A blog about News.
|
Voters shunned the June ballot NASA to the rescue! Governor, it’s time to kick some legislative booty Slowing down makes sense Kudos to our K-9 teams We should honor our leaders Good, bad in valley college trend Help nurses teach Chad Vegas didn’t really mean the oath he swore Facts tortured to justify decision June 06 July 06 August 06 September 06 October 06 November 06 December 06 January 07 February 07 March 07 April 07 May 07 June 07 July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 June 06 May 06 April 06 March 06 February 06 January 06 December 05 November 05 October 05 September 05 August 05 July 05 June 05 May 05 April 05 March 05 February 05 Blog RollAsk The Californian Editorials Entertainment Eye of Bakersfield Faith Forum Fired Up! Inside Sports Neighbors Right Thinking Sound Off Talk of the Town 
RSS 2.0    |
|
|
PUBLISHED 10-31-2006
The following is a summary of candidates The Californian has endorsed for the Nov. 7, election. Initiative summaries will appear tomorrow. To read the entire editorial go to www.bakersfield.com
Statewide offices:
U.S. Senate: Dianne Feinstein (D) has vast experience at all levels of government and has served the state credibly and well in Congress.
Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has matured since his brash “girlie men” days and learned the art...
PUBLISHED 10/29/2006
Propositions 1A through 1E are a series of bond measures placed on the ballot by a two-thirds vote of each house of the Legislature and signed by the governor. We urge a yes vote on each — both because of their worth and their history.
These bonds evolved from Gov. Schwarzenegger’s State of the State speech. He proposed a series of infrastructure bonds called the Strategic Growth Plan that over 10 years would amount to a $222 billion...
PUBLISHED 10/29/2006
Voters should sink Proposition 84, a water bond floated by special interests.
Aside from the costs of more than $10 billion in principal and interest, millions of dollars in property tax revenue will be lost as a result of private property purchased for public purposes. Bonds can be used to develop parks, conservation, research, etc. Many projects do nothing to increase the state’s water supply.
Projects that need such funding include new or enhanced dams,...
PUBLISHED 10/29/2006
The following is a partial listing of The Californian’s recommendations regarding candidates and initiatives on today’s ballot. To read the published editorial on these races, go to www.bakersfield.com.
Statewide offices:
U.S. Senate: Dianne Feinstein (D)
Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
Lt. Governor: John Garamendi (D)
Sec. of State: Bruce McPherson (R)
Treasurer: Bill Lockyer (D)
Attorney General: Chuck Poochigian...
PUBLISHED 10/30/2006
If you were hiring a chief financial officer for your company, who would you pick?
• Someone who has an extensive financial background, years of on-the-job experience, and additional training and experience as an attorney specializing in tax law.
• Or a generalist who claims to understand the “big picture” and possess leadership qualities, promises to surround himself with competent people, and explains he will do the job by delegating.
...
PUBLISHED 10/30/2006
The race for the District 2 seat on the state Board of Equalization offers Kern voters an interesting choice this year.
The usually obscure agency administers dozens of fee and tax programs, including sales taxes; hears appeals of income tax cases decided by the Franchise Tax Board; and ensures that property taxes are handled equally statewide.
The sprawling District 2 covers 34 counties from Los Angeles to the Oregon border, including Kern County.
Incumbent...
PUBLISHED 10-27-06
Californians have a clear choice for lieutenant governor between Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, a Democrat from Walnut Grove, and Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks.
Garamendi is the better choice.
Although the lieutenant governorship itself is not a powerful office with onerous duties, in this case it has long-term ramifications because both men want to be governor. It is an office the holder can mold to his goals and objectives.
McClintock’s...
PUBLISHED 10-27-06
If Proposition 90 actually did what its out-of-state sponsor promised it would do, it would be worth considering.
But it is so broad, poorly written and confusing that it is dangerous for taxpayers and property owners, alike.
Proposition 90 seeks to limit the reach of a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision that expanded the traditional constitutional power of government to take private property for public purposes.
The court ruled that Connecticut could...
PUBLISHED 10/26/2006
Proposition 87 has a laudable goal — energy conservation and independence. But the initiative proposes a horrible strategy that will harm Kern and other oil-producing counties.
If only for that reason, a no vote would be commended. But it gets worse.
Proposition 87’s way too long title contains the key phrase “tax on oil producers.” That is a misnomer. It’s a tax on everyone.
If enacted, the measure would impose a severance...
PUBLISHED 10/26/2006
Proposition 89 is a fraud. If enacted, Proposition 89 would provide public funding for statewide political campaigns.
