with the cell phone and texting while driving plague. Set the fines and enforce... you'll see clean highways with non-distracted drivers."

* ... AIRPORT BUS: Lyndon Richardson wrote with this warning about the airport bus that shuttles between Bakersfield and Los Angeles airport. "When taking my trip last week, I boarded what was not the normal Coach America bus at LAX to return home (the only reason that I knew I was on the correct bus is a gentleman stopped at the Bakersfield pickup and yelled BAKERSFIELD).  Once all the airport pickups had been made, we left the airport and drove over to one of the local hotels.  We all had to leave the bus and move all of our belongings to another waiting bus. When we asked why, we were told that the Bakersfield Airport Bus' airport pickup permit had not been renewed and until it was, they were using another LA company that was permitted to pickup and deliver the Bakersfield passengers onto the airport grounds.  They expected to have this resolved within 45 - 60 days. "

Has City Councilman Rudy Salas gone too far with his negative attack ads on opponent Pedro Rios? And did The Californian show bias by running a picture of President Obama?

 * ... ELECTION: At this point in the campaign most of us just want this election to be over, but there will be plenty of drama on election day. Several local races are razor tight and there are a number of controversial propositions on the ballot. Former Kern County supervisor and longtime political consultant Gene Tackett will join me on Californian Radio KERN 1180 to discuss the general election and what is at stake. We'll be chatting about the presidential race as well as the City Council and Supervisor races. Join us at 9 a.m. Monday.

 * ... BIAS: Reader Randy Grigg took me to task for allegedly showing liberal bias by showing a picture of President Obama comforting a storm victim in New York. "As a subscriber for over 30 years and local small businessman I'm appalled at the picture on the front page of Obama holding an emotionally distraught woman because of the storm that hit the East coast. Why didn't you have a front page picture of the father whose son was killed because of lack of appropriate military action in Benghazi... and his comments?  Why aren't you covering the developments of this horrible incident?" Randy: You have to cut me some slack here. The story of Hurricane Sandy and its trail of devastation in New York and New Jersey was the big story of the way. We didn't mean to imply bias by running a picture of the president.

 * ... SALAS-RIOS: Politics is not for the faint of heart, and perhaps the nastiest local race this year is between City Councilman Rudy Salas and former Delano Mayor Pedro Rios who are competing for the 32nd Assembly District. The negative and clearly misleading attack ads by Salas on Rios have been unrelenting, and now it appears they have created a small backlash from folks who question if Salas has gone too far. Is going negative a smart strategy? On Tuesday, we will see.

 * ... TRASH: Keith Key is a local businessman who shares a growing frustration with the trash that litters our roads and parks. "I was reflecting on my recent trip to the World (skeet shooting) Championships in San Antonio, Texas. My wife and I really noticed the lack of trash on the Texas highways. Why can’t the people of California, take the same kind of pride as the people of Texas?"

 * ... HUSKERS: Kelsey Fien is a graduate of Frontier High School who is making quite a name for herself on the Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball team. She helped lead the No. 4 Huskers to an important upset victory over top-ranked Penn State and is one of the team's standout players. The 6-foot, three-inch Fien is a freshmen in Lincoln.

 * ... CAMERON: Last week I shared with you the story of 12-year-old Cameron Caneta, who decided to surprise Monsignor Craig Harrison on his birthday by collecting food for the needy. Since then, folks have been lining up behind Cameron to join the drive. Said his mother Mary Caneta: "We were surprised today with three more cases of food and a young man pulled up in his truck to donate a truckload of clothes, shoes, socks, razors etc. More calls coming in! I told my son...'Job well done' and he replied 'Thanks Mom, but I am not done yet!'"

