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Lies and cover ups tarnish California Air Resources Board Lies and cover ups tarnish California Air Resources Board Strange encounter ends in arrest PG&E smartmeters WILL be tested Suspcious guy at my door last night Adoption day "magical" Closing courts wrong approach Wars never end for veterans Pet adoption day in Tehachapi Nov. 21 Indian casino OK with me August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 
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It’s not the lie, it’s the cover up that’ll get you. How many times does this wisdom have to be pounded into the heads of bureaucrats? The scandal over how a lead researcher behind California’s new diesel truck rules lied about his credentials continues to grow. At Thursday’s California Air Resources Board meeting, one of the board members said the legitimacy of the rule is in question because of the lie and subsequent cover up and asked for a legal opinion on what should be done next. The problem started with Hien Tran, the lead author of the report on which the new diesel rules were based, who lied about having a Ph.D. degree in statistics from U.C. Davis. Though the lie was brought to some CARB bureaucrats’ attention well before the vote on the draconian rules last December, it was kept “in house” until I and an editorial writer for the San Diego Union Tribune got wind of it and started hammering on it early last spring. Turns out, not all the board members, who voted on the rules based on Tran’s report, were told of his lies. But some were — and kept mum. The issue was brought to the full board’s attention at its September meeting in Diamond Bar by regular citizens. At the time, board member John Telles, a medical doctor, was quite upset, saying, “This is the first time I’ve actually been apprised that there was fraud in the organization here. “In my world, if an article was published by somebody who didn’t have a Ph.D. and said he had a Ph.D., the whole thing would be nixed...I just find it incredible.” Telles also laid out a stunning chronology that revealed many CARB muckey-mucks, including chair Mary Nichols, knew about the lie before the vote and never said anything. Tran’s lie was first brought up by Dr. Stan Young in November 2008 to the California Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency, who sent Young a letter dated Nov. 4, 2008, assuring him of Tran’s credentials. Then on Dec. 3 and 4, 2008, UCLA professor Jim Enstrom contacted three CARB board members telling them of Tran’s indiscretion. One of those board members, who I’ve reported was John Balmes, asked CARB staffers to investigate. By Dec. 10, Tran had confessed. Those in the know included Nichols, Balmes and at least five other top CARB members. The vote on the diesel rules using Tran’s report was the next day, Dec. 11, 2008 and the full board wasn’t told. Even after the cat was out of the bag at last September’s meeting, Telles said, “Staff never mentioned that they had this information prior to the vote.” Based on all that, Telles said, the legitimacy of the vote is in question as well as the legitimacy of the truck rule “and CARB itself.” “How we handle this reflects on the future credibility of CARB.” Yes, it does. Just ask Richard Nixon. It’s not the lie, it’s the cover up that’ll get you. How many times does this wisdom have to be pounded into the heads of bureaucrats? The scandal over how a lead researcher behind California’s new diesel truck rules lied about his credentials continues to grow. At Thursday’s California Air Resources Board meeting, one of the board members said the legitimacy of the rule is in question because of the lie and subsequent cover up and asked for a legal opinion on what should be done next. The problem started with Hien Tran, the lead author of the report on which the new diesel rules were based, who lied about having a Ph.D. degree in statistics from U.C. Davis. Though the lie was brought to some CARB bureaucrats’ attention well before the vote on the draconian rules last December, it was kept “in house” until I and an editorial writer for the San Diego Union Tribune got wind of it and started hammering on it early last spring. Turns out, not all the board members, who voted on the rules based on Tran’s report, were told of his lies. But some were — and kept mum. The issue was brought to the full board’s attention at its September meeting in Diamond Bar by regular citizens. At the time, board member John Telles, a medical doctor, was quite upset, saying, “This is the first time I’ve actually been apprised that there was fraud in the organization here. “In my world, if an article was published by somebody who didn’t have a Ph.D. and said he had a Ph.D., the whole thing would be nixed...I just find it incredible.” Telles also laid out a stunning chronology that revealed many CARB muckey-mucks, including chair Mary Nichols, knew about the lie before the vote and never said anything. Tran’s lie was first brought up by Dr. Stan Young in November 2008 to the California Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency, who sent Young a letter dated Nov. 4, 2008, assuring him of Tran’s credentials. Then on Dec. 3 and 4, 2008, UCLA professor Jim Enstrom contacted three CARB board members telling them of Tran’s indiscretion. One of those board members, who I’ve reported was John Balmes, asked CARB staffers to investigate. By Dec. 10, Tran had confessed. Those in the know included Nichols, Balmes and at least five other top CARB members. The vote on the diesel rules using Tran’s report was the next day, Dec. 11, 2008 and the full board wasn’t told. Even after the cat was out of the bag at last September’s meeting, Telles said, “Staff never mentioned that they had this information prior to the vote.” Based on all that, Telles said, the legitimacy of the vote is in question as well as the legitimacy of the truck rule “and CARB itself.” “How we handle this reflects on the future credibility of CARB.” Yes, it does. Just ask Richard Nixon. I received a lot of reaction to my piece about the fellow who came to my door the other night, acted strangely and then ran off (see Wednesday’s paper or my blog at www.bakersfield.com). Well, he was arrested Thursday evening, still in northwest Bakersfield and still acting strangely. He didn’t do anything terribly bad and wasn’t a dangerous guy. But I feel I need to clear up what happened and point out some interesting things I learned along the way. First, the guy at my door and the people he works with are not connected to a string of “sales calls” followed by home burglaries in south and southwest bakersfield in October. Second, you need a peddler’s permit in the city or county to go door-to-door (Girl Scouts and other non- profits are exempt). And the permit only allows people to sell from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the city and 9 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset in the county. Third, the man who came to my door Tuesday night, along