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Who should pay for development? Get 17-year-olds involved Keep July 4th safe, legal, fun Doctor’s stroke, community’s tragedy California is going up in flames Talk’s cheap, but campaigns aren’t Move on, Bruce Sons Time to weigh in on our future Put leeches to work Find the will to ‘fix’ homelessness 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 
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PUBLISHED 3-1-2007
Logic dictates that a lethal product used as directed ought to be banned — and there is no longer any scientific doubt that tobacco is a killer.
But Congress and few people want to risk another Prohibition era — with all its attendant risks of crime, litigation, and, frankly, loss of a lot of tax revenues to federal, state and local government.
So the next best thing is for Congress and the Bush administration to endorse bipartisan legislation to...
PUBLISHED 3-1-2007
How nice. How very genteel. How downright Marie Antionette-like.
On the eve of a critical meeting, during which scarce road-building dollars were to be doled out, members of the California Transportation Commission were being wined and dined at a gala affair in Irvine hosted by road designers and engineering firms.
While commissioners washed down shrimp, stuffed mushrooms and quiche with cocktails, they were being schmoozed by...
PUBLISHED 2-28-2007
Let’s agree: Bakersfield’s monument signs — two concrete greetings posted along Highway 99 on the north and south approaches — should be replaced.
They are ugly. Their lettering is hard to read in the daylight and impossible at night. They are pathetic attempts to create positive “first impressions” for a growing, attractive community.
Our elected city officials and community boosters already have spent too much time bickering...
PUBLISHED 2-28-2007
Some students are falling to the bottom of the barrel and are being left there. California high school drop-out rates slightly increased with the class of 2006.
Students need to be given options, as early as middle school, to shape their futures.
Not all students want to attend a four-year university. Counselors should advise students that working, or attending trade school, community college or other types of training programs are acceptable options after...
PUBLISHED 2-27-2007
California’s gambling industry — Indian casinos, state lottery, card clubs, horse racing, bingo, Internet gambling, etc. — generates more than $13 billion a year.
The big winners are the operators, the politicians and the state treasury — all getting a cut of the action. Californians are the losers.
The state attorney general reported last year that nearly a million Californians are problem or addicted gamblers....
PUBLISHED 2-27-2007
Hey, what the heck. It’s only Bakersfield. Folks should be grateful for what they get. They have a lot of nerve complaining about what it looks like.
That has been the attitude of a lot of “big box” developers and other commercial investors who recognize Bakersfield as a growing, lucrative market. They want to cash in on the dollars, but don’t see a lot of need to spend theirs to make their projects look nice.
Consider the false...
PUBLISHED 2-25-2007
We’ve been stiffed! That’s what Kern County transportation officials have concluded. And so have most of their counterparts throughout California, as state transportation officials prepare to allocate $2.8 billion from voter approved Proposition 1B.
Howling the loudest are urban politicians. Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina went so far as to call the $327.9 million her county will receive “an insult.”
That’s a mighty big...
PUBLISHED 2-25-2007
Do you enjoy woofing down the exhaust from the car in front of you when you are stuck in traffic?
Are Kern County roads falling apart in front of your very eyes?
Is it getting harder and harder to just drive around metropolitan Bakersfield?
Get used to it. That might not be “life as it should be,” but it is life as it is. And we can blame ourselves.
We had a chance to change things. But we blew it. Last November, voters failed to pass Measure I...
PUBLISHED 2-23-2007
Kern Medical Center is not yet on solid financial footing. But it’s getting there, according to a series of reports made to the Board of Supervisors this week by the Macias Consulting Group, Inc. It is one of the best progress reports in years.
The county hired the Macias consultants in March 2005 to audit the long financially troubled hospital and to make recommendations for changes. It’s initial reports were extremely critical.
The hospital is...
We’ve been stiffed! Continental Airlines’ decision to drop popular flights between Bakersfield and Houston this summer is a lousy thing to do.
Business commuters and others depended on those flights to make connections and allow utilization of Kern County’s airport.
