Eye on Bakersfield

On the radio in Fresno last week

2009-12-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

I was on KMJ last week, which is in Fresno.

They were talking about the CARB issue and a caller was talking about my coverage and so I thought I'd call in.

The host Ray Appleton and I go WAAAAAAY back. I've known him for years being a Fresno homegirl. He was very nice and we chatted for a while.

Someone downloaded that portion of the show and sent it to me. I'm attempting to put it on our site here, if I can make it work!

Or, if that doesn't work, try HERE.

Check it out if you have nothing better to do. (I think I sound goofy.)

Another great gift for the animal lover and cook on your list

2009-12-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

The Cat People, a great organization, dedicated to rescuing dumped kitties and at least spay/neutering feral cats, has a cookbook out, just in time for Christmas.

NO, there are NO recipes that use cat!

It's only $10 and all the money goes to programs to help find homes for Bakersfield's overwhelming unwanted cat population.

This has been a very tough year I've heard from both The Cat People and the Kern County Animal Shelter, both of which are getting waves and waves of kittens and cats.

So help the cause and give a great gift for the holidays!

Find out more at their website
www.thecatpeople.org

Burglar operation working the county?

2009-11-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

I posted on my work blog about a weird encounter last night that sounds very similar to a door-to-door burglary operation that was working southwest Bakersfield last month.

Almost immediately, I heard from a woman who lives in Delano that the same thing happened (very similar description of the person) about a month ago.

Is Kern being targetted by some new criminal operation? Or has this gone on all the time but email and blogs are letting us all find out sooner?

Here's the email from the gal in Delano:
Just wanted to share with you the "Suspicious Guy At My Door" was also at our door in Delano about 5 weeks ago. My husband happened to be outside and the guy was insistent my husband allow him in our home but my husband refused. My 12 year old son remembers him and he perfectly matches your description. Apparently, he is working the entire county. We live in the Morningside area of Delano.

About two months ago, I was home sick and had my perimeter security alarm set. Someone knocked on my door. (They wouldn't ring the doorbell) I didn't answer the door but the guy knocked harder and harder on the door. It finally sounded like he was going to beat the door in. I peeked out an upstairs window and did not see a car or anyone around my house. Finally, this young black man walked down my driveway and started down the street. Then, he abruptly turned around and from behind the bushes and trees at the corner of my house, four more black guys stepped out of hiding. Thinking they might be going to break in, I hit the window and made a clatter so they would know someone was in the house. I believe with all my heart they would have stormed into my home if I had answered the door. (I don't have a screen or security gate.)

Thanks for the blog post informing people of these robbers.

Sincerely,
Gail

Couple of doggie notes from Tehachapi

2009-11-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

If you're considering adopting a dog, why not an older fellow? Here's one guy who came to my attention recently, Arnie.

ABOUT ARNIE:
Arnie is a quiet, reserved little gentleman (purebred Chihuahua) weighing in at about 10 years old.

The only time Arnie gets really excited is when you take him for a walk. He loves it and since he has a pound or two to lose, Arnie needs someone who will take him for a daily stroll.

Arnie gets along with other dogs, cats but not chickens. He’s real curious about chickens and tends to lick his lips.

Arnie has been neutered, is up to date on shots and is microchipped. He is looking for a retired couple to lavish affection on him as he is a bit of an introvert.

Call Have-a-Heart Humane Society at 661-823-7649 or 661-557-7876 (cell)

Perfect Christmas gift for dog lovers on your list

Avoid the rush, buy yours NOW!!! (get two, they're small)

A new device that can help sort out your mutt’s breed, or breeds, can also help other pups in need.

The Tehachapi Radio Shack on West Valley Boulevard, is selling Doggie DNA kits to help Rainbow Rescue, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving animals in the Tehachapi, California City, Mojave, Boron and Edwards areas.

Rainbow Rescue has rescued and rehomed hundreds of puppies, stray, abandoned and surrendered dogs over the last decade.

The DNA kit is $10, of which 100 percent goes to Rainbow Rescue.

Swab your dog’s cheek and send it to the manufacturer along with $49.95 for processing and in two weeks they will send your dog’s full breed composition (up to 5 levels). The information can help you understand the unique personality traits of your dog, warn you about the dog’s predisposition to disease and genetic health concerns.

You can purchase the kits at the Tehachapi Radio shack, 1121 W. Valley Blvd., Ste. A, Tehachapi, CA 93561 (corner of Tucker Road and Valley Blvd.) or you can send a check made out to Rainbow Rescue/Radio Shack to the same address for however many kits you would like.

Chelley Kitzmiller, who owns the Radio Shack dealership and volunteers for Rainbow Rescue, will then send the manufacturer your address and they will send the kits.

Sorry for not posting

2009-11-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

I've been busy with my other blog on The Californian's site and it's just a lot to try and run both blogs!

I'll try and post more here as well.

When will we ever learn?

2009-10-31T13:41:00.001-07:00

More development sins from our past. See my column for details.

OK, it's easy to point fingers at dumb mistakes made by other people, but how are we going to clean it up now?

Wait to see on Tuesday who has the political guts to do that little job!

Find these culprits and put them away!

2009-10-22T16:06:00.001-07:00

This is horrible. I can't believe someone would do this and yet, it's happened here in our "life as it should be" town not once but twice.

Small but annoying!

2009-09-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

To those who say "don't sweat the small stuff," I say THWPPPPTTT!

Small gets big and big gets expensive so you better pay attention to the small stuff.

Anyway, these two ladies agree with me!

PG&E...sigh

2009-09-12T15:52:00.000-07:00

I've written before about these so-called smart meters and problems PG&E seems to have but refuses to acknowledge.

Well, they're baaaaaack. And so are their glitches. Here's my column on it.

It seems that in other parts of the world, there haven't been the kinds of problems we're seeing here. I wonder what the difference could be? Perhaps a company with a cultural attitude that customers don't count.

Hmmmm....

Pratt verdict shouldn't be the end of this story

2009-08-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to look into the Robby Pratt case, really I didn't. The guy sounded like nothing but a big ol bag of sour grapes, and frankly a little crazy from what I'd read in the paper.

But someone brought the verdict in his suit against the city to my attention. I couldn't ignore the fact that jurors had found the city guilty of harassment, discrimination and retaliation in no uncertain terms.

And I couldn't ignore the $1 million taxpayers had shelled out to defend what turned out to be indefensible management.

Here's my take on the issue.

Fighting "city hall"

2009-08-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's always good to have real, actual, facty facts when you're about to try and destroy people's businesses for the "greater good."

The local air district forgot that until one local man reminded them. Check it out in my Sunday column.

AMAZING

2009-08-18T16:57:00.001-07:00

The Board of Supervisors actually TURNED DOWN A DEVELOPMENT!

Go to James Burger's very good live blog showing how it all went down.

And for more background you can read my column, which ran on Sunday.

Supervisor Jon McQuiston, the tie breaking vote, said his concerns centered on how the project would, or would not, pass muster under the rules of SB375, which dictates development will be public transit oriented or the county could lose state money.

I've written about SB375 way back in Oct. 2008 and wondered how long it would take until local pols were forced to actually live up to its mandates. Looks like time's up.

Tit for tat, or some such

2009-08-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

They say it's not sporting to enter a duel of wits with an unarmed opponent, but I admit I couldn't help myself.

To understand the circumstance of my column in tomorrow's paper, you have to go back a bit and read my Aug. 9 column about developers suing the city over its appropriately increased traffic impact fee, THEN read radio personality Inga Barks' Aug. 15 response to my column and FINALLY read my column in tomorrow's paper.

Sorry, but if you want the full story, you gotta dig under the first layer a little.

Cracks in the system

2009-08-13T18:20:00.001-07:00

I've been researching more about the Sowders-Fuller case and it looks like there are serious flaws in our domestic violence protection system.

I have a special column about it for tomorrow's paper.

A family member sent me this photo of Annette Sowders, her mom, Sharon Cannon, and their dog Bandit.

Sowders and Cannon were killed last Saturday at 2:30 a.m. in their home by someone using a 12-gauge shotgun. Sowders' estranged husband, Robert Fuller was arrested a short time later with a 12-gauge shotgun in his truck.

He'd been ordered to give up his guns under a restraining order Sowders got against him. But there's no way for anyone, including law enforcment to really check if he did.

He was also arrested twice for violating the restraining order, but bailed out under an automatic "bail schedule" both times on the same day without having to go before a judge.

The last time he bailed out was August 4. Sowders and Cannon were killed 4 days later, a day before Sowders birthday.

Just such a sad, tragic story.

Love and violence, not a good mix

2009-08-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

An apparent domestic violence murder leaves two women dead. I looked at the build up to this tragedy and wondered in my column whether it could have been prevented.

Pictured is Robert Fuller accused of shooting to death his estranged wife, Annette Sowders and her mother Sharon Cannon.

Sowders had a restraining order against him, which he violated at least eight times in 11 days, landing in jail twice. The restraining order also should have prevented him from owning or possessing any guns. But when he was arrested, he had one gun with him.

County salaries/benies

2009-07-25T19:36:00.001-07:00

This is a great graphic showing all the benefits top managers in the county receive...HOWEVER, i can't get it big enough to make everything out...I'll keep working on it. Meanwhile, use a magnifying glass!

Good enough for government work

2009-07-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

Man!
I started looking into pay and benefits for the county's top managers and though I knew they got paid well (they DO have a lot of responsibilities) I was BLOWN AWAY by their benefits.

Check it out in my column.

We have air pollution! GET A GUN!

2009-07-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

Yet another scary study came out this weekend about air pollution.

Earlier this year, researchers said air pollution was killing thousands of Californians a year. When you look into it, however, those studies are based on other studies done by researchers in other parts of the country and their results averaged and slapped on California. (Even the original studies that showed some increased death rate from PM2.5 exposure, by the way, showed little to NO effect in California).

But, heck, it's a scary study and no one really has the time or inclination to read through the mounds of confusing research that led to that "finding," so on we go about our business as if these numbers are real and mean anything. Well, I had the inclination and took the time and what I read let me to believe those numbers aren't real and they don't mean anything, other than to certain groups trying to advance their political agendas.

ANYHOO, back to the latest scary study: Air pollution makes kids dumb, in utero, no less.

Eh, I don't buy it and said so in my column, check it out and let me know what you think.

Wherever we go, there we are

2009-07-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Cong. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, made an impassioned plea on the House floor today for a "better way," than the path being forged by the Obama administration. Frankly, his plea was a bit muddled.

He called the current situation the "Obama economy" when, of course, the economic implosion really began in the spring of 2008 and the seeds for the meltdown were sewn even earlier. And he urged his colleagues to "work together" for small business, no details, however.

But the best part of his speech was he brandished a copy of today's Bakersfield Californian and quoted one of our headlines about unemployment going to 14.7 percent in June. Cool, we're in the Congressional Record!

Course, everyone seems to forget what Kern's unemployment rate was like for YEARS before the boom...12-15 percent was not unusual. I remember when we dropped below 10 percent for the first time. It was a banner headline on A1. (The article McCarthy referenced, by the way, was on B1)

So, yes, the disasterous economy has hurt us, no doubt...but where were the Congressional speeches about our terrible straits back in the 1990s and early 2000s? Just run of the mill back then, I guess.

Here's a vid of McCarthy's (and The Californian's) moment on the floor.

I keep forgetting to post this

2009-07-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

In case you don't recognize him, the gentleman in the middle is our esteemed City Manager Alan Tandy. Don't know why it's coming through all oddly colored!

$36 million is a double-edged sword

2009-07-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

While I was on vacation, county bean counters "found" $36 million in county coffers they hadn't expected, meaning instead of a deficit, we have a surplus (until the state swipes it, of course.)

I'd think that was a good thing, except, why can't our budget guys seem to get their numbers straight? It leaves me less than impressed. Here's my column on the issue.

Oh, P.S.
In researching this column I decided it'd be fun to know how much we're paying the county's top two bean counters for their labor on our behalf.

HOLY MOLY! These numbers blow me away. And they give me some ideas of how to save the county money, like doing away with KernFlex pay for all managers (more than 30 in the county). What the heck is that for anyway?

And a car allowance for people who don't need to DRIVE anywhere on the county's behalf? Uh, no!

Here's the gory deets:

John Nilon, County Administrative Officer
Salary $173,899.97
KernFlex (all managers get 10% extra, just because) 17,388.84

FICAI (6.2%) 6,621.60
FICAII (1.45%) 2,773.52

Health & Retiree
Health Benefits 13,044.50

Retirement (33.48%) 64,040.15

Auto allowance 7,296.00

Life insurance 198.00

TOTAL COMP $285,252.58

Ann Barnett, Auditor/Controller
Salary $139,799.47
KernFlex 13,979.79

FICAI 6,621.60
FICAII 2,229.83

Health & Retiree
Health Benefits 13,044.50

Retirement (33.48%) 51,485.34

Auto allowance 7,296.00

Life insurance 198.00

TOTAL COMP $234,654.53

An animal program that WORKS!

