House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy challenges Feinstein, Boxer, to support House legislation to deal with California's crippling drought

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

 "This week, the House passed vital water legislation, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Emergency Water Delivery Act, by a 229-191 vote.  Since 2007, the state water project has lost 2.6 million acre-feet of water because of onerous Federal and state policies. Now how much water is 2.6 million acre-feet? It is enough for the annual water needs for every resident of Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago combined. Where’d that water go? Out to the ocean.  Why would we send it out to the ocean when we could store it for the drought that we knew would happen?  I tried to prevent this from happening when I voted for legislation in the last Congress that would allow us to store this water, but unfortunately, the Senate refused to act.  The bill that passed this week would restore the consensus 1994 Bay Delta Accord to help ensure that when it does rain and snow, our communities get the water they contract and pay for, rather than it being wasted out to sea, which current Federal and state regulations require.

 "It is imperative that the Senate act. And we now have word that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will invoke a procedure that will advance this vital legislation. It will place our legislation directly on the Senate’s legislative calendar. If a motion to proceed is approved by three-fifths of the Senate, the bill then moves to the Senate floor for a vote. It is time for Senators Feinstein and Boxer to act.

"They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  So take a look at the real impact this drought is having on our local economy and on all Americans:

CVS pharmacies drops cigarettes, Covenant Coffee will open a branch at the Bakersfield Racket Club, and what would Wendy Wayne think of the move to name a freeway after her?

 * … CIGARETTES: Before we get too excited about the news that CVS pharmacies will stop selling cigarettes, how many of us remember that Target did so back in 1996? The CVS move likely has more to do with the company positioning itself as a partner and provider of health care than with saving lives. But I applaud it nonetheless. Meanwhile the number of Americans who smoke has declined from 42 percent in 1965 to just 19 percent in 2011.

* … COVENANT: It looks like Covenant Coffee, the popular coffee and sandwich shop up on North Chester, will be setting up shop at the Bakersfield Racket Club. The BRC board has approved the idea and now head Covenant cheerleader and manager Randy Martin is working out the details to take over the BRC coffee shop. This should be a real boost in the arm for both BRC and Covenant, which employs foster children to give them a leg up on the road to success.

 * … WENDY: I'm not sure what the late Wendy Wayne would think of the effort by CSUB President Horace Mitchell to rename the Westside Parkway after her (it is proposed as the 'CSU Bakersfield alumna Wendy Wayne Westside Parkway'), but I have a suspicion she might be embarrassed by the whole thing. The Wendy I knew was less impressed with naming rights and more focused on random acts of kindness and helping those who are not so blessed as the rest of us. She would likely say, 'That's quite an honor, but just go give someone a hug."

 * … APNEA: For all of you who suffer from sleep apnea, Al Bensusen over at Sandman Technologies has some good news for you. There is a new sleep apnea machine out that is literally so small it fits in a shirt pocket, and is just as powerful and reliable as the larger, older models. I credit Bensusen and his clinic for providing me with a good night's sleep, and he says this new smaller machine is bound to be a big hit among the sleep deprived. And he's the only outlet in Bakersfield to have it. The palm-sized device, made by Human Design Medical in Ventura, weighs just 10 ounces and is perfect for those who travel a lot.

 * … OVERHEARD: At a local Starbucks a young man tells his friend: "That girl in front of me just order 2,100 calories of caramel coffee and muffins. Wonder what she is having for lunch?"

* ... RED: Bakersfield Sound legend Red Simpson entertains the crowd at the Rasmussen Senior Center every Tuesday. His secret to a long and happy life: smile. His favorite local restaurant? Milt's Coffee Shop.

Remembering the late Wendy Wayne, child welfare advocate, and catching up with what is going on out at Cal State Bakersfield

 * … WENDY: The social networking site Facebook can be annoying and intrusive at times, but I was thankful when it "reminded" me that it was Wendy Wayne's birthday on Tuesday. She would have

been 66.  For those of you who weren't lucky enough to know Wendy, she was a local child welfare advocate who had a heart of gold and never met stranger. She died in June of 2012 after a long battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but the work she did here and elsewhere to help the needy and disenfranchised will live on forever. She was a UCLA graduate, a registered nurse and a Peace Corps volunteer. For Wendy, happiness came in helping others, in learning and accepting opposing points of view and in growing spiritually. Thank you, Facebook, for reminding me of this very special person. (photo of Wendy with husband Gene Tackett)

* … VOLLEYBALL: My bet is the new sand volleyball program out at Cal State Bakersfield is going to be a big success. This will be the second year of the sand game, which is played by some of the same Runner women who play on the hard court. Three sand courts have been built outside the student recreation center and the university is busy readying the area for spectators.

