McCarthy: Pelosi's 1,900-page health care bill raises taxes, cuts Medicare and threatens businesses

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) shares  with us his week. In his words:

 "I had an exciting week as Congressman Eric Cantor, the Republican Whip, and I launched the new “WhipCast” application. The WhipCast is a new BlackBerry application that is available for everyone to keep up with what is going on in Congress through text, audio and video updates without clogging your email box. If you would like to download it, visit: http://republicanwhip.house.gov/WhipCast.
 On Thursday, Speaker Pelosi and Congressional Democratic leaders rolled out a 1,990 page health care bill (H.R. 3962), which I am reading over. Overall, this bill is worse than its predecessor (H.R. 3200). This version 2.0 of H.R. 3200 not only leads to a massive new $1.1 trillion spending program (much higher than the $984 billion reported earlier), but still leads to a risky government takeover of health care that could put a bureaucrat or politician between you and your doctor. While we all agree we need to fix America’s health care by bringing down the high costs that are hurting our economy, families, and businesses, most in our communities agree with the view that this is neither the answer nor the way forward. Also according to the Congressional Budget Office, the public option will not be a cheaper alternative, as it would charge higher premiums than private plans offer, which is no help to struggling middle class American families.
 "Here are some of my other concerns about Speaker Pelosi’s bill: it will raise taxes on middle class families, make significant cuts to Medicare, and increase taxes on job-creating small businesses. Also troubling is that states will be left paying for a significant portion of the bill. As Californians, we know our State is already tens of billions of dollars in deficit, doesn’t need a new federal mandate that will increase state spending and taxes. Finally, Speaker Pelosi’s bill does not consider some common sense solutions that would lower costs, like those that my colleagues and I have put forward, such as lawsuit abuse reform and allowing Americans to purchase health insurance across states lines, which the nearly 5,000 individuals who attended my town hall meetings this summer agreed with.

 "Like the Pelosi Health Care bill, recall earlier this year that the $1 trillion Democrat "stimulus" bill was also crafted behind closed doors. We all have seen over the last few months as our state has reached a record high unemployment rate that the stimulus has not created the jobs our economy needs. We must do better, and refocus on helping job creating small businesses.
 "A quick mention - In the Financial Services Committee this week, we had our 3rd straight week of reviewing bills in preparation for votes on the House floor. We considered several bills this week, and I had three separate amendments passed to increase transparency and accountability.

More warning signs on the economy , lamenting Halloween and a celebration at Chain, Cohn and Stiles law firm

 * ... A NEW  CHILL IN HOME SALES: In this dour market we're all looking for signs of hope that the economy is on the rebound, but it can be misleading (and reckless) to latch onto a headline and jump to conclusions. Take some recent housing statistics, for example, which showed improving sales and stabilizing prices, leading some to decry the rebound under way. The real truth always rests in the details, and as the New York Times noted recently, we may be looking at a new chill in home sales, not a rebound. Why? Here's a salient passage from the Times): (you can read the entire piece here):

 "Artificially low interest rates and a government tax credit are luring buyers, but both those inducements are scheduled to end. Defaults and distress sales are rising in the middle and upper price ranges. And millions of people have lost so much equity that they are locked into their homes for years, a modern variation of the Victorian debtor’s prison that is freezing a large swath of the market.
 "... The only hot sector of the real estate market has been foreclosures. Investors and first-time buyers have been competing for these, often creating bidding wars. But with the economy still weak, many analysts expect more foreclosures."

 Locally some 70 percent of our home sales come in the "distressed" category, so while that's a good thing in terms  of moving inventory, the larger threat (as the Times notes) is coming in the mid-to higher-end homes where folks with excellent credit are now getting into trouble because of job losses or simply being upside down in their mortgages. As the story noted, in California defaults are "beginning to migrate from the subprime inland areas to the more exclusive coastal region" in cities like Santa Barbara (defaults up 25 percent) and San Luis Obispo (defaults rose 46  percent). The truth is always in the details and we need to pay attention to it.

 * ... CHAINLAW CELEBRATES 75 YEARS: I stopped by the recent celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the law firm of Chain, Cohn and Stiles, the plaintiff's "slip and fall" law firm formerly known as Chain-Younger. Dave Cohn, a principal in the firm and a personal friend, held the event in the outdoor, shaded annex  next to the downtown Bank of America building where the firm is headquartered. The event was catered by Lisa Borda of Bord A Petite and among those attending were Carla Musser of Chevron, former Cal State Bakersfield development officer Mike Chertok, Colleen McGauley and Teresa Fahsbender of CASA and Jim and Beverly Camp of the Camp farming families. Conspicuously absent from the soiree was Milt Younger, Cohn's uncle who was one of the founders and driving forces behind Chain-Younger for decades, who left the firm and has continued law practice with his old partner Tim Lemucchi.