2009-06-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

Why won't politicians DO anything about it!!!
Here's my column on why.

No boom boom for me on July 4!

2009-06-23T17:42:00.001-07:00

I'm talking about FIREWORKS, of course. And it's time for my annual anti-fireworks column. HERE IT IS!

After my ride along last year with the enforcement teams, I was appalled. Illegal fireworks were everywhere and when they weren't, drunken morons were making legal fireworks into illegal projectiles.

ENOUGH!

Just have some watermelon, sing God Bless America and call it good!

Supervisors still don't get it!

2009-06-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

My column is up and it's not nice! (well, not to certain politicians anyway, tee hee!)

Ahh....the answer to our animal overpopulation problems...thanks dude!

2009-06-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

This fellow is responding to my column on Bill Bruce, head of animal control in Calgary, who spoke in Kern a few weeks ago about how his city (population 1.1 million) has reduced its animal overpopulation problem to such a great extent that last year they were forced to euthanize only 400 animals.

For comparison sake, Kern has 827,000 people and last year we killed nearly 20,000 animals.

Clearly, Mr. Bruce has advice that we should heed.

The caller blames it on "Mexicans." And there were people at the meeting with Mr. Bruce who brought up our demographics. We do have a large population of illegal immigrants who might not hold licensing, spaying/neutering and microchiping their animals in the highest priority when they're struggling to keep their kids fed.

However, Mr. Bruce explained that Calgary also has a large immigrant population, mostly Asian. So, while we may have difficulty communicating in one language other than English, Mr. Bruce said they have about 20 or more Chinese dialects and cultural idiosyncrasies. Add to that the whole French thing and, well, as you can see these issues can be overcome.

So, no, I don't think it's a "Mexican problem."

An OUTRAGE!

2009-06-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

Gov. Schwarzenneger was in Fresno today talking about the state budget, water and other issues.

You can read the whole story here.

One person implored him, "Please don't make us look like Bakersfield," apparently in reference to the lack of forward movement on water issues.

This is an outrage to all Bakersfieldians and I demand that our legislators ACT!

Sen. Dean Florez, call an emergency hearing quick!
Recall Sen. Roy Ashburn!
Assemblyman Danny Gilmore, make a banner against this terrible hate speech and hang it in your office, if you ever get one.
Meanwhile, we'll try and find someone to explain it to Assemblywoman Jean Fuller.

Speaking of preposterous and air regulations

2009-06-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

Apparently at the May 21 meeting of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, one of the board members, Mike Nelson, a Merced County Supervisor, made some questionable statements.

He joked that he was stuck with the job because no other supes would do it. He told me that was a standing joke among his fellow supervisors and he didn't mean it was a job he does with his nose pinched.

Then he also said, and this is worse, that everyone needs to listen to one another and he should follow that advice himself because when some people come to the podium he tends to tune out because he's found them in the past not to be credible.

Ooops, kicked over a beehive with that one!

I don't think public officials should tune out any constituents.

But Nelson's main point was that everyone should be open and listen to other points of view.

And personally, I take his other point that once someone proves themselves to be uncredible, it's hard to continue to listen as they repeat misleading or fact-challenged statements.

Still, environmentalists have called for Nelson to step down and will be protesting the meeting on Thursday. The weather should be nice, so I guess it's a good day for a picket.

Either way, it's not quite the Watergate our own Sen. Dean Florez made it out to be when he fired off a letter to Nelson demanding an explanation of his statements.

I have to wonder if Nelson, who's voting record shows he has voted both for and against the environmental side during his seven years on the board, had said he tunes out business interests whether Florez would have jumped on him with such speed and vengance?

Here's the letter FROM Florez to Nelson.

Here's Nelson's response.

And here's a flyer calling for Nelson's ouster.

Whew, much ado about not a lot of ado, if you ask me.

More preposterous air regulations

2009-06-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

My column tomorrow looks at yet another area where air regulators are racheting down exhaust in the name of pure air and at the cost of businesses.

I wouldn't even really mind that much if I truly believed that:

A) our pollution was really that bad (it's not, in fact our air is cleaner than it's been the last 30 years)
B) PM 2.5 was really that dangerous (studies conflict and ones that show there IS a danger have never had results replicated)
C) the regulation was done with some thought, logic and real attempt to understand consequences to business (never is and this is just one more example!)

Free stuff is the best

2009-06-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

I got this email just now (I'm sure it went to the whole newsroom, but I like to think it was just for me!)

A while back I wrote about how you could get stuff for free or drastically reduced prices if you just look around a little. Particularly if you READ THE PAPER!

Hi Lois,

The Bakersfield Chick-fil-A is at it again! This time giving away a week of free breakfast June 22 - 26! Customers will receive a different free entree each morning.

I have inserted a media advisory below with all of the mouth-watering details, and please let me know if you need any additional information.

All the best,

Taylor

Taylor Wolfe
CO&P Integrated Marketing
191 Peachtree Street NW Suite 830
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404.961.2234 direct
404.870.8889 fax
www.co-p.com
www.twitter.com/copmkg

MEDIA ADVISORY

Maybe this guy knows what to do

2009-06-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

I went to a meeting Wednesday of the Animal Control Commission where a guy named Bill Bruce, the animal control guru from Calgary, was speaking.

He took Calgary from the same kind of mess Kern is in with animal overpopulation and has turned it into the greatest success story in north America.

He definitely had ideas worth listening to and I hope our Animal Control people were listening!

Here's my column on it.

UNbelieveable!

2009-06-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

This is from Capital Alert today.

Click on the job invite to see all the benies in this this morsel of a job description for a top state worker.

Hey, I know it's a hard job and one not most people are suited to, but the pay and perks are eye popping!

Who's watching the watchdogs?

2009-06-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

My column tomorrow looks at the lameness of the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

You know, this guy does have a point...

2009-06-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

This caller is responding to my column on Sunday about the state cutting 100 percent of its funding for the Ombudsman program, which relies heavily on volunteers to visit nursing homes and check on complaints of abuse or neglect.

The state had given the program, which has an office in every county, $3.8 million a year. But that bag of peanuts was cut last October.

This caller suggests the state is walking around dollars to pick up dimes and points to the fact that the Gov. isn't disturbed in the slightest that the state pays about $4 billion for services used by illegal immigrants.

I don't want to get into the illegal immigrant debate, but the same could be said for the state's inability to cut or even reduce some of the many boards and commissions we have, many staffed with ex legislators at high rates of pay

(Nicole Parra, $128,000 a year to um...talk to people about business in the SJV? Come ON!).

Anyway, I thought he had an interesting point.

Getting old ain't no fun

2009-06-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

My column this Sunday is about a small program, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, that doesn't cost a lot but does a great deal for the community.

The state, however, cut 100 percent of its contribution to this statewide state and federally mandated program last fall.

Kern's Ombudsman office has been limping along ever since, but the ax is soon to fall as the county can't keep up its contributions any longer.

The woman keeping it alive, Nona Tolentino, won't abandon the program or the people who need her. She's like that. I first met her nearly 20 years ago when she was the director of the Jamison Center for abused and neglected children.

She has an incredible heart, knows how to run a program getting the most bang for the buck and is a no-nonsense kind of gal. I absolutely believe this community can rally behind the Ombudsman program. Without them, I'm not sure Nona can carry the entire burden.

Mean? Maybe...

2009-06-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

Got a call on my Zack Scrivner column.

She thinks the Blunder Boy comment was just flat mean. Well....maybe.

But do I have hatred for Zack? HECK NO! If it weren't for him and his ilk, what would snarky little columnists like me write about????

Put it in writing

2009-06-02T18:31:00.000-07:00

How I love it when people put things in writing.

Nothing is so precious as an actual document, signed, sealed and delivered.

And when one drops right in your lap, willingly offered, well, it's like a gift from above!

Such happened just last week when City Councilman Zack Scrivner wrote what I'm sure he thought was a splendid op-ed piece defending the city's stance on negotiations, which have dragged on for two years now, with police and fire.

I was tickled to read it, and even more tickled to write about it in my column. Hopefully, you'll be tickled to read it too!

Mack the sales guru

2009-05-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

Former Kern County Sheriff Mack Wimbish has a new gig!

Wimbish is selling cars as a "field rep" for Taft Chevrolet Buick Pontiac.

And he's good at it, selling five to six vehicles a month. (No word on whether each sale comes with a "we'll kick your ass" door decal, for those who remember that little debacle during Wimbish's tenure as Sheriff.)

Hey, five cars a month is HUGE, especially considering the dealership did 10 sales in April.

Good to know Mack has landed butter side up. He's a nice guy. Not the best of Sheriff's but a nice guy.

You've got to watch the government EVERY MINUTE!

2009-05-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

The Forest Service is at it again!

A reader and Kern River Valley resident went to a Forest Service meeting up in the Bay Area where an advisory committee called the Sequoia Forest Service on the carpet, SORT OF, for its incredibly incompetent handling of a proposed fee increase last year.

They got the increase, but when they wanted to increase the size of the fee site, basically to include the entirety of Isabella lake and the upper Kern River, residents pitched a holy fit.

AND they demanded to know how the public's money was being spent, which the Forest Service couldn't do to save its life.

Anyhoo, this reader has followed this issue relentlessly and actually went to the meeting and taped it and gave me all the info.

I'd like to say they'd learned their lesson, but NOPE.

Check it out in my latest column.

I heart government

2009-05-24T12:26:00.001-07:00

My column this week is about the fun, funky world of government and what a different world it lives in than you or I.

Really, you can't make these things up!

Oh, and you can check out my current and past columns on my archive blog www.loishenryarchive.com if you find that easier to click on (It's also on my blog follow list in case you forget the name of it)

Going "postal"

2009-05-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

I recently ordered some pet meds online (when you have as many dogs as I do, this is a regular chore).

I got a Post Office notice that the package couldn't be left because it required "delivery confirmation," whatever that means.

There was a telephone number on the notice but I groaned at the thought of how long I'd be on hold and how many automated "customer service agents" I'd have to deal with.

Oddly, an actual live human answered, she checked my address and told me the package was at the other office and she gave me another phone number. Again, I envisioned hours on hold.

But again, a person answered! I did have some hold time to get through but since I'd prepared myself for much worse it didn't seem that bad. Then a guy who GAVE ME HIS NAME got on the line and told me he'd call me back.

Yeah right! Um...he DID. He said the package had already been sent out that morning and the carrier would call me.

Yeah, right!

SHE DID! And she explained the reason she didn't leave the package on the first day was because she noticed my gate was unlocked and open, which was unusual (gardener!). She didn't know if the package held valuables but didn't feel easy about the situation so she held on to it.

Wow!

She left the package by my front door and everything worked out.

If this is the new way of "going postal" I like it!

More on OHVs

2009-05-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

I've said before that the best way to reduce illegal OHV riding is to live up to the state's promises to build new OHV parks.

Since the state wouldn't do it for the last 20 years and has now lost its $90 million in savings that was supposed to go to new parks to the budget debacle, we're going to have to look to the private sector.

A few guys in Taft have stepped up and it's taken them a while, but looks like they're on the right track now.

Check it out in my column.
They have a temp permit right now and do some racing sporadically, here's a file photo from The Californian of one of their races last year.

Guess getting that masters is out

2009-05-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to go back to school for a masters in...well...something...archeology maybe? Kinseiology? Nutrition? Heck, maybe even a good old English Masters.

But no way I could afford it now. Just look at these numbers from CSUB President Horace Mitchell's monthly newsletter:

2009-10 State University Fee Increase
2009-10 State University Fees for full-time students increased by $306 for undergraduate students, $354 for teacher credential students, and $378 for graduate students. Yearly totals are provided in the chart below. (ULP!!! I paid about $378 for my first semester at Fresno State!)

In addition to the State University Fee, students pay campus fees, which average $801.

Revenues from the fee increase provide $127 million to the CSU, with one-third or $42 million set aside for financial aid to offset fee increases for students in need.

Annual State University Fees for 2009-10

Units (per term)	Undergraduate	Credential Program	Graduate
6.1 or more	$3,354	$3,894	$4,134
0 to 6.0	$1,944	$2,256	$2,400

The 2008-09 average student fees for resident undergraduates at CSU comparison institutions were $7,516. Additional institutional comparison information can be accessed at: http://www.calstate.edu/budget/2009-2010/supportbook2/fees-comparison.shtml.

New Professional MPA Fee Also Adopted
Trustees also adopted a professional fee for state-supported Master's of Business Administration (MBA) programs and similar business graduate degrees. The fee adds $210 per semester unit and $140 per quarter unit for an annual cost of $9,174. The CSU's MBA programs remain well below the price for comparable institutions.

Dogs and cats living together...

2009-05-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

The greatest thing about politics, is you just can't make this stuff up.

Our own Rep. Kevin McCarthy, life-long, straight-laced Republican (though not conservative enough for some reeps around the oil patch) has revealed his new hero — the ultra liberal, potty-mouthed White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel.