with a number of other young men and women that people have noticed around the city, work for a company called All Can Succeed. The company, headquartered in Omaha Nebraska and owned by Kevin Ballard. I talked to Ballard Friday. He said they hire young people from inner cities all over the country, train them to sell, then take them to various cities. “We’re 100 percent legitimate,” said Ballard, who started the company in 2006. They drop the sales teams off in neighborhoods around the city in the morning, tell them to sell, sell, sell, then pick them up in the evening That’s exactly what a group of moms I met at Haggin Oak Park Thursday afternoon thought might be the case. The sales people were all over their neighborhood earlier in the week. “I don’t think we’re being cased,” Kim Mishkind told me. “It seems more like these are young people who may be being taken advantage of by some company.” One of the young men in question, Damonte Robinson, 22, said he didn’t feel that way, but it was tough selling subscriptions door-to-door. He’d been attending community college in Los Angeles, working toward certification to service heating and air conditioning units when his financial aid ran out and he needed a job, he said. He saw an ad for All Can Succeed and thought he’d give it a try. He, like all the other All Can Succeed member including the man who came to my door, was very nicely dressed, which Robinson said is something the company stresses. “You learn the importance of good manners, a firm handshake, looking people eye-to-eye,” he said. He earns half of whatever he sells and said they get paid every night. “But this is hard, especially for me. I’m not a pushy person.” The man who came to my neighborhood, Michael Carruthers, 28, from Memphis, Tenn., had the pushy part down, but apparently not the manners. While he didn’t say much to me, he got into arguments with other neighbors, calling them racist (even an African-American man who simply asked what he was selling). The Sheriff’s department had numerous calls about Carruthers starting Tuesday night and became very concerned when they couldn’t find him, according to Sgt. Otis Whinery. So, when a call came in Thursday night, every cruiser in the Rosedale substation responded. Carruthers had no identification, no peddler’s permit and he was knocking on doors after dark. It could have been a toss-up on whether to arrest him or let him off with a warning. ButWhinery said once he became “verbally aggressive” with deputies, off he went. Rodney Ballard, also with All Can Succeed, said Carruthers was one bad apple and that the company wasn’t aware of the business license rules. He said they were fixing all that on Friday and hoped to be in Bakersfield a while longer. Just got this from Sen. Dean Florez' office. YAY! (though why it took intervention from a senator to get the CPUC to get off its duff and actually treat consumer's complaints seriously is another story!) Still, good news! And I'm also reading that customers in the Bay Area who are just now getting the smart meters are having the same complaints we did down here in Bakoland. One man emailed me from Fairfield about how his bill is normally $160 in the fall. After getting a smart meter it was $500 for last month. Not exactly a heat wave going on in Fairfield (which is on the delta) and certainly not at this time of year. What's PG&E's excuse for THAT!? Anyhow, here's Sen. Florez' release: CPUC votes to require Smart Meter testing Last month reports of a door-to-door burglary operation surfaced and then faded away. (See email string below and check out this report from KGET Oct. 30) All those previous reports happened in the city and according to BPD, they haven't had anything new in recent days. Based on what happened in my neighborhood last night, I wonder if the burglar(s) have shifted territories to northwest Bako. About 8:15 p.m. the doorbell rang and nicely dressed black man was on the door step. (Don't think I'm being racist, I'm just saying who was there!) He was in his late 20s maybe 30s, probably 5 feet, 11 inches tall and medium build. He was in a long-sleeved blue shirt, red tie and khaki pants and was carrying what appeared to be a binder or order book. Frankly, I saw the tie and the book and thought it was a political pollster. (Talk about scary!) Anyway, I have a bunch of dogs and they immediately swarmed him as he started to say, "Good evening, ma'm..." One of the dogs is mean so when he reached down to pet him I warned, "Oh, don't touch him, he doesn't like people." He tried to start his spiel again but the dogs were barking and I was yelling at them. He looked around and finally said, "Oh, never mind. God bless," and sprinted off to my neighbor's house. I thought it was odd, stepped outside to look around and saw no cars, nor did I see him at my neighbor's front door. Weird. I got to work and someone had sent my husband the email string pasted below. I freaked out and ran home for lunch to make sure the door was bolted and talked to several neighbors who said they had seen the man walking very rapidly through the neighborhood or that, yes, they'd had a knock on their door as well, but no one was there when they answered. I made a report to the Sheriff's department and was told they'd had 3 calls around the same time last night from my neighborhood from people saying they'd had a strange encounter with the same man. In one case, he made a similar fumbling attempt at a greeting then took off. In others, he argued with residents saying he was just trying to make money or, when someone asked what it was he was doing or selling, he accused them of being racist and stalked off. A deputy from the Rosedale substation scoured the area, even cruising in stealth mode with all his lights off but never saw the man. I'm not sure if it's the same person described in the emails below but you never know! Just BE CAREFUL! EMAIL STRING STARTED IN OCTOBER DESCRIBING HOW A PAIR OF POSSIBLE BURGLARS ARE GAINING ACCESS TO PEOPLE'S HOMES. NOTE: EDITED BY ME TO RE MOVE LAST NAMES AND PLACES&nb sp;OF BUSINESS This guy was also trying to sell my son and husband some solution that The same man came to my home in the McKee and South H area last night. Thankfully I have large dogs and they did not get a good vibe off of him and they were not being exactly nice. He still attempted to give me the flyer for cleaning products and when I wasn't interested he had an attitude used foul language and left. He was carrying an almost empty black bag with him. After he left the dogs would not calm down they ran in and out all evening whining and barking! I know it had to be the same guy! Thank goodness I told her I was a stay at home mom. Im off of Buena Vista and White lane so they are making the rounds. Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 11:17 AM My parents live off of Panama and Buena Vista , and I opened the door to a guy described below but immediately told him that I wasn't interested and shut the door. I laughed at his jokes and then he almost tried to walk into my house to "show me what this product could do", when he realized that my husband was sitting right there. He played it off and then asked what kind of work we did and mentioned that my neighbors said that "it was hard to get a hold of us." He was totally phishing to see when we were gone and everything. He had a brochure for his product, but when I told him that I wasn't interested he snatched it out of my hands and left. He was not successful with my door, but he did get into my neighbors house and stole hundred of dollars worth of jewelry, and a digital camera. He carries a back pack, and I am assuming that those items were stolen because they could be put in his back pack or his pockets. I did speak to police yesterday night and gave a description. There are some stories I come across that make me smile. Really. I mean that in a good way! November is National Adoption Awareness month and Friday our local courts will celebrate National Adoption Day with more than 50 adoptions. On that day, two Kern County men will happily oversee the final signing of adoption papers for the local families. And it just so happens that both those men, Kern County Superior Court Judge John Brownlee and Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall, were adopted themselves. “I am who I am today because of the wonderful parents who adopted me 68 years ago. I couldn’t have done any better than to receive the parents that I did,” Hall told me. Brownlee was equally effusive. “I think I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” he said of being adopted. Hall, who wasn’t told until he was 12 that he was adopted, never had a bit of angst about it. Neither did Brownlee, who was told right away about his parentage. “My mom was troubled about it when she told me,” Hall recalled. “I told her, ‘I’m so glad you and dad came along, you don’t need to fret over this.’” His parents picked him up in Long Beach, brought him home to Bakersfield and that’s where he’s been ever since, Hall said. “Mom and dad were mom and dad and that was just it,” said Brownlee, who grew up in Blythe riding his motorcycle, hunting and fishing. “I wouldn’t trade my childhood for anything.” Their parents, each man said, gave them something of irreplaceable value — roots. That sense of belonging is crucial to children of all ages, agreed Bethany Christman, Assistant Director of the Department of Human Services assigned to Child Welfare Services. “Being adopted is about more than giving a child a place to lay his head at night,” she said. “They also get that family’s identity, their heritage, their traditions, their history.” Kern has 2,400 children in the foster care system. Of those 600 are cleared for adoption and eagerly awaiting their forever homes. Perhaps I’m naive, but I found that number sadly high. Particularly when you consider the county finalized 281 adoptions last year. It’s great for those 281 kids and a good job by the county. But that still leaves an awful lot of kids living on hope. Christman told me things are a little better these days. In the early 2000s, the county averaged 3,000 children in the system. Still, we appear to be on the high side for our population size, according to statistics collected by the Center for Social Services Research at UC Berkeley. Kern had 8.8 children per 1,000 of our child population “in care” in July 2008, the most recent figures available. Looking at other counties with similar-sized child populations (about 250,000), we’re lower than Fresno at 9.1 per 1,000. But we’re higher than San Joaquin, 5.9 per 1,000; Contra Costa, 5.3 per 1,000; and Ventura, 2.9 per 1,000. Even looking at other valley counties, which have similar demographics, we have a higher prevalence of children in the system than all but Fresno. Christman told me comparing county data is tricky nearly to the point of being useless because approaches to child welfare differ dramatically from county to county. “We may be tougher on drugs and take more children into custody for that while other counties aren’t as concerned about exposure to drugs,” she explained. Either way, we clearly have an abundance of children here in need of permanent homes. Over her 30 years of work at the Department of Human Services, Christman (who also retires on Friday) has learned to celebrate successes wherever she finds them and adoption day is a definite success. “There are smiles all around,” she said. “It’s a good day,” echoed Brownlee, who has one adopted child as does Hall. “It’s a magical day for the parents,” Hall agreed. “And it’s invaluable for that child’s life.” Opinions expressed in this column are those of Lois Henry, not The Bakersfield Californian. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. Comment at people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/noholdsbarred, call her at 395-7373 or e-mail lhenry@bakersfield.com Adoption facts The county cannot discriminate against adoptive parents based on age, sex, marital status or housing. You have to be healthy and able to support yourself and a child. If you would like to become an adoptive parent you are required to first become a licensed foster parent, which entails a 11/2-hour orientation class followed by 27 hours of training (held evenings, mornings or weekends to accommodate various schedules) and you must be current on CPR training. There is also an extensive criminal background check. Please call 631-6600 or 631-6204 for more information or visit http://www.kcdhs.org and click through to its adoptions page. I thought closing the courts one day a month to save money was a tremendously bad idea. Then California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George answered my call and made his case for the decision. Hmmm. OK, he makes some good arguments. He is, after all, Chief Justice. But nope, sorry, your honor. I still object. Closing courts even one day a month absolutely interferes with us peon citizens’ right of access to our own justice system and that’s just not worth any amount of money it might save (an estimated $93 million for the full fiscal year, according to George.) The closure decision becomes even more wrong when you follow the money and see that the Judicial Council, via its administrative arm, imaginatively called the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), moved a whole bunch of money ($171 million) that could have helped keep courts open into funds for other things — like a fancy new computer system that’s years in the making and already way over budget, according to a Sacramento Bee expose. They’re also still paying for new courthouse construction. And oh yeah, and they had $86,000 in change laying around, so they decided to throw a three-day judicial wingding in San Francisco in June, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Meanwhile, you better check the court schedule and block out half a day if you want fight that speeding ticket in traffic court. And good luck with any civil case you might have. Kern courts, like most