I picked up some detailed results from June's 4th District Supervisor's race between challenger Cliff Thompson and Supervisor Ray Watson.

As predicted, the deciding factor in the race was the vote in Bakersfield.

And Watson stomped Thompson in Bakersfield. The margin was 8606 votes for Watson to 4584 for Thompson. That's a commanding 65 percent of the vote for Watson.

The city with the next highest number of 4th District voters — Wasco with 1,279 total votes — went Watson's way too with 57 percent of voters favoring the incumbant.

Thompson won, unsurprisingly, in his native Taft and in nearby Maricopa.

But with only 1292 voters at stake in the two cities, Thompson's commanding wins there didn't help him enough.

What also hurt him was the results of voting in the unincorporated areas of the 4th District.

With 6689 votes up for grabs in unincoporated areas speaking to voters there was more inmportant than Taft, Maricopa and Wasco altogether.

Thompson ran a campain that bashed Watson for ignoring outlying areas of his district. Thompson had strong supporters (and Watson detractors) in Frazier Park, Pine Mountain Club and outlying areas of Rosedale.

And he won the most voters in the unincorporated area — by a single vote. Thompson got 3330 votes. Watson got 3329.

That hollow win in the county areas of the 4th District sealed Thompson's fate.

James Burger

Californian staff writer

John McCain used a common political joke when answering a reporter's question he thought was loaded.

Said McCain, chuckling, "And I stopped beating my wife just a couple of weeks ago."

Anyway, this correspondent from ABC is all excited about it.

Read the story here.

Ralph Nader's remarks about Barack Obama that were published yesterday are causing a political uproar.

Nader told the Rocky Mountain News that Obama is trying to "talk white" and to appeal to "white guilt."

Read the whole story here.

STATEMENT
Assemblywoman Nicole Parra
Assemblyman George Plescia
Congressman Kevin McCarthy


Responding to statements by the Kern County Democratic Party that Assemblywoman Nicole Parra should be stripped of her credentials as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, and two former Republican Leaders in the California State Assembly said:

Assemblywoman Parra: “If it weren’t so ridiculous, I would allow myself to be amused by hyperbolic assertions that I am disloyal to the Democrat party. Especially since these assertions come from Democrats who stood by while Dean Florez actively worked against me in the general election in 2004. I am certain that they did not send him a Voter Registration form during that particular intra-party insurgency to recommend that he switch his party affiliation.

I am a lifelong Democrat who passionately believes in the precepts and principals represented by my party. I am and continue to be a person who believes in the ideas espoused by the Democratic Party.

I was elected to represent California’s 30th district as a Democrat but have proudly served all my constituents as their Representative in the California Assembly.”

Former Republican Assembly Leader George Plescia said: “"I guess that "loyalty" is selective and has a shelf life of milk left out of the fridge too long, since Dean Florez actively worked against Parra in 2004.

Nicole Parra has competently represented this district for six years, and I think that it is a case of her introducing the candidate who she thinks will best represent this district, in that tradition; in this case, Danny Gilmore"

Congressman Kevin McCarthy said: “Dean Florez worked to defeat Nicole Parra. He met personally with me.”

 

The Kern County Democratic Party has had it with Nicole Parra. It wants her to lose staff, credentials, the works. All just because she's supporting a Republican to take over for her.

Two of the letters sent by the party are attached. Feel the burn!

From politico.com comes the story of two Muslims who were banned from sitting with Obama during photos or television interviews so their headscarves wouldn't appear in the pictures.

It's an interesting read and delves into the tightrope politicians walk when trying to construct a public 'image.'

Read it here.

Man, do we take some punches from comedian and radio personality Harrison on Advocate.com today. He obviously came to see the first day of gay marriage here.

He starts out calling us the "8,000 square mile backwoods county of Kern" — and he's not just talking geography — then chronicles a fight he had with the clerk's office today.

Here's how the fight scene opens:

As I entered the County Administrative Building, five sheriff’s deputies squintily eyeballed me as I stepped into the elevator. The second-floor county clerk’s office, encased behind glass, revealed a timid receptionist who quietly signaled the office staff that an outsider was present.

You can read the whole thing here:

It's around 1:50 p.m. Tuesday and the first marriage of the afternoon has taken place. The couple, who teared up in joy as they said their vows, were shy about talking to a reporter, so we left them to enjoy their moment.