I am NOT making this up! (But I may be exaggerating, slightly)

McCarthy was quoted in a Bloomberg story saying he's taking inspiration from Emmanuel in his quest to rebuild his own party.

"California Representative Kevin McCarthy, the chief recruiter for House Republicans, said he wants his party to select candidates based less on ideology and more on their chances of winning. The goal, he said, is to seek out prospects who are ethnically diverse, female, less partisan and even supportive of abortion rights. So far, these efforts are more concept than reality," the Bloomberg story said.

In the article, McCarthy referenced, "The Thumpin,'" a book that lays out how Emmanuel recruited candidates who best suited their constituents' views, not traditional Democratic ideals in order to bring the party back.

"As an example of his efforts to emulate Emanuel, McCarthy said he is trying to recruit John McKinney, a Republican state senator from Connecticut. On his Web site, McKinney describes himself as a fiscally conservative, socially moderate centrist. He has said he is considering a run for the U.S. House, though he hasn’t made a formal announcement. His spokesman, Brett Cody, said McKinney supports abortion rights," according to the Bloomberg story.

When I asked McCarthy about this (particularly the abortion rights issue) he said he's interested in people who find solutions. He told me, for example, he's recruited the mayor of a Springfield, Ore. who he said has created jobs and more for his town. As for his stance on abortion, McCarthy said he never asked about that.

He said he did know about McKinney's record on abortion before he recruited him, but he also knows that McKinney is a popular, effective leader.

"I was trying to find the very best candidate," McCarthy said, adding that there is a "big tent" in his party with plenty of room for different ideas.

Someone HAS to know these creeps!

2009-05-13T16:06:00.001-07:00

These guys robbed a couple of grand parents in Wasco and I can't imagine someone doesn't know who they are! Today, the Sheriff's dept. released new photos from an ATM of one of the suspects.

The top photo was released earlier this month.
On April 30th, 2009, at about 1:20 P.M., deputies received a report of a robbery and kidnaping that occurred in the parking lot of the K-Mart in Wasco. The victim, a Hispanic female 60 years old, told deputies two unknown suspects took her from the parking lot and forced her to give them money. The suspects did not appear to be armed. She was not injured during the incident.

On May 5th, 2009 at about 5:30 P.M., deputies received a report of a robbery and kidnaping that had occurred in the 700 block of E Street in Wasco. The victim, a Hispanic male 68 years old, told deputies two unknown suspects took him from that location and forced him to give them money. The suspects did not appear to be armed. He was not injured during the incident.

College students learning the hard way

2009-05-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Bakersfield College student government had an election recently.

I didn't pay too much attention until I was told there was a dust up over students basically being cut out of the process.

I talked with a number of people, including the campus newspaper, and discovered the student government had gotten itself into a position I've seen time and again among politician/government types. They were questioned, they didn't like it so they thought they'd try and take "their ball" and go home.

Problem is, whether it's students or grownups, "the ball" belongs to the public and trying to shut them out kind of back fires on you...all the time.

Anyway, here's my column on the issue.

Your opinion, my opinion, lets just call the whole thing off!

2009-05-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

They say not to pick fights with people who buy their ink by the barrel.

In this day and age, the better advice is DO NOT ENGAGE when it comes to cranky people who have Internet access.

When will I learn?

A gentleman who used to live in Kern County but long ago moved away to the coast, Frank Pecarich, doesn't like my recent scrutiny of State Sen. Dean Florez and his attempts to use his position as Majority Leader to increase his own name recognition for his upcoming run for Lt. Governor.

For example, when swine flu became news, Florez quickly called a hearing on the state's preparedness even though the Gov. had already sent out information detailing the state's plan.
I felt that was overkill and suggested it was yet another hearing that was more about Florez than any flu, swine or otherwise.

Then I wrote a column telling people to stop rushing to the ER with a case of the sniffles because they were clogging up the system when our health professionals were already overloaded with legitimate swabs to test.

Anyhoo, Pecarich lobbed this into my email this afternoon:

Pecarich to me:
Monday, May 11, 2009 1:16 PM
Swine Flu Strain Is Severe as 1957 Pandemic Virus

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- The swine flu strain spreading around the world rivals the severity of the 1957 “Asian flu” pandemic, which was about four to eight times more deadly than a typical seasonal flu epidemic, scientists said. (Link to Bloomberg story.)

Swine flu: CHILL. You're not dying... (Link to my column) (Me: I think that's supposed to be me under the dunce cap.)
Me to Pecarich:
Monday, May 11, 2009 1:36 PM
Dear Mr. Pecarich,

Thanks for reading and thanks for your feedback, such as it is.

IF you were to actually READ my column, you would see that I suggested people not panic but be aware of the situation.

Panicking and overrunning our ERs doesn’t help.

Neither does calling foolish hearings that only cause people to be away from their posts for no real reason, other than to boost a certain politician’s name recognition.

My observation on that issue with regard to Mr. Florez, I suspect, is really where your angst lies rather than with the column you reference below.

Even so, please feel free to go back and read my column. Unless, of course, you’re too busy searching the Internet for clip art to use in your little name calling sprees.

Thanks again for reading.

Lois Henry

Pecarich to me:
Monday, May 11, 2009 3:32 PM

Lois:

You always have an excuse for your journalistic misdeeds which have, irrespective of your tortured rationale, severely hurt the credibility of your employer. Even you should sense that the print media is virtually DOA and that is mostly because drivel and misinformation such as yours (Me: OK, wait, you lost me. My tortured rationale of what? That swine flu isn't that bad yet? Or that Pecarich is mad at me about my Florez comments? And I'm single-handidly responsible for the demise of newspapers? Wow! Don't tell my bosses.) has continued to reduce readership of many, many publications.

Your opinion of the value of my opinion is also worthless as I have seen how you erroneously judge others. Incidentally, you need to read the comments of my very highly regarded wife (ME: pasted below with my comments) as to how your beliefs and commentary has misled the few readers you have left. I'm sure someone you copied your message to could provide you those comments. You might also note the comments of Steve Outing in the below URLs...

http://steveouting.com/2008/11/11/why-newspapers-are-likely-to-die-as-we-know-them/

http://steveouting.com/2008/11/14/what-a-change-sensitive-company-looks-like/

Frank Pecarich

Me to Pecarich:
Monday, May 11, 2009 4:18 PM

Frank,

Re: “Your opinion re: my opinion”

Right back at ya, buddy.

Lois Henry

Pecarich to me:
Monday, May 11, 2009 4:27 PM
(Me: I think his response pretty much says it all)

To my bosses, Mike Jenner and Ginger Moorhouse as well as Editorial Page Editor Robert Price:
Date: Fri, 1 May 2009 20:47:22 EDT
Subject: Lois Henry and Senator Florez

Mike and Robert -- I've met each of you during my years as an active member of the Bakersfield League of Women Voters and in Dianne Hardisty's absence, I'm writing you about my concern with some of the criticism your columnist seems to be directing at Senator Florez. First, let me say that I hope this flurry of negativity and suspicion is not a cheap attempt to replace the Florez v. Parra controversies that your newspaper loved to exploit for their entertainment value. That truly would be beneath your newspaper. (Me: Hey, we weren't the ones feuding!)

To put my concerns in context, it may help to know that I spent my career on public policy issues, both in and out of government. The efforts of which I'm most proud were as Staff Director of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Oversight SubCommittee. (Me: Ahh, so a former government employee who helped conduct hearings for a living is defending having such hearings. No conflict there.) As a staff, we prepared the Members for hearings on government programs and agency administration to determine how well programs and executives were working, or more often, not working as intended. We also discovered during the course of our investigations, huge gaps that had been ignored or overlooked by the administrators and managers of the federal agencies under our jurisdiction. Our work formed the basis of much corrective action, some legislative and some by executive action.

Unfortunately, in Congress, legislative oversight enjoyed a brief tenure in the spotlight. When Members realized it was hard work with little payoff in terms of press or political chips, they turned to other endeavors. As a result, although every House Committee is technically responsible for doing oversight of the agencies and programs under their jurisdiction, few engage in any meaningful efforts. The notable exception is Congressman Henry Waxman from CA. I'm sure you are aware of the benefits to taxpayers of the many investigations and oversight hearings he has held.

At the state level, I know of no legislator who does meaningful oversight other than Senator Florez. He is to be commended, not twitted, for engaging in these efforts which have brought and will bring significant reform and improved efficiency to state government and its programs. The first effort of which I am aware was his review years ago of the "no bid" state contract that had been given to Oracle (Me: You know, another outcome of those hearings was a more cumbersome process for state agencies to obtain new software, like the Employment Development Department, which Florez just slammed in yet even more hearings for not being able to respond faster to the flood of unemployeed workers) for what seemed to be an excessive amount of money; further performance on that contract was slow and not meeting the state's requirements. The state auditor finally issued a report on the contract saying it could cost the state $41 million more than other contracts, rather than saving the millions Oracle had claimed. Senator Florez was criticized that time by some because it made Governor Davis (a member of his own party) look bad. More recently he has taken on the critically important issue of food safety which has antagonized a politically important industry (including local farmers) and sponsored legislation to improve air quality in the Valley as well as protect farm workers health.

We could only hope that we had more such watchdogs in Sacramento who were not afraid to rattle some cages. There are too few state legislators who seem to care about and act on the broader public interest in the issues they are addressing. Why your columnists would want to direct barbs and unwarranted criticism at one who is acting in the public interest, and spending an enormous amount of time and energy doing so, is frankly beyond me. (Me: Florez is also spending public money and conducting public business. And for that privilege, he has willingly put himself under the microscope. Sometimes that's not the most comfortable place to be.)

Pam Pecarich

Here's hoping these dudes pick the wrong victim and soon

2009-05-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

On April 30th, 2009, at about 1:20 P.M., deputies received a report of a robbery and kidnaping that occurred in the parking lot of the K-Mart in Wasco. The victim, a Hispanic female 60 years old, told deputies two unknown suspects took her from the parking lot and forced her to give them money. The suspects did not appear to be armed. She was not injured during the incident.

On May 5th, 2009 at about 5:30 P.M., deputies received a report of a robbery and kidnaping that had occurred in the 700 block of E Street in Wasco. The victim, a Hispanic male 68 years old, told deputies two unknown suspects took him from that location and forced him to give them money. The suspects did not appear to be armed. He was not injured during the incident.

Detectives are investigating these incidents and the two are similar in nature. Detectives believe there is a possibility the crimes may have been committed by the same suspects. The suspects are described as a Hispanic male 35-45 years old and a Hispanic female 25-30 years old. The suspect vehicle is described as a dark colored S.U.V. The attached surveillance photo is of the male suspect in the first case.

If anyone has information regarding these crimes they are encouraged to call Detective Venable at 758-7266 ext. 6., or the secret witness hotline at 661-322-4040. (The photo is of one of the suspects so be on the look out!)

Smart meters MY EYE!

2009-05-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

You MUST check The Californian tomorrow for a great story by John Cox about how PG&E's new "smart meter" program is leaving customers smarting, just as I said it would when I wrote several columns about this program some months ago. Check out other problems they've been causing here.

Kern County is ground zero for these things and we've had numerous complaints, from weird overbilling (like double and triple a normal month's billing) to the meters somehow turning appliances off and on inside homes (even burning one man's fans out that he had to replace at great cost).

Through it all PG&E has done what they do best, ignore and deny, ignore and deny.

I suppose I should give them kudos for at least acknowledging they've had the few glitches that John notes in his story. Nah! No kudos for them!

A slow burn

2009-05-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

This reader is just catching up with me and NOT liking what he's reading!

And, no my husband isn't a firefighter. And NO the city doesn't pay for gym memberships and groceries for firefighters. But they do have to get food and workout on a daily basis (they're evaluated on their fitness, by the way) and that means you might see them GASP! at the grocery store!

Just a bill...

2009-05-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

Bakersfield Congressman Kevin McCarthy recently touted a couple of bills he introduced to increase accountability with the “troubled asset relief program,” or TARP, bailout funds for banks.

I wanted to know more about it; this is what he said.

McCarthy says his goal is to ensure that as banks repay that money, it goes to pay down the national debt.

How’s that work, I wondered? I mean, when they GOT the loans, weren’t the terms laid out about how, when and to whom repayments would be made? Like on my car loan?

Nope.

According to McCarthy, the only vague guidelines on repayment so far have come from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner who has said he’s not looking at individual banks, but rather the health of the overall financial system before allowing banks to start giving money back.

McCarthy’s bills would A) establish a procedure for payback and B) require the money go to the debt rather than back into the treasury where it could be used for more TARP funding.

McCarthy, a member of the Financial Services Committee (and as a Republican, very much in the minority), doesn’t think his bills (HR2118 and HR2119) will be killed outright.

“I think it’ll go before committee and we’ll have a line of people coming in and talking about it,” he said.