Public funding of campaigns is not necessarily a bad concept, but the inequities in this scheme are terrible.
The bulk of the annual $200 million funding would come from an increase in corporate and financial institutions’ tax rates.
Yet many such institutions — down to small businesses — would have their ability to...
PUBLISHED 10/25/2006
Bakersfield’s Hillside Development Ordinance will return to the City Council tonight for approval — at least that is what should happen.
Earlier this month, City Council members delayed for two weeks their consideration of the proposed ordinance, which will protect homeowners and taxpayers from the damage caused by soil collapsing and hills sliding. It also will require building sites be set back from ridges to accommodate fire protection and preserve...
PUBLISHED 10/25/2006
A viewshed is an area of land, water or other natural feature, such as northeast Bakersfield’s bluffs, that is visible from a fixed vantage point.
The term has been used widely for decades by developers, architects, urban planners and even military strategists.
Viewsheds tend to be areas of particular scenic or historic value considered worthy of preservation against development or other change.
Often you will find preservation of viewsheds mentioned...
PUBLISHED 10/22/2006
Put kids first. That’s what most school board candidates say they will do. But when they are elected, it’s a different story.
From the bickering that often erupts on school boards, you wonder if the kids are even in the equation.
Three seats are open on the Kern High School District board, with only one incumbent seeking re-election. Nine candidates are running in the Nov. 7 election for the board.
The three candidates from this field who are...
PUBLISHED 10/23/2006
The 30th Assembly District race pits Republican political newcomer Danny Gilmore against two-term Democratic Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, both of Hanford.
By virtue of her four years of experience in the Legislature, voters should re-elect Parra to a final term. In 2008, she will be termed out in the Assembly.
Gilmore, a retired California Highway Patrol assistant chief, does not possess the political depth and grasp of issues that the Democrat incumbent...
PUBLISHED 10/23/2006
The Kern High School District’s ban on academic extra curricular activities on Sundays should be reversed.
Its decision this week cripples this year’s mock trial competition. It begs the question: What were district administrators and trustees thinking — or were they?
The district has long had a policy banning any school activities on Sundays as being a day of rest.
But the district had made an exception in the case of the mock trial...
PUBLISHED 10/20/2006
A few weeks ago, Irma Carson embraced the grieving grandmother of a promising young man killed in a drive-by shooting. Herself the mother of three adult children, Carson felt the woman’s pain.
Last week, when representatives of a group of developers opposed to the Hillside Ordinance created the perception that the Ward 1 councilwoman had been “bought” by their campaign contributions, they were on the receiving end of Carson’s pain.
From...
PUBLISHED 10/20/2006
Proposition 88 is all but a ballot orphan — and it deserves to be. Even most of its one-time backers have abandoned what is poor education policy and a worse tax ploy.
Voters should take their cues from that and vote no on 88.
If enacted, Proposition 88 would impose a state $50 tax on each parcel of land, with the estimated $470 million in proceeds ostensibly going for a variety of educational purposes for kindergarten through grade 12.
The...
PUBLISHED 10/19/2006
Zack Scrivner is a bright young man and a student of politics. But he skipped the chapter on leadership.
Scrivner is seeking a full, four-year term as the Ward 7 representative on the Bakersfield City Council. He faces Sheryl Mitchell, a political novice who seems well intended, but poorly prepared to represent the ward.
Ward 7 voters have little choice but to re-elect Scrivner. But they have reason to be concerned.
Two years ago, Scrivner moved into Ward 7...
PUBLISHED 10/19/2006
Democrat Dianne Feinstein is the clear choice for re-election to the U.S. Senate.
The former mayor and supervisor of San Francisco — she was the first woman to hold both jobs — is seeking her third term.
Since she went to the Senate in 1992, she has earned the respect of her colleagues on both sides of the aisle for her in-depth policy knowledge and for the needs of state and local government.
Her committee assignments are important ones, including...
PUBLISHED 10/18/2006
Encouraging and guiding responsible growth in northeast Bakersfield must be a top priority for Ward 3’s City Council representative.
Of the three candidates vying to replace Mike Maggard as Ward 3 councilman, only Chad Louie has done his homework and is willing to tell voters where he stands on critical development issues.
Only Chad Louie appears to have the political courage to stand up to special interests, putting Ward 3 residents and Bakersfield...
PUBLISHED 10/18/2006
In the course of changing from a fantasy celluloid cyberhero into a credible real life political muscleman, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has learned some painful lessons. That he has done so quickly and effectively is one factor commending him to re-election.