Caroline Reid had the right idea. The Bakersfield woman shared with The Californian her recent exchange with a Continental official about the company’s summer flight dump. The exchange is summarized...
PUBLISHED 2-22-2007
JetBlue’s Valentine’s Day massacre of customer service was not an isolated event.
With a snow storm clogging airports, including JetBlue’s New York base, passengers were stuck on airplanes for up to 10 hours awaiting takeoffs that never occurred. The planes lacked food, electricity, communications and flushing toilets. Pilots refused to allow passengers to return to terminals that were in clear view.
The company now admits making huge mistakes...
PUBLISHED 2-21-2007
The “snapshot” study of homelessness in the Bakersfield area conducted by the Kern County Homeless Collaborative tells us we have a lot to do.
Although this year’s study was more sophisticated than in the past, it was never meant to be an in-depth academic-type effort. It did not need to be.
The surveyors asked a simple question of people in places the homeless frequent: “Where did you sleep last night?”
Anything that was not...
PUBLISHED 2-21-2007
Mexican President Felipe Calderón made it clear from the beginning of his presidency that his focus wasn’t going to be on stemming the flow illegal immigration into the U.S.
Why should it be? Mexico is benefiting from illegal immigration, while the U.S. is losing money.
The U.S. has made it clear that illegal immigration needs to be controlled, but Mexico is depending on the money from legal and illegal immigrants that is being transferred over...
No neighborhood is safe. The blood of the raging gang wars is being spilled
onto all of our streets.
It is no longer someone else¹s problem. The violence is no longer occurring
in just "the wrong parts of town." It can, and is happening all over town.
These are our neighborhoods. We know what needs to be done. We know what is
not being done.
Tell us what you think: What can be done by residents to help curb the growing violence and save innocent victims...
PUBLISHED 2-20-2007
We wring our hands over the death and destruction in Iraq and other war-torn countries. What about in our own neighborhoods?
The death toll is mounting. Are we going to let the gangs take over? How many of us must die before we recognize the crisis?
After receiving pressure from the Kern County Board of Supervisors, newly elected Sheriff Donny Youngblood is proposing a plan that will beef up his department’s gang task force, and related prevention and...
PUBLISHED 2-19-2007
In this skeptical age, a holiday that honors politicians may seem like a set up for a punch line. But it isn’t.
On President’s Day we should take a few minutes to ponder the holiday’s historic meaning and its implications for the future.
Originally designated to honor George Washington’s birthday on Feb. 22nd, its observance was later broadened informally to include Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Feb. 12th.
In 1968,...
PUBLISHED 2-18-2007
Californians cannot afford to blow what may be our best and perhaps last chance to develop a rational water policy in California before disaster strikes.
An exhaustive study by the private Public Policy Institute of California irrefutably demonstrates that changes must be made now in how water flows from where it occurs naturally in Northern California to where it is needed in the Central Valley and Southern California.
The political, environmental and ...
PUBLISHED 2-16-2007
As turmoil continues to rage in the McFarland Unified School District, McFarland parents and taxpayers must step in.
A study by a team from the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office found the district isn’t following its own policies and is mismanaging money. At risk are the children who attend McFarland schools and the taxpayers who are funding their educations.
Parents and taxpayers must keep watchful eyes on district administrators and faculty, and...
PUBLISHED 2-15-2007
The $38,000 monthly salary for an interim Kern Medical Center chief financial officer is sticker shock. Patrick Lash’s contract is for six months — $228,000 — compared to the $150,000 annual salary of a previous full-time CFO.
But if Lash can accomplish what the county and its consulting management group agree is vital for saving the hospital, it will be worth the money.
Lash is being brought in by the Camden Group, El Segundo-based consultants...
PUBLISHED 2-15-2007
A new bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations for a variety of sex crimes is a generally good idea, but must have safeguards to ensure integrity of defendants’ rights.
With some exceptions, the statute of limitations requires crimes to be tried within a certain time after they are discovered. A few crimes — murder, for example — have no imitations imposed on when they can be prosecuted.