others, have had to prioritize, and that means criminal cases and domestic violence orders come first. “Those are being attended to,” Kern County Superior Court Judge David Lampe assured me. Lampe and all other Kern County judges have also taken a voluntary pay cut, which most are donating to a local fund for local court functions rather than giving it back to the state because, yes, they’re that ticked off about what’s happening. It’s not just that local courts are losing 10 days this fiscal year (which works out to two full work weeks). Judges are fed up with how the Judicial Council and AOC have taken more and more control over local courts and made decisions with little to no input from those affected. Recent news about the AOC hasn’t eased those concerns. The AOC was created by the Legislature about 10 years ago to handle costs — but not management — of California’s 58 individual trial court systems. Since then, it’s increased dramatically in size and scope. Shocking, I know. The Mercury News reported that from 2004 through last year, the AOC’s budget nearly doubled to more than $220 million and has gone from 490 to 901 employees, a third of whom make at least $100,000 per year. I’m no mathematician, but I bet you could save some serious dough trimming back the AOC ranks. AOC supporters have countered that it had to grow because the state increased its oversight of local courts. Not quite, according to Lampe, who helped create a new judges’ group, the Alliance of California Judges, dedicated to shining a brighter light on the Judicial Council and AOC. The Alliance sent a letter to the Judicial Council in October, saying the AOC has sacrificed public court access in order to keep itself off the chopping block and that it has overstepped its bounds by trying to wrest control of local court management, which legally belongs to county judges. As an aside, an AOC staffer actually slipped an amendment into the budget bill that would have totally done away with local control of courts. (It didn’t pass — the AOC later said the amendment was a “mistake.”) As a further aside, AOC is also talking about trying to take control of courthouse security in order to save money. That authority legally resides with each county sheriff, but the AOC will bring the issue to the Judicial Council at its January meeting. Sheriff Donny Youngblood and the Californian Sheriff’s Association are not pleased. Lampe’s Alliance group is asking for a bill of rights for court employees and creation of an advisory group made up of trial court judges to oversee financial decisions. So far, the Judicial Council hasn’t responded; Lampe said their next step may be to go to the Legislature, which already called the AOC on the carpet during an Assembly oversight hearing Oct. 28. In an attempt to damp anti-AOC sentiment, the chief justice said the closure decision was made by the Judicial Council, which he heads. “The AOC didn’t cook this up behind closed doors.” And, if anyone has a better alternative, he’s more than willing to listen. “This was a Judicial Council decision that we made — reluctantly — after substantial input from local courts,” George told me. When I asked if any Kern judges were involved, he couldn’t get that specific, saying the council has two committees, one made up of presiding judges and the other of court administrators, and he assumed both were consulted. I asked whether the council had considered holding off funding the computer system. George said even if they hadn’t fully funded the computer project (which they did) they might still have needed to close courts because they were facing a $400 million shortfall. Either way, he said, stopping midstream on the computer system would have been a terrible waste of tax dollars. “You’d be throwing away the $450 million invested so far,” he said. “If you don’t keep it going you have to start from scratch.” He praised the system, saying those who’ve tested it can’t say enough good about it and that even Homeland Security is interested. As criticism mounted over the court closures earlier this fall, George was quoted as saying, “A lot of this is an effort to dismantle the statewide administration of justice because with the statewide administration of justice comes accountability.” The comment chapped a lot of hides, particularly because the Judicial Council and AOC have been downright secretive about how, exactly, they spend our tax dollars. I asked George if he stood by that statement and he said yes. He realizes the Judicial Council and AOC can be more open with information and they’re willing to do so, he said, and he’s not impugning the debate over the closures. But they did consider other measures, such as massive layoffs or allowing locals to close dependency courts or domestic violence courts or cutting other services county by county. “The irony is, the best way of preserving access for all was actually limiting the days court were open on a consistent statewide basis,” he said. I respectfully disagree. Opinions expressed in this column are those of Lois Henry, not The Bakersfield Californian. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. Comment at people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/noholdsbarred, call her at 395-7373 or e-mail lhenry@bakersfield.com
Courts closed War never ends. I don’t mean that in the literal sense (though that does seem to be the case these days). As we thank our veterans today for their service, we need to remember that, for many, coping with the aftermath of war is a lifelong battle. Ken Cannon has spent decades coming to grips with that after watching his brother, who he called a World War II hero, drink himself to death 30 years after his homecoming. “I never cried so hard in my life as the day we buried him,” Cannon said of his older brother, James Myron Cannon. “I’ve always felt guilty that we didn’t save him.” The elder Cannon came home an Army Captian with a chest full of medals, but he never talked about what he’d seen and done in North Africa, Italy and France. “All he ever said was, ‘It was rough.’ That was it.” James married, had children and held a steady job. But his drinking increased. Ken, who served in the Air Force during the Korean War, said no one had ever heard of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) back then and they didn’t understand that alcoholism is a key symptom. The family watched helplessly as James sank further into despair, finally dying in a VA hospital in 1979, just 59 years old. “It was the war that killed him,” Ken told me, emotion still clogging his voice. “And all these young guys coming back now...boy! We gotta make sure we get ’em the help they need.” Cannon, like many of us, is shocked by the increasing suicide rates of recently returning troops from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Stories started surfacing as early as 2004 about spikes in suicides among troops. Earlier this year, the Pentagon reported that for the first time in history, the rate of suicides among returning Army soldiers (20 deaths per 100,000 soldiers) outpaced civilian suicide rates. I couldn’t find local numbers, but Chuck Bikakas with the county’s Veterans Services Department said he knew of two such cases. “You hear rumors about much higher numbers,” he said. The problem is so frightening the Army has put up $50 million to form a five-year partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health to find out why so many soldiers are killing themselves. These days, there’s no question PTSD is real and serious. There’s a lot more education and awareness about the disorder and far less stigma, at least in the civilian world. But for a warrior, admitting you have a problem can feel like admitting defeat. Retired Gunnery Sgt. Wally Beville, 37, spent 17 years in the Marine Corps until he was medically retired for a heart condition in 2007. He was in the first Gulf War and was sent to Iraq in 2004 where he was a helicopter mechanic. His job was to go in after a downed chopper and try to fix it or recover the bodies and blow up the aircraft. His team was often under fire as they worked. “More often than not, it was someone I knew that was killed.” Still, he never thought he had a problem. Instead, he drank. Then this past January, he was drinking in his garage and had a flashback. Next thing he knew he was fighting with his oldest son and his two friends. He was arrested. His wife found Frontline, a group affiliated with the National Association on Mental Illness here in town. Beville said it saved his life. “I brought my pistol with me everywhere I went,” he said. “ I honestly felt naked without it. I don’t need to do that anymore.” He said when people are put into wartime situations, certain chemicals are elevated in the brain to cope with the danger. That doesn’t change back on its own. “When I understood that my reaction was normal, that it wasn’t my fault, it was an ‘Aha!’ moment for me. It put everything in perspective.” Getting there was tough, though, especially considering the stigma of mental illness is still far worse in the military, he said. “I wish everyone could get to the path I’m on without having to walk through all the crap and all the pain I went through,” Beville said. “It’s a strength to recognize you have a problem and ask for help. “It’s not a weakness.” Opinions expressed in this column are those of Lois Henry, not The Bakersfield Californian. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. Comment at people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/noholdsbarred, call her at 395-7373 or e-mail lhenry@bakersfield.com GETTING HELP • Counselors at the new vet center (yet to be opened) are seeing people now: 868-7300. • The National Aliance on Mental Illness holds a support group for families of veterans the first and third Tuesday of every month 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Good Samaritan Hospital, southwest, 5101 White Lane. Contact Russ Sempell, 303-1416 russmft@aol.com or Patrice Maniaci, 333-5484 ksmmom@msn.com or 868-5061. www.frontlinenami.org • Lacy Gomez with Central California Family Assistance, coordinates services for vets and their families: 978-7782 or lacy.gomez@ng.army.mi. • Military One Source, (800) 342-9647 or www.militaryonesource.com arranges local counseling sessions for servicemembers and family at no cost. Help for survivors of suicide WASCO'S SACRIFICE STILL FELT BY MEMBERS OF THAT SMALL COMMUNITY The farming town of Wasco was tiny back in the 1940s, 4,196 people. But it made a huge contribution to the war effort, losing at least 23 sons in countries across the globe. One of those sons only recently made it back to native ground. After 64 years, the remains of Ray D. Packard were returned from France where his plane was shot down in 1944. He was buried last October with full military honors at the National Cemetery in Prescott, Ariz. His nephew, Ron, was his last surviving family member and accepted the flag at his service, according to news accounts. Little Wasco has a big heart when it comes to one of their own. Ray’s story touched several Wasco High grads, including Ken Cannon (Class of ‘46) who quickly jumped on the Internet to find out as much as he could about Packard (Class of ‘42). Cannon didn’t know him in school, but he remembered his name and felt the full story of Packard’s service needed to be told. Second Lt. Ray Packard was a pilot in the Army Air Force when he was sent on a mission with 21 other P-38 Lightning fighters to attack enemy airfields in France on Aug. 25, 1944. They were intercepted by more than 80 German fighters. During the dogfight, 11 P-38’s, including Packard’s, were shot down. Five of the pilots escaped, two were taken as prisoners and of the four men who were missing in action, three were recovered. Only Packard remained unaccounted for. In 1951, a U.S. Army Graves Registration Command Team investigated but only found small pieces of aircraft wreckage. Then in 2006 and 2007, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command traveled to Angy, France, and after two excavations found human remains and other evidence, including Packard’s dog tags. His remains were brought home and laid to rest Oct. 22, 2008. “On this Veterans Day, keep this account of one service person’s heroic and agonizing story in your thoughts as well as all of the other service personnel serving now or in the past,” Cannon wrote in a tribute to the former Wasco High alum. “Freedom comes at a price.” — Lois Henry Read a few of the letters home from Capt. James Cannon to his family. The Humane Society and others in Tehachapi do a great job of rescuing animals and getting them new homes. I got a nice note about the need for people to consider older dogs when adoption and thought I'd share: The next adoption day will be Saturday, Nov. 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Radio Shack at 1121 W. Valley Blvd. You can preview the pets by going to http://www.petfinder.com, scroll down the left side of the page to where it says "Find animal welfare groups" and type in Have-A-Heart Humane Society, then when the new page comes up, click on "adoptable pets." You can also call the human society at: 661-823-7649 or 661-557-7876 (cell) The weather should still be nice making it a fun day to just be in the mountains, even better would be coming home with a new four-legged friend! Now here's the lovely story of the joy of older pets: I, (Chelley Kitzmiller) my husband Ted and my daughter Gina, have devoted our lives and our businesses (Radio Shack and Books & Crannines) to rescuing and finding new homes for pets. Some pets are easily adopted, like the purebred Pug, Bojangles, who got adopted within 10 minutesat adoption day. But other dogs and cats, usually the not so adorable, the iffy mix breeds, the elderly and the pets with medical problems are often overlooked. Little Opal was one of those “other” dogs. She and her sidekick, Arnie were found wandering the streets when animal control picked them up and took them to the Mojave Shelter. Both dogs are