Schwarzenegger’s short tenure since beating more than 100 candidates in the bizarre 2003 recall election of former Gov. Gray Davis has been filled with political ups and downs.
From his high...
PUBLISHED 10/17/2006
Silicon Valley businessman and former teacher Steve Poizner clearly is the best choice for state Insurance commissioner.
His main opponent — Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante — faces heavy fines for campaign finance violations, has accepted insurance industry campaign contributions and has a years-long, do-nothing record in a variety of public offices.
But it is Poizner’s virtues that commend him to the powerful post regulating all aspects of the...
PUBLISHED 10/17/2006
Californians should elect Attorney General Bill Lockyer, a Democrat, as state treasurer.
Lockyer’s varied career — he has been a teacher, legislator and attorney general — prepares him well to manage the wide variety of duties the treasurer has.
Primarily, the treasurer oversees the investment of $53 billion in tax funds for the state and thousands of local governments and special districts.
Some investments are from bond issues and...
PUBLISHED 10/15/2006
The Kern County Sheriff’s Department and the people it must protect cannot afford four more years of Sheriff Mack Wimbish.
The mistakes he has made and his unwillingness to own up to them have prevented him from effectively leading this critically important public safety agency.
Voters in November should elect Donny Youngblood sheriff.
After a stormy, seven-candidate primary campaign, the runoff between Youngblood and Wimbish has been stunningly tame and...
PUBLISHED 10/16/2006
Bruce McPherson is an unlikely political hero — low-key, soft-spoken, an elected Republican from liberal Santa Cruz and a legislator widely respected by members of both parties for his accomplishments more than his flash.
By all accounts, some of these traits prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to appoint McPherson to take over the office in 2005 when former Secretary of State Kevin Shelley was forced to resign in disgrace. McPherson was unanimously...
PUBLISHED 10/16/2006
This is a summary of positions on the November ballot taken by The Californian’s Editorial Board. The full text is available online at www.bakersfield.com.
SHERIFF: Donny Youngblood. Both candidates have made mistakes in their pasts, but Youngblood has learned from them. He also has more professional credentials.
ATTORNEY GENERAL : Chuck Poochigian. The Fresno legislator is highly regarded on both sides of the aisle for his serious policy work and has a...
PUBLISHED 10/13/2006
The Bakersfield City Council’s failure this week to approve a Hillside Ordinance that tightens building standards in northeast Bakersfield is disappointing.
Development is occurring at a rapid pace. Building rules must be tightened to protect the fragile hills and bluffs and to protect future home buyers.
But City Councilman Harold Hanson asked for a two-week delay to better understand the ordinance, which is being fiercely attacked by a handful of...
PUBLISHED 10/12/2006
The choice for attorney general is a slam dunk — State Sen. Chuck Poochigian, R-Fresno. Throughout his years in public life, Poochigian has been a steady, thoughtful and effective lawmaker.
His opponent, former Gov. Jerry Brown, who went on to become Oakland’s mayor, has been a policy gadfly on more sides of more issues in more state offices than anyone in recent memory.
Poochigian’s credentials to be the state’s “top...
PUBLISHED 10/12/2006
It’s easy to hate big tobacco companies, with their deadly schemes to hook people, including children.
And if placing higher taxes on cigarettes could convince people to stop smoking, the sky should be the limit. The sky is Proposition 86, an initiative on the November that proposes to place another $2.60 tax on cigarettes, raising the average cost of a pack to $7.
But Proposition 86 has a slim hope of fulfilling its promises and more potential to do harm....
PUBLISHED 10/11/2006
Less than a year ago, California voters rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment that would have required parents or guardians be notified before a minor could have an abortion.
Fueled by a $2.1 million contribution from abortion opponent Jim Holman, the initiative has returned to the November ballot as Proposition 85.
The measure is nearly identical to the one voters rejected last fall. Nothing really has changed. Voters should reject Proposition 85.
...
PUBLISHED 10/11/2006
What is it about lawmakers that replaces common sense with an anti-spending ideology that defies even some of their supporters’ wishes?
There is no better example than Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville, who killed a $1 million regional food safety lab at UC Davis. That’s $1 million from a $100 billion Agriculture appropriations bill.
How do you spell E.-c-o-l-i, s-p-i-n-a-c-h and l-e-t-t-u-c-e?
Despite events, Doolittle says he made the right...