I'm the only media guy out on the terrace now, except for the dedicated AP photographer who's been pumping photos out to the world all morning.

The clerks office has scheduled 21 marriage license appointments this afternoon  —  starting at around 2:10 p.m. There are only three open slots left.

Clerks officials handed out 29 licenses - most but not all to same sex couples - during the morning session.

Organizer Whitney Weddell congratulated Ann Barnett and her staff for conducting themselves in a competent, professional manner. Clerks were plesant and ready to get the job done, Weddell said.

Andrew Lucas and Colleen Ivy woke up this morning and thought today would be a good day to get their marriage license.

"We didn't realize this was happening," Lucas said as they walked from the now-quiet county building. "No idea," Ivy added laughing.

They had no idea they needed an appointment either. Luckily there was one opening. They waited 10 minutes.

The electrician and receptionist will be married July 12.

One protester holding a small orange sign with two bumper-stickers in Spanish "Matrimonio es hombre + mujer" and "Cristo = vida pecado = muerte" Marriage is a man and woman, Christ is life, sin is death.

Edith Sanchez, in her black skirt and yellow jacket, wandered through the courtyard where ceremonies are being held with her sign.

She had a few minutes in the mix before two Bakersfield Police officers approached.

"That's your area," one said indicating the sidewalk. "This is their area."

She said, "OK, OK," as she walked backwards smiling, holding her sign a little higher.

Bystanders clapped as she moved away from the crowd.

Roy Burgess, the supervising security attendant in the county building, said there were no special rules for today's ceremony, but no one can interrupt proceedings.

Protesters are allowed to be on the sidewalk. But aside from Sanchez, all has been quiet and peaceful. 

larger view

It was close to 9 a.m. when the first gay couple wed. There was barely a hint of a breeze, the sun was shining through the trees and a man sprinkled the ground beneath their feet with yellow and red rose petals.

Karen Briefer and Kathi Gose were surrounded by a crowd, mostly media peppered with their loved ones. (one reporter actually leaned in to the couple and said something along the lines of, "excuse me, so, are you getting married now?" what gave her that idea?)

The Briefer-Gose family, who had what they called a spiritual ceremony 11 years ago, exchanged vows acknowledging the love that they had committed to one another through their lives.

Rev. Tetzlaff lifted her voice with clear excitement when the time came to say: “Now, by the powers invested in me by the state of California.” The cheers came before she could pronounce the couple wed.

The couple attempted to make their way to a table to put all proper signatures in their proper places.

"Where's my other half?" Gose, in her green-palm tree buttondown shirt, said searching the crowds for her wife in the matching blue one.

Someone shouted that she'd been waylaid by the media. Gose dragged Briefer by the belt as friends laughed and joked - which one wears the pants in this family.

"We both do," Gose said.
 

Long-time activist Whitney Weddell and her partner of two years, Lori Renee, were the first same-sex couple in Kern County to receive a marriage license.

The two were one of three couples seated at desks in the clerk’s office (where county clerk Ann Barnett was nowhere to be seen). They showed their ID, shuffled paperwork, paid their fee, raised their right hands and agreed to the oath read by the county worker.

The couple, dressed in matching black suits with burgundy vests and one small bouquet of flowers, will soon head to their ceremony outside the county building.

At another table, one clerk even snapped a photograph with a disposable camera for soon-to-be-married Carol Lair and Colette Shewcraft.

At the far end of the room, Shelby Himes, in a flowing white gown, sat with her partner, Amelia Cravens, waiting to take the first steps toward marriage even though the couple already had a ceremony in April. (Shelby, who had been dreaming of a big wedding, was thrilled she could wear the dress twice, Amelia said.)

Dozens of media stretched beyond the rope barrier trying to capture every second of the historical moment.

Then, when asked if there were any questions, the newly licensed Weddell said as she pushed back in her chair, “can we go now?”

As couples emerged from the office, the crowd of a couple dozen burst into applause and cheers of joy.

Weddell and Renee, grinning arm in arm, said they were thrilled.

“As far as Ann Barnett’s concerned, we’re thankful that she issued the license,” Weddell said.
 

Before 8 a.m. all was quiet around the Clerk’s office.

The Rev. Byrd Tetzlaff of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Kern County is hanging out in the shaded courtyard.

She performed one ceremony already – the renewal of vows for congregants of her church, Will and Louise Cooper.

