New smart TVs will start to resemble our cell phones as consumers move away from traditional programming, and more criticism of Cal Water over its confusing drought decisions

 * ... MOBILE: Get ready for a whole new line of "smart TVs" designed to leverage the growing time we spend on our mobile devices. The new flat screen TVs, from manufacturers like Sharp, Samsung, Sony and Insignia, are designed to take advantage of a growing trend by consumers to ditch traditional TV programming, which has been in a long slow slide that is now accelerating. As noted in The Wall Street Journal, the share of traditional network TV and local programming is
quickly eroding as consumers opt for devices like Roku and Apple TV to access Netflix and other programming on their mobile devices. TV manufacturers are eager to capitalize on alternative and mobile programming, and they say the new TVs will begin to look more like the screens of our cell phones.

 * ... DROUGHT: I wrote earlier wondering why Cal Water Company does not provide a rebate for artificial turn, which drew this response from David Crabtree: "I have been a certified water auditor for over 20 years and landscape contractor for over 30 years. It is a head-scratcher why the $1 rebate from California Water Service does not apply to artificial turf, which is truly a no water element.  I do agree converting turf to drought tolerant landscape is a positive change for water conservation and done properly is visually appealing. But just as important is changing popup spray irrigation to either drip or bubbler application to irrigate your drought tolerant plants. Also, what is puzzling to me is unlimited time allowed for watering on odd and even days. Without that restriction, in some cases, more water is being applied than before the restrictions."

 * ... MORE DROUGHT: And David George added this: "I echo Heather Van Arkle's confusion. We are working with a landscaper to replace our front lawn with flagstone and artificial turf. After reading the guidelines, we will put drought tolerant planting where the turf was supposed to be.  Not sure how that will save as much water, but those are the guidelines.  ut here is the bigger issue. I have been attempting to fill out an online application, which is the only way to get my plan approved.  Unfortunately the website is not up and running. According to our local Cal Water office, it will be one to two weeks before the system is ready. Seems it would have been smarter to get the system working before all the hype about rebates."

 * ... CROSSING: This from reader Ronald Belair: "Just a small concern I have. The local railroad crossings at Hughes Lane, White Lane, Gosford Road and New Stine have all been well repaired and are smooth to vehicle traffic. However the crossing on District Boulevard just west of New Stine is in very bad shape, and is in much need of attention. Anything that you do to see if this can be remedied would certainly be appreciated. After all there is much more traffic on District than on Hughes."

* ... BAD FORM: Jamie Butow was at home in the southwest when she spotted three teenagers in a red Honda Pilot circle her cul-de-sac and stop in front of her house. "They proceeded to throw several soda cans, plastic water bottles, and other assorted trash out the window and into the street and then drove off. On a work call, I was stuck. What %@#*! jerks!" But what happened next is enough to warm any mother's heart. "Then my 11-year-old son, who also saw them, went out and picked up all the trash they left behind."

 * ... GOOD FORM: And here is a shoutout from Michelle Corson to some folks who always do good work: "I saw Bakersfield City Animal Control in action today and they have a heart wrenching job. They responded to calls from me and my colleagues at our workplace about two stray dogs today.  After much effort, they were only able to catch one of the dogs. Tears filled my eyes as I watched this worker try to help these forgotten, hungry, thirsty dogs. Thanks for their hard work, a job I could not do."

More confusion over new rules on the California drought, Mexicali closes its two locations to honor Esther Gamez, and celebrating CSUB's run in the college baseball regional playoffs

 * ... DROUGHT: Here is a real head scratcher, compliments of Heather Van Arkel who recently replaced her lawn with artificial turn. "California Water Service recently sent out an informational flyer on water use during the drought. I read it thoroughly and was excited to read that they are now offering a new Turf Replacement rebate which 'provides a $1 rebate per square foot of turf that is

removed and replaced with low-water-use landscaping. This rebate applies to turf replaced between January 1 and December 31, 2015, or until rebate funds are depleted which means I will qualify as we put in our artificial turf in January. (And, like Terry Stoler in your column today, we love it!)
But then my bubble was burst as I read the next sentence which said 'Replacement with artificial turf is not eligible.' What is artificial turf if not 'low-water-use?' It is, in fact, no-water-use! A call to the Drought Call Center left the agent as perplexed as me - she had no idea why artificial turf was excluded."