Tax hike Proposition 30 goes down to the wire in California while Gov. Brown is criticized for failing to focus his message of support for it

 * ... PROP 30: It looks like Proposition 30, the tax hike sponsored by Gov. Jerry Brown and supported by the teacher's unions, is going to come down to the wire. The latest polls show support for Prop 30 in the high 40s with opposition in the lower 40 percent range. Its problem, according to Los Angeles Times political columnist George Skelton, is that Brown had not clearly defined the message behind it. For a while Brown claimed 100 percent of the money would go to schools, which simply is not true. But Skelton points out 47 percent of it - or some $2.8 billion - "legally must go to K-12 schools and community colleges." Opponents claim it will simply be used to balance the budget or will be deferred to other uses. The Wall Street Journal calls Prop 30 the second most important election next Tuesday - behind the presidential race - and says the initiative would "issue Sacramento's incorrigible spendthrifts another blank check." (photo courtesy of The Los Angeles Times)

 * ... CHEZ NOEL: The Assistance League is gearing up for its annual Chez Noel home tour, its biggest fund raiser of the year and always one of the season's more popular events. Tickets are $35 each and are available at the Bargain Box on Q Street, Pappagallo, Russo's Books, Sugardaddy's and Country Club Liquors on Columbus. The event helps fund Operation School Bell, which gives new clothes to some 3,000 children, and Operation Hugs, which supplies 2,500 Teddy bears to ailing children.

 * ... OPEN CARRY: If you travel to Oklahoma, don't be surprised to see folks carrying pistols in full open view. As of Thursday Oklahoma became the latest state to approve that weapons can be carried in the open - loaded or unloaded - as long as the owner has a concealed carry permit. Fifteen states now allow people to carry weapons in the open.

 * ... KINDNESS: A shopper in the parking lot of a local Smart and Final is approached by a homeless man who wants to wash her windshield. Her response: "No thank you, I just got my car washed but here are a few dollars because you are working for your money."

* ... TRASH: We are all accustomed to seeing old mattresses and chairs discarded on the roadway, but a boat? That's right, a small boat has been unceremoniously abandoned off Manor Street just off the bike path, left there to rot. On the side of the boat someone wrote: "For rent, inquire within."

 * ... HALLOWEEN: And speaking of trash, the Haggin Oaks area got its usual throng of trick or treaters but as one resident wrote me: "Do they have to leave their used diapers on the sidewalks? I found three this morning."

 * ... CHICKENS: Longtime reader Linda Welch wrote to weigh on on the proposal to allow residents to keep chickens in their yards. "I live three or four blocks from a rooster .... he starts his wake-up calls every single morning about 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. He does not stop until the sky in the east starts to lighten up. That racket is as annoying as a barking dog."

New Bakersfield College president pushes for passage of Proposition 30, which continues to sink in the polls, and City Councilman Russell Johnson faces a firestorm of criticism

 * ... CHRISTIAN: Dr. Sonya Christian will take over as the 10th president of Bakersfield College in January, but she is already at work tackling some of the college's deepest problems. Though still living in Eugene, Oregon, she is out front pushing for the passage of Prop 30, which would impose a quarter cent sales tax as well as impose new taxes on high wage earners. Tracking polls, however, show Prop 30 losing public support in the days before the election, in part because of cynicism among voters that the money will really spent on education. If it loses, Bakersfield College will be facing yet another round of budget cuts.

* ... THE BUZZ: Local political observers are closely following a dust up and possible conflict of interest involving City Councilman Russell Johnson. Thanks to reporting by columnist Lois Henry, we now know that Johnson is a paid consultant to the North of the River Municipal Water District at the same time he serves on the city water resources board, a position that certainly passes the smell test of a potential conflict. Russell apparently doesn't think it's a big deal, but insiders predict this issue is not going away. Follow this one closely.

* ... BIG HEART: Cameron Caneta is only 12 years old but he has already learned the joy of giving. A member of the St. Francis Church Parish, Cameron got the idea to surprise Monsignor Craig Harrison by leading a drive to collect canned goods for the needy. In just four days he collected more than 400 cans and is well beyond that now. His mother, Mary Caneta, said it all started when her son asked, 'Mom, why is the church pantry always empty?' Turns out it was Monsignor Craig's birthday when the youngster told him of his food drive. Hard to think of a better birthday present.

