Emilio Huerta launches dishonest attack ad in the 21st Congressional District, City Councilman Bob Smith shows some real class and local school bond measures face an uphill fight

* ... BAD FORM: If they gave out Academy Awards for dishonest political attack ads, then Emilio Huerta would walk home with the Oscar. His latest video ad is built on the twin themes of deceit and dishonesty. In it, he ties incumbent Congressman David Valadao to Donald Trump, when in truth

Valadao has denounced Trump and make it clear he has no intentions of voting for him. In fairness to Valadao, he was one of the early Republicans who put distance between himself and the Republican presidential nominee. But the attack ad doesn't stop there, implying somehow that neither Trump nor Valadao believe the water crisis in California is real. Really? There is little chance that voters in the 21st Congressional District will fall for this malarkey, but this is the political currency that Huerta and his mother, Dolores Huerta, choose to trade in.

* ... GOOD FORM: But enough of the dishonesty of the Huerta clan and let's shine the light on a local politician who has done what we hire these folks to do. I'm talking about City Councilman Bob Smith who displayed a rare display of leadership by forging a compromise to establish a sound buffer along the Westside Parkway. Residents wanted a sound wall, but Smith came up with the idea of a large earthen berm that should do the trick. And guess what? Everyone seems to be happy with the results. It's rare these days when our political leaders actually show some initiative to bring us all together.

 * ... BOND MEASURES: What are the odds that some of the local bond measures for schools will pass with the required 55 percent of the vote? So far Measure J (Kern Community College District) Measure K (Kern High School District) and Measure N (Bakersfield City School District) are getting little to no attention in this heated election season. And the fact that there will be more than a dozen local and statewide initiatives on the ballot this year, few people are betting that any of these measures will pass.

* ... CSUB: Are you ready for some big time college basketball? Last year Coach Rod Barnes and the CSUB Roadrunners won the Western Athletic Conference tournament and appeared in the NCAA tournament, losing to Oklahoma in the first round. The Runners are picked to finish third on the men's side and fourth on the women's side. This is a team worth following, folks.

* ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "I will be glad for the election to be over so I can have my friends back."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Sorry I sent a card saying, 'my condolences during this difficult time' when you said you're engaged. I hadn't realized this was good news."

 * ... MORE TWITTER: "I've managed to keep a plant alive for six months now, so obviously I'm ready for a serious relationship again."

 * ... MAGIC: More feedback from the folks who got to meet Magic Johnson when he spoke at the Bakersfield Business Conference last week. Said Jerome Caneta: 'Magic was VERY gracious backstage. He posed for pictures and signed autographs until everyone had theirs. It took a large amount of time and he did so with that winning smile the whole time! Then he asked if everyone got their pictures, they all nodded, he said his goodbyes and drove off.  There's more to this story, but he was pure class."

Daniel Rodriguez spots his son on a billboard in New York's Time Square, Magic Johnson brings a message of hope to the Bakersfield Business Conference and will Terry Maxwell's obsession with the 24th Street widening derail his campaign?

* ... SMALL WORLD: So how would you react if you were in New York City and you spotted your own son on a billboard in Times Square? It happened to local plaintiffs lawyer Daniel Rodriguez recently when his son Tomas (2006 Garces Memorial High graduate) was featured in a billboard ad for The Trade Desk Company, a digital marketing firm. The story: the company went

public three weeks ago and bought ad space on the giant electronic billboards in Time Square to celebrate the event, and Tomas was among several company employees who were featured. Tomas moved to New York about a year ago (he lives in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn near another Garces graduate, my daughter) and serves as product marketing manager for the company. "It was surreal to see my son's face on these giant billboards," Rodriguez said. "How many people from Bakersfield have had their images grace Times Square? I could not be prouder."