Chihuahuas, which is the first strike against them because the shelters are overflowing with Chihuahuas. Both dogs are overweight. Both are old, Arnie is approximately 10 old and Opal is around 12. Both had such bad teeth their breath was enough to send people fleeing in panic. What these two little dogs did have going for them was that they were very sweet, loving and happy to please. Nevertheless, the shelter said they would have to be put down unless someone rescued them. Julie Suggs, our local animal control officer, paid me an unexpected visit and told me about the porky pair and asked me if I could rescue them. A deep breath, a sigh and a groan was followed by a yes. So, I picked them up, took them to the vet and had their teeth cleaned. Opal ended up toothless and Arnie lost 9 rotten teeth. A few days later Opal got sick, so back to the vet for blood work and X-rays. The diagnosis was that little Opal had a serious infection and a large bladder stone. But little Opal rallied and improved every day. It seems the teeth cleaning and all the bacteria in her mouth had caused her illness. But of course there was still the bladder stone. Even though her prognosis for a healthy but not terribly long life (maybe 4-5 years) was good if she stayed on prescription dog food, I figured no one would adopt my little darling. Still, I faithfully took her to adoption day. People thought she was adorable but when they learned her age, they passed her by. And then a miracle happened this last Saturday, Nov. 11, 2009. A nice retired lady and her husband came in and the lady said she’d seen Opal at the last adoption day and couldn’t stop thinking about her. “I want to adopt her,” she said. I told her Opal’s medical history and she still wanted to adopt her. So my little darling went to her new home where she will be the only dog and where she’ll be doted on for the rest of her life. This is why all of us in pet rescue do what we do. . Please, this holiday season, when giving is on your mind, think about the animals—think about becoming a pet foster. Yes, it’s a hard job and sometimes a heartbreaking job, but the joys and rewards are pretty amazing. There are a lot more little Opal’s out there and plenty of highly adoptable pets as well who need one caring person to help them. That person can be you. And if you absolutely can’t foster, dip into your pocket and fill those donation boxes around town or write your favorite pet rescue a check. And when it’s time to do your will or living trust, remember the animals you’ve had in your life and the joy they brought you and leave something to the animals. Now, it’s little Arnie’s turn to find his new forever home. Happy Holidays, ABOUT ARNIE: 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) Oh yes, if the Tejon Indian tribe gains federal recognition, Kern County will likely have an Indian gaming casino in its future. Probably somewhere near Mettler, close to Interstate 5. And I’m fine with that. I’m not a gambler, but other people enjoy it and as long as it’s legal, who am I to stand in their way? As for arguments that Indian casinos don’t play by the same rules as other gaming houses in California, that people aren’t protected by the same liability rules, safety regulations and other laws when they’re in those casinos, I say, yup, caveat emptor, my friend. Things are different in Mexico, Canada and other countries all over the world. People who harp about how Indian casinos get special treatment because they’re not subject to the same taxation as other businesses sound like they’re talking through a big old mouth of sour grapes to me. Native Americans weren’t exactly dealt a fair hand back in the day. We (and by that I mean the U.S. government — not you or I personally, so calm down) took their land, killed their people and gave them smallpox in return. As a small, “’scuse our genocide” token, the federal government created the reservation system, which gave recognized tribes sovereign rights. Well, they found a way to use those rights to their benefit. Ahhh! The American way! But back to the Tejon tribe. If you’ve never heard of them, don’t feel bad. The Chumash and Yokuts seem to have gotten more notice over the years. There are more than 200 registered members, many of whom still live in the area. They have regular meetings and four major events a year, he said. A couple of their members are trained as archeologists and regularly called to check construction sites for Native American habitation. The tribe is also in the process of contacting a linguist to help bring back their language, as the Tubatulabal in the Kern River Valley did several years ago. Documentation on the Tejon tribe is extensive. The federal government knew about them, set aside lands for them, helped build a church and school on those lands and even sent representatives to check on them after the 1952 earthquake. The reservation, which was mostly uninhabitable hillsides, was dissolved in the 1960s. Then when the government decided to list all recognized tribes in the 1970s, the Tejon were left off. “We had always had a government-to-government relationship,” Appodaca said. “Then it just stopped. Our contention is we were recognized but were left off the list through an administrative error.” (In the interest of full disclosure, Appodaca works for The Californian in new business development, but I did not know about his connection to the tribe until I started making calls looking for a tribal spokesperson. Small world, huh?) He and his aunt, Kathy Morgan, chairwoman of the tribe, have been working for federal recognition going on 15 years or more, he said. At the end of September, they met with the undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and showed they had jumped through all the hoops to prove their bloodlines. He was supposed to get back to them in 30 days, which was up on Nov. 1. Appodaca sighed when I asked what their next move was. That will likely involve lawyers. Speaking of lawyers, the tribe has some good ones through Patton Boggs, a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm specializing in indian recognition issues. They were hired in 2008 and since have been paid nearly $300,000 on the tribe’s behalf. Appodaca acknowledged they have a “financial backer” who’s helping them, but he declined to tell me who that was. He wouldn’t even say how the tribe hooked up with this backer. Clearly, the backer is betting on a casino. “It’s really a crap shoot for him, though,” Appodaca said, noting the ongoing struggle for recognition. If they gain recognition, the tribe will consider a number of economic development methods, including a casino, he said. The primary goal is to create funding so they can take care of older tribal members and provide for the education of the children. A casino would be the fastest, most effective way to do that. I spoke with Supervisor Don Maben, who said a casino wouldn’t be a good fit for Kern. He cited law enforcement issues and the arguments I listed already. Casinos may not be subject to direct taxation, but they bring money in other ways — such as jobs, tourism and other contributions to the community. Seems to me Indian casino would be a much better fit than prisons and sludge dumps. Opinions expressed in this column are those of Lois Henry, not The Bakersfield Californian. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. Comment at people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/noholdsbarred, call her at 395-7373 or e-mail lhenry@bakersfield.com I may have had this info before, but have been asked for it again so here goes: After State Sen. Dean Florez', hearing in Bakersfield Oct. 5 regarding problems with PG&E's SmartMeters and rate hike, a local group was formed to try and deal with this issue. TURNaroundBakersfield is a local chapter of the state utility watchdog group called TURN (The Utility Reform Network) based in San Francisco. The local group hopes to keep pressure on PG&E as well as the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to correct billing problems and get some independent verification of the SmartMeters' accuracy. The locals are also circulating a petition with a laundry list of demands to the PUC and Legislature including an investigation of the SmartMeter program. For more information contact Liz Keogh at (661) 872-1898 or elizkeo@aol.com. After Florez held a similar hearing in Fresno, a local group there was also formed. For more information on the Fresno group, contact Marin Cantu (559) 224-1935 or mifamiliacantu@yahoo.com. Anyone out there know how I can reach any members or leaders of Tejon Indian Tribe? A lawsuit was filed this week in Kern County on behalf of everyone in California who believes they’ve been ripped off by PG&E’s SmartMeter program. The suit, filed by El Segundo firm Kirtland & Packard, is seeking class action status and lists eleven charges against the utility. Among other things, PG&E is accused of knowingly installing meters that overcharge for actual electricity use, lying about the meters’ accuracy and the overall program’s benefit to consumers, ignoring customers’ complaints and misrepresenting rate hikes tied to the SmartMeter program to both consumers and the Public Utilities Commission. State Senator Dean Florez, who held a hearing on the issue in Bakersfield and Fresno, agreed. “PG&E’s case to the PUC for smart meters was so shot with bias against consumers that it doesn’t surprise me that PG&E is being taken to court,” he said, though he felt PUC commissioners are to blame as well. Bakersfield was ground zero for the SmartMeter program, with more than 250,000 new meters installed in starting in 2007. By early 2008, reports began bubbling up about soaring bills. Then in March of this year, a steep rate hike went into effect and by summer some local residents saw their bills go into the stratosphere with 200 percent to 400 percent increases over the same months for the previous year and no apparent increase in usage. Complaints flooded in and more than 200 people came Florez’ hearing to vent and try to find answers. Florez followed up with several demands to PG&E and the PUC, which were answered in lukewarm fashion. The lawsuit references the hearing and notes that even then, PG&E representatives didn’t take action. “PG&E has refused to acknowledge to (customers) that there is even a problem, so a lawsuit may be the only way to get at the truth here,” attorney Michael Kelly said in an email statement. PG&E maintains its SmartMeters aren’t the problem. “PG&E stands behind its SmartMeter program,” said Denny Boyles, the utility’s local spokesman. “The allegations in the lawsuit are untrue and have no merit.” One of the demands sent by Florez was for an independent party to test meter accuracy, which the PUC and PG&E have both agreed to. IF YOU WANT TO JOIN THE& nbsp;SUIT Kirtland and Packard would still like to hear from other PG&E customers having problems with the SmartMeters. And you can read the lawsuit here 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. A bad reputation is hard to shake. The Department of Fish and Game is finding that out, particularly in the Kern River Valley, as it shops around its environmental review documents on stocking the river with fish. The department was sued in 2006 by the Pacific Rivers Council and Center for Biological Diversity because it had never done an EIR on how fish stocking affects native species. A Sacramento Superior Court judge agreed with the plaintiffs and ordered Fish and Game to do an EIR by Dec. 30, 2008. The department couldn’t meet the deadline (that was Strike One to a lot of Kern River Valley folks) and asked for an extension, which they got, but at a price. All stocking of fish in water that held certain “species of concern,” as outlined by the plaintiffs, had to stop. Yup, you guessed it, one of those species of concern was wriggling around in the waters of the Kern River — the hard head minnow. So stocking in the Kern ended a year ago this month. “There was no notice, nothing,” Donna James, who with her husband runs Camp James on the Kern River near Kernville, said. Almost overnight, she said, fishing dried up — and then so did her business. Some businesses in the Kern River Valley saw as much as a 40 percent decline, said Jim Hunt, former president of the Friends of the Hatchery, the Kern River hatchery that farms the rainbow trout Fish and Game uses to stock the river. Strike Two for Fish and Game — and this was the biggie — came in April when residents like Hunt believe the department welshed on a promise to ask the plaintiffs if they could resume stocking, based on studies showing the rainbow trout has no impact on the hard head minnow. They had done so with three other bodies of water (and were turned down on all three) but not the Kern. Fish and Game’s spokesman on this issue, James Starr, said the director decided not to ask for relief on the Kern as the hard head minnow’s status would be explored in the EIR. Without approval of that document, Starr said, they feared it could open them to legal action. Umm, I’m not sure how the action gets any more “legal” than it already is. Maybe the Kern would have been turned down as well, Hunt allows. But at least residents would have felt Fish and Game had honored a commitment and gone to bat for the community. Hunt resigned his post as president of Friends of the Hatchery in protest. “We’re past that now. It’s spilt milk,” said Starr, who insisted Fish and Game has been forced to play defense by the environmental groups and had every decision forced on them. “Right now, we need people to focus on the EIR.” OK. But the EIR isn’t exactly helping. Under Alternative 2, Fish and Game’s preferred alternative, it very clearly says the Kern River would not be stocked. Starr told me you can’t take that sentence out of context. He said the full alternative says the department will operate under current guidelines but will add a mitigation measure, which is a kind of stock/no stock checklist. Under that checklist one of the questions is whether the stocked