But he also doesn’t think they’ll be signed into law (he said as he quoted me the “I’m just a bill on Capitol hill...” ditty from the Schoolhouse Rock commercials of my childhood).

Odds and ends

2009-05-05T17:45:00.000-07:00

My column is up, here.

It's a collection from my notebooks. I'm a factoid pack rat so it's long, but FUN!

A contract nears

2009-05-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

I'm told the City of Bakersfield and the firefighter's union are very close to a contract.

No, there won't be a straight 8 percent raise and no, the 3 at 50 retirement benefit isn't going away.

This is a tentative contract agreement that incorporates a word that has been sorely lacking in these negotiations (as with the police union) so far — compromise.

And I think it's a pretty good deal for the city, i.e. us taxpayers. And about as good a deal as firefighters could expect given the city's finances.

Firefighters are offering to have new hires pay 9 percent toward their retirement for the length of their careers. Currently, employees pay 6 percent until their fifth year, then the city takes over the whole amount.

That's a potential huge savings to taxpayers in the long run.

The city, in exchange, is offering fire fighters an 8 percent pay increase over two years. They'll get the first 4 percent (3 percent retroactive to last April and 1 percent retro to last October) right away.

The second 4 percent, however may or may not be pushed back more than a year. That has yet to be decided and could be a bit sticky.

When City Manager Alan Tandy, Fire Chief Ron Fraze, and the union leadership first hammered out this deal late last week, Tandy wanted to take several administrative chiefs (arson, training, etc.) and have them instead go in the field to back fill for sick or vacationing firefighters.

But firefighters felt those positions were key.

So, Derek Tisinger, head of the union, and Fraze worked out a deal to push the second 4 percent raise (not to be retroactive) to August 2010 in order to save enough money to keep staffing status quo.

Tisinger ran this deal by his membership and said they're amenable to it.

"They're not thrilled," he said. "But that's how important staffing is to us. Each guy is willing to give up $1,500 to pay for those positions."

They're hoping to present this newly forged deal to City Council Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, negotiations with the police union remained at impasse.

All you need to know about swine flu

2009-05-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

http://doihaveswineflu.org/

Seemingly random

2009-04-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

I love the random appearance of this, when, of course, it's actually very pointed.

I did a column about Councilman Ken Weir's choice for Planning Commissioner (Dean Haddock) and commented that it was far more political than about any kind of "planning vision" the two share since they are both backed by powerful political consultant Mark Abernathy.

Besides, I said, I went to one of Weir's planning vision meetings and thought it was long on talk about smart growth but woefully short on details of how he would actually effect any smart growth.

A few days later, I got this email from Weir:

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 10:19 AM
Lois -
You stated that you attended one of my community meetings. Would you mind telling me which meeting you attended, the approximate times you arrived and left, and where you were sitting?
Ken

My response: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 10:24 AM
Dear Ken,
Sure.
It was at Highland High School in the school auditorium. I got there right about 7 p.m. And you had some serious technical problems with the projector equipment. Jim Movius was also there.
Facing the stage, I was in the middle set of seats, about 6 rows up from the stage on the right hand side. From your perspective it would have been the left hand side.
The Nickles were also in attendance. As was James Geluso, who sat on the opposite side of the theater.
I had just finished teaching my water aerobics class so was in sweat pants, sweat shirt and a ball cap as my hair was still wet.
Lois Henry

So far I haven't heard anything more back. Maybe he's still checking the surveillance videos just to make sure.

Sean Penn didn't even say hello!

2009-04-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

I was standing not 4 feet from the star as he sprang up the steps to the Liberty Bell to give his 30 second speech at the "Witch Hunt" rally.

He MUST have seen me. Perhaps he's playing hard to get?

Oh well, the other people there were much more interesting. So I wrote a column about THEM.

Grudging Florez a few points

2009-04-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

I still think these hearings State Sen. Dean Florez is scheduling like mad have more to do with his future political aspirations than circumstances at hand, but I have to give him points for being a good sport.

At least he's still talking to me!

After my post yesterday about his swine flu hearings, he sent me a note about Congressman Tom Harkin holding hearings on the very same thing and said:

Florez:
"Geez Lois....chill.
"Tom Harkin isnt' running for Lt. Governor.
"There is a need to get on top of this in order to see if California is prepared. We need to hear what the Governor's plan is IN DETAIL. And the best time to do that is now....to be ahead of the curve. Every state is doing the same hearings we are is my guess. Just an fyi.
Dean"

My response:
" I will if you will....how are the Madoff hearings going?"

Florez:
"Hehe...My job isn't to chill. LOL! Its to work. "

He also sent me an LA Times story on the Madoff hearings which only led to more questions from me (Poor guy!)

Me:
"So there's already a bill in the works to try and aid the victims by changing state tax law? What will your hearings add to that? Why not focus on the bill and drum up support for that?"

Florez:
"At the moment there is no bill. It is unclear whether there is a need for a bill of whether the FTB can do it by regulation.
"The purpose of the hearing is to hear from victims directly, what they are experiencing, to have then explain their particular situation, and to hear directly from FTB, so that they can explain their interpretation of the law, in an open and public forum, so that victims can also understand their position.
"That's the purpose of hearings, you listen to people, have them explain their positions so that there is transparency.
"We could do it behind closed doors I guess, then again, people would complain that they don't know what's going on.
"I've found that sometimes you can work things out during a hearing - and that sometime we don't always have to have legislation.
"Such as the EDD unemployment application debacle. The purpose of hearings is to better understand how government works, challenge assumptions and point out alternatives.
"Following the EDD hearing I sent the governor a list of at least 13 actionable items that could help to alleviate the problem - without the need for legislation. Funny thing is, the governor did
declare a state of emergency and adopted some of the recommendations.
"Coincidence?
"As long as the problem is being addressed, what do I care, right? But its not going to get done on its own, there is a need for public pressure."

Me:
"If you don't care, then why the stream of press releases?
"And if the FTB needs to change its rules on this issue, why NOT have it done by legislation so it's not just some kind of one-time fix for these particular victims?
"Last I looked legislation wasn't enacted "behind closed doors."
"Sorry, I'm still thinking these hearings are a convenient way to get your name in the papers in parts of California that really "count" toward your LG run."

Florez:
"I have been sending tons of releases for years. Well before I even ran for state senate. Long before I ran for re-election. So that's a bit unfair to say "a convenient way to get your name in the papers in parts of California that really "count" toward your LG run."
"We don't force people to cover our hearings or press conferences. So what's different now than what we have always done? We send LESS releases out now then in the past. Don't you want to see them? Take you off distribution list? "

Me:
"Oh no, keep me on the list.
"Yeah, you sent lots of press releases, mostly about fixing local issues in THIS district. Your focus seems to have changed."

Florez:
"Did you get our water bond release? District cares a bit about that....Local as it comes :)"

The water bond issue IS pretty interesting, at that. He's fronting a $15 billion bond to increase capacity at some dams AND for a conveyance system (usually code for peripheral canal), as well as recycling and conservation.

Dams and a peripheral canal, though, would ruin my theory that he's courting the enviro vote at the expense of his home district, since the enviros will NEVER go for dams or a canal.

Whatever you think of his motives, Florez is definitely one to keep your eye on.

Thanks Mr. Florez for not cutting me off — YET!

Oh boy! More from Mr. Tandy

2009-04-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

So Bakersfield's City Manager won't speak to or email me directly.

But he did write a Community Voices article (in today's paper) re: fire and police negotiations that slams me as being irrational and biased, among other things

He also claims I didn't print that firefighters were offered an 8 percent raise.

Not so fast, hoss.

In my first column on this issue (which ran April 1, 2009) I detailed as much as I could about the negotiations, including the fact that fire fighters were offered 8 percent over 2 years (exactly what the rest of the city including Mr. Tandy had already received).

I also reported they had offered 2 percent of that proposed raise BACK to the city to pay into their retirement funds to ease the city's burden of paying for that benefit.

The second column I did on Mr. Tandy and his negotiations (dated April 19) is the one he seems to be having angst over.

That column wasn't about the negotiations per se, but about how Mr. Tandy is conducting those negotiations, which was why I delved into his emails to Fire Chief Ron Fraze over how firefighters use their time and city equipment.

Yes, he's right that I think union negotiations with a public body should be much more open to the public. That way we can actually see who's being unreasonable, which is exactly why, I believe, Mr. Tandy doesn't want them more public.

I also note in his letter about me, Mr. Tandy neglects to mention that he brought up staffing as a negotiating issue with the fire department, long after the negotiable issues had been established. He also doesn't mention that fire fighters informally accepted the city's offer in mid-March only to have the city turn around and rescind that offer.

Mr. Tandy can call me all the names he wants (and I'm sure he will) but I call what he's been doing "bad faith."

Police and fire both are willing to negotiate. And yes, that means they're willing to look at ways to limit the city's share of their lucrative 3 at 50 retirement benefit. This should be a common goal for employees and the city.

But Mr. Tandy's tactics, as I said before, are getting us further from that goal, not closer.

Here's Mr. Tandy's letter:

Tandy: City, fire union must rein things in

4/28/2009

As Bakersfield city manager, I expect that my actions may be publically questioned and criticized. It is an unavoidable characteristic of my profession, as matters of public policy and high profile decision making are oftentimes controversial. The City Council expects me to provide prudent advice and to carry out their directives for the good of our community and for the best interests of our taxpayers.

I rarely comment when negative or irrational statements are made about me. However, I am compelled to respond to Lois Henry's recent column wherein she alleges that I am obstructing her communications with me and deliberately using hardball tactics to influence fire union negotiations.

As the local media know, my staff and I make it a standard practice to be readily accessible. I have dealt with many reporters in my career, and have rarely experienced communication problems. However, in Ms. Henry's case, she has demonstrated a repeated pattern of misrepresenting information I have willingly provided to her. As to her most recent requests, I initially attempted to work with her. It quickly became obvious that she was not interested in obtaining all the pertinent facts, but merely in using partial information to sensationalize the issue and put forward her predetermined opinion. She portrayed me as being inflexible and unwilling to deal with the fire union, yet Ms. Henry, who advocates making union negotiations public, chose to omit the fact that an 8 percent pay raise has been offered to them.

Unfortunately, as we are all painfully aware, the past several years of prosperous times are gone. News reports about bankruptcies, layoffs and closures are commonplace. The city of Bakersfield is certainly not immune to the effects of the economy. With declining sales and property tax revenues and escalating costs, we experience the same financial pain as the private sector does. During tough economic times, we have to scrutinize our operations to cut costs and maximize efficiency, as well. My concern for the Bakersfield Fire Department to utilize their time and equipment in a manner that reflects our necessity to cut back is a rational position.

Ms. Henry has concluded that I am using the circumstances in an attempt to "leverage" negotiations with the fire union. Under the best of conditions, union negotiations can be complicated and lengthy. It is easy for a casual observer to jump to conclusions based on hearsay. I respectfully suggest that the city's discussions with the fire union can be better served if she refrains from making inflammatory statements that are unfounded and have the potential to do harm. Instead, she should research the growing list of California cities that are taking far more drastic actions with their unions to reduce employee and benefit expenses.

Alan Tandy has been Bakersfield's city manager since August 1992. Community Voices articles are expanded commentaries that contain approximately 500 words. The Californian reserves the right to reprint commentaries in all formats.

Of COURSE!

2009-04-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

First of all, it's not a pandemic. It's a scary enough situation without legislators flying off the handle in an effort to gain notoriety so they can further their campaign for Lt. Gov.!

In other words: SHEESH!

Here's the other question: Shouldn't these health professionals be busy DOING THEIR JOBS instead of spending time at this obvious dog and pony show?

OH, and I got those news alerts from both Florez AND the Gov.'s office last week that Florez mentions below. They came out virtually back to back. Florez wants to make it sound like he caught the Gov. asleep at the wheel and had to prod him into taking action.

Knowing how government works, I highly doubt the Governor was napping until Florez alerted him to this situation.

SIGH!

Is California prepared for swine flu pandemic?

Public health and emergency services officials brief Legislature on plan to address threat

SACRAMENTO – Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter) and Senator Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose) will hold a joint hearing of their respective committees Thursday afternoon to hear testimony on the state’s emergency plan for proactively addressing and responding to the threat of a swine flu pandemic in the United States.

The Senate Select Committee on Disaster and Emergency Response will team with the Senate Committee on Health, as they hear from officials at the Office of Emergency Services and Department of Public Health on steps being taken now to protect the public.

Last week, when the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the U.S. stood at just seven, Florez called on the Schwarzenegger Administration to communicate to the legislature what plan was being developed to prevent a pandemic. Within the hour, Schwarzenegger responded by listing a number of areas of concern being addressed. While Florez was pleased with the rapid reply, some key areas were not covered, such as efforts to screen incoming international airline passengers for signs of swine flu infection.

On Thursday, Senators Florez and Alquist are looking forward to a more detailed briefing from Administration officials to allay the concerns of California residents.