 * ... SWINE FLU UPDATE: I noted here recently that the folks over at Preferred Family Physicians on Truxtun Extension had seen a spike in swine flu cases, up to as many as 20 a day. (previous post here) Dr. Raj Patel, who owns the place along with Dr. John Heidrick, told me Thursday the numbers had now declined significantly. "We don't know why but it's quite a relief," he said. "This week we've had two or three cases a day, much better than last week." Patel said it was puzzling why he had seen such a dramatic change but warned "we shouldn't celebrate" or let our guard down. Like other medical providers across town, Preferred Family has yet to receive more shipments of the swine flu vaccine.

 * ... A SCROOGE'S TAKE ON HALLOWEEN: Accepting my own Scrooge-like tendencies, I have to wonder if I am alone in dreading Halloween and the carnival-like atmosphere it creates in Bakersfield. In many neighborhoods Halloween is marked by hundreds - seems  like thousands - of strangers showing up at your door, some pushing strollers with infants and holding a sack hoping for a large Snickers. It's a never-ending stream of total strangers who leave a trail of candy wrappers up and down the street until the supply runs out. When the Californian posted a question about Halloween and out of neighborhood kids on Facebook Thursday (the question was: Should parents be driving their kids to different neighborhoods to trick or treat?), a couple of responses that caught my eye. (go to the Facebook link here) Enough said.

 "NO. Leave the van and baby in strollers (who obviously can't eat candy) and accept the neighborhood you live in."

 "The bus loads of kids is why I don't give out candy anymore. I want to see my neighborhood kids, interact with them and their parents. When I see a bus or van unload of 10 plus kids I turn off my lights."

 "Children don't get to decide which family or neighborhood they are born or live. If the neighborhood is unsafe, then by all means, visit a SAFE neighborhood. All children deserve a fun and safe night of trick-or-treating."

Bako bits: The explosion of homeless in Bako and all the hoopla over a new Target opening

  

* ... THE STREETS OF BAKERSFIELD: I have no statistics to prove it but sure seems like the number of homeless has skyrocketed on our local streets. If you don't work downtown you may not notice it, but a casual mid morning run over to Starbucks on 24th Street or the Rite Aid on H Street can be an eye opening experience. Of course downtown has both the Greyhound bus station and the GET bus depot, as well as the huge Goodwill store on Chester, but it's hard to deny the sharp increase of street people lugging their possessions around the downtown area and meandering on virtually every street corner. The homeless shelters are filled to the brim and if you factor in adults not looking for work or those who have given up on the job search, Kern County's unemployment rate spikes north of 20 percent. All of this adds to more people on the streets, more folks in needs of help and fewer dollars available to provide it.

 * ... A TARGET OPENS AND THE CROWD GOES WILD: What is it about our community that every time a new retailer or restaurant opens we react like we've just won the lottery? Witness the crowds at the new Target over at RiverWalk on Stockdale Highway, which opened earlier this month. It's a nice place no doubt, but you'd think they were giving away Krugerrands the way our community has responded. And it's not like we don't already have three other Targets in town. Of course the same is true for every new restaurant that opens locally: hour-long waits the first three months and a year later they're closed or begging for business. Meanwhile developer Castle and Cooke says it has a signed contract for Panera Bread to move into the building in front of the Target. Panera is a class act but the folks over at locally owned Sequoia Sandwich Shop are not sitting still. Co-owner Jeff Simpson has been testing a new line of panini sandwiches that he may add to his already well diversified and popular menu. Stay tuned.

 * ... ORANGE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL? Gilroy has the Garlic Festival and Pamplona has the Running of the Bulls, so why shouldn't Bakersfield have its own signature event? How about an Orange Blossom Festival? That's the vision of Ben Taft over at the California Fruit Depot who is leading an effort to create something truly unique for Bakersfield. Ben has the energy and drive to do it, but it will all depend on how many sponsors and supporters sign up for the event, which he wants to launch the weekend of March 20, 2010. In his words:

 "Music, concerts, artisans, children's activities, demonstrations, citrus cooking contests, runs, fun walks, bialthlon, half marathon and a 40-mile challenge bike race, BMX events and much more and possibly a lttle less. This will be a comprehensive family/adult friendly event which will be something we can be proud of as a community." 