* ... MAGIC: Thoughts on this weekend's Bakersfield Business Conference: the scaled down version of this iconic Bakersfield event was a hit, but it did have its challenges. The lines for beer and wine were so long it took a full 30 minutes standing in the sun to get served, and promoter George Martin would have done better with a bit more levity (remember when Rich Little, Jay Leno and other comedians were regulars?) to counterbalance the vitriol of the political season. The hit of the day? Clearly it was former LA Lakers great Magic Johnson, who wooed the audience and worked the room like an old time preacher, offering up a message of hope, loyalty, focus and trust. It just goes to show you how powerful a positive message can resonate in a world that seems to have lost all sense of sanity and decorum.

* ... WARD 2: If Terry Maxwell beats Andrae Gonzales and wins re-election to the Ward 2 seat on the City Council, the experts will no doubt credit the power of the incumbency and the fact he is so well known about town. But if he loses, they will blame his own obsession with the 24th Street widening which has alienated more than enough people to turn the election.

* ... GERT: Congratulations to Gert Prejean, who turned 100 years old on Saturday. Prejean was feted by the Bakersfield Duplicate Bridge Club, where she holds forth regularly. Said her friend Patricia Basset: "She has lived in Bakersfield for nearly 50 years, and still plays a darn good game of bridge three to four times a week. Gert is independent, spunky and continues to drive herself to the club daily. You can't help be in awe of her energy and enthusiasm. We should all be so lucky to have such a long, productive life.  "

 * ... GOOD FORM: Congratulations to the Bakersfield High class of 1956 that recently held their 60th reunion and donated $2,000 back to the school.

 * ... SCHOLARSHIP: One of the more successful foundations in town - the Joe Alexander Scholarship Foundation - is affiliated with the Bakersfield East Rotary Club and this year the big fund raising dinner is set for this Saturday at the home of Dr. William and Evid Nyitray. The foundation provides scholarships to needy students and this year they hope to award some 35 scholarships. If you are interested in tickets or sponsorships contact Jackie Blevins at (661) 410-0326.

California cities prepare local rules for legal marijuana, texting contributes to more traffic fatalities and First Friday kicks off a perfect October weekend

 *... TRAFFIC FATALITIES: This may not surprise you but traffic fatalities are surging, thanks in part - experts say - to our love affair with the dangerous habit of texting while driving. The Wall

Street Jounral said traffic deaths rose more than 10 percent in the first half of this year. Said the Journal: "While drunken driving is historically a big culprit for fatalities, motorists are also inundated with more technology in the car cabin, and the use of smartphones by drivings remains a concern for regulators."

 * ... MARIJUANA: Interesting to read that the city of Arvin is looking into ways to regulate the indoor growth of marijuana. It's yet another sign that experts expect an easy passage for Proposition 64, the measure which will largely legalize marijuana in California and put into place a system to tax and regulate it. Expect more cities to follow Arvin's lead and start preparing for the inevitable.

 * ... FIRST FRIDAY: A big first Fall First Friday is on tap in the Arts District of downtown Bakersfield. A new exhibit by former Bakersfield resident Robin Noble is at Metro Galleries. Noble married and moved to the central coast a few years ago and once settled discovered a huge talent and passion for painting. Her show' "Language of Light" kicks of the evening at 5 pm. Also on display at Metro is "Breath of Fresh Air." A series of paintings by local artists and BHS art students that will be used in a clean air, healthy lungs public art campaign sponsored by Dignity Health. A number of the pieces will be installed in the Arts District in February."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I am in my truest form when the food comes at a restaurant and I side-eye plates, suspicious that everyone got more fries than I did."

 * ... FOODIE: And speaking of food, when was the last time you were at an event catered by Moo Creamery? Lamb tacos, bacon wrapped meat with blue cheese, chicken pot stickers, mini tortas and dessert trays that will make you blush.

  * ... INFANTRY: Fred Drew is a proud Vietnam veteran, and he recently returned from Fort Lewis, WA., for a special ceremony. "There was a ‘change of command’ parade on the Division parade field where I was inducted as the Honorary Regimental Commander of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. This is one of the oldest Infantry Regiments in the US Army, and has fought in every war from the Civil War to the global war on terrorism. I commanded a company in the regiment in Vietnam from August 1969 to March 1970 as a 22-year-old captain. This was a great honor for me and my family. It was awesome to see and meet so many great young Americans who have sworn to protect and defend the United States of America."