You-know-who hates a liar like he hates thief!

2009-04-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

In March, I wrote about the California Air Resources Board's draconian and unnecessary new rules to cut PM2.5 from diesel exhaust and how it:

A) Won't do much more for our air quality than if we simply allow truck and construction equipment fleets turn over naturally since cleaner emitting versions come out every year.

B) Will kill industry
and
C) Was based on a report written by a man who lied about having a Ph.D in statistics from University California, Davis.

I had been asking the ARB about Hien T. Tran's credentials for months. They admitted to me in March that he didn't have the Ph.D from Davis but wouldn't say much more.

So I put in a public records request and got the investigation report today.

Tran, who voluntarily stepped down in December from his position as a managing researcher, has been suspended for 60 days starting today (April 22) until June 19.

I suppose that's fair. The guy lied about credentials, he didn't kill anyone.

What's not right, however, is ARB's steadfast refusal to suspend the new diesel rules and redo the research on which they were based.

The investigation report repeats several times that it stands by the report because an independent peer review found the methodology scientifically sound nd reasonable.

I've discovered that doesn't mean the science is ironclad nor that the conclusions are anywhere near correct. It just means that other scientists look at how a report was put together and say "Yup, that's how these kinds of reports are put together" based on best practices at the time.

Tran favored some studies over others that showed NO increased death rate in California due to PM2.5 exposure. He very sloppily explained away those negative studies using one excuse in the draft version of his report. Then when told his excuse was inaccurate, arbitrarily switched to another excuse in the final report.

All in an obvious attempt to focus the report on specific studies that did show increased death rates for exposure to PM2.5.

But when you examine those observational studies used by Tran, the science is still up for question.

The authors of those studies have steadfastly refused to open their data sets for review and the results have never been independently replicated.

That's standard operating procedure before a scientific theory becomes a "fact."

The only facts we can be sure of at this time, is this regulatory agency is about to lower the boom on California's already wounded economy based on an amateurish report written by a liar. If PM2.5 is killing us, fine, lets regulate to the gnat's rear end. But we should know for sure that's actually what's happening before going off the deep end.

Click here to see the entire ARB investigation report on Tran.

(P.S. In my records request I asked for all the exhibits, I have yet to get those...but I will!)

Learning to shoot

2009-04-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

A friend and I have decided to learn about hand guns.

So we went with an expert to 2nd Amendment Sports (on Rosedale Highway) last night after work.

At first, we were terrified by the guns. They are quite...um...FINAL feeling, if you know what I mean. And they're loud and heavy. But our teacher was very patient and by the end we were shooting the heck out of our targets.

(Here's how I did on my target, which looked disturbingly like a Madonna figure to me)

(This is me shooting a 40 caliber Glock. No, I'm not wearing a hoop skirt! They had some kind of swamp cooler in there that was blowing my skirt around)
Not sure what our end goal is, but it's an interesting new diversion!

(I brought my target to work, where I have an "open door" policy, if you DARE!)

Amy Poehler goes to CSUB?

2009-04-22T17:10:00.001-07:00

OK, it's not really her, but the gal in the middle could be a stand in for Poehler on the show "Parks and Recreation," which I LOVE!

Here's the real skinny on these kids:

CSUB students win big in sales competition

Three California State University, Bakersfield students were big winners at the Western States Collegiate Sales Competition held at Arizona State University, Polytechnic Campus in Mesa, Ariz. The students, all from a CSUB professional selling course, took several of the top honors in the competition that included business colleges and schools from universities located in California and Arizona.

CSUB was represented by Judie Padron, who placed second runner-up for the Liberty Mutual portion of the competition; Adam Almeda who was named second runner-up overall; and Randi Bailey who was named overall champion.

“The competition is a valuable way for students, company recruiters and the faculty to interact in a spirit of competition,” said Ron Pimentel, marketing professor and coach of the team. “Three of the four years that CSUB has participated in the competition, a member of the team has been named overall champion of the competition.”

Contestants are generally from marketing, management or business administration disciplines. Students participate in two sales presentation role plays and are rated by a team of judges made up of company sales executives from sponsoring organizations. This year’s event was sponsored by Liberty Mutual Insurance and ADP Payroll Services whose products were featured in the presentations.

“This team trained hard starting in January,” Pimentel said. “They are a talented team, but also worked very hard to be competitive. It paid off.”

Calling all brainiacs! (that leaves me out)

2009-04-22T16:26:00.001-07:00

The newsroom used to get a team together for this every year.

They never asked me to join...hmmmm

CSUB to host fourth annual Brains of Bakersfield

Trivia masters put on your thinking caps! Saturday, May 30 is the date for the fourth annual “Brains of Bakersfield” contest at California State University, Bakersfield’s Icardo Center, benefiting the CSUB men’s soccer team and Ricky’s Retreat, a group home and community center for people with AIDS.

“Brains of Bakersfield” is based on the popular British trivia game “Quiz Night,” commonly played in pubs and on television. The contest features teams of up to 10 people inside CSUB’s Icardo Center who are challenged to answer tough questions ranging from sports trivia to scientific facts. The questions are timed and each team records its answers. Competition is fierce and fast paced.

The evening starts with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m. and the questions will begin to fly at 7 p.m. Dinner will be provided during halftime courtesy of Frugatti's Italian Eatery with Lengthwise Brewery sponsoring the cool refreshment for the evening.

The entry fee for the “Brains of Bakersfield” contest is $300 per team and the winning team will receive trophies naming them the "Brainy Bunch." The deadline to enter is May 25.

For more information or to enter a team, call Ben Graham at (661) 654-2598.

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

I actually did set out to do a happy Earth Day column. Instead, I somehow ended up with this one!

This is a bit overwrought

2009-04-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

This is the opening paragraph of a newsletter from a baseball team organizer to the parents of kids on his team.

Hey, I think the new park is great too. But comparing its opening to D-Day?

Guess that goes to show how excited people get around here when we actually DO have a new park open.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE OPENING OF AERA PARK!
Congratulations on a VERY successful opening day for Spring 2009. Despite all odds the indelible spirit of our league would not and could not be doused or daunted on such a beautiful spring day in good 'ol Bakersfield, California, USA. You are the American spirit. The spirit that thrives in this league for our children is the same spirit that made our country great. It is the same spirit that sent Americans to the moon in 1969. It is the same spirit that built the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam during a time of great "depression". It is the same American spirit that braved a frigid winter at Valley Forge hungry, cold, ragged, and cramped in December 1777; disciplined, self-confident, and dignified in June 1778. It is the same spirit that stormed the shores of Normandy on D-Day in 1944 to bring liberation and freedom from Germany's Fascist regime. Our children and the future that is to come will now always have a place to learn about our values in a safe and beautiful baseball park.

Another column Mr. Tandy won't like

2009-04-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

My column is up, click here.

It's not exactly favorable to City Manager Alan Tandy. I can already feel him burning up the phone lines to my bosses. Yikes!

What'd I do this time?

2009-04-17T17:53:00.001-07:00

So City Manager Alan Tandy called one of my bosses (I have several) about me.

I haven't even done anything to him in weeks! Yet....

He told her he has decided to cut communication with me because of a "consistent pattern of inaccurate reporting."

He said I was biased and lied about him and misrepresented him as an ogre and that he doesn't even KNOW me! (Not true, he knows me on sight, I'll guarantee that)

She asked for specific examples of my being inaccurate and he said that in my column on Mayor Harvey Hall not reporting two $10,000-plus gifts from a Sikh group, I also said that Tandy didn't list any gifts on his conflict of interest form and that I then said "Awwww."

Which is true, I did say "Awwww." Because it's sad that no one would give him a gift worth reporting. Sad, but understandable (refer to ogre comment).

Still, it's not inaccurate.

She thanked him for sharing his concerns.

Capitol alert, my new BFF!

2009-04-17T14:53:00.001-07:00

I've mentioned before how much I enjoy the Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert" newsletter that gives tidbits on what's happening under the big dunce cap...er, fancy dome, up there in Sacramento.

Well, today, they returned the love not just to me, but The Californian's good, strong political coverage over all.

Check it out here. And become a subscriber, you'll thank yourself!

I think I'll have this put on my gravestone

2009-04-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

"I never give them hell, I just tell the truth and they think it is hell."

— Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States, 1956

I didn't say you SHOULD swing a dead cat!

2009-04-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

This caller takes exception to the bit of hyperbole I used in my column about parolees.

Man, it takes all kinds, don't it?

Florez responds

2009-04-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

I emailed Florez (a notorious Blackberry addict) about him co-authoring the Harvey Milk Day bill by State. Sen. Mark Leon (D-San Francisco) and asked how that squares with his many previous votes against gay rights.

Here's what he said:

I don’t see the designation of Harvey Milk Day as a gay rights issue.

And you’re right that I’ve voted against gay marriage.

Yesterday's add as a co-author was based on a recognition of that not all regions understand this issue.

My vote was a recognition of an elected official who was killed in office and who was a leader in his community and part of California history. I suspect that Harvery Milk Day will be celebrated as vigorously as other similar designated days, such as the birthday of Luther Burbank, Susan B. Anthony Day, the anniversary of the death of Crispus Attucks, Day of the Teacher, John Muir Day and California Poppy Day. These are all recognized days.

Hmmm. So, essentially, he's saying it doesn't really mean anything so voting for it — even signing on as a co-author — is, what, safe?

I don't care where you stand on this issue, that kind of answer is pathetic and frankly, more than a little insulting to both sides.

They aren't kidding about politics and sausage.

Florez testing the wind, again

2009-04-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

OK, I hate to keep spanking State Sen. Dean Florez. But in fairness to me, he should stop handing me paddles.

A friend sent me a blurb from the San Francisco Sentinel about Sen. Mark Leno's (D- San Francisco) bill to declare a Harvey Milk Day.

Milk, for those who've been living under a rock, was the nation's first openly gay person elected to public office. He served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and was a strong gay rights advocate. He was shot to death in 1978.

Leno's Milk day bill passed last year only to be vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger. Florez voted for it in his Government Organization committee and again on the Senate floor, but he's giving it much more support this year.

Florez signed on as a co-author of the bill this week and "specifically emphasized the importance of the bill to all parts of California," according to the Sentinel.

All parts of California? Including the district from whence he hails?

I find that interesting because Florez had a very different attitude about gay rights before launching his bid for Lt. Governor — which, of course will go nowhere without support from the much more politically powerful Bay Area.

Before cozying up to San Fran libs, Florez consistently voted against gay rights.

Here's a snippet from a 2003 story we did on Florez's voting history from his Assembly days:
For four years in the Assembly, Florez stood out as perhaps the most conservative Democrat in Sacramento. He drove fellow Democrats and legislative leaders crazy with his opposition to environmental and gay rights legislation and his support for business-friendly laws.

In 2003, he was the only Democrat in the Senate to vote against a bill that gave domestic partners many of the same legal rights as married couples. And he slammed former Assemblywoman Nicole Parra's strategy of avoiding votes on controversial issues such as gay rights:
"We're sent up here to vote for our districts," Florez said. "When we don't vote, our constituents are not being represented."

In 2005, when a gay marriage bill came up, Florez again stood out as the only Dem voting no:
Florez said he consistently votes against gay rights bills partly because of his own personal and religious convictions.
"I also feel that a good portion of (voters in) my district ... support that type of vote," he said.

I personally think a Harvey Milk Day would be a fine way to honor someone who gave their life in support of their convictions.

I'm just wondering if Florez has any of his own. Voters might like to know where — if anywhere — he actually does stand.

Parolees in Kern County

2009-04-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

My column tomorrow looks at the number of parolees in Kern County.

There is a MESS of em!

Imitation and flattery

2009-04-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

Someone put this in my mailbox a couple days ago and I just got around to looking it over.

Click here for your dose of The Weevil. It's a PDF that takes about 20 or 30 seconds to download.

It's HILARIOUS! I guess it's just an April Fool's joke and not a recurring publication, which is unfortunate because it's really clever and would be totally cool if Bakersfield had it's very on "Onion" to poke fun at everyone and everything.

My FAVE page, of course is page 3 where you'll see a pic of Joan of Arc next to the byline "Hose L'Enry."

You know you're really made it when someone parodies you. I can't possibly hope for a Saturday Night Live skit, but this even better!

A few words (OK more than a few) from State Sen. Roy Ashburn

2009-04-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Ashburn doesn't send out emails and texts as often as Sen. Dean Florez (who could?).

But I got one of his newsletters today and found some interesting tidbits. He has quotes from a wide variety of people thanking him for his work on the state budget deal. He was, of course, roundly criticized by the more right of center folks in the GOP. It got pretty ugly for a while with one radio station depicting him with his head on a pike.