AB261 by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber,...
PUBLISHED 2-14-07
With Latinos projected to have the highest population growth in the state by 2040, an increasing number of Hispanics will be expected to hold jobs that baby boomers leave behind after retirement.
But Latinos are not going to college in proportion to their numbers. They are not being trained to fill the critical workforce vacancies that loom.
Lack of knowledge about how to enroll in college is one of the main reasons Latino students do not attend college. This lack...
PUBLISHED 2-14-07
Issac Arterberry worked three days as a substitute teacher in a Moreno Valley middle school until he was arrested on Jan. 26.
His crime? He wasn’t who he said he was. He passed himself off as his brother, Gerald, a bona fide substitute teacher.
To obtain a California teaching credential, a teacher or substitute must have his or her fingerprints taken and be subject to criminal background checks. Arterberry skipped these “formalities,” which are...
PUBLISHED 2-13-2007
The announcement that Continental Airlines is dropping its Bakersfield to Houston flights between May 3 and Sept. 4 should not diminish the importance of two other air travel developments last week — new flights to San Diego and Guadalajara. The Houston flights are operated by ExpressJet Airlines under the Continental brand.
There are two worrisome aspects to the supposedly temporary end of the Houston flights.
• It is reminiscent of the on-again,...
It’s discouraging when special interest groups — environmentalists, union activists or business competitors, for example — conspire to cynically use well-intended state protection laws to stall projects further their political agendas.
It is disgraceful when government does that and targets “innocent” bystanders in the process.
That is what is happening with the city of Shafter’s objections to Castle & Cooke’s West Ming project.
Earlier...
POSTED 2-1-2007
The Army Corps of Engineers seems to have gone as far as it credibly can in assessing the status of Isabella Dam.
Last year, the Corps rated the dam its No. 1 risk concern due to water seepage and a reassessment of seismic safety.
Initially, the Corps said it did not have sufficient funding to expedite studies to bring the 1950s era facility up to standards. With help from former Rep. Bill Thomas, funding for the start of engineering studies was increased last year.
...
PUBLISHED 2-12-2007
The DMV Web site, which launched this month, is much more user friendly than the previous one.
Many people have experienced the seemingly eternal lines at the DMV.
People should visit the Web site at www.dmv.ca.gov to determine if this wait time can be avoided by going online instead of wasting time at the offices.
The Web site’s home page directs users to where they need to go with such options as online services, driver’s license and...
PUBLISHED 2-12-2007
The state Department of Managed Health Care will investigate patching a small hole in the tattered health insurance crisis.
The state has been flooded with reports of individuals being turned down for health insurance — or having existing policies canceled — by health maintenance organization for trivial or common conditions, or for innocent errors in complex applications.
The agency is proposing that such actions be reviewed by an independent third...
PUBLISHED 2-9-2007
A large outbreak of valley fever at Pleasant Valley State Prison near Coalinga in 2005 likely does not indicate a new widespread epidemic.
Rather Department of Corrections spokesman Bill Sessa said investigations by the departments of Corrections and Health Services have pointed to unusual weather and temporary local conditions.
But the outbreak points to the need for better prevention efforts. It also draws wider attention to a problem affecting residents...
PUBLISHED 2-8-2007
The deaths of 25 people last week from tornadoes in central Florida should be a warning for people throughout the nation, including Kern County.
Most Florida victims were asleep in the early morning hours when three tornadoes struck. They were not awake to hear last-minute media bulletins warning them of the approaching danger.
But people who had All Hazard Radios — sometimes called Emergency Alert Radios — did receive the warning through a system that...
PUBLISHED 2-8-2007
A survey of Bakersfield electronics stores shows that the All Weather NOAA alert radios are not generally in stock. But several models are available online.
Bestbuy.com has four models, ranging from $29.95 to $99.99. Sima brand sells for $29.95; Midland brand lists at $39.95; an Eton model sells for $49.99 and Vector has a radio, combined with a small portabble TV, for $99.99.