 * ... MEMORIES: How many of you have lived here long enough to remember when the "southwest" part of town ended short of West High School? Loren Stroppe does, and she shared this memory: "I worked for the Ewings at the Tam O' Shanter in the early 1960s and in 1964 they decided to open the Stockdale Inn and wanted me to be the assistant manager, so I worked there from the ground up literally. We were the real pioneers all out there by ourselves. Some of my good memories were that the southwest was just starting to develop and some of the people I got to meet.  Occidential Petroluem had just been formed, they were located about where the In 'n Out Burger is now. Armand Hammer and Gene Reid would would bring their entire staff 30-40 people over for drinks after work whenever they hit a big well. Other people of note that also dined there was Del Webb as he was just starting Kern City and Park Stockdale. Also the Valley Plaza was just being built by by Farber and Gladstone whom also dined there."

It's white knuckle time in local elections with one month to go, Cafe Med's new brunch spread gets some love, and it's that time for high school reunions around town

* ... ELECTIONS: I can't imagine anyone being more sick of this election season than the candidates themselves. Who wouldn't grow weary of the constant begging for money, public appearances, candidate forums, interviews and precinct? And with just a month left before we cast

ballots, things are only intensifying. Don Martin, owner of Metro Galleries, held a 'meet and greet' for Ward 2 city council candidate Andrae Gonzales, local supporters of Measure J (improvements in the Kern Community College District) are working hard to make sure the measure doesn't get lost in the landslide of local initiatives (good luck with that) and I haven't seen a Facebook newsfeed in weeks that doesn't feature a smiling Karen Goh or Kyle Carter out glad handing the public.

 * ... FOODIE: Do you ever wonder where local restaurant owners go when they are not dining at their own place? Rod Crawford, who along with wife Julie run the successful Pyrennes Cafe, recently posted on Facebook high praise for the Sunday brunch at Cafe Med on Stockdale Highway. Crawford confirmed the word on the street that Meir Brown has introduced a can't miss brunch at the iconic Mediterranean eatery. "This is our favorite restaurant, and the place we feel like home when we leave ours," he said. "It doesn't happen often but when it does that's where we go."

 * ... SAVE WATER: Meanwhile over at La Costa Mariscos the waiters have new T-shirts with this message: "Save Water. Drink Tequila."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Johnny Depp was the ultimate bad boy until he started looking like my great aunt."

 * ... OVERHEARD: A recent retiree is telling a friend about becoming a driver for Uber: "I prefer to drive in the morning. People are showered and nice and headed somewhere. You don't know what you are going to get at night."

 * ... SPOTTED: This is the season for high school reunions, and they were happening all over town this past weekend. There was a big group of Highland High grads who celebrated their 40th anniversary at The Petroleum Club, and there wasn't a better looking group of 40 year olds than the group who descended on The Padre hotel to celebrate the Bakersfield High class of 2006.

* ... DEE: My post about retired educator Dolores "Dee" Whitley struck a never readers who know her and worked alongside her. This from Dr. James L. Sullivan: "Thank you for recognizing one of the true treasures of our community.  I had the pleasure of serving on the Board of Trustees of the Panama-Buena Vista School District from 1980 to 1994, at which time Dee was one of my daughter's teachers both in the second and fourth grades (lucky girl). She served as principal of Van Horn and McAuliffe elementary schools. She later was  an outstanding member of the school board. Her kind leadership and devoted efforts on behalf of the students, staff and parents has made our community a much better place. 'Special' is someoneto be admired, to be considered valuable and someone who cannot be replaced.  'Special' is the word that best describes Dee."

Local restaurants take to social media to promote specials, Dee Whitley gets a school named in her honor and more memories of old steak houses about town

 * ... DEE: Congratulations to retired educator Dolores "Dee" Whitley who will have an elementary school named after her in the Panama-Buena Vista School District. Whitley was principal of Christa

McAuliffe Elementary when my two daughters attended there in the 1990s, and her kindness and steady hand did not go unnoticed by the school staff and parents. The new school will be located at the corner of Wible and McKee roads and will open in 2018.

