Rodriguez and Associates drop off $200,000 at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital to support the Grossman Burn Unit, get ready for The Iguanas at Temblor Brewing Co. and the ongoing debate over climate change

 * ... RODRIGUEZ: Hats off to local plaintiff's attorney Daniel Rodriguez and his team over at Rodriguez and Associates for donating $200,000 to Bakersfield Memorial Hospital and its expanding services. The gift will support the opening of the Neuro ICU and the establishment of the S.A. Camp Companies Burn Unit at the Grossman Burn Center, both of which will bring advanced technology and outstanding patient care to the people of Kern County.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I’ve enjoyed giving presentations at work a lot more since I started communicating exclusively through interpretive dance."

 * ... IGUANAS: One of the hottest musical venues in town these days is the Temblor Brewing Co. off Merle Haggard Drive. The popular brew pub has been blowing up since opening its doors to musical acts, and Monday night the brassy New Orleans sound of the Iguanas will be appearing on the Temblor stage with its big sound. If you see just one concert this summer, this should be your top pick. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are just $25.

 * ... BIKE RACKS: Have you noticed the appearance of colorful new bicycle racks popping up around town? Manufactured out of sturdy steel and in the shape of a road bike, the racks are the work of the city of Bakersfield and Bike Bakersfield to promote active transportation and active lifestyles. Bike Bakersfield director Adam Kahler said 29 racks have been placed around town, all funded via the Bakersfield Californian Foundation and public grants and funding.

* ... FEEDBACK: My piece on an anti fossil fuel activist drew this note from reader Harry Love: "In today's column you placed the words global warming in quotes. That is an indication that you find it to be questionable at to being true. Ninety-eight percent of scientists who study the
climate find that climate change caused by human activity is true. First, the correct term is climate change. Second, using your logic, if you had to use the word evolution in a column, you would have to place quotes around it. Some people believe it to be a hoax." Thanks for your note, Harry, and you might be surprised to learn that I do indeed believe in global warming, or climate change as you call it. What we might disagree on is its cause, and how societies respond to it.

 * ... TRAVEL TIP: Sharing this travel tip from Michael Horne and Ann Marie Duquette: "We just got back from a three week whirlwind road trip that took us to Yellowstone, Little Big Horn, Mount Rushmore and Mesa Verde to name a few of the 15 sites visited. We took a day of rest in Pueblo, Colorado, and discovered a must see site: The Center for American Values which is along the River Walk.  This Center honors and has pictures of those veterans that have received the Medal of Honor from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and Iraq/Afghanistan. It was a moving, awesome and very inspiring visit. If anyone ever stops  or drives through Pueblo, Colorado, we urge them to stop there for a short visit."

 

Teenage hip hop artist calls for an end to the use of fossil fuels, and the candidates for Ward 2 City Council will square off Wednesday on the Ralph Bailey Show

 * ... FOSSIL FUELS: Idealism is a terrific concept, except when it runs headlong into reality. So consider for a moment Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, a 16-year-old Colorado hip hop and "global warming" activist who is leading a nationwide effort to ban the use of all fossil fuels by the year 2026. The problem with snappy sloganeering is that it often ignores the harsh light of reality. As noted the Heritage Foundaiton's DailySignal: "It’s fairly common knowledge that Americans use coal and natural gas to power homes,  vehicles, businesses, schools, and hospitals. In fact, the United States gets 81 percent of all its energy from oil, coal, and natural gas. What’s less known is that conventional fuels go beyond providing energy for Americans. Petroleum and natural gas are used to make thousands of everyday items—aspirin, toothpaste, sunglasses, shoes, tires, shag rugs, and tennis balls, to name a few... Americans not only would face significant lifestyle changes, many would lose their entire livelihoods. It’s not just the American way of life that would be lost, either—fossil fuels have raised people around the world out of poverty and into healthier, richer lives."

 * ... HOME: What do you do when you have family in town for a long, hot, Bakersfield weekend? First I nestled them into our iconic old Padre Hotel, the restored grand dame of downtown Bakersfield where the service is crisp and food is excellent. Then dinner at Uricchio's Trattoria, where it seems literally everyone knows your name, a long relaxed Saturday lunch at Luigi's Delicatessen, where the hustle of the staff turns chaos into order, a quick run by the Bakersfield Racquet Club to show off that even humble towns have world-class sports facilities, and a finally a casual Sunday breakfast at 24th Street Cafe. That is a lineup that not even 110 degrees can put a damper on.

 * ... CAFE MED: And speaking of local eateries, my friend Juan tells me I simply must try Cafe Med's house hamburger served on a pita roll at lunch. In deference to Juan, it's on my bucket list.