They’ve been married 28 years,Will said. “It was such a wonderful day of marriages, my wife said she wanted to be a part of it.”

“Let freedom roll, let justice flow like rivers,” Will said again and again.

Inside the county administrative center, Nancy Lawson, special county division chief, was overseeing final setup for the licensing process. A few tables are set up outside the clerks office for those wishing to make appointments to get a license. Those who already have an appointment can go inside and wait their turn.

The appointment process is a temporary situation, likely for just the first week that gay and lesbian couples can also get licenses.

“We were told we would be bombarded, but we really haven’t seen that yet,” Lawson said.

Forty one couples have appointments so far.

We’ll keep you posted.
 

Earlier this week, Kern High School District trustee Chad Vegas, also pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Bakersfield, used the pulpit to rally opposition to gay marriage.

He also, as private citizen Vegas,  sent an e-mail to all five Kern County supervisors in support of county auditor/controller Ann Barnett — who stopped all civil marriage ceremonies Friday, following a California Supreme Court decision to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In it, he threatens to try to remove from office any supervisor who opposes Barnett.

But experts we talked to, from the ACLU, to a local pastor, to a local tax professional, all said he had not violated any laws relating to the separation of church and state, or compromised his church's tax-exempt status.

“As long as he’s doing it as a private citizen, he can do whatever he wants,” said Robert Gardner EA, a local tax professional.

"The first amendment applies to me just as much as it applies to anybody else,” Vegas said.

Posted on kerndemocrats.com, the e-mail says such things as, “I am writing to make you aware of my ardent support for Ann Barnett. Please support her. Further, please know that I will work vigorously to remove from office any supervisor that does not support her in this difficult time...I want to make it clear that nothing short of complete opposition to homosexual marriage will be tolerated!...Please don’t hide behind your oath on an issue this important. Your oath was to uphold the constitution, not to uphold every stupid law or judicial decision that comes around. At times, civil disobedience is the only way to keep your oath.”

What the law says

The Internal Revenue Service’s “Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations” says churches can jeopardize their special tax exempt status under certain conditions, one of which is vaguely worded and states that “they must not devote a substantial part of their activities to attempting to influence legislation.”

Another one is clearer: “they must not participate in, or intervene in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.”
Vegas is sure he is protected not only because he sent the e-mail as private citizen Chad Vegas, not involving his church at all in the matter, but also because his First Amendment rights ensure his freedom of speech.

In his latest church newsletter, also sent out this week by e-mail to some 200 recipients, most of them congregants at Sovereign Grace, Vegas writes, “As I prepare to preach this coming Father’s Day, I am struck by the cultural irony that faces us. Our nation is celebrating fatherhood at the same time that our state is legalizing marriages that can not produce children.”

After stating that he plans to preach on Father’s Day about “how the Bible informs masculinity,” Vegas urges his followers to pray for their church. “Pray we will be holy,” he says. “Pray for our state as well. Pray we will overturn homosexual marriage this November.”

He ends the newsletter with a “Protect Marriage in Kern County Contact List,” wherein he includes contact information for each member of the Kern County Board of Supervisors, as well as instructions on how to submit a letter to the editor of The Californian.

The Rev. Larry Dotson, pastor of Daybreak Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist Congregation, called the possibility of Sovereign Grace losing tax-exempt status over Vega’s comments in the newsletter “a non-issue.”

“You’ve got a pastor who’s taking a stand against a certain moral issue that has become law.” That happens all the time, Dotson said, with pastors addressing such issues as abortion or human rights.

“Churches have a lot of leeway in their communications to their congregants and it's also known they have mobilized voters informally,” said Tessie Borden, communications specialist at the ACLU of Southern California.

“I don’t know of any church that’s gotten in trouble for taking a stance against a law.”
Endorsing a political candidate, however, is another matter, Dotson said, and “pastors, as a whole, don’t generally go out and promote a particular candidate.”

Gardner agreed with Dotson on his assessment of the newsletter.

“He’s not talking pro or con against a particular person,” he said of Vegas. “He’s talking about an issue that they believe strongly about in his church, apparently. I don’t know that it’s particularly detrimental.”

He warned, however, that it’s not a good idea for churches to emphasize issues from the pulpit too much. “Don’t dwell on it so much that that’s your whole emphasis,” he said. “You have to be careful that you don’t overstep your bounds,” he admonished, for a very good reason: “In a lot of churches you’re going to have Republicans and Democrats and they’ve got different ideas.”