* ... FOODIE: In food news, the downtown Padre Hotel is about to roll out new menus for both the Brimstone bar and the more upscale Belvedere lounge. One of the new items that caught my attention was a toasted "avocado torta." Meanwhile, savvy locally owned restaurants are doing a good job in using Facebook and other social media platforms to announce their specials. Make sure to follow Cafe Med and Uricchio's Trattoria on Facebook to see what they are up to. And finally, a new grab and go eatery getting a lot of buzz for its healthy local offerings is the Hens Roost downtown on G Street. Make sure you check the hours for the Hens Roost before stopping by.

 * ... OVERHEARD: A 91-year-old woman is at a local restaurant celebrating her son's birthday when the conversation turns to local politics. "Kyle Carter is running for mayor?" she asks. "I thought all those signs were for sale signs."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: 'My friend isn’t promiscuous, per se. She just prefers to think of her sexuality as festival seating.'

* ... ARNOLD PALMER: Two days after Arnold Palmer died the requests for the tea and lemonade drink named after him skyrocketed over at Muertos Kitchen downtown. Owner Shawna Haddad Byers said lunch orders for Arnold Palmers were up 50 percent.

* ... MEMORIES: Dave Krecklow wrote to recall some of the late and great old steak houses about town, including a place called "Happy Steak" at the northwest corner of 34th and Union. "Next and north to it was the Coachlight Inn. It always had the patio, and later they did add the bar at the back. Further up Union Matia's built a new building and opened a Basque restaurant, now a church.
I don't recall the Stockdale Inn ever being Coachlight II but I do remember the Coachlight being on California near Mervyn's. Stockdale Inn, Tam O'Shanter and Ewing's on the Kern were all from the Ewings originally. Stockdale Inn was eventually moved and reconfigured with some railroad cars at northeast corner of California and Oak and became Milt's... My wife and I were at KC Steakhouse last week and lamenting they are all gone except KC. Toss Maison Jassaud's and House of Don in there. Sure there are lots of good places but we miss the steakhouses. Two thumbs up for KC, still dark, red leather and great food."

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And lastly, Navy veteran Gene M. Bonas added this memory:
"You've done it again, Richard. The Coachlight Inn comments brought back so many excellent memories of when I first was separated from the Navy. Friday and Saturday nights were always reserved for dinner at the Inn with many a lovely acquaintance. My date and I thoroughly enjoyed picking out our own steaks, and then sipping a choice cabernet while waiting for our salads. Mr. Wright had a very good wine list, and we always saw many friends enjoying themselves. Then, after dinner it was off to the Jasmine Tree for dancing. I'm confident many of your readers remember the Jasmine Tree which brings to mind other fond memories."

If it's fall, you can bet it is the non profit event season in town, Uricchio's rolls out some speciality menu items and a little history of the Boy Scout booth at the Kern County Fair

 * ... FUND RAISING: If it is fall in Bakersfield you can bet there will be a major fund raiser somewhere across town every weekend. This past weekend there were two: the huge Garces BBQ,

held at the high school under near perfect fall weather conditions, and the 14th annual Larry Carr Memorial Golf Event with a dinner/auction at Bakersfield Country Club. The tireless Tracy Kiser and Rogers Brandon chaired this event along with auction coordinator Lynn Joseph, raising more than $250,000 for the Lauren Small Children’s Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. The 280 dinner guests included BMH President Jon Van Boening and his wife Phillis, Kari and Steve Anderson, Beverly and Jim Camp, Janie and Kable Munger, David Munger, Tuesdy and Kevin Small and Susie and Ken Small, among others. I attended the Garces BBQ (Jenny Waugespack put this beast together) and caught up with an eclectic mix of Bakersfield characters: Monsignors Michael Braun and Craig Harrison, Ray Mish, Superior Court Judge Gary Friedman, Dr. Chris Hamilton and wife Susan, Shawna Haddad and her father Angelo and his wife Nancy, Oscar and Paula Baltazar, Dr. Javier Bustamante and wife Laurie, Mission Bank's Samy Abiaoui and Lisa Boydstun and Tom Anspach.