 * … BASEBALL: And speaking of CSUB, baseball season is just around the corner. Manager Bill Kernan is hoping this year's squad will win the Western Athletic Conference and end up in the NCAA baseball tournament. Strange that a spring sport is getting ready to kick off when we hardly had a winter.

 * … ART SHOW: Betty Leonor is one of our community's most gifted artists and her stunning oil paintings will be on display at The Metro Galleries on 19th Street starting this Friday. This will be Leonor's second show at Metro and it promises to be her best. Leonor, by coincidence, is married to Cal State baseball coach Bill Kernan. Her show is one of the main draws for the monthly First Friday celebration downtown.

 * … BAD FORM: Stephen Knapp writes that he lives a retirement home run by the Kern County  Housing Authority between Ming Avenue and Wilson Road on Real Road.  "There is a legal crosswalk in front for people to cross Real Road to go to K-Mart and other stores which a lot of use.  Most of the people who live here are disabled and use wheelchairs, walkers, canes etc. and move slowly. The speed limit is 40 miles per house and the crosswalk is clearly marked with lines and yellow warning signs, but few drivers even slow down.  I have sat trying to cross while 5 to 10 cars pass and don't stop.  I have even had cars pass in the other lane when I am trying to cross.  One time a lady in a large SUV honked at me and flashed a one finger salute as she sped by. I feel there should be signs warning people to slow down for seniors just like in school   zones.  I just hope it doesn't take one of us getting killed before someone addresses the problem.

 * … DROUGHT: Judy Henderson wrote to weigh in on California's long drought. She recently took a visitor from Arizona on a walk, and he noticed that  "water ran freely in the gutters of more than one street. Lawns were so saturated with water that soil washed onto sidewalks. One home had a sprinkler that watered the street only. A resident was washing down the sidewalks around his home.  Our visitor commented that it looked to him that Bakersfield had plenty of water to waste… How often should winter rye lawns be watered? Are some lawns still on the summer timer cycle?  Should winter lawns be watered for two minutes, twice a week?  Could we find the source of gutters that run with water twenty-four hours a day. We need to be pro-active to stop the waste.  People of Bakersfield can do better for our city and state."

Experts said California's drought is on track to be the worst in 500 years, and a CSUB professor warns he is not done protesting for immigration reform

 * ... DROUGHT: If you are not paying attention to the California drought, you should be. A UC

Berkeley professor says we are on track to witness the worst drought in 500 years, and already as many as 40,000 people in California communities are in danger of totally running out of water. Farmers are selling off cattle, thousands of acres of productive land is being left fallow and communities are considering water rationing and other methods to reduce consumption. Stay tuned.

 * ... IMMIGRATION: Gonzalo Santos is a Cal State Bakersfield professor who is active in the movement pushing for full immigration reform and a clear path to citizenship for those in the country illegally. This weekend, he circulated an essay on the history of immigration reform and noted that he was among a group of protesters who showed up when House Speaker John Boehner joined Rep. Kevin McCarthy for a press conference. Said Santos: "Recently, when Speaker Bohener came to Bakersfield, stealthily, I and others were there anyway, protesting by the road; and he and McCarthy had to pass us on the way out. As they roared past us on their armored SUV, they had their tinted windows up, leaving us in the dust. - or so they thought, these mighty men in such abysmal denial of the lessons of history."


 * ... SNACKS: I stopped by one of my favorite locally owned restaurants the other day - Uricchio's Trattoria - and was pleased to see they have a new happy hour menu that includes pizzas and other snacks at greatly reduced prices. Uricchio's was one of the pioneering local retailers that placed a big bet on downtown almost two decades ago, and it's good to see them filling the seats and trying new ways to please customers.

 * ... RETAIL: I hated to see that Hoggz Surf Shop didn't make it in the Town and Country Shopping Center. In the times I shopped there, the customer service was always first rate and the prices competitive. Local retailers now face not only the big box competitors but the trend to online shopping as well. Hoggz joins a growing list of local retailers not making it, including Russo's Books, Anna's Cards and Gifts at The Marketplace, Olcott's, and more.

 * ... SURGERY: One aspect of human behavior doesn't change no matter what shape the economy. And that is the growing acceptance of cosmetic surgery and the use of Botox to fight the aging process. On Tuesday, I will be chatting with Dr. Joseph Chang of Empire Eye and Laser Center and eyelid lifts, Botox and how a man like Chang traded his native South and ended up in Bakersfield. Join us at 8 a.m. on First Look with Scott Cox broadcast live on bakersfield.com and KERN 1180.

McCarthy: While the federal government puts fish before families, California suffers from a long drought that is costing jobs

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. 