PUBLISHED 10/10/2006
Keeping schools the safest place for young people to be during the day is one goal of this year’s School Crisis Response Training to be held Nov. 1.
Parents, interested members of the community and students are invited to attend, although the state-mandated training is intended primarily for school and law enforcement professionals.
Among the professionals to whom the training is directed are school administrators, members of law enforcement and...
PUBLISHED 10/10/2006
The global condemnation and near-universal calls for harsh sanctions are a good first reaction to North Korea’s presumed detonation of a nuclear weapon.
The risks of North Korea’s anticipated action cannot be understated.
• It is one of the most secretive and hostile communist nations in the world, with a history of waging war.
• Its leadership is paranoid and so repressive that there is no opposition in the country to moderate its...
PUBLISHED 10/8/06
After months of studies and hours of public hearings, Bakersfield City Planning Commissioners unanimously cast their votes last month in support of the proposed Hillside Ordinance.
Commissioners showed political courage in the face of fierce opposition from a handful of developers who yearn to make it rich building homes in them thar hills of northeast Bakersfield.
And commissioners have the backing of others in the development community, who helped draft the...
PUBLISHED 10/9/06
What part of “Do It” does Los Angeles not understand? For decades, rulings in lawsuits brought by counties in the Owens Valley, state agencies and environmentalists have ordered Los Angeles to help restore the once-fertile Owens Valley.
In the darkest chapter of the state’s storied water wars, agents of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power used false pretenses to buy land and water rights in the early 1900s from farmers throughout the Owens...
PUBLISHED 10/9/06
The prospect of bringing economic revitalization to the historic roots of the city — Baker Street and Old Town Kern — is worth celebration and high hopes.
The Bakersfield Redevelopment Agency has signed a $30 million pact with Irvine-based Triumph Co. for a mixed residential project to be built over the next three years.
The project is on seven acres between Kentucky, Lake, Kern and King Streets. It lies within the larger Old Town Kern...
PUBLISHED 10/6/06
People who cannot care for themselves and their loved ones can rest more comfortably. A comprehensive overhaul of state conservatorships has been signed.
Conservatees are people for whom a probate court assigns someone to arrange their care and manage their affairs. Professionals in California manage as much as $1.5 billion in assets for as many as 4,000 elderly and disabled people.
As acute as problems of abuse are now, they will get worse because the number of...
PUBLISHED 10/6/06
Residents in much of Kern County can rest a little easier. Preliminary studies needed to plan repairs on Isabella Dam have begun months earlier than expected.
When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers first announced that unusual seepage of water under the dam made it the Corps’ top priority safety concern nationally, it said studies needed to plan repairs could not begin until next year. No funds had been set aside for the unexpected problem.
Depending on...
PUBLISHED 10-5-2006
Disgusting. That describes the behavior of Congressman Mark Foley and leaders of the House of Representatives.
Since Foley’s resignation last week, the scandal over the Florida lawmaker’s alleged stalking of teenage male pages has grown.
Foley resigned as ABC News prepared to air stories about Foley and release the content of sexually explicit e-mails and instant messages between Foley and pages.
The messages are so sleazy that most news...
PUBLISHED 10-04-06
Mom and Dad reading bedtime stories from favorite, well-worn books. Those are the childhood memories we all should have. Regrettably some children do not have those memories.
Many families simply do not have the money or inclination to buy books for their children. The love of reading is never instilled.
Without the early exposure to books and learning the joy of reading, an empty legacy is created for future generations. This legacy can prevent learning. It can...
PUBLISHED 10-04-06
To encourage people to give new and slightly used children’s books to local needy children through The Californian’s “My First Library” project, readers are asked to tell their stories.
What is your favorite children’s book? What is your favorite early memory of reading, or being read to by Mom and Dad? Do you read to your children or children in the community? What do you like to read? What touching story can you tell about the...
PUBLISHED 10-3-2006
Having Americans routinely tested for HIV from their teen years to senior citizen status is the visionary and vital recommendation of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In far too many cases, detection of HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — is made as result of a patient seeking help for an unknown ailment rather than as a systematic screening procedure similar to a cholesterol or blood sugar tests used to assess cardiac or...
PUBLISHED 10-3-2006
Bakersfield College has made history — or rather, a donation the college received has. Dr. Norman Levan, a Bakersfield dermatologist, has donated $5.7 million to BC.
This is the largest private individual donation given to a community college in California. It is also one of the top five donations to a community college in the nation.
Levan’s generous donation will be put to use in three separate areas:
• $3.5 million to establish...
|