 * ... FOODIE: Looking for a new menu item for the cooler days to come? Check out the linguini with shrimp or the angel hair pasta primavera at Uricchio's Trattoria, two off the menu specials offered for the next two weeks.

 * ... OAK STREET: Is there a worst traffic choke point in town than the intersection of Oak and Truxtun from 3:30 p.m. on?

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I'm in a long distance relationship. Sure, some people refer to it as a restraining order, but still."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TRUXTUN: A white Toyota Solara convertible is cruising down Truxtun going too slow for traffic and weaving while its driver stares into her cell phone and happily texts.

 * ... STARBUCKS: Remember when I told you that a barista at my local Starbucks was already well into her Christmas shopping? Well she told me the other day she is done, and it isn't even October. Talk about an over achiever.

 * ... FAIR: Did you know the history of the Boy Scout baked potato booth at the fair? Jim Houck does, and he passed along this interesting bit of history: "It started in about 1953 as a project of Troop 8, which met at Horace Mann School on Niles Street. The scoutmaster was a great guy named L.L. Carpenter, known as Slim. The troop was sponsored by the Kern County Potato Growers Association. Urner's lent us ovens, my dad, who worked for Meadow Gold Dairies, got us butter and sour cream, and of course the Potato Growers gave us huge sacks of White Rose potatoes, a great Kern County variety that baked beautifully but is hard to find nowadays, unfortunately.n In those days Scout equipment usually came from the war surplus stores that sold beat-up pup tents, canteens, mess kits, folding shovels and knapsacks. This stuff was cheap but very heavy.n After our first year we'd made enough money to ditch our bulky canvas tents and replace them with big, light ones. Not sure what happened to Troop 8, but I saw someplace that the baked potato booth has been taken over by the local scout council. The wealth spreads."

If it's fall, you can bet it is the non profit event season in town, Uricchio's rolls out some speciality menu items and a little history of the Boy Scout booth at the Kern County Fair

 * ... FUND RAISING: If it is fall in Bakersfield you can bet there will be a major fund raiser somewhere across town every weekend. This past weekend there were two: the huge Garces BBQ,

held at the high school under near perfect fall weather conditions, and the 14th annual Larry Carr Memorial Golf Event with a dinner/auction at Bakersfield Country Club. The tireless Tracy Kiser and Rogers Brandon chaired this event along with auction coordinator Lynn Joseph, raising more than $250,000 for the Lauren Small Children’s Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. The 280 dinner guests included BMH President Jon Van Boening and his wife Phillis, Kari and Steve Anderson, Beverly and Jim Camp, Janie and Kable Munger, David Munger, Tuesdy and Kevin Small and Susie and Ken Small, among others. I attended the Garces BBQ (Jenny Waugespack put this beast together) and caught up with an eclectic mix of Bakersfield characters: Monsignors Michael Braun and Craig Harrison, Ray Mish, Superior Court Judge Gary Friedman, Dr. Chris Hamilton and wife Susan, Shawna Haddad and her father Angelo and his wife Nancy, Oscar and Paula Baltazar, Dr. Javier Bustamante and wife Laurie and Tom Anspach.

 * ... FOODIE: Looking for a new menu item for the cooler days to come? Check out the linguini with shrimp or the angel hair pasta primavera at Uricchio's Trattoria, two off the menu specials offered for the next two weeks.

 * ... OAK STREET: Is there a worst traffic choke point in town than the intersection of Oak and Truxtun from 3:30 p.m. on?

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I'm in a long distance relationship. Sure, some people refer to it as a restraining order, but still."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TRUXTUN: A white Toyota Solara convertible is cruising down Truxtun going too slow for traffic and weaving while its driver stares into her cell phone and happily texts.

 * ... STARBUCKS: Remember when I told you that a barista at my local Starbucks was already well into her Christmas shopping? Well she told me the other day she is done, and it isn't even October. Talk about an over achiever.