* ... MEXICALI: The family that owns Mexicali and Mexicali West have decided to shut both restaurants down today (Wednesday) in honor of the late Esther Gamez, one of the owners who passed away at the age of 84. This one-day closure is a fitting tribute to a woman who meant so much not only to the restaurants, but to the community as well.

 * ... SPOTTED: On Twitter was this missive: "Have you ever listened to somebody speak and wonder who ties their shoelaces for them?"


* ... TRADER JOE'S: I read the other day that Whole Foods is getting to roll out a smaller, cheaper retail store that will compete with Trader Joe's. I know some folks in the Northeast and downtown who would kill to have a new neighborhood market.

 * ... RUNNERS: How fun was it watching the CSUB baseball team make it to the College World Series regional playoffs? None of this would have been possible without the effort that President Horace Mitchell and his team put into taking Cal State to Division 1, which was quite controversial at the time. There is not doubt that having the Runners play teams like UCLA and Ole Miss has elevated the program to an entirely different level.

 * ... FOODIE: I finally stopped by the new Johnny Garlic's, TV host Guy Fieri's new restaurant out at the Marketplace. Bakersfield always goes crazy over new restaurants and it took a couple months before the crowds died down and I could land a table without a 90-minute wait. My favorite: the lamb slider appetizers that include a thin slice of cucumber to give it that extra crunch.

 * ... THEATERS: I promised no more posts on old theaters in town, but this note from Bill Varner was too good to resist. He wrote that in the 1930s, the old Granada Theater in east Bakersfield was occasionally converted into a boxing ring. "There was a full card of preliminary bouts with a main event, featuring two local lightweights, Charly Sullivan and my brother Pat Varner. All went well (until) the middle round of the main event the lights went out. The crowd was stunned but I think most of them grabbed their wallets wondering what was happening. The lights were back on in a few minutes... Charly won the decision. I don't if that was the end of the Granada."

Esther Gamez, whose family founded and owns Mexicali Restaurant, passes away leaving a legacy of grace and kindness, while another young waitress at The Mark shows some real class

* ... ESTHER: Our community lost a terrific person recently with the passing of Esther Gamez, a daughter of the founders of Mexicali restaurant and quite possibly one of the most gracious, and kind, people I have been fortunate to have met. She was 84. Esther was a Bakersfield success story, born during the

Great Depression when women were not expected to run businesses. After her parents founded Mexicali, she and her three sisters worked as waitresses while their mother worked in the kitchen. In her early years she ran her own business on Chester Avenue called the Chili King, but later returned to Mexicali. Later she threw herself into the community, volunteering for too many good causes and non-profits to list here. If a life can be measured by sheer kindness and grace, then Esther's was a life fulfilled.

 * ... SPOTTED: A young woman is in Valley Plaza wearing a T-shirt with this message: "I like long romantic walks to the bank."

 * … GOOD FORM: Isn't it surprising how a simple act of kindness can lead to such positive emotions? I recently lost a pair of my favorite sunglasses and I had no idea where they were. Then, to my surprise, six weeks later, hostess Crystal Garcia at The Mark Restaurant on 19th Street downtown surprised me by saying she had found them on my table and put them away for me for whenever I came back. Now that, friends, is white glove service by a young lady who goes above and beyond.

 * ... FRONT TRUNK: Tom Koski read my posted about the owner of a $300,000 McLaren spotted at Costco loading groceries in his front trunk. "I also owned a car where I loaded groceries camping supplies and other items into what would normally be the engine compartment, but the car did not cost $300,000. I think that I payed a little less than $3,000 for my first new car, a 1973 VW Bug."

* ... DROUGHT: Have you ever been tempted to install artificial grass? Terry Stoler did so about three years ago, using Dan Monji to install fake grass at the family's weekend home in New Cuyama. "And we love it!" she said. "We put native oaks on drip to soften up the landscape and there were tons of rocks on the place to fill in the flower beds. I don’t miss the flowers or shrubs. The Monji firm has great designers that know how to soften the look of artificial turf. Yes they have the more natural artificial turf with some blades of brown. The first shock was the price. Yes it is pricy. However when you think about the maintenance on real grass it turns that around pretty quickly. Add up the mowing, fertilizing, water costs and weeding. There are no weeds or gophers or insects! I think it raises the value and salability of a home... As farmers our water has been cut back to barely maintenance of our crops. Hope people will weigh the options. Our population continues to grow. California will never have enough water for our past lifestyles."

 * ... ACHIEVER: Hats off to Michelle Heredia, a freshman at East Bakersfield High School, who swam on the varsity swimming team. Said proud grandparent Johnnie Adams: "She won three medals and a certificate as most improved athlete. She also plays violin in the orchestra."