 If you are interested in participating, either as a sponsor or just to help, call Ben Taft at 661-978-9044 or email him at ben@calfruitdepot.com


  * ... IN MEMORY OF RON FONTAINE: If you're looking for a good cause to support this weekend you might consider the 9th Annual Ron Fontaine Memorial Run being held out at the California Living Museum (CALM) Saturday morning. Ron was a South High teacher and administrator over at the Kern Superintendent of Schools who died in June of 2001. He was an avid runner and longtime member of South Rotary. Pete Elieff, former South Rotary president, says Ron originally conceived of the idea of a run to raise money for local scholarships and more than $100,000 has been generated so far for  local kids. This is a terrific event held out by the Kern River and Lake Ming during a beautiful time of year in our community. If you are interested in registering call Pete at 661-805-8500 or John Lindsay at 661-636-4625. Last year, Pete said $13,800 in scholarship money was awarded to students from South, Ridgeview and Stockdale high schools.

Short takes around town: The generosity of Marv Steinert and a rescue dog finds a home in Bako

* ... THE GENEROSITY OF MARV: How would you react if  you awoke virtually blind? One day you are healthy and productive and the next you're facing total darkness. If you're like me, you'd likely spend far too much time wallowing in self pity and asking "why me?" Which is why the story of Marvin Steinert is so amazing. Marv is the local businessman who is suffering from an illness known as "temporal arteritis," a rare condition that causes inflammation of the blood vessels to the head, and it has left him blind. (read the previous post here) But instead of withdrawing, Marv is spending his time keeping in touch with the community and having family members read him the newspaper and other publications. Marv is a longtime active member of the downtown Rotary Club, and when his son read him a club bulletin about Memorial Hospital's drive to build a 60-bed children's hospital, he responded by writing a check for $50,000 to support the effort. (read the full Memorial story here) Marv apparently wants the money to go to the new PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) which is all part of the big drive by Memorial CEO Jon Van Boening to give our community a children's hospital so our ill kids don't have to be sent north to Fresno or south to Los Angeles. Folks who know  Marv are not surprised by his generosity, but given his own health challenges, this gesture is simply awe inspiring.

 * ... BART HILL'S GRACIOUS EXIT: At last week's downtown Rotary meeting Bart Hill, former CEO of San Joaquin Bank, took the floor microphone and made a gracious speech thanking the community for the support all these years. Bart was accompanied by his wife, North Carolina-born interior designer Napier, and pulled no punches in talking about the demise of San Joaquin and the last-ditch efforts by board members to save it. He had only nice things to say about Citizens Business Bank, which took over San Joaquin in a state and FDIC operation on Friday, October 16. Bart said he plans to stay in the community and will likely look for work after taking some personal time off. Bart has served on a number of nonprofit boards around town, including the Tree Foundation of Kern and the downtown Rotary, and he will continue to serve as a director on my board at The Californian. He received a standing ovation.

 * ... GOING FROM BAD TO WORSE: The latest report from the Great Valley Center held no surprises, but it's a depressing read nonetheless. According to a story in the Visalia Times-Delta newspaper (read the story here), the Valley Center says indicators like poverty, foreclosures and joblessness are up, and they aren't likely to get better anytime soon. "We think the timetable for economic recovery in the Central Valley is going to be slower than the rest of the state," said Amy Moffat, the center's director of research. "Overall, poverty and unemployment are high. There is a deficit of good jobs while the general population and those seeking jobs continue to grow." Kern County's grim statistics speak for themselves: a dreadfully low percentage of college educated adults, a staggeringly high adult illiteracy rate (nearing 25 percent for the entire county) and one of the highest high school dropout rates in the state. So dig in, it's going to be a long slow crawl back to what we once viewed as normal.

 *  ... RESCUE DOG FINDS HOME: The problem with abandoned and abused pets in our community has been well documented and is tragic beyond words. How many times have you cringed watching the stray dog meandering lost through traffic on Ming Avenue or Chester on your way home? So I was happy to read on Facebook that Jim Pappe, a software specialist at Lightspeed Systems downtown, rescued an abandoned dog while on his way home Friday. Jim is a bicycle commuter and found the dog tied to a fence off the bike path. In his words:

 "He is very gentle, attentive, well-kept. No collar nor tags, just a leash. When I first saw him, he was tied up as if someone was coming back for him after their run. When I came back 4 hours later, it was dark and apparent something was amiss. I posted on Craigslist to see if someone just forgot to pick him up. I'm hoping not..."