 * ... MAYA: Word on the street is the construction in the parking lot of the Maya Theaters will house a food court, including a China Bistro, a yogurt shop and other eateries yet to be named.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The breast exam was going well until I realized I was there for a job interview."

 * ... RADIO: There are few more important local races this election year than the fight for the Ward 2 City Council seat, where incumbent Terry Maxwell faces a stiff challengs from Andrae Gonzales. This is sure to be one of the hottest races in town, and on Wednesday I will talk to both candidates when I fill in as host on the Ralph Bailey Show on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM. Maxwell will come on at 3 p.m. and Gonzales at 4 p.m. I will also be chatting with Monsignor Craig Harrison to get his take on the virulent state of the American political conversation, and also with assistant CSUB professor Jeanine DiCesaris Kraybill to get her take on the presidential sweepstakes. The show runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

 

 * ... GOOD FORM: Lowana Towes submitted this simple act of kindness. "While listening to the Fruitvale Junior High kids singing Christmas carols at Glenwood Gardens an elderly resident began crying. One of the students left the group and walked to the back of the room and gave the lady a big hug. The lady stopped crying and said 'I really needed that.' The girl walked back to the group and continued singing. What a wonderful thing for her to do."

A new downtown infill project of luxury apartments heads toward the final stretch, remembering the remarkable Betty Leonor and new guidelines for giving blood

* ... PROGRESS: A new project to bring semi-luxury apartments downtown looks like it is entering

the final stretch. Siding has gone up on the new 17th Place, a 44-unit complex that sits between N and O streets off 17th, just a block from the Rico Bowl. The project, targeted to millennials with apartments in the 1,200 square foot range, is the brainchild of Ward 4 city councilman Bob Smith and his son, Austin Smith. It will be an important test in the concept of urban 'infilling' for Bakersfield and, if successful, will undoubtedly spark more investment downtown.

 * ... ROSEDALE: And speaking of progress, road crews are busy trying to complete the widening of Rosedale Highway between Highway 99 and Coffee Road. New asphalt and striping has been completed west to Mohawk and the center dividers are now in well past that.

* ... GOOD FORM: This was a scene at Dewar's downtown the other day when a reader and her brother were enjoying some sodas at the bar. "A film crew was present at one end of the counter. We were at the opposite end when a nice man came over to us and asked if he could hide behind us while the film crew was there. He picked up his 'to go' order and disappeared. When we attempted to pay for the sodas we were told the gentleman paid our bill. That has never happened to either of us before and we will never forget his kind act. As we were leaving my brother commented, 'Why do you suppose he did that?' I smiled and said, 'because we are old and he felt sorry for us!'"

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If women think all men are the same, then why do they worry so much about picking the right one?"

 * ... OVERHEARD: At the Bakersfield Racquet Club a man is telling a partner: "I gave blood yesterday and now they ask if your current gender is the once you were born with. A real sign of the times I suppose."

 * ... BETTY: It was a year ago that cancer claimed the life of Betty Leonor, an incredible talent and artist who did some of her best work while living and working in Bakersfield. A native of the Dominican Republic, Leonor landed in Bakersfield almost by mistake (she followed her husband here) but immediately attracted a large following for her stunning series of oil paintings, many self portraits. Leonor died of liver cancer at the age of 44, but her legacy lives on via her paintings that hang on walls throughout our town.

 * ... TRIBUTE: I posed the question earlier about legacies, and how we believe we will be remembered when we are gone. Most of us will never be famous, or well known beyond our immediate circles, but that doesn't determine the impact we live. Consider this note from John Moore of Moore Farms/White Wolf Potato, who wrote to note the passing of his secretary and bookkeeper Margaret Morrison. "Margaret passed away at age 85 one week before the end of our potato harvest earlier this month. It would have been the finish of her 60th season working for our business. She was a dedicated employee who worked with four generations of Moore's. A Canadian by birth, she began working for my grandfather in 1956 and finished her career working with my children. She was the mainstay of our office for many years and she witnessed many changes in the way we do business. From the days of adding machines, hand typewriters, and landlines to today's world of cellphones, computers and accounting programs, she saw it all. Margaret never had children of her own thus dedicated her life to the success of our business and the well being of all her associates here. Her passing marks the end of an era. Her longevity was matched only by her loyalty. Such people are rare and hard to find and she will be greatly missed!"