 * ... FAIR: Did you know the history of the Boy Scout baked potato booth at the fair? Jim Houck does, and he passed along this interesting bit of history: "It started in about 1953 as a project of Troop 8, which met at Horace Mann School on Niles Street. The scoutmaster was a great guy named L.L. Carpenter, known as Slim. The troop was sponsored by the Kern County Potato Growers Association. Urner's lent us ovens, my dad, who worked for Meadow Gold Dairies, got us butter and sour cream, and of course the Potato Growers gave us huge sacks of White Rose potatoes, a great Kern County variety that baked beautifully but is hard to find nowadays, unfortunately.n In those days Scout equipment usually came from the war surplus stores that sold beat-up pup tents, canteens, mess kits, folding shovels and knapsacks. This stuff was cheap but very heavy.n After our first year we'd made enough money to ditch our bulky canvas tents and replace them with big, light ones. Not sure what happened to Troop 8, but I saw someplace that the baked potato booth has been taken over by the local scout council. The wealth spreads."

Catholic Charities steps up to fill an important void in our community and leaving cable TV (cord cutting) starts to pick up steam in a big way

* ... CHARITY: We live in a crazy, scary and unpredictable world, but take the time to look around and you will always find glimmers of hope: neighbors helping those who are struggling, people

reaching out to each other to lend a hand, random acts of kindness among strangers. Consider what is happening today (Friday) from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the alley behind the local Catholic Charities office on Chester Avenue. Working with the CAPK Food Bank, Catholic Charities will be distributing fresh produce to the community - all completely free of charge - until the produce runs out. Why? Because there is a huge need. Catholic Charities and other groups like them often work anonymously to fill important needs in our community, but they all deserve our support and thanks.

 * ... CORD CUTTING: More Americans than ever are abandoning cable television and the traditional local networks in order to save costs, get more bang for the buck and choose exactly what they want to view. This trend toward "cord cutting" started with the millennials and - according to studies - has now become popular across all generations. One study found that some 35,000 Americans leave traditional cable every month. Consider this: a retired friend told me she lives solely off Netflix and original programming from Amazon Prime (she pays about $20 a month compared  between $150 and $200 monthly for fully loaded cable) while another friend told me he does the same but gets limited local programming with the HULU for an additional $8 a month fee. The implications for local TV, the major networks and their advertisers are ominously obvious.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I guess I should have realized something was off when my poodle received a Wells Fargo credit card."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: Nothing says 'peaceful protest' more than stealing and vandalizing someone's property.

 * ... GOOD FORM: Marilou Burlingame shared this pleasant encounter at a local Subway recently.  "When we went to pay for our purchases, we were told by the cashier that our orders had been paid for by the young man ahead of us (we probably reminded him of his grandparents). What a surprise! We thanked him profusely but failed to ask his name (shame, shame). Will definitely do the same for someone else. It was a great day, beautiful weather, my husband passed the test and lunch was paid for by a very nice young man. Doesn’t get any better than that!"

 * ...  MEMORIES: When a reader mentioned the long-gone Coachlight Inn, it triggered these memories from Kelly Lucas. "When I dated my wife in the 1970s we’d go to the Coachlight Inn regularly on dates. I almost always ordered a couple of filets, one for me and one for my girlfriend, now my wife. The cost of the dinner was around $22, and that was a lot of money for a teenager. Coachlight boasted that patrons got to pick out their steak. So, once when ordering my $11 steak filet dinner I found out I could select a filet and have it prepared as the $8 shish kabob - a $3 savings X 2. That was a great deal, and meant money for dessert! Either Rudy never caught on, or figured my frequent patronage qualified me for a discount. My wife and I hold many wonderful memories of those dinners at the Coachlight Inn."

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And finally, my friend Dan Giordano shared this sweet memory of the old Stockdale Inn: "Richard, I remember both (Coachlight and Stockdale Inns) quite well and after reading your Wednesday post about them it brought back a some great memories. One being… the Stockdale Inn is where I proposed to my wife Patty 45 years ago. Thanks for the memory."