 When Jim went back to check on the dog at 9 p.m. Friday, he found him huddled and afraid. He finally had to coax him out and spent some time just sitting with him before untying him and taking him home. Early Sunday Jim told me the dog had warmed to his wife Debbie and their children, spent a quiet and restful night and took a nice walk around the  park near his Southwest Bakersfield home. Now that's a happy ending.

McCarthy: Obama-Pelosi stimulus bill has failed as jobless rate hits 26-year high

 Bakersfield Congressman Kevin McCarthy brings us up to date on his week on Capitol Hill.

 

 "It was nice to start off the week in Bakersfield with a visit to Mrs. Mehciz’s 4th grade Centennial Elementary School class. It was great to hear our local students take pride in knowing America’s constitutional form of government. I posted a few pictures from my visit on my facebook page: www.facebook.com/CongressmanKevinMcCarthy. 

 "If you missed the Ralph Bailey show on Wednesday, you missed Ralph trying to stump me on the locations of our U.S. Service Academies because we were talking about the Service Academy Forum that will be at the Kern County Board of Supervisors’ Chambers from 2:00-3:30pm on Saturday.  I hope all high school students that are interested in attending one of our academies, and their parents, will stop by to learn more and visit with an academy representative.  To RSVP, email: RSVP.McCarthy@mail.house.gov or call my Bakersfield office at 327-3611.

 "In the Financial Services Committee this week, I voted to protect American entrepreneurship. America needs jobs and not Washington business-as-usual regulation that stifles opportunity.  That is why my colleagues and I supported a solution that balanced protecting innovation with greater pro-consumer transparency measures.  Unfortunately, over my objection, the Committee approved a bill that would harm innovation by establishing a government-run financial product approval agency which goes too far in restricting credit. From my experience of starting a small business at the age of 19, I know how hard it can be to get credit, the lifeblood for many entrepreneurs trying to build their American dream.   At a time when Americans are asking “where are the jobs,” we’re continuing to see this Congress approve legislation that makes it harder for our small businesses and innovators to grow their businesses and hire more people.  

 "More broadly, as much as our nation’s unemployment rate rises, it continues to lag on this Congress’ priority list - Democrats spent a good part of this week bickering with themselves on how large their new government-run health care should be instead of working in a bipartisan manner to grow jobs.  While we all agree we need to improve health care, Congress must focus on reversing the job losses all over the country.  California lost over 39,000 jobs in September and ranks among the top 5 states with the highest unemployment rates.  Back in February, when the 8.1% national unemployment rate was then considered high, the President signed Speaker Pelosi’s $787 billion “stimulus” bill that Democrats claimed would “save or create” 4 million jobs.  Fast forward to today - our unemployment rate has risen to a 26-year high of 9.8%, with almost 3 million jobs lost.  And here in California, we know the stimulus has not created the jobs we need, as our unemployment rate has escalated to 12.2%.  As we approach November, I will continue to fight to refocus Congress on creating jobs, especially the small business tax relief ideas that are part of the Republican economic growth solution, a solution that could help grow over 6 million jobs. 

 

Bako bits: an explosion of swine flu cases locally and the local ties to Citizens Business Bank

* ... SWINE FLU CASES EXPLODE: Heard some alarming news regarding the swine flu Wednesday from Dr. Raj Patel, a co-owner of Preferred Family Care Physicians off Truxtun Extension and my personal doctor. Patel said his office has seen a virtual explosion of the swine flu (H1N1) in recent weeks, going from two to three diagnosed cases a day to 20 to 25 a day in just two weeks. These numbers far outstrip the  number of swine flu cases that the Kern County health department reported earlier this week, but Patel says the cases are real and frightening. "We've stopped counting," he said. "Every day it is more and more and more. We are swamped." Patel received his first shipment of the H1N1 vaccine but went through it in a couple days and is awaiting a new shipment. Now comes word that the U.S. health authorities are warning there will be shortage of the H1N1 vaccine (read the story here) and that there may not be sufficient quantities to cover everyone until December. Patel said the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 8 percent of all Americans have the swine flu now, and by the end of the year fully 60 percent of us will have some kind of flu: either a regular version of the flu or the H1N1.