Keep an eye on those tax raising proposals on the November ballot, Kyle Carter picks up an important endorsement and the Bako Sweet mini seedless watermelon shows up on the streets of New York City

 * ... TAXES: Here's yet another reason to pay attention to what your local government is doing these days: despite the defeat of the proposed library tax in June, more proposes to raise your taxes are headed to the November ballot. Bakersfield College is pushing one measure to improve its facilities, and other groups (public safety unions and Sheriff Donny Youngblood) tried unsuccessfully to increase the sales tax

to fund public safety and transportation projects. For taxpayers, this looks like death from a thousand small cuts as politicians use the ballot box to push vital decisions back to the voters. I found this response from former city councilman Mark Salvaggio noteworthy: "There is an old idiom: You never let a serious crisis go to waste.  In this vein, our county government needs to make some structural budget cuts to remain solvent.  If it is not done now during this budget crisis, it will never happen; it will be government as usual. Now is the time to cut back on dozens of unfilled public safety positions that are still funded but have little hope of being filled in the future.  These funds are used to pay for expensive overtime for the rank and file in these departments, the hiring of temporary employees to complement the current permanent employees, i.e., the Probation Department and who knows what else... The Kern Community College District Board of Trustees just voted to put a $503 million dollar bond on the ballot in November.  If passed, this will add another tax on our property tax bills which already have numerous bond taxes on them.  For example, this college district currently has 3 other outstanding bonds on the property tax rolls along with 1 maybe 2 for the Kern High School District as well as dozens of elementary school district bonds throughout Kern County."

 * ... ENDORSEMENTS: Kyle Carter has picked up an important endorsement in his quest to succeed Harvey Hall as mayor. The country's largest police union, the Kern Law Enforcement Association, said it was supporting Carter because of his commitment to landing new funding for local law enforcement. Meanwhile Carter's opponent, Karen Goh, picked up a less weighty endorsement when she won the support of local attorney Milt Younger, once a kingmaker in local Democratic politics and a longtime voice for liberal causes throughout the region.

 * ... SMALL WORLD: My oldest daughter, a graduate of Garces Memorial High and later UC Berkeley, now lives in Brooklyn but carries a piece of Bakersfield in her heart. So I should not have been surprised when she texted me a picture of a seedless, organic mini watermelon with the brand "Bako Sweet" that she found in a local New York City street market. It turns out the melon she purchased in Brooklyn is from Valpredo Farms here in Kern County, founded by Chester and John Valpredo and carried on by the family to this day. Check out the family's website at www.bakosweet.com.

* ... GOOD FORM: If you already love Trader Joe's, this note from Bonnie Farrer will make you love it even more: "Is Trader Joe's a great store or what? Today I needed a few items there but was not allowed to put my small dog in the grocery cart. I couldn't leave him in the hot car so one of the  clerks stood outside the door with Toby on a leash while I shopped. Bravo to that young man!"

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Stalking is when two people go for a long romantic walk together but only one of them knows about it."

 * ... BAD FORM: Fred Valenzano weighed on our litter habit with this thought: "Your Friday column (7/22) has a slight error in your comments about plastic bags: quite a few smokers STILL throw away cigarette butts like they are nothing! I know and am related to current and ex-smokers who are/were always thoughtful. But I see people everywhere who still treat our world as their personal ashtray. Ugh!"

City of San Diego bans plastic bags in grocery stores, which given our reputation as a litter capital, may not be a bad idea for Bakersfield

 * ... PLASTIC BAGS: So did you see the city of San Diego has banned the use of plastic bags in grocery stores? It is a trend that is picking up momentum throughout the west, and it's likely only a matter of time before a similar ordinance is adopted here. The reasoning: people carelessly discard

plastic bags like they use to throw away cigarette butts, and they are not only unsightly but also terrible for the environment. Given Bakersfield's unwelcome reputation as a litter capital, it would be hard for me to oppose the move here. In San Diego, plastic can still be used to bag produce and to cover your laundry. And speaking of litterers, I chuckled when I spotted this on social media recently: "People who think leaving trash near the trash receptacle is good enough: I'll have the same attitude when I use your bathroom. "

 * ... MORE TRASH: Bailey Abbot and his wife Janice were in Kauai recently, both hiking and driving, and noted "there is virtually no trash to be seen. The difference is not that Kauai is using convict labor, but rather - as you have exhorted us who live in Bakersfield repeatedly, these island residents assume the role of owners and caretakers."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: If you think there is nothing better than sex, you've never had a cop turn on his lights behind you and then pull over someone else."

  * ... GOOD FORM: John and Teresa McKiearnan wrote to thank two women, in separate cars, "who stopped to help two obviously loss dogs at the corner of Jewetta and Noriega Monday evening and taking them home to try and find their owners."