Here's what others (mostly conservatives as well) had to say according to Ashburn's newsletter:

Public Sector Leaders

“In speaking to the Clipper Club at the First Presbyterian Church in March 2009 on the topic of the state budget and local government, the audience was not only interested in the upcoming ballot measures but were particularly interested in Senator Roy Ashburn’s statesmanship in breaking the budget deadlock in Sacramento. Senator Ashburn stepped up to the plate in the state’s hour of need and didn’t bow to ideology or fear of the consequences of his courageous vote.”
-- Bernard C. Barmann, Sr., former Kern County Counsel

“I would like to personally extend to you my thanks and appreciation for yesterday's passing of an 18-month budget for the state of California. I understand the work and sacrifice that it took to make this decision possible, and I know that my colleagues around the state join me in thanking you for doing what many claimed could not be done. Decisions like the one you made yesterday are difficult, but important, for the state, and your leadership and vision during the process is undeniable. Again, I thank you for supporting the higher education institutions that educate the majority of California's taxpayers - community colleges - in our mission to support the people of California.”
-- Dr. Greg A. Chamberlain, President, Bakersfield College

“The creation of good public policy is difficult work – as there are always competing perspectives, risks, and unforeseeable consequences. Thus, for elected officials, the popular choice is always the easy choice – even if it is wrong. Reasonable people can disagree as to whether Senator Ashburn’s support of the state budget compromise was the right or wrong choice – but we all need to acknowledge that it was definitely the hard choice – and we should respect the Senator’s willingness to act on his convictions. We may disagree with our leaders from time to time, but over the long haul, it is their character that matters much more than any individual vote. Thank you, Senator, for your service, dedication, and commitment to the district. Your task is certainly a difficult and thankless one.”
-- Joel Heinrichs, Trustee, Kern High School District

"Senator Roy Ashburn's vote for the budget was, I have no doubt, a bitter pill for him to swallow. Not only did it engender much criticism from members of his own party, but it meant that he was voting for the continuation of many liberal programs which he personally opposes. But the alternative was a collapse of the State's bond rating, which in turn would have meant a virtual collapse of essential services, including law enforcement. Whether you think he was right or wrong, he should be commended for his political courage."
-- Edward R. Jagels, District Attorney, Kern County District Attorney’s Office

“At a time when cities are dealing with declining property and sales tax revenues, the City of Visalia commends the work of Governor Schwarzenegger and legislators for their efforts to pass a state budget that does not further compromise funding at the local level.”
-- Bob Link, Vice Mayor, City of Visalia

“On behalf of the California State Sheriffs' Association (CSSA), we thank you for your support and "YES" vote on the state budget agreement. The agreement provides a more stable revenue source for local law enforcement going forward and it protects the critical public safety programs in our communities. It protects baseline funding for COPS, Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act, Rural Sheriffs, CAL-MMET, booking fees, vertical prosecution and other key public safety initiatives that have a positive impact throughout our state.”
-- Bill Lutze, Sheriff, Inyo County Sheriff’s Department

“Being able to take courageous stands on issues is the mark of a true leader. Senator Ashburn did just that by putting the needs of our state above factional interests. As a lifelong Republican, I applaud his stand and urge those naysayers to read the Federalist Papers #10 to fully understand why our Founding Fathers feared the role of factions in society.”
-- Dr. Terence K. McAteer, Inyo County Superintendent of Schools

“The lengthy budget gridlock put time critical personnel and budgetary decisions in limbo. While I know the senator made a difficult decision, his decision was the right one for education.

It helped end the deadlock, and gave school districts the necessary flexibility to minimize the impact on our students."
-- Dr. Larry E. Reider, Kern County Superintendent of Schools

“As a local health plan that participates in Medi-Cal Managed Care and the Healthy Families Program in Kern County, we were relieved to see the budget process that had dragged on for so long come to an end. It is our obligation to provide medical care to our members and to reimburse our contracted providers for the care they provide. Unfortunately, when Kern Health Systems does not receive payments from the state during a State budget impasse, it makes it more difficult to reimburse our providers for their services. Furthermore, not knowing what will happen to state programs during a long drawn out state budget battle makes it difficult to run our business.”
-- Carol L. Sorrell, RN – CEO, Kern Health Systems

“I thank Senator Ashburn for continuing to provide leadership on getting a budget passed. His decision was based in the interest of moving the State and local economy forward, without concern for political expedience. Although the budget is not the best for local governments it provides a level of stability in uncertain times.”
-- William Way , City Manager, City of Needles

“I would like to thank Senator Ashburn for his vote on the budget. Public Safety benefited a great deal from this budget and I appreciate Senator Ashburn standing up for public safety. Without this budget many programs such as the Rural Crimes Task Force and the CAL-MMET Task Force would have gone away.”
-- Donny Youngblood, Sheriff-Coroner, Kern County Sheriff’s Department

Private Sector

“I want to thank Senator Roy Ashburn for his vote on the current funding in the budget and for his tireless and ongoing support of Valley Achievement Center, a non-profit facility in Kern County that serves children with autism. I agree whole heartedly with Governor Schwarzenegger's recognition of the fact that although Senator Ashburn’s decisions may not have been politically prudent, his greater concern was for the children of Kern County.”
-- Jolene Billinger, Executive School Director, Valley Achievement Center

“Senator Ashburn served this district and California well by helping to end a prolonged and fruitless budget stalemate. At a time when the Valley economy is struggling, the budget deadlock froze millions of dollars already committed to infrastructure projects across the Valley. Now we can all return to the important work of building our Valley infrastructure and our economy.”
-- Peter Carey, CEO, Self-Help Enterprises

“As Executive Director of one of Tulare County’s largest youth development agencies, I’d like to commend Senator Ashburn for his role in securing a budget for California which left in tact the funding mechanism for the state’s After School Education and Safety Program (ASES). Improved academic achievement, environments safe from the influence of gangs, activities involving healthy physical exertion and the establishment of stable relationships with caring adults are all by-products of comprehensive after school programming, for the continuation of which we have Senator Roy Ashburn to thank.”
-- Joe Engelbrecht, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias

“When Republicans were in the majority in the 1990's, Roy Ashburn was one of the authors of welfare reform in California’s Assembly. During the past decade as a member of the Republican minority he has continued voting for a policy of fiscal responsibility. This year our leaders were confronted with an untenable choice. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass locked members in the chamber and took their car keys demanding capitulation on her budget! Eventually a few Republican Assembly and Senate leaders decided to vote for the ‘compromise’ budget that put a cap on spending and raised sales tax 1%, car license fees and personal income tax with the proviso the voters would be able to vote on these issues. Their vote for this deal brings the following result: Rather than Republicans being the ‘party of no,’ we are the ‘party of let the people decide.’ Many of us will vote no, but the outcome of the election will send a message to the Democrat majority.”
-- Laura Gadke, California Republican Party Vice Chair, Central Valley Region

“I want to thank Senator Ashburn for his help in ensuring the passage of the most recent budget proposals. More specifically, the Homebuyer Tax Credit. Challenging times do indeed test the leadership and judgment of our elected officials. The Senator’s vote proved his leadership to be effective and his judgment sound. I’m sure I speak for the entire homebuilding industry when I say that his support of this important legislation helped spur the recent flurry of sales in Bakersfield and throughout California. As a result, it is helping to instill consumer confidence in the local and federal government’s Economic Stimulus Packages, thereby jumpstarting a sagging economy overall. On behalf of Lennar Bakersfield and Lennar divisions across California, I again thank the Senator for his tireless efforts.”
-- Gary Grumbles, Division President, Lennar Bakersfield

“In these times of economic crisis and ethical immorality it is nice to see that Senator Ashburn is holding fast to his moral integrity. As a medical group we are glad that the state budget was passed and that the future of California is running efficiently through the careful guidance of Senator Ashburn. We appreciate his diligence and hope to expect more of this moral fiber from other elected officials.”
-- Brandon Hawkins, DPM, Stockdale Podiatry Group

“In a period of great financial distress when many state officials seemed to experience a deaf ear to calls from various hospitals throughout California that they will be closing their hospitals if the budget was not approved in a timely manner Senator Ashburn brought forth a message that a healthcare crisis is at hand. He presented in understandable terms that without the budget being passed immediately that a healthcare calamity of epic proportions would impact a number of the healthcare communities leading to a number of hospital closures.

The closures will ultimately affect timely healthcare services to the underserved community with the potential, unnecessary, loss of life.

We compliment Senator Ashburn and his staff for responding to our numerous phone calls during this period of financial panic and saving the hospitals ongoing operation thereby continuing to provide timely hospital healthcare services to underserved and underprivileged residents of Oildale, California.”
-- Tim Kollars, Chief Executive Officer, Good Samaritan Hospital

“The health and well being of the tens of thousands of Californians came very close to being compromised. Clinica Sierra Vista patients and employees in Kern, Inyo, and Fresno counties rely on our legislators to keep accessible health care at the forefront of their efforts. I am thankful that a budget was passed and that IOUs were not needed. It was once said “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
-- Christine Lollar, Project Manager, Quality and Risk Management, Clinica Sierra Vista

“I would like to commend Senator Roy Ashburn for having the courage to support the budget bill and get it passed. He was elected by all of the people, not solely by his party, to represent all of the people and to safeguard the good of the state. The State of California was in a deadlock over approval of a budget and in danger of losing some of the Federal funds. While none of the proposed budgets would please everyone, Senator Ashburn looked beyond party lines at the big picture and got the job done”
-- Dr. Mary E. Retterer, a leading citizen of Ridgecrest

“Senator Ashburn’s leadership and resolve were critical to the passage of the state budget in February which included a tax credit for new homebuyers. Californians owe Senator Ashburn their thanks for being sure the budget included some real economic stimulus provisions like the new homebuyer tax credit.”
-- Bob Rivinius, President-CEO, California Building Industry Association

“Political courage, a commodity too often in short supply, comes in many forms. The form about which I write to you references your recent vote to raise sales and income taxes and vehicle license fees. You demonstrated true political courage in so doing, and of course, you are no doubt reaping some of the “rewards” thereby from your GOP confreres. I salute you for a hard but correct vote which benefits the working men and women of California and all those covered under and affected by the recently passed budget.”
-- Scott Roth, Executive Director, Art Directors Guild and Scenic, Title & Graphic Artists

“It takes uncommon political guts to do the right thing, and not toe the party line on all matters in Sacramento. Our state budget is very complicated, complex, and California must have a budget that meets the needs of a huge and diverse state. There is probably no one who likes all parts of this recent compromise, but that was as good as it was ever going to be. Senator Ashburn made the right decision given all the circumstances, and he had the courage to make hard choices even if it meant future trouble for him in the political arena. I give him huge credit for doing what was right!”
-- Steve Schilling, CEO, Clinica Sierra Vista

Whew!

2009-04-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

End of the day and I've spent nearly the entire day fielding phone calls and answering emails about the column on the child molestation prosecutions.

People who were friends of those prosecuted are coming out of the woodwork to say they knew these allegations were false but at the time they were too frightened to step forward for fear they too would be picked up, which happened.

Others told me they knew the social workers who started the frenzy and saw it coming.

A truly amazing chapter in Kern County's history.

Be sure and tune in to see the movie "Witch Hunt" on MSNBC 7 p.m. Sunday night.

Child molestation cases from the '80s never die

2009-04-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

My column tomorrow is about the child molestation cases from the 1980s. Just one of Kern County's great shames, in my mind.

There's a new documentary out, which airs on MSNBC Sunday night at 7 p.m. I got an advance copy and it's pretty haunting, though I felt it was somewhat light on details (maybe that's just me).

I doubt DA Ed Jagels will appreciate my take. Oh WELL!

Let me know what you think.

I love my callers!

2009-04-06T17:18:00.001-07:00

I can't remember which ones are which, two are from different callers praising the Sunday column (sort of) and then two are from the same lady who did NOT appreciate my nasty opinion-atedness.

Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun!

Potpourri

2009-04-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

My column is up. You can read it here. I'm not crazy about it just because the subject was hashed and rehashed before my take appears on Sunday. But these things happen!

You MUST take this survey on solving the state budget problems. It's absolutely fascinating and shows the range of choices and pitfalls that legislator's face. Though in each category, I felt there should have been an option for trimming government which wasn't on there.

And here's another survey that I mentioned a few posts ago being put out by the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce seeking feedback on how Kern County can be more business friendly. I think it has a built in slant suggesting Kern isn't business friendly, but maybe that's just me.

And finally, if you live in the valley and have any interest in politics at all, I encourage you to sign up for the Maddy Institute newsletter, read it here, which tracks all the papers up and down the SJV and plucks interesting political bits and pieces from each.

P.S. So sad to read that Florez only got 100 hits on his much hyped web campaign launch for his bid for Lt. Gov. Awww. Someone asked today what the heck the Lt. Gov. does anyway? Judging from the website of the current Lt. Gov. (John Garamendi) he goes to dinners and, um, "outings."

Hey! Sounds perfect for Nicole Parra!

Don't rush the stage!

2009-04-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

State Sen. Dean Florez has been spamming the newsroom via emails and texts about his official announcement to run for Lt. Gov., which will be made live on the web!!! (Obama copy cat)

This would have less of a yawn factor to it if everyone in the world didn't already know he's been a candidate for Lt. Gov. for about the last 4 years.