 * ... THE LOCAL CONNECTION TO CITIZENS: Had a nice chat the other day with Ray Dezember, the retired banker who knows just about everybody in town. Ray reminded me that Citizens Business Bank, which took over the failed San Joaquin Bank, has a strong connection to Bakersfield. For you local history buffs, Ray was running the old American National Bank when it was absorbed by Wells Fargo Bank back in 1990. Working with Ray at American National was D. Linn Wiley, who shortly thereafter went to Ontario to become CEO of Citizens Business Bank. Linn has since retired but remains as vice chairman of the board at Citizens. Other American National alumni now working at Citizens Business Bank include Harold Hanson, John Ivy and John Tait. Ray said it was Linn Wiley who actually recruited Citizens CEO Christopher Myers.

 * ... WHERE'S MIKE OLAGUE? Speaking of local bankers, lots of folks are wondering what happened to Michael Olague, the longtime Bakersfield banker who has been replaced as head of the regional Rabobank office. Rabobank is a private, well diversified Dutch-held company that keeps a tight rein on public announcements, and it's not saying anything about what happened to Olague. All the office would say is that the new regional president is Anker Fanoe. Olague previously ran the regional Bank of America office and worked for a time at the old San Joaquin Bank.


 * ... THE MESS WITH LOCAL APPRAISALS: Readers of this blog know I am a big fan of local appraiser Gary Crabtree and his "Crabtree Report," which remains one of the single most authoritative sources on the local housing market. I'm always impressed by the depth and breadth of his reports, which in this day and age makes for a sobering read. His latest report shows Bakersfield remaining the seventh worst foreclosure market in the nation with a staggering 13.14 per 1,000 households. And the mess with out of town appraisers supplying incomplete or erroneous appraisals remains a big problem. From his report:

 "The HVCC (Home Valuation Code of Conduct) is continuing to cause problems with low appraisals performed by either lesser experienced and/or geographically incompetent appraisers ... Research of the MLS appraiser members indicates that 58 percent of the appraiser members are from out of the area as far north as San Francisco and as far south as San Diego, with one appraiser from Huntsville, Alabama. What is even more concerning is that according to the California Office of Real Estate Appraisers there are a total of 119 licensed appraisers in Bakersfield, yet only 50 are 'appraiser members' of the MLS. This begs the question: where and how are the other 69 members obtaining their market data information or do they possess a real estate license and are Realtor members?"

Short takes around town: Another financial institution on the ropes and Fred Drew is out at the Kern Community Foundation

  

* ... AND THE DOMINOES BEGIN TO FALL: The news that Kern Schools Federal Credit Union is on the ropes is further evidence of the depth of this recession. The credit union has lost over $54 million since the beginning of last year, a figure that makes the losses at the now shuttered San Joaquin Bank look absolutely paltry. And now we learn the credit union, like the bank, has been put on notice that it must dramatically increase its liquidity or face the consequences. Unlike commercial banks like San Joaquin, which got into trouble on soured development loans, the credit union issues are more consumer based - bad auto loans, delinquent personal loans and the like - and reflect the depths of the recession in Kern County, where our jobless rate is hovering around 14 percent. Another just stunning aspect of all this is the fact that at least one Kern Schools board member, Jim Fillbrandt, told The Californian he was unaware of the demands and written agreement with the National Credit Union Administration until Monday when outgoing CEO Vince Rojas mentioned  it. How and why the board would be left in the dark (if indeed it was) are questions that need to be answered. Looks like Rojas got out just at the right time, handing over the reins to Steve Renock, who previously worked at a credit union in Orange County. Here's hoping Renock is well versed in crisis management, because that's the job he's inherited.

 * .... DREW OUT AT FOUNDATION: I learned today that Fred Drew is out as CEO of the Kern Community Foundation. Drew has only been on the job since January. The press release from the Foundation was short and to the point and offered no explanation. But obviously things didn't work out between Drew and the Foundation Board of Directors. Judi McCarthy, the Foundation board chair, issued a press release saying only that Drew and the Board of Directors reached "mutual agreement" that he would leave effective October 31. In the meantime, retired CEO Noel Daniells "has been engaged by the Board to offer continued guidance and assistance" and McCarthy will serve as acting executive until a new CEO is in place. An appreciation dinner was just held for Noel last month at Stockdale Country Club. Looks like he'll stick around longer to help in the transition.

 * ... INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE REBOUND?: We all know about the funk that residential real estate is in, but what about the commercial and industrial side? I follow the blog of Wayne Kress, a principal over at CB Richard Ellis Bakersfield,  and learned that things are indeed slow but may be showing signs of a rebound. (check out his posting here). Kress said we have recovered a bit from the "lowly performance" of the first and second quarters. Some of the numbers and percentages here are staggering. From his blog:

 "Sales volume is down 30% over 2008 and a whopping 91% over 2007.  Average prices have actually increased over each of the last two years (+11% in 2008 and +7% in 2009), but this is a little deceiving, as the average building size has also declined in each of those years (by 43% in 2008 and by another 53% in 2009).  There is generally an inverse relationship between unit pricing and size:  the smaller the building, the higher the unit price.  This holds here."

* ... HOT SHOT WINS THE WORLD: Kudos to Bakersfield's Brian Foley, the college freshman who just won the World Championships in skeet shooting. Brian did it by not missing a single target in the 410 bore competition at the World Skeet Shooting Championships in San Antonio, Texas, and then beating perhaps the world's best shooter,  Todd Bender of Atlanta, in a shootoff. Brian graduated from Ridgeview High and is a freshman at Lindenwood University, a private college of about 13,000 students in St. Charles, Mo. He's the son of Tim and Kim Foley of Bakersfield.

Bako bits: Mourning the loss of a local bank and Laura Wolfe finds a new gig

 
 * ... LAMENTING THE LOSS OF SAN JOAQUIN: The closing of San Joaquin Bank is a loss for our community on many levels. First, it has been one of the stalwart business banks that has helped this community grow, and it has done so while choosing to support the non-profits in a way the "too big to fail" banks would never deign. It was San Joaquin, after all, that provided the loan (at below market rates) that allowed the Bakersfield Museum of Art to expand, and that's just one example. In addition to all the good people who are now out of work, one has to wonder about the aggressive tactics of the state Department of Financial Institutions and the FDIC in closing the place down. The bank argues that it had met and exceeded the DFI demand to raise $27 million in capital, so why would the state agency pull the plug anyway? What possible good can come from closing a community bank in this economy? And there are some interesting questions being raised about when Citizens Business Bank was told it had the green light to take over San Joaquin. For example, new custom Citizens signage was installed at the old San Joaquin Coffee Road branch  less  than 24 hours after the bail failed. Was the signage ordered while the San Joaquin board was busy raising capital and meeting the Fed demands? Had the FDIC and DFI already made up their minds by the time the San Joaquin board met the capital demands by the Friday afternoon deadline? When the real story of San Joaquin and the bank closings is told, let's hope it doesn't smack of a new era of McCarthyism.


 * ... WOLFE TO ARTS COUNCIL: Was happy to hear that Laura Wolfe, who lost her job in a shakeup at  CSUB's development office, has landed a new gig as part-time development officer for the Arts Council of Kern. Laura is a longtime Shafter resident who was a fixture at Cal State until new university development director Beverly Byl let her go, citing budget cutbacks. If Laura brings the energy to the Arts Council that she showed at CSUB, the arts will most certainly benefit. Laura reminded  me that ARTini, the Arts Council's martini tasting fund raiser, is set for Friday, November 6, at the Petroleum Club. Individual tickets are $65 for non members and $50 for members. Tickets include a tasting glass, tasting and heavy appetizers. I've heard this is a terrific event and all for a good cause: promoting the arts in our community. For more information call 661-324-9000.  

 * ... HUELL HEADS BACK TO BAKERSFIELD: Learned the other day that Huell Howser, the folksy and popular host of public television's "California's Gold" series, is heading back to Bakersfield next week. Huell will be filming a followup report on the relocation of the historic Lopez-Hill House to the Kern County Museum. Howser is scheduled to be shooting next Thursday, according to Penelope Birtenstein, who works with the museum Foundation. The original house was built by J.J. Lopez at Chester and California avenues in 1909. Lopez had  worked as a sheepherder at Tejon Ranch and died in 1938. The house was later moved out off Rosedale Highway and now is at home at the museum.


* ... THE BOYS FROM HODEL'S: Had a chance to speak to a luncheon meeting of the Sons in Retirement (SIRs), a group I didn't even know exist before I spent some time with them.  It was an interesting mix of about 100 retired business, educators and professionals who had one thing in common: staying connected with the community via friendly networking over lunch at Hodel's over off Olive Drive. The best of Bakersfield has always been its people, and it was good to spend a couple hours with a group of citizens who chose to stay involved and on the top of issues. My thanks to Lon Kellenberger, retired dean at the School of Education over at Cal State Bakersfield, for the invite, not to mention the free lunch.