 * ... BULLDOGS: I drove down to the Tejon Ranch Outlets this past weekend and was pleased to encounter a cheery group of Golden Valley High School students handing out water to thirsty shoppers while trying to raise money for the Bulldog Theater Company to attend the American High School Theater Company in Edinburgh, Scotland. Golden Valley was nominated by CSUB and was one of only 50 schools selected out of more than 2,000 applicants to attend. If you have a few bucks to help these kids, contact Sheila McClure or principal Paul Helman at the school (661) 827-0800.

 * ... MEMORIES: Sue Machado added another long-gone bakery to the list of of things we miss about old Bakersfield. Said Machado: "Another bakery, not too large but nonetheless important, in the east portion of Bakersfield... the LA CRESTA HOUSE OF SWEETS owned and operated by J.D. and Betty Starr.  J.D. moved on to become head baker at Smith’s while Betty also worked for Smith’s in Fikes Market downtown.  I believe J.D. started at Beck’s Bakery in the downtown area in the 1940s.  My uncle and aunt claimed they learned about baking from my mother, the oldest of eight children."

City of San Diego bans plastic bags grocery stores, which given our reputation as a litter capital, may not be a bad idea for Bakersfield

 * ... PLASTIC BAGS: So did you see the city of San Diego has banned the use of plastic bags in grocery stores? It is a trend that is picking up momentum throughout the west, and it's likely only a matter of time before a similar ordinance is adopted here. The reasoning: people carelessly discard

plastic bags like they use to throw away cigarette butts, and they are not only unsightly but also terrible for the environment. Given Bakersfield's unwelcome reputation as a litter capital, it would be hard for me to oppose the move here. In San Diego, plastic can still be used to bag produce and to cover your laundry. And speaking of litterers, I chuckled when I spotted this on social media recently: "People who think leaving trash near the trash receptacle is good enough: I'll have the same attitude when I use your bathroom. "

 * ... MORE TRASH: Bailey Abbot and his wife Janice were in Kauai recently, both hiking and driving, and noted "there is virtually no trash to be seen. The difference is not that Kauai is using convict labor, but rather - as you have exhorted us who live in Bakersfield repeatedly, these island residents assume the role of owners and caretakers."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: If you think there is nothing better than sex, you've never had a cop turn on his lights behind you and then pull over someone else."

  * ... GOOD FORM: John and Teresa McKiearnan wrote to thank two women, in separate cars, "who stopped to help two obviously loss dogs at the corner of Jewetta and Noriega Monday evening and taking them home to try and find their owners."

 * ... BULLDOGS: I drove down to the Tejon Ranch Outlets this past weekend and was pleased to encounter a cheery group of Golden Valley High School students handing out water to thirsty shoppers while trying to raise money for the Bulldog Theater Company to attend the American High School Theater Company in Edinburgh, Scotland. Golden Valley was nominated by CSUB and was one of only 50 schools selected out of more than 2,000 applicants to attend. If you have a few bucks to help these kids, contact Sheila McClure or principal Paul Helman at the school (661) 827-0800.

 * ... MEMORIES: Sue Machado added another long-gone bakery to the list of of things we miss about old Bakersfield. Said Machado: "Another bakery, not too large but nonetheless important, in the east portion of Bakersfield... the LA CRESTA HOUSE OF SWEETS owned and operated by J.D. and Betty Starr.  J.D. moved on to become head baker at Smith’s while Betty also worked for Smith’s in Fikes Market downtown.  I believe J.D. started at Beck’s Bakery in the downtown area in the 1940s.  My uncle and aunt claimed they learned about baking from my mother, the oldest of eight children."

A social media app allows a distraught owner to find her stolen Siberian husky and a few lessons in servant leadership by those who gave so much to our community

 * ... HAPPY ENDING: There will be no talk of politics or police shootings or #blacklivesmatter in this space today. Instead, allow me to share the story of a happy ending that started when a friend's 10-month old Siberian husky was stolen from the back yard of her home near the Bakersfield Racquet Club. When she noticed the lock on her gate had been cut and her dog gone, she alerted

neighbors on the NextDoor neighborhood app and within minutes, someone had spotted the dog with a homeless man at the McDonald's on 23rd Street. She later found her dog at the downtown GET station on a leash with a stranger. "I said that's my dog," she told me. "He said, 'No, it's my dog.' I called my dog by her name and noticed she even had a new collar on." When her husband arrived, the man gave up the husky and walked away. Are our pure bred dogs now being stolen and sold on the streets? But here's a salute to the power of social media, alert neighbors and a reunion between a family and its dog.