"This week the President gave his State of the Union address. Unfortunately, when it comes to policy, we heard much of the same. The President said he has “a phone and a pen” but that’s not what the Founders of our Constitution envisioned. He should take the time to use the phone to listen to the American people and call Senator Harry Reid to move the over 150 commonsense bills –

legislation that would spur domestic energy production, end government duplication, and rein in red tape - that are sitting in the Senate and use his pen to sign those bills into law.  The President may have provided more promises this week, but the vision our country needs is one that empowers hardworking Americans, not the government.

 "Before the State of the Union, the President acknowledged to me the drought our state faces. While I appreciate the recognition, the current California drought crisis demands immediate action.  Unfortunately in recent years, the federal government has chosen to put fish before families and has ignored longstanding laws that were designed to secure adequate water for the Central Valley.  Our local farmers and families were dealt another blow when the California Department of Water Resources reduced State Water Project allocations from 5% to 0% in light of yesterday’s finding that the California snowpack is only 12% of its average for this time of year.

 "That is why I have joined with other members of the California congressional delegation taking immediate action to address this crisis by supporting the introduction of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act (H.R. 3964).  This bill would ensure that water pumps tasked with delivering water to the Central Valley are operating at the levels agreed to in the 1994 Bay Delta Accords between California and the federal government, and most importantly, reverses the backward policies that put the protection of one species of fish before our state’s farmers and families.  Additionally, this bill would ensure that in wet years when it does snow and rain, the resulting water is sent to those who contract and pay for it or is used to refill our reservoirs and groundwater banks in the Central Valley, rather than sending it out to the Pacific Ocean as current government regulations require.

 "The House will vote next week on this solution to the man-made water problems in California.  As the House acts, I also call on Governor Brown to use his authority under the recent emergency declaration to immediately direct state agencies to relax current state environmental regulations to ensure that any available water flows across the state. Water is the lifeblood of our communities, and I hope the Senate will join us and act to provide water to Californians across the state who are enduring another year of drought.

What's your take on the Christian singer who walked out of the Grammys? Have the Grammys gone too far pushing the boundaries?

 * … GRAMMYS: One of the sub plots to the recent Grammy awards involved a gospel singer who walked out, apparently upset with the "in your face" tone of some of the performances. The singer in question was Natalie Grant, a devout Christian who was nominated for two Grammy awards. While she was widely criticized for walking out, let's give her credit for doing so with class and without

directly attacking any particular performance. Said the singer: "What I DID say is this: I am honored to be a part of the Christian music community. I've had many people throughout my career ask why I never tried to go in to mainstream music and last night was a beautiful reminder that I love singing about Jesus and FOR Jesus. I've judged no one. I hate no one. And I believe that every person has been created in the image of God. I will never stand on a street corner and wave a sign, I won't use my platform to engage in political arguments that will only divide and not unite… I was honored to be nominated for 2 Grammy awards last night. I'm so grateful that NARAS and The Grammys continue to recognize the contribution that gospel and Christian music make to the world. And I'm so thrilled for those who won in my categories. And I can say that with all sincerity." Well said.

 * … DIVORCE: Now that the economy is slowly beginning to recovery, more folks are feeling more financially secure to seek a divorce. That's right, divorces plunged during the long recession as couples put off divorce until they could afford to split the sheets. But now that things are looking better, the divorce rate has crept back up to where it was just a few years ago. And so it goes.

* … SPOTTED: Comedian Bill Murray posted this on his Twitter account: "I can't decide if people who wear pajamas in public have given up or are living life to the fullest."

 * … ANCHORS: Congratulations to KGET morning anchor Maddie Janssen who gave birth to her first son, Eli, this week. Word is Maddie and Eli are back at home. She will be off for several months. Meanwhile, over at KBAK morning anchor Lynda Halligan has announced she is leaving Bakersfield to get married and move to Laguna Beach.

 * … REUNION: It took a common interest in fossils for two cousins to come together on Sharktooth Hill. It turns out that Bay area resident Roy Leggitt made a reservation to dig on Sharktooth on the exact same day that his cousin, Los Angeles resident Leroy Leggitt, did so. So they both showed up on Saturday not knowing the other would be there. They hadn't seen each other in eight years and spent the day digging side by side.