If you're interested, you can catch his show here.

Click here to see what Capitol Alert's take is on the fledgling Florez.

Below is just one of countless emails we've received in the past two days:

Florez to launch Lt. Gov. campaign live on the web

First of its kind statewide campaign roll-out encourages voters to participate, ask questions

SACRAMENTO -- Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter) will take to the internet Friday, formally announcing his plans to run for Lieutenant Governor of California in 2010 during a live, interactive webcast.

Florez, a leader in the push for accessible, responsive governing, will launch his bid for statewide office Friday at 2 p.m. at http://www.deanflorez.com.

While most leaders announce campaign plans at a traditional press conference and take questions from the media, Florez is tying his announcement in with the launch of his new website. The site allows voters to read up on the Senator’s views and accomplishments, network with fellow supporters and donate to the campaign effort.

California voters are encouraged to log on Friday afternoon and submit questions for Florez to answer during his webcast. He will respond to as many as possible in the time available.

This doesn't look like "more service" to me

2009-04-02T16:44:00.000-07:00

I did a column a while back about the Forest Service increasing fees at several camping sites around Lake Isabella, saying they would, in turn, increase trash and potty services.

Uh huh.

Some residents emailed me these photos taken March 22. When I asked the Forest Service why bathrooms were locked, porta potties were unusable and trash was piled up when they'd already upped their fees, I was told:

"The Sequoia National Forest is addressing this need with the resources we currently have. Kern River Ranger District staff schedules have been changed to begin working weekends. On Monday employees were working in the area and will continue to work throughout Lake Isabella on a daily basis.

"The 20th Annual Lake Isabella Fishing Derby participants have arrived early and we know 4500 entrants have signed up to participate. An additional 17 portable toilets will be arriving along with 20 additional dumpsters to meet this recreational need."

That's NOT an answer.

The Florez floor show continues - on OUR dime

2009-04-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

State Sen. Dean Florez has really been ramping up the media blitz recently. Normally, I'm used to it, inurred even.

But I'm getting a little irked at his free wheeling use of taxpayer money to do it.

I already mentioned his silly hearings on how the state unemployment department wasn't ready to handle the massive influx of people who suddenly needed help. DUH! This economy is going down faster than the Titanic, who knows what's gonna happen next?

And today (Wednesday) he got the Senate Rules committee to approve creation of yet another committee that he will chair to "give voice" to the Californian victims of financial fraudster Bernie Madoff. (What's next? A hearing on the suffering created by Osama bin Laden's antics?)

Not to get them their money back, nor the taxes on the phantom earnings they paid (even Florez can't bully the IRS into changing its rules!). But just to give victims "voice" and "measure the impact."

This is a help to anyone how?

Florez and four other senators will meet, confer and hold two hearings, one in Sacramento and one in Los Angeles. (Given how things have gone with the state budget over the last few years, shouldn't these yahoos be working on that little disaster???)

I suppose the hearings sound, um, comforting(?) on one level. But come ON!

How much is this dog and pony show going to cost the state and for what? It won't change anything. No money back to victims. Nothing.

In fact, it's a little cruel to these folks, many of whom are elderly, as Florez himself notes, and who may think through this committee charade that they could possibly get some of their savings back.

PFFFT!

Florez wants to run for Lt. Gov. and knows being from a podunk Kern County means he'll have an uphill battle getting even a blink of attention from LA and Bay Area voters, who are the real key to any statewide run.

If he wants to run, run. But he should do it on his own dime!

Guess I'm off Tandy's Xmas card list!

2009-04-01T12:09:00.001-07:00

City Manager Alan Tandy refuses to speak to me on the phone so in an effort to understand the city’s side of the negotiations with the fire and police unions I had to resort to email questions. (CHECK OUT MY COLUMN HERE)
What’s really amazing about the exchange that follows is how much I can tick a person off without even being in the same room, building or city block!

Alan Tandy’s response to me March 30, 3:57 p.m.
Subject: Questions
About Police and Fire negotiations- feel free to e mail them and when I am between budget sessions I will try to respond!

My response to Tandy March 30, 4:36 p.m.
Thanks Alan,
I understand the city and police dept. union are at impasse. How long has that been the situation and what’s the next step?
As for the police contract, is the only sticking point over 3@50? If so, can you tell me what the city and union have agreed to re: pay increases?
As for the fire dept. negotiations, is the sticking point pay or staffing?
Was staffing always an issue up for discussion when negotiations started, or was it brought in later?
Is the city satisfied with the fire union’s offer on pay?
Is the city proposing to bring back the manpower pool, which was done away with about 15 years ago, for the fire department? If so, what are the cost savings to the city if a manpower pool is re-established?
Did you issue a “low profile” directive to the fire department a couple months ago saying when on shift they should only respond to 911 calls and not go to food establishments or other public venus? If so, can I get a copy of that memo please? And what’s the reasoning behind it?
Thanks for all your help.
Lois Henry

Tandy to me March 30, 5:50 p.m.
The City continues to negotiate with all three bargaining units- we reopened SEIU with respect to year 3 of that contract and, of course, have not settled Fire or Police. There are a variety of complex issues with each of the three- the situation being made continually worse by deterioration in our revenue streams (sound familiar?). Despite the inherent difficulty we will continue the bargaining process in the hope of finding acceptable solutions! Sorry- I do not think it is productive to conduct complex collective bargaining sessions through the media!

Me to Tandy March 31, 9:04 a.m.
Alan,
Thanks for your response.
I’m also wondering if the city paid only a portion or nothing into the PERs retirement system in the last few years?
Which years were fully funded and which were only paid a percentage of the amount owed and which saw nothing from the city into PERs?
And can you let me know about the directive to the Fire Department about 911 calls? I’d like to get a copy of that memo, please.
Thanks.
Lois Henry

Tandy to me March 31, 2:55 p.m.
Both of your sets of questions are based on horribly flawed information.
The City of Bakersfield has always paid its full obligation to PERS without exception! Our audits are public information and are available to you for verification. I will have Nelson Smith forward under separate cover a history of those payments.
There is no 911 memo in the context of your reference. What has been taking place is a dialogue about when it is appropriate to pull public safety personnel from their essential duties to put them in ceremonies. Having a ladder truck flying a giant flag at the opening of a restaurant (I believe it was Famous Daves) is an example of carrying that concept too far. I received several complaints from people who wondered why they were there and not (it appeared) ready to take emergency calls. There is no “ban” as they have recently appeared at events recognizing military personnel and at the spring festival this weekend for example.

Me to Tandy March 31, 3:11 p.m.
Thanks Alan,
So you’re saying there’s no memo or directive from city staff to the fire chief regarding firefighters appearing in public to dine at restaurants, go to the gym, etc. while on shift?
Is there a memo regarding fire fighters in ceremonies?
So the city has paid its PERs obligations through return on investments or straight out of general fund monies?
Thanks again
Lois

Tandy to meMarch 31, 7:01 p.m.
No I responded to your previous question. Now you ask something new. In all future communications with me please submit a freedom of information act notice to the clerk. That is for you personally not your employer. Have a nice day.

Column is up

2009-03-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

Check it out here.

It's just a little glimpse of how negotiations are going, or not, between Bakersfield city and the police and fire unions. Both have been without contracts for some time, cops about 18 months, fire, a year now.

Cops are at impasse and fire is back to where they started in negotiations.

The city's trying to break their 3 @ 50 retirement bennie (city wants to bump the age to 55) and both sides have dug in their heels.

Though the unions have said they'd be willing to talk about how to cut city costs, Bakersfield's City Manager has said he won't give anything in exchange.

Oh, and there's a political angle to it as well...who knew?

Florez has been making hay out of this, but I'm not sure why

2009-03-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, has been sending emails out on this furiously.

Usually, the media-happy senator is on to at least a shred of something that would make a good news story. But I'm just not seeing it on this issue.

Basically he's calling the state's unemployment department on the carpet for not being geared up to handle the huge influx of newly unemployed as our economy has nosedived.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't find that shocking or appalling on the scale of some kind of government malfeasance. In fact, I bet if we hunted up the budget figures over the past few years we might see that the EDD has been underfunded as the Legislature tried to find a way to cover it's budget gap.

And if Florez is so good at predicting budget downturns and their outcomes, why is he hanging around this old state? Call OBAMA!

Oh, and I love the part of the email below where Florez calls the head of EDD's "refusal" to testify (he apparently had plans to be out of town before being called to the principal's office) at Florez' committee an "affront" to the powers of the Senate.

More like an affront to Florez' ego!

(Above: A Californian file photo of Florez, no doubt emailing about his affrontery)

Senate urges EDD head to reconsider testimony

Acting secretary refuses to appear at hearing on department’s response to job seekers

SACRAMENTO – Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter) today expressed his frustration with the Labor & Workforce Development Agency, likening their refusal to publicly answer the Senate’s questions about their level of preparedness to the lack of response many Californians get when they attempt to inquire about unemployment insurance benefits.

On Wednesday, the Senate Select Committee on Disaster and Emergency Response and the Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations will hold a joint hearing about the Labor Agency and the Employment Development Department which it oversees, examining lapses that left the department unprepared for a disastrous combination of population growth and historic unemployment rates.

Florez has publicly questioned Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s failure to appoint a director to the Labor Agency – the body charged with getting Californians back to work -- at this critical time for our state’s economy. Today he received word that acting secretary Douglas Hoffner would not attend Wednesday’s EDD hearing because he would be “out of the area.”

In a letter to Hoffner, Florez urged him to reconsider his refusal to testify, calling it “an affront to the oversight powers of the Senate as an institution of government.”

“If this is the Administration’s idea of a joke, they’re a day early for April Fool’s and months too late for thousands of California job seekers for whom this is no laughing matter,” said Florez.

Hey, at least I'm No. 1 at SOMETHING

2009-03-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

Check out my column blog here.

One of the commenters has bestowed me with quite an accolade. (If it comes with a tiara, I prefer this model)

Tops in the state! Wow, won't mom be proud!

Interesting twist

2009-03-28T16:19:00.000-07:00

In a recent column on the California Air Resources Board's new diesel rules, I took them to task for a number of things, not the least of which was that the researcher who wrote the report on which they based their draconian rules (which I believe will cripple trucking and heavy equipment industries in this state) LIED about having a PhD in statistics from Davis.

Hien T. Tran WAS listed as the manager of the "Health and Ecosystems Assessment Section" under the research division of CARB (which is HUGE by the way, I had no idea.)

But a recent look at their org chart shows that position is now vacant.

I didn't find out about it until Saturday and took a chance and emailed their flak. He emailed back that Tran hasn't been fired but he doesn't know whether he stepped down voluntarily or was demoted. He did tell me CARB's investigation into Tran's misrepresentation of his credentials may soon be finished.

Though the head of CARB, Mary Nichols, wrote a letter (check it out here plus a lot of back and forth comments) saying Tran's indiscretion isn't important, I disagree. He did far more than simply compile studies. He interjected a lot of his own methods for how to use the results of those studies and apply them to California.

So I think his willingness to lie about his credentials — particularly when a PhD wasn't even required for that job! — is pretty revealing about his willingness to play fast and loose with the facts to achieve a desired outcome.

Another person who's been watching this situation closely emailed me this timeline and posed a question:

Time Line:

1) March 10, 2009 (3+ months after CARB members were notified of his phony Ph.D.) CARB Research Division Organizational Chart still showed Hien Tran, Ph.D.

2) March 15, 2009 Lois Henry Bakersfield Californian Column on Dodgy Science Strangles Industry.

3) March 17, 2009 CARB Research Division Organizational Chart no longer shows Hien Tran, Ph.D.

Question for Lois Henry, NO Ph.D.:
Is Time Line above a spurious association or a causal relationship?

Kicking up a little dust

2009-03-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I did a column on horse trails, or the lack of them, and how we did all this planning years ago to "keep the rural feel" of some parts of town and accommodate equestrians. (click here to read my column) (Californian file photo of a rider on the river)

But when development came to town, those plans were scrapped if developers didn't feel inclined to put trails across their subdivisions.

Now we're basically left with the Kern River corridor. But, again, promises for horse staging areas, trail upkeep and more, are falling by the wayside.

My column was apparently the incentive needed to get some equestrians a bit more organized so they could become a squeaky wheel in the halls of government.

Check out their new blog here!

I hope it fires up their community and I'll definitely be watching for more follow up stories.

More fun with irony

2009-03-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

All you need to become an "outdoors woman" is a lot of money and some fancy pencils and paper.

I get email alerts from this group BOW (becoming an outdoors woman), periodically, mostly about camping, hunting and fishing outings.

I guess they figured out that the women who have enough money to blow on a weekend "outdoors" would rather spend it in a comfy room with a Jacuzzi nearby.

(it actually sounds like fun and I'm just jealous!)