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy: Government regulations on water and the environment are detrimental to farmers, businesses and families

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

 "Water is a resource that we need more of -- a lot more of. Mother Nature simply hasn’t produced enough to our state for several years now. But what rain and snow we are blessed with in the North is not traveling the course set by the forward-thinking planners that came before us when they established the most sophisticated water system in the country, and perhaps even the world.

Currently, government regulations are standing in the way of this important resource reaching our communities; preventing our farmers, businesses, and families from living their lives and enjoy opportunities for prosperity based on hard work.

 "The California water problem is well known in our community, state, and increasingly so across the country. In Congress we are continuing to work towards a solution that rebalances the regulatory priorities that are overwhelmingly burdensome to people and families for the sake of protecting fish from potential harm. But the formidable foe of government bureaucracy and regulatory overreach has reared its head again in the water debate. This latest case focuses on regulating the water that we do have on our property from small lakes, ponds, streams, and even ditches. In fact, it even regulates water we don't have.

 Earlier this week the Obama Administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final ruling for what is referred to as "Waters of the United States" This regulation builds upon the Clean Water Act and expands the areas of jurisdiction that the EPA can regulate in compliance with the law.

 "We all know about the Clean Water Act and we all support protecting our waterways from pollution that could impact our health. But this new rule is an overreach and intrusion on private property that will have no bearing on protecting public health. How do we know this? Well, the new rule intended to protect "navigable waterways" could include waterways with no water. In Taft, the EPA had determined Sandy Creek as a waterway and was trying to impose a permitting regulation on this land before any development could occur. The problem was that Sandy Creek had been dry for thirty years. I had to drive an EPA official out to this dry ditch and show them that there is no way this falls under their jurisdiction. Finally, the EPA relented.

 "Under this new rule, farmers, energy producers, and anyone else that supports their way of life off the land is crying foul this regulation would impose undue economic hardship. What's worse is that their voices have not only gone unheard, the EPA has acted as a special interest group to persuade people to support this regulation. This tramples on the regulatory process as it was intended and produces negative consequences for the American people.

Just a few weeks ago, the House passed legislation to prevent the EPA from implementing this rule and send it back to the drawing board. Every Republican supported it as did 24 Democrats. This bipartisan bill now heads over to the Senate where millions of Americans hope for swift consideration.

 "Our community needs the water it has paid for and deserves from the North. What we can't afford is even more regulatory obstacles from this Administration on water we do (and at times don't) have. Republicans in Congress are determined to stop it and allow our economy and community to continue to grow.

"Sheer, naked chutzpah:" The same unions that helped pass the $15 an hour minimum wage law in Los Angeles are now asking to be exempt so union shops can pay lower salaries

 * ... UNIONS: In what one commentator called "sheer, naked chutzpah," the same unions that helped pass a $15 an hour minimum wage law in Los Angeles are now asking to be exempt from the law. That's right, the county Federation of Labor is saying collective bargaining agreements should trump

the local minimum wage law. As reported in the Los Angeles Times: "Rusty Hicks, who heads the county Federation of Labor and helps lead the Raise the Wage coalition, said Tuesday night that companies with workers represented by unions should have leeway to negotiate a wage below that mandated by the law." And they wonder why the public has grown so cynical.

 * ... LOFTS: What is it they say about one man's trash is another man's treasure? That seems to be the issue surrounding a proposed loft project on 18th Street, which some see as urban in-fill at its

finest and others see as, well, something less than that. I wrote about this earlier this week, pointing out that local businessman John Sarad was a part of the opposition. That, of course, prompted a call from Sarad to clarify his stand, and he wondered aloud why I would single him out as a vocal opponent. (Memo to John: You have seven rental houses, an apartment building, the Haberfelde Building and you have restored close to 20 homes. Your presence downtown is well known and you always make sure your voice is heard). Sarad told me he is not opposed to the project itself but wants changes that would reduce its size and possibly change its design. "It's too overpowering," he said, "and would be more appropriate somewhere else." The lofts are the idea of local Realtor Eydie Gibson and a group of investors who want to build 28 units with 31 on-site parking spaces. Sarad argued the contemporary design "clashes" with the more historic nature of the neighborhood. He also took issue with the my suggestion there could be a conflict by the fact that Ward 2 city councilman Terry Maxwell, whose district covers downtown, is his tenant at the Sarad-owned Haberfelde Building. "Terry is a tenant, that's all," he said. Opponents have given Gibson a long list of changes that may make the project more compatible. Is there room for compromise?