 * ... HALLOWEEN: One of the hottest costumes for Halloween is expected to feature folks dressing up like pro cyclist Lance Armstrong wearing syringes taped to their arms. Not not ago the now disgraced Tour de France champion was a source of inspiration; today, he's an object of ridicule following revelations he was part of the doping culture on the Tour. (photo courtesy of The Wall Street Journal)

 * ... TRASH: Stephen Montgomery is one of those good citizens who actually picks up trash while he takes his daily walk. (Wouldn't it be nice if we all did this?) While out walking recently, he will drop the trash in someone's trash can to help keep the neighborhood clean. "The other day I dropped some street trash, a very small amount of fast food and tobacco trash, in a toter I use regularly because it's always in the front yard. But this time the owner saw me. He scowled at me and now I notice he keeps his brown toter behind a gate although he still leaves his seldom used green toter in the front yard. You can never figure out what offends some people."

 * ... THANKSGIVING: Did you know that the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year for plumbers? According to Food Network magazine, plumbers view the day as "Black Friday" because of the sheer volume of calls for backed up sinks and stalled disposals.

* ... PETS: Don't forget the blanket drive for abandoned dogs and cats that will be held Saturday at the downtown Bakersfield Racquet Club. It is being sponsored by Operation Blankets for Love and will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All towels and blankets collected will go to local shelters.

Bakersfield quietly pulls its application to become a host city for the 2013 Tour of California, another casualty of the culture of doping in professional cycling

* ... TOUR: The folks behind the effort to bring the Tour of California cycling race back to Bakersfield have quietly withdrawn their request to be a host city next year. Sources close to the effort told me they are backing off in part because of the doping scandal that led to Lance Armstrong being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. Sponsors like Nike have dropped Armstrong, and last week Rabobank said it too would drop its sponsorship of a major European cycling team. (Rabobank was also a huge sponsor of the Tour of California and had a big presence at this year's time trial event on the Panorama bluffs). An insider told me that raising money to bring the tour back was hard enough, and the doping scandal was the final nail in the coffin. "We'll just let 2013 pass and then take another look in 2014," I was told.

* ... SCARED: Here is something to remember on Halloween. New research seems to prove the old adage that you can literally be "scared to death." That's right, researchers now believe that some people have "acute, sudden heart failure" when they suffer a severe traumatic experience. And this is happening in otherwise perfectly healthy people. "These include victims of muggings and break-ins who assailants never touched them; children who died on amusement park rides; car accident victims who sustained only minor injuries and a man who jumped off the roof" of a hospital but suffered severe heart damage even before hitting the ground, said a story in The Wall Street Journal.

 * ... SPOTTED: Two old box springs and mattresses, along with an equally grungy brown recliner, are unceremoniously dumped in Jastro Park over the weekend.

* ... CHRISTIAN: Bakersfield College has a new president and she will be taking over during a time of tremendous challenge for community colleges. On Monday, new president Dr. Sonya Christian will join me on Californian Radio (KERN 1180) to talk about her plans on leading the school. When she takes over full time in January, she will become the school's 10th president. Tune in at 9 a.m. and call in with your questions to (661) 842-5376.

 * ... THEFT: My earlier piece on theft at airports by security personnel drew this note from Michael Tasos. "Greetings from North Georgia. Interesting point about airport thefts. A few years ago, while vacationing in Maui, my son and I were going to play golf. When I reached into my bag, I found that my 5, 7, and 9 irons, as well as two wedges were missing. I asked my son if he had been messing with my clubs before we left and he had not. I contacted Delta and they paid for the stolen clubs immediately. You're right, theft must be rampant. I also found the random assortment of clubs that were pilfered to be quite odd. I guess someone was building a set."

 * ... RIP: George Antonio Borba, the patriarch of the dairy-farming Borba family, died last week after a long battle with cancer. Borba is a familiar name in Kern County, thanks to his family and his sons moving their dairy operations here almost a decade ago. Borba was president of the California Milk Producers Cooperative. He was 80 years old and lived his entire life in the Ontario and Chino area.