Commercial real estate broker Duane Keathley on our market: retail on Panama Lane will explode and East Hills Mall is "in play" for a razing or a renovation

 * … RETAIL: Duane Keathley is one of the smartest folks in town on the subject of commercial real estate, and Tuesday I spent an hour picking his brain on First Look with Scott Cox. Some factoids from my conversation with the senior partner at Cushman Wakefield: At one point the first Dollar General store on North Chester and China Grade Loop was one of the highest performing stores in the chain;

Panama Lane west of Highway 99 is set to explode with new retail over the next few years; East Hills Mall is "in play" as the new owners decide whether to raze it or revive part of it; there is new retail planned for Brimhall and Allen roads; and the average size of a BevMo! (beer and wine retailer) is about the size of Trader Joe's. And finally, at one point the relatively new Golden Corral on Ming Avenue was the No. 2 performing outlet in the chain.

 *  …  MORE RETAIL: Reader Joe Chavez wrote asking if there are plans by any big retailers to set up shop in the Northeast. According to Keathley, likely not. Most of them are looking west, and southwest, where the average incomes are higher and there is more "day traffic," meaning more places of employment where workers may shop at lunch or after work.

* … IMMIGRATION: It looks like there may be a breakthrough on immigration reform. News reports say the House Republican leadership will be holding a three-day retreat during which Speaker John Boehner will issue his position on including a path to citizenship or legal status for illegal immigrants along with tighter border security. This is a huge issue in California, of course, where the political pressure has been intense on House Republicans to get something done. Protests at the local office of House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy have become an almost weekly event, but it remains to be seen if the new Republican stance is enough for a true breakthrough with the Democratic controlled Senate.

 * …. DROUGHT: The drought being played out in California is serious stuff, and now it looks like the Republicans are using it as a political issue. Central Valley Republicans hosted House Speaker John Boehner last week to criticize environmental laws that divert water from farmers to engendered species. As Boehner said, putting fish over people is a "crazy idea" where he comes from. As the drought intensifies there is little doubt that House Republicans will continue to seize on it as a hot issue. Stay tuned.

 * … MORE DROUGHT: On the local front, you may have noticed the GET buses wrapped with messages encouraging water conservation. It's all part of a campaign by the non profit Water Association of Kern County to encourage water conservation in Kern County. The six buses will run for six months and they advertise a website - www.wakc.com - where people can find lots of ways to conserve water.

Crabfest pulls in 450 people to raise more than $250,000 for the St. Francis Parish, and Terry Maxwell tests the patience of his constituents

 * ... CRABFEST: A record 450 people turned out for the annual Rib and Crabfest to benefit the St. Francis Parish. This event has grown so popular (getting in is akin to scoring tickets to the Super Bowl) that Monsignor Craig Harrison had to move it to the old satellite wagering barn at the Kern County Fairground. Harrison told me the Parish expected to clear $250,000 from the Friday evening event. Among those I spotted there were Mikie and Dan Hay, Lisa Kimble Edmonston and husband Craig, Trevor and Annalise Townsend, Ken and Renee Carter, Day Raytis, Kristie Spitzer, Robin Mangarin Scott, Don and Patty Houchin, Jim and Beverly Camp, Jeff and Stephanie Pickering, Brian and Katie Kirschenmann and many others.

* ... BCHS: You have to love the print advertising for Bakersfield Christian High School that features beaming young people wearing sweat shirts of the colleges they will be attending: USC, UCLA, Cal Poly, Georgia Tech, Pepperdine among others. A picture like that speaks to the success of BCHS in sending our young people off to school.

 * ... MAXWELL: My colleague Lois Henry nailed it in her Sunday column about the Quixotic city councilman Terry Maxwell, who is ignoring the majority of residents in his own Ward 2 in opposing those who want cul de sacs on the "tree streets" at 24th Street. Maxwell holds to his own beliefs, if nothing else, but only time will tell if there will be a political price to pay.

 * ... RETAIL: With so many new retailers lining up to move to Bakersfield - BevMo!, Nordstrom Rack, Sprouts Farmers Market among them - what does that say about the state of our economy? On Tuesday, I will be chatting with commercial real estate broker Duane Keathley about new retail activity and what that means for 2014 and beyond. Catch us on First Look with Scott Cox on NewsTalk KERN 1180 or live on bakersfield.com beginning at 9 a.m.

 * … GOOD FORM: Ruth Darrington passed along this example of good form from an incident last week at the Albertson's on Mount Vernon. "A friend of mine and I were supposed to meet for lunch when I received a call from her telling me she had been in an accident at the Albertson's parking lot on Mt. Vernon.  I rushed to the site and found her standing next to the Albertson's manager, Jeff Albitre.  She was quite shook up and stood there as the paramedics checked her vitals. I don't know all the details, but what I do know is that this young man took it upon himself to talk to her insurance company and made sure that each person involved gave the insurance representative the information needed and then arranged for a tow.  This whole process took almost 2 1/2 hours and is something that she would have had a difficult time doing. My friend and I would like to thank Jeff for his assistance, compassion, and willingness to give the highest caliber of customer service."