 * ... BAD FORM: A regular reader sent me this note and asked to remain unidentified: "You recently mentioned in your column the 'decorum factor' exhibited or non-existent during graduation ceremonies. We are in close proximity to the convention center where many of these ceremonies take place. I have observed, on more than a dozen occasions, folks arriving for these ceremonies and not wanting to pay parking fees, park along the side streets near the convention center. Many of these people run through the nearby fast food restaurants for food, and then for some reason, feel privileged to bestow their garbage at the doors of the business offices near the arena. Obviously, the exhibition of disrespect is not just saved for the ceremony."

 * ... OVERHEARD: A young woman is telling a friend: "I feel terrible about what's happening in Burundi and all. Where is it anyway?"

 * ... SPOTTED: I spotted this on Twitter: "Life is too short for fake butter, cheese or people.

* ... HONOR FLIGHT: Honor Flight has won a special place in our hearts for flying World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the war memorials. Now, it is taking the next step by flying Vietnam veterans there for the same purpose. Said Honor Flight volunteer Lili Crommett-Marsh:
"Honor Flight is 'breaking ranks' this Friday (today) by flying over 100 Vietnam vets to THEIR memorial in D.C. We encourage the community to fill the Icardo Center at Cal State on Sunday at 10 p.m., to give these heroes the welcome home they have never received 40 years ago."

 * ... MEMORIES: LaVonne Templeton loves all the stories about the old theaters that are now long gone. "I love all these stories of the various thearters in town.  I was in high school in the 1950s and remember very well wearing high heel shoes for the very first time and trying to climb the very steep stairs in the balcony at the California theater."

The battle over a proposed lofts project downtown reveals the connections and potential conflicts in our town, and who takes their $300,000 McLaren to Costco?

* ... LOFTS: This is a town of connections and you don't have to look far before you run into potential conflicts. Consider for example the attempt by local Realtor Edith Gibson and a group of investors to build lofts on 18th Street downtown. The project will provide much needed "in fill" housing in a dense downtown area already populated with commercial businesses and multi-family apartment buildings.

Sounds reasonable right? Well, leading the opposition is John Sarad, owner of the Haberfelde Building as well as a slew of rentals downtown that would compete with the lofts for tenants. Sarad says the project is out of character with downtown and will take up  valuable street parking, even though plans include 31 on-site parking spaces for 28 tenants. Both sides are appealing to Terry Maxwell, the Ward 2 city councilman whose district includes that area of 18th Street. So far, so good. But it turns out Maxwell's downtown eatery, TL Maxwell's Restaurant and Bar, is located on the ground floor of the Haberfelde building, which of course is owned by Sarad. Is this a conflict or just another coincidence of living in a small town? Stay tuned.

 * ... MUSIC FESTIVAL: Here's some good feedback on George Martin's first Rock and Country Music Festival out at the Kern County Museum. Said Kevin Cornelius: "Just wanted to say thank you to George Martin and company for a first class music festival... The weather was great, entertainment exceptional, food good and all the volunteers were as friendly and helpful as they come. My wife commented on how the restrooms were kept clean through the entire day. This made her a happy camper. Hope to see it come back next year!"

* ... THEFTS: What started as the occasional theft has evolved into a full scale epidemic. I am talking about the thieves who follow U.S. Postal Service and UPS delivery trucks throughout the city and steal packages off front porches. In the last week I have been told of thefts in the Southwest, downtown and the Northwest.

* … SPOTTED: On Twitter was this bit of advice: "The lottery gives you a 1 in 200 million chance you won't go to work tomorrow. Alcohol gives you 1 in 5."

 * … BAD FORM: David Salas commutes to Santa Clarita and regularly spots trucks from local businesses traveling south and north. One, bearing a logo saying "safety is no accident," whizzed past him going 85 miles per hour. "That is an accident waiting to happen," he noted.

 * ... MCLAREN: Susan Peninger was leaving Costco and headed to her car when she noticed an odd looking car loading groceries into his hood. "The gentleman unloaded the goods from the car into the 'trunk'-  which just happened to be exactly where the engine in my Honda Civic is located, in the front. I wasn’t the only one taking pictures as it was a sight. When I got home I did some online research and came to the conclusion that someone who owns a $300,000 plus McLaren  has to make a Costco run now and then!"