 * ... SERVANT LEADERSHIP: Do you ever think about what your legacy will be after you leave this earth? Will you be remembered for your generosity, your kindness, your heart? Were you involved in the community? Did you give back? That was a question I was pondering after getting a

note from Patricia Graffius, who noted that her late husband, Jim Huber, was born on July 20, 1916. During his years here he left his mark in many positive ways, including being one of the founders of the Rotary Club of Bakersfield East and serving as its first full year president; helping charter West Rotary; building Skateland roller rink and bringing the Dunns to Bakersfield to be the teaching pros. (The Dunn family accumulated many awards over the years. Daughter Natalie was three time world champion skater and is a member of the Bob Elias Hall of Fame.) In addition there is James Huber Chapel at First Congregation Church which he bequeathed at his passing in 1995. And, his son Robert was in the first graduating class of South High and is now in his second term as Mayor of Simi Valley."

 * ... GUNNER: And speaking of those who leave a positive imprint in this life, I attended a surprise gathering at Luigi's to honor the retirement of Gregg Gunner, longtime owner and operator of Gregg's Pharmacy which he recently sold to Rite-Aid. If the measure of a life well lived can be summed up by who shows up to honor you, Gunner has done well. It was a full house and Fran Gunner regaled the crowd with delightful stories of her husband's often quirky behavior, but never at the expense of others. Among those I spotted there were Don Lucas, Bruce Massa, Gary and Gloria Friedman, Ken and Teri Jones, Brian Komota, Cindy and Tom Anspach, Eleanor Etcheverry, Jane Cormier, Tom Anton, Cathy and Mark Abernathy, Dwight Byrum, Clark Gustafson, and finally Joe Munoz and daughter Julie.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "You never regret being kind, unless you're in prison."

 * ... TRASH: My rant on trash in Bakersfield drew this response from Dwayne Ardis: "Your column today on trash and litter was interesting. I would like to point out one factor as to why Bakersfield, and California as a whole, has a litter problem and other states don't. The difference is, California does not make prison inmates pick up litter along road ways anymore. It would be interesting to know why."

 * ... MORE TRASH: And Chris Padham added this: "Regarding your comments concerning litter I couldn't agree more. I do not need to see a sign post telling me welcome to California. I can always tell when  the roads become littered and crumbling."

Lamenting a culture that leaves out streets littered with trash and garbage, praising West Rotary and more memories of old Bako

 * … TRASH: It is a familiar lament when we travel out of state and notice that Bakersfield's litter

problem seems out of control when compared to other areas. I spent a few days recently in Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah, and it was near impossible to find trash on the roads and freeways. And then this note greeted me when I came home: "We are traveling and today we are near Atlanta. I read the Bakersfield Californian daily online and read your piece on litter. We just came through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and now Georgia. IN NOT ONE OF THESE STATES DID WE SEE LITTER! We were so impressed and ashamed of Bakersfield at the same time. We want the town we love to be as clean and beautiful as what we've seen so far. What will it take to get our own people to wise up? Come on people, we need more civic pride!"

 * … DRIVING: From Tony Malon comes this observation about local driver: "Two types of drivers in Bakersfield, the tortoise and the hare. One is asleep when the light turns green, and one burns rubber at the first sight of green."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Sometimes it is the small things that make working with local businesses so pleasant. Recently I called King Door Co. to service my garage door, and sure enough within a week I received a personal 'thank you' card from company president Roman Ruiz. For the price of a stamp, he earned my loyalty.

 * … SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "To avoid conversations at work, always walk with purpose and a toilet plunger."

 * … MOVING UP: Congratulations to Jason Cater who recently joined the staff of the city planning department as an associate planner. Cater is known for his work as director of Bike Bakersfield and he later did a short stint with Sage Equities.

 * … WEST ROTARY: If you question the service provided by your local Rotary Club, think again. Alvin G. Sandrini told me that his club, West Rotary, donated over $75,000 to local charities in 2015 and this year has chipped in another $56,000 to good causes so far. Said Sandrini: "While the Bakersfield West Rotary-Stroope Family Foundation provides the funds, it is the hard-working West Rotary members who donate the countless hours needed to generate those revenues."

 * … MEMORIES: Wayne Marshall shared this tidbit of our local history: "Barbara Kaiser Miner’s recollection of the location of the Golden Crust Bakery prompts me to write this note:...The bakery was located on the north side of the Santa Fe Railroad tracks at M Street. There is a good aerial photo
showing this area in Chris Brewer’s book (1998) 'Bakersfield’s Photographic Past – A Photographic Album' on page 7. I worked at the mentioned lumber yard (King-Marshall Lumber, 14th and L streets) from 1954 to 1960. It was owned by Larry King and Sid Marshall (my father). The lumber yard never burned. The yard that did burn was Hayward Lumber at 14th and H streets."