fish harm any species of concern. In the hard head minnow’s case, the answer is no, according to the EIR. So, bing, bang, boom, it’s good to go. Hunt heard the same explanation at several public meetings and isn’t convinced. “They haven’t been forthright in doing what they said they would do in the past, so it’s hard for anyone in this community to have any confidence.” While the spotlight has so far been on the hard head minnow, even greater difficulties could be posed by another species of concern: the Little Kern golden trout. Typically found in the river and its tributaries above Johnsondale Bridge, this guy has been on the protected list for decades and stocking in its range ceased many years ago. So Fish and Game’s EIR gives it only passing mention. That may not be good enough for the plaintiffs, according to Chris Frissell, conservation director for Pacific Rivers Council. “The native trout is our biggest concern,” he told me. “Will this document tell us that?” Frissell asked. An initial reading of the EIR shows “uneven coverage,” Frissell said. “We don’t think they’ve considered the full sweep of concerns.” Uh-oh. Comments are accepted until Nov. 16 on the state portion of the EIR and Nov. 30 on the federal portion. It all goes back to the judge Jan. 10, 2010. The judge could OK it, the plaintiffs could sue or it could get shipped back to Fish and Game for revisions. Either way, Kern River Valley businesses will likely watch their business head for better fishing elsewhere, Hunt said. Incidentally, Fish and Game was asked twice to do the EIR and gave zero response before the groups sued. “We’re not anti-fishing,” Frissell said. “Most of our members are anglers.” Had Fish and Game been forthcoming with the information, Frissell said: “We probably wouldn’t have filed the lawsuit at all.” Hmmm. Government operating in a transparent, responsive manner. We could all stock up on that. Opinions expressed in this column are those of Lois Henry, not The Bakersfield Californian. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. Comment at people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/noholdsbarred, call her at 395-7373 or e-mail lhenry@bakersfield.com
HOW TO COMMENT Go to the California Department of Fish and Game’s website to read the EIR on its fish stocking program. Oh brother. Check out County Govt. Reporter James Burger's blog on how the Board of Supervisors ducked making a hard decision on whether to allow a concrete crushing plant to be plopped right next to houses. Hey, I wish the guy could just go ahead with his business too. We need the jobs and his land is zoned heavy industrial. But moronic planning decisions of the past and recent past have not put homes within 500 feet of this proposed noisy, dusty operation. Not to mention, the roads already can't handle the traffic out there. Ten extra truck trips a day are 10 too many. Supervisors just couldn't do it, though. So the issue is coming back in several months. Perhaps a magical solution will present itself. But since one hasn't popped up over the last half year, I highly doubt it.
John Balmes, who serves on the California Air Resources Board, didn't like my Oct. 21 column about how the board needs to do some serious clean up after it was revealed one of their lead researchers had lied about his degree. Oh, and the report this researcher put out was relied on by the board to create strict diesel emissions rules that may very well cripple California's trucking and construction industries. Anyhoo, I interviewed Balmes for that column. Here's his reply, which we ran in our op ed pages on Sunday, Nov. 1. Lois Henry’s Oct. 21 column, “State air board can’t ignore credibility problems,” is another attempt to change the conversation about the reason the California Air Resources Board is working to cut diesel emissions: public health. Residents of Bakersfield endure some of the nation’s worst air quality while asthma levels are on the rise, particularly in children. Fine particulate matter that can be breathed deep into the lungs is widely recognized by the scientific community to be a cause of asthma exacerbations, hospitalization for heart and lung problems, and even premature death. Diesel particulate matter, or soot, is the most pervasive toxic air contaminant in California and is considered particularly hazardous because truck drivers and railroad workers exposed on the job have been shown to have increased risk of lung cancer and heart disease. CARB has already adopted regulations to clean up trash trucks, transit buses, cargo-handling equipment, port trucks, harbor craft and ship engines, as well as diesel fuel itself. Isn’t it time that diesel trucks and construction equipment do their fair share to clean the air as well? To ease the cost of compliance for smaller firms, the board rule gave companies subject to the off-road diesel equipment rules an extended deadline to meet the standards, and recently changed the rule to give even more time for all companies to comply. Any attempt to regulate a compound as widespread in our economy as diesel soot must be based on clear and convincing scientific evidence that it is a health threat. It should come as no surprise that the science continues to be debated, or that advocacy organizations will continue to try to discredit or support the studies that the board relied on in making the finding that diesel emissions constitute a toxic health threat. Research on the relationship between airborne particles (like diesel soot) and health effects has been going on for many years and will no doubt continue as scientists attempt to understand and refine the exact nature and degree of the problem. The report that Henry criticizes is a compilation and evaluation of current research reported in the scientific literature. It was subjected to a rigorous independent scientific peer review prior to its release. After CARB management was made aware of the fact that a career employee who played a key role in preparing that report had falsely claimed to have completed his Ph.D. from an accredited university, CARB asked the same group of 10 external experts to reconsider their prior comments in light of this employee’s bad judgment. All nine that responded confirmed their original comments on the report. (The employee was also subject to a disciplinary proceeding.) We support continued debate based on real science and data and believe it can only strengthen our program. Based on the record we have reviewed, we believe that the evidence supports the urgency of reducing public exposure to diesel soot (as do many public agencies and health organizations worldwide), and we continue to support reasonable, technically feasible regulations as well as financial incentives to do so. John R. Balmes, M.D., has served on the California Air Resources Board since 2007 as an expert on the impacts of air pollution on public health, and is professor of medicine at UC San Francisco and professor of environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley. |