Circuitcity.com also carries the Eton at $49.99. Radioshack.com sells two Midland...
PUBLISHED 2/7/07
It’s time for Congress to intervene in the thorny separation of church and sports — which has become a “super bowl” dispute involving copyright law.
The NFL may have been “legally correct” in ordering numerous churches — not just the Colts’ home state Farmland Friends in Indiana — to tune out Sunday’s championship game as a promotional activity. The “legal threshold” is an event...
PUBLISHED 2/7/07
Talk about a bad idea. San Jose Assemblyman Joe Coto has introduced a bill that will make registering to vote a requirement to graduate from high school. If a senior is 18 years old and eligible to vote, he or she will not receive a diploma unless first registering to vote.
Coto justifies his bizarre plan to hold high school diplomas hostage: “I think we need to establish a pattern of voting. ... It has to be a habit, almost as natural as when you reach the age of...
Published 2-4-07
It will be a foot race between Shafter Sen. Dean Florez and California growers to see who will be first to reach the legislative finish line. But whoever wins, consumers will be the beneficiaries of efforts to better protect our food supplies.
In the wake of two E. coli outbreaks that sickened nearly 200 people in 26 states, hospitalized 102 and has now claimed four lives in just six months, Florez introduced three bills last week that will mandate safe growing...
PUBLISHED 2-4-07
Growers note that compared to the volume of spinach and lettuce grown in California and sold across the nation, the number of E. coli outbreaks, and resulting illnesses and deaths is very small.
While that may be true, Sen. Dean Florez, who has introduced legislation mandating field inspections and other safety measures, is correct to respond that the numbers are insignificant, unless you happen to be one of them.
As he introduced his legislation last week,...
PUBLISHED 2-6-2007
The Legislature must continue its swift action on a bill to salvage California’s criminal sentencing system.
SB40 by Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, would amend the state’s determinate sentencing law that was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court last month. The bill received preliminary committee approval this week, but much work remains before enactment.
Without immediate changes that will conform the state’s present system to the...
PUBLISHED 2-6-2007
Women are usually the target of domestic abuse, leaving battered men overlooked. Battered men have very few places to turn for help.
With only three shelters in California — two actually house men, the other places them in a hotel — men either have to travel hundreds of miles for help or remain at the mercy of their domestic partners.
A situation such as that would be unacceptable for women. Feminist groups and advocates would immediately...
PUBLISHED 2-5-2007
Establishing a Cal Poly in eastern Kern County or the Antelope Valley may be considered competition for Cal State Bakersfield. But Bakersfield university officials are supportive of the idea — that is, if it doesn’t come at the expense of CSUB.
Mike Stepanovich, public affairs director at CSUB, observes that by the time a state polytechnic university can be justified and built in eastern Kern County, CSUB will be able to meet the demand of more students....
PUBLISHED 2-5-2007
Rising temperatures may eventually leave wine drinkers with less to sip and a million people without jobs nationwide.
The U.S. wine and grape industry contributes $162 billion annually into the nation’s economy. But global warming may put a damper on grapes in California.
Global warming may benefit some areas — warming temperatures and improving growing conditions and opportunities. Nationwide, that could bring in an additional $1.3 billion in...
PUBLISHED 2-5-2007
Beware: Teens with added distractions can be deadly on the road.
New ads aiming to stop those distractions need to be plentiful and powerful to get the message through.
iPods, loud music, phones, friends and other things teens allow themselves to get distracted by need to be left at home.
Often times teens are too careless to notice they are putting people and themselves in danger.
...
PUBLISHED 2-2-2007
If their sludge doesn’t stink, then Los Angeles and other Southern California sanitation districts shouldn’t mind telling us where it’s coming from and what’s in it.
That’s the essence of legislation Shafter Sen. Dean Florez has introduced. It will likely be fought by sludge generators and haulers intent on smearing their smelly ooze onto Kern County farm land.
Last year, Kern County voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot...
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