 * ... DROUGHT: More than a few of us have already grown weary of the finger pointing during this long drought. Said Linda Dietzel: "Discussing and sharing information with our neighbors can hardly be compared to being a 'rat fink.' The water belongs to all of us. The responsibility to conserve water belongs to all of us. Let's stand united, work as a team and come through this together."

College students demand a "safe" environment from anything that "triggers" negativity, but isn't that all part of freedom of speech on this Memorial Day weekend?

 * ... FREEDOM: Memorial Day is a time to reflect and appreciate those who gave their lives for our freedoms. But with those freedoms comes responsibility, as Peggy Noonan cited in her Saturday column in the Wall Street Journal. Noonan was writing about the use of "micro aggressions" and "triggering" on college campuses, in which some students demand a "safe" environment from

anything that might "trigger" negative feelings. Said Noonan: "Life gives you potentials for freedom, creativity, achievement, love, all sorts of beautiful things, but none of us are 'safe.' And you are especially not safe in an atmosphere of true freedom. People will say and do things that are wrong, stupid, unkind, meant to injure. They’ll bring up subjects you find upsetting. It’s uncomfortable. But isn’t that the price we pay for freedom of speech? You can ask for courtesy, sensitivity and dignity. You can show others those things, too, as a way of encouraging them. But if you constantly feel anxious and frightened by what you encounter in life, are we sure that means the world must reorder itself? Might it mean you need a lot of therapy?"

  * ...  OVERHEARD: John R. Tubbesing was helping plant a field of American flags at the Parks and River Walk when someone asked if there were truly more than 1,000 flags. "Yes," someone answered, "there's over a thousand flags. We made sure because we don't want Lois Henry counting them all."

* … MUDDING: I managed to get in a long hike in the hills above Hart Park after the rain Friday, and besides the testosterone fueled Jeeps and pickups doing doughnuts in the mud (parents of boys tell me that's called 'mudding'), I had the place all to myself. But it left me sad that this wonderful property, until recently designed to become a "Great Park" for the public, will one day be developed.

  * … SOUTHERN CHARM: An elegant and classy local woman formerly from Virginia, asked how she is doing, replies with this bit of Southern charm: "I am up and taking nourishment."

 * … TERMS OF ENDEARMENT: Alvin Gregorio read my recent post on being in love ('I've never been in love, but I imagine it is similar to the feeling you get when you see your food coming in a restaurant') with this memory: "I had a longtime (adult) girlfriend who would sort of bounce in her booth-seat as the waiter approached with her food. It was the cutest and most endearing thing ever."

 * ... OVERHEARD: At the new TJ Maxx on Stockade Highway, a woman tells a cashier: "I live in the northeast and waited until everyone was out of town for Memorial Day to come here. I feel I have the whole town to myself."

 * ... MEMORIES: Jack Rademacher dropped me a note asking if I could stomach yet another memory of the old movie theaters in town. Why yes, Jack, I can. So here he goes: "My uncle Charlie was a projectionist at the California Theater. As Kern County Union High School students, my brother and I visited him, high up in the projection booth... The booth was an unbearable hot box and a potential fire trap. An escape hatch was provided at the north wall with a flex ladder dropped down to the alley, in the event of an internal fire."

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, gives tribute to those who gave it all for our freedoms

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his own words:

 "We all know the Gettysburg Address: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are
created equal.”

 But how often do we think about the rest of the speech? Lincoln ended his address saying:

“The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have, thus far, so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

 On this Memorial Day, we remember our fallen heroes who gave their lives, their “last full measure of devotion,” so that we could remain free, so that the world would not suffer under tyranny, so that our families could remain safe.

 On this bittersweet day, we must remember those who fought and died for us, but we also must honor them by committing ourselves to the future.

 Let us remember that this great country is unique and that we remain a beacon of freedom and hope for the world. Let us remember that we stand for human dignity and our inherent moral equality. And let us never forget that we are exceptional precisely because of the principles that so many of our men and women in our history have died for. As a country, we must live each day for those principles.

Today, we enjoy a long weekend. We probably get to spend a little extra time with our families and friends. We can barbecue, sit in the sun, play some baseball and football, and enjoy all of the little things that we have living in a free and independent nation. But throughout this day and throughout our community, we must remember—we must remember those who gave everything in defense of our nation. We are a grateful community and we must never forget.

 Our nation—and so many other nations—remain free because of our servicemen and our servicewomen. Today and every other day, we must honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy our freedoms.