Here's the deets:

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, California Press Release - For Immediate Release
Contact: Susan Herrgesell
530-347-0227 or susan@bowca.org

The Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, California organization is offering its popular drawing workshop April 17-19, 2009. This year we’re going to the Carrizo Plains area near the Carrizo Plains National Monument in San Luis Obispo County. Nestled in a high valley between San Luis Obispo and Bakersfield, the plain today is home to a handful of year-round human residents, 13 endangered species, from the giant kangaroo rat to the San Joaquin kit fox, and some of California's finest Native American rock art. In spring it's a wildflower paradise. The beauty of this area is unsurpassed.

If you ever wanted to learn to draw or better your skills, don't miss this comprehensive workshop. Famed wildlife artist, Bill Peters, will be our instructor for this drawing class. Using pencil, pen, or chalk, Bill’s talent and technique will have you drawing before the weekend’s end! Many past participants who had never drawn before have taken their drawings home to frame.

Arrival time is after 3:00 p.m. Friday and departure is Sunday after lunch. The workshop fee covers instruction and accommodations. You are responsible for your food, drink and drawing materials. We will be staying at the Department of Fish and Game’s Chimineas Ranch House, less than ten miles from the Carrizo Plains National Monument boundary. Accommodations are two or more to a very comfortable room. You can view the accommodations on the BOW website at www.bowca.org. The Ranch House property has a swimming pool and Jacuzzi. Meals will be prepared in the roomy kitchen, potluck style. This is one workshop not to be missed!

The cost of the workshop is $250. (!!!!) Sign up on line at www.bowca.org or call 530-347-0227 to have a registration form mailed to you or for more information. Space is limited.

Irony makes me chuckle

2009-03-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

The Green Festival is happening up in the Lake Isabella area this weekend and as part of the festivities, a group has put together a map and list of "green" sites you can visit, by DRIVING AROUND THE LAKE to see them.

How green is THAT?

Green Tours
A major part of this year’s Living Green festival is a free drive-it-yourself GREEN TOUR (how do these terms not cancel each other out?) taking place noon to 4pm, Sunday, March 29.

24 stops are located all over the Kern River Valley – including Bodfish, Havilah, Kernville, Lake Isabella, Riverkern, South Lake, Squirrel Valley, Weldon and Wofford Heights.

The tour features gardens and examples of energy-efficient building ranging from an off-grid straw bale home to solar homes on city streets and ranches in Havilah.

Garden stops range from produce-growing gardens to gardens featuring native and low water plants and some waterscape features. Lessons in composting, growing plants from cuttings, good land stewardship and wildlife habitats are offered.

In addition to several solar power installations, you can see an example of rainwater harvesting at a home in Squirrel Valley, structural insulated panels at another and a working home wind power system in South Lake .

You can view a detailed 28-page online document with photos, maps and links.

Well, I've done it now

2009-03-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

The head of the California Air Resources Board, Mary Nichols, took me to task for my column suggesting...well, saying...that the board was wrong to institute rules requiring trucks and heavy equipment drastically reduce emissions.

The rules, I said, are going to cripple California's trucking and heavy equipment industry.

But more importantly, they're based on faulty science that was cobbled together in a report by a guy who LIED about his credentials.

I suggested, or outright demanded, a do-over.

Ms. Nichols did not agree.

Check it out on my Californian blog by clicking here.

Looking for Roy

2009-03-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

State Sen. Roy Ashburn will be in the district Friday and, of course, his staff sends out his itinerary to the media beforehand.

Aside from the fact that he's got one full agenda, I love some of the nuggets buried in this itnerary:

7:30 AM to 8:30 AM-- Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, 1725 Eye St., Bakersfield.
Senator will speak about the May 19th Special Election and his budget vote (10 – 15 MIN w/ Q& A after). About 50 local business owners/community members attending.
(somehow I don't think the Q&A will be 10 or 15 min...but I suppose they can always hope)

10:30 AM to 11:30 AM— Oil Workers Monument in Taft, 6th Street and Supply Row in Taft/
Elected officials Senator Ashburn, Kevin McCarthy, Jean Fuller, and Ray Watson, along with Mayor Dave Noerr to speak and shovel some dirt. 5 minutes or so will be allotted to each speaker.
(That's two different things for pols?)

12:30 PM to 1:30 PM-- Student Leadership workshop, Highland High School, 2900 Royal Scots Way, Bakersfield. Roy to be a guest speaker at the high school 15 minutes speaking of “Political Courage.”
About 20 students to attend, VERY informal -kids will be given 5-10 minutes to ask questions
(My prediction for the top two questions: 1. How much do you make? 2. Do you really need to go to college for your job? All respect to Roy and this is more about the rest of the Legislature than him: 1. WAY too much! and 2. "Uh, I was told there would be no math..." )

5:00 PM to 7:00 PM-- Joint Clubs of Ridgecrest Respect Law Program (Optimist, Exchange, Kiwanis, Rotary, Footprinters & Elks), Elks Hall, 201 E. Church Street, Ridgecrest.
Roy to present certificates.
(It's always a good day when it ends in Ridgecrest!)

I get the importance of this....BUT

2009-03-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

$100?!!!!

That's a lot of dough for districts laying off teachers in droves.

Here's an idea, what if the districts themselves actually worked with poor families to understand what's happening in their lives rather than hiring some high falutin' consultant.

I'm sure there are more than enough poor families in Kern County who could give teachers and administrators quite an education on what they go through every day.

Or, I don't know, they could read a book about it.

This came from the Kern Superintendent of Schools office:

Two day ‘Understanding Poverty’ workshop

Those interested in how poverty impacts student achievement are invited to attend a two-day “Understanding Poverty” workshop presented by nationally-known educational consultant Kathy Estes on March 30 and 31 from 8:30-3:30 p.m. at the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office (KCSOS), 1300 17th Street in Bakersfield. Registration fee is $100 and includes materials and breakfast.

Estes, San Bernardino County superintendent of schools’ safe and drug free schools coordinator, will be discussing how individuals in poverty think and act differently that those in the middle and upper socioeconomic classes. Attendees will discover how despite obstacles, poverty can create all types of interactions that can be overcome. Too often, teachers do not understand why a poverty student acts out or is not grasping a concept even after repeated explanations. Realistic teaching scenarios will be demonstrated so those attending can learn to find sources of support and resources that may not be present in a student’s life.

Understanding Poverty, offered by KCSOS, is based on “Dr. Ruby Payne’s Framework,” a thoroughly-researched, nationally-recognized resource for teachers and others working with youths in poverty.

Campus news

2009-03-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

Cal State Bakersfield President Horace Mitchell (pictured below in a Californian file photo) sends out a monthly email newsletter updating anyone who's interested on the goings on at CSUB.

Two things caught my eye from this newsletter:

Nursing Grant
California's severe nursing shortage is even more critical here in the San Joaquin Valley. To help alleviate the nursing shortage in the Central Valley, CSUB's Nursing Department was awarded a $100,000 grant by the Governor's California Nurse Education Initiative. The funding will allow the nursing program to increase its admissions capacity by 50%, training 36 students in addition to the existing 60. The grant also will be utilized to increase the number of nursing faculty, increase clinical nursing simulation capacity, and expand academic advising and retention programs. The California Nurse Education Initiative is a 5-year program initiated by the Governor in 2005. The program was designed to expand the capacity of nursing education programs in the state and increase the number of nursing students who graduate each year.

This caught my eye for two reasons A) CSUB has a pretty good nursing program if I recall correctly and it was impacted a few years ago with huge wait lists of people hoping to get in and B) Nursing is THE job to have in these recessionary times. So if you needed a "Plan B" this could be it!

Sustainable CSUB
My (Mitchell's, not mine!) signing of the American College and University President's Climate Commitment Letter in 2007 resulted from the collective interest of faculty, staff, and students to move our campus toward carbon neutrality. To determine the baseline of our carbon footprint, the President's Sustainability Committee undertook a greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the campus. The inventory was conducted by Aaron Hegde, Director of the Environmental Resource Management Program, and graduating senior Alexandra De La Mora-Fraire. Inventory results and full report can be found on the ACUPCC website here.

When I looked at the inventory, it seemed, well, like a lot, particularly per full-time student. But how do you know if you don't have a like-sized campus or company to compare with. I'll be interested to see what the recommendations are for reductions — fewer long-winded lectures?

(Californain file photo: Students walk along a path at CSUB where there's soon to be fewer toxic emissions, we hope)

Stuff that makes you want to scream

2009-03-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

This popped into my email box:

BANKING ON THEIR INVESTMENTS?
Financial Institutions That Made Hefty Campaign Donations
Score Big Bucks From the Government

Helena, MT — The Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) was intended to stabilize the country's financial sector by distributing hundreds of billions of dollars.

On February 4, 2009, the Center for Responsive Politics released a report (which you can read here) examining beneficiaries of the $700 billion bailout package in the finance and automotive industries.

CRP, which focuses on federal contributions, found, “The companies that have been awarded taxpayers' money from Congress's bailout bill spent $77 million on lobbying and $37 million on federal campaign contributions …The return on investment: 258,449 percent.”

In defense of OHV riders

2009-03-21T13:52:00.001-07:00

My latest column looks at the inherent hypocrisy of how the state deals with OHV (off highway vehicle) enthusiasts.

On the one hand, the state is happy to take in tons of money from OHVers, not only through special fuel taxes and green stickers, but through taxes and fees on the $9 billion industry here in California.

But the other hand has been tight fisted with those same dollars in terms of creating new places for OHVers to ride. Not one new state park in 20 years!

Meanwhile, trails are being closed left and right on other public lands. It's no wonder there's so much illegal riding going on, which ticks off landowners and environmentalists no end and does the OHV cause zero favors.

Love them or hate them, you have to agree OHVers are really stuck between a rock and a hard place!

This just might be the incentive I need to join!

2009-03-20T18:20:00.001-07:00

Museum makes membership really affordable

There may not be a bigger bargain with so much to offer than the introductory membership price being extended by the Kern County Museum, located at 3801 Chester Ave., in Bakersfield.

The museum has slashed the cost of a half year’s membership by more than half from $65 to $35. Which means every daily admission to the museum with your membership is free for up to six people for a half year. Members also receive free admission to 24 California science museums and there is no admission charge for all car shows at the museum, including the March 28 VW Bugs & Buses Invade the Village.

Because of the strain California’s economy has put on the non-profit museum’s budget, by necessity, it will be raising admission prices on April 1, which makes purchasing a half year membership even more cost effective to visitors. As of April 1, admission prices will be: Adults — $10, Students (with I.D.) and seniors — $9 and children ages 6-12 — $8. Children younger than age 3, when accompanied by an adult, are still free.

There are even more pluses to purchasing a half year membership, such as discount tickets to Wine Fest (June 13) and other museum special events, invitations to exhibit openings and events, guest passes for regular admission and a 10 percent discount on merchandise purchased at the Museum Store.

For more information about the half year memberships and the museum, call (661) 852-5000 or pick up a membership application on your next visit to the museum.

This seems kind of ironic to me

2009-03-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Local school districts just gave hundreds of teachers their "pink slips" (notifications that they may not be hired back next year) because of the budget pinch.

Then this popped up in my email box. If positions still need to be filled, shouldn't the districts go first to the pink slipped teachers and see if any of them want those jobs?

SUBJECT: Kern County Teacher Job Fair - March 21

You and/or your representative are invited to cover the March 21 Kern County Teacher Job Fair at University Square, 2000 K Street in Bakersfield. It runs from 9 a.m.-noon, during which time credentialed or intern-eligible teachers will have a chance to be interviewed at Kern County=s largest gathering of school district recruiters in one location.

It is an excellent opportunity for credentialed teachers to see what positions are available and be interviewed by representatives from the many districts recruiting for next year.

Despite possible teacher layoffs brought on by a stressed California budget, positions still need to be filled where retirements and other unplanned vacancies have occurred. Many districts are looking for single subject credentialed teachers to fill needs in math and science, language arts and special education. There is also a big need for substitute teachers.

Candidates must be fully credentialed or intern-eligible by August. Applicants have to bring a completed pre-registration application, a letter of introduction, résumé, three current professional letters of reference and photocopies of their teaching credential.

Now here's a quote we should all take to heart

2009-03-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

“The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.”

— Hubert H. Humphrey

Let the celebration begin!

2009-03-18T18:21:00.001-07:00

Whatever you had planned for Friday, DROP IT.

It's National Ag Day.

Hey, in Kern County, that's EVERY DAY!

I didn't see anything on the Kern County Farm Bureau website to commemorate the importance of this day, but they do have Farm Day in the City coming up. Again, isn't that EVERY DAY!?

Anyhow...just remember on Friday to hug a farmer, or an apple, maybe a carrot, whichever you prefer.

Check out my latest column

2009-03-17T16:29:00.001-07:00

It's about equestrian trails.

Really, though, it's about how, yet again, we can plan all we want and it just don't mean squat to developers who know if they squawk politicians will fold.

Check it out here.