Vegas defended both his newsletter and e-mail comments.

“I am legally entitled to call on my congregation to fight for issues that are directly related to our faith,” he wrote to Californian assistant managing editor and columnist Lois Henry about his newsletter. “It is perfectly legal and legitimate to tell them to stand up for truth. I have called for similar action on abortion, and I would have called for it on civil rights had I been alive during that era.”

About his e-mail to county supervisors, he said on the phone, “When people stand for something that is wrong and you don’t believe in it, you work to remove them from office.”

What do you think?

--Louis Medina, Californian staff writer

larger view

This is just so sad. I really admired Tim Russert and never missed Meet the Press. We need him to grill the presidential candidates!

Here's NBC's latest story:

WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after being stricken at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58.

Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” broadcast when he collapsed, the network said.

He had recently returned from Italy, where his family was celebrating the graduation of Russert’s son, Luke, from Boston College.

No further details were immediately available.

Russert was best known as host of “Meet the Press,” which he took over in December 1991. Now in its 60th year, “Meet the Press” is the longest-running program in the history of television.

Here's the rest: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25145431/

She speaks!

Embattled Auditor-Controller-County Clerk Ann Barnett talked to the L.A. Times Thursday about her decision to end all civil marriages in her office. Here's today's story:

Ann Barnett says she's always tried to do the right thing, whether for her church, her five children, her husband of 31 years or the people she serves as Kern County's elected clerk and auditor-controller.

So she's bewildered by the anger that's come her way since she decided -- just before gay marriages become legal -- to stop holding all civil weddings at her county offices.

On Thursday, she appeared stung by critics who have labeled her a "religious terrorist" and called for her resignation; by the hate mail that has flooded her office; by the unceasing requests for interviews, so many that she has unplugged her home phone.

"I'm just a county clerk trying to do my job," said the tall and soft-spoken 53-year-old, dressed in business attire, hands folded primly on her lap. "I wasn't out to make a statement."

But critics say Barnett is not doing her job -- at least not fully.

For more, click here.

And here's the N.Y. Times story on our gay marriage issue.

The way we figure things, every civil marriage Kern County performs brings in $7.78 of pure profit to the Kern County Clerk's office.

Get the full story here.

From what we've been told by the Kern County Personnel Department and the General Services Department it costs the county $22.22 per ceremony to keep the lights on, the floor clean, the rooms secure, the air cool and the staff paid so marriages can be performed.

Since each ceremony brings in $30, the profit is obvious — using our numbers.

Kern County Auditor Controller Ann Barnett said our numbers don't include administrative costs. We're hoping she'll give us those numbers and help us understand them on Friday.

Then we'll write about this all again.

James Burger

Californian staff writer

P.S. Props to some of our bloggers out there who were thinking along similar lines as we were on this story. Keep thinking out there in blog land. We like diggers. 

This is being circulated by Ken Mettler of the Bakersfield Republican Assembly:

Action Alert for All Kern County Citizens
June 12, 2008

Please forward to everyone you know

HOW TO PROTECT TRADIONAL MARRIAGE IN KERN COUNTY

On June 10, the Kern County Board of Supervisors received the Marriage Protection Ordinance, which would stop homosexual “marriage” licenses from being issued in our county. You can read it here: www.savecalifornia.com/MarriageProtectionOrdinanc e_0608.pdf

The board CAN and SHOULD pass the Marriage Protection Ordinance because the California Constitution allows county governments to pass ordinances to protect real marriage between a man and a woman.

Our out-of-control California Supreme Court in a 4 to 3 opinion has told children they should consider having a homosexual “marriage” which they grow up! Because a man + a man or a woman + a woman is just like a man + a woman, right? Wrong!

TAKE ACTION NOW

Homosexual “marriages” will be happening in Kern County in less than a week. Please take immediate action.

Call all five supervisors and tell them “I want you to vote for the Marriage Protection Ordinance. You swore to uphold the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic and the statutes. The Constitution says judges can’t make new laws and that counties may pass ordinances not in conflict with California statutes. The statutes still say marriage is only for a man and a woman, a bride and a groom. Kern County must follow the California statutes and should pass the Marriage Protection Ordinance, which upholds the written Constitution, the written statutes, the democratic process, and most of all, the sacred institution of marriage between a man and a woman, a bride and a groom.”

Jon McQuiston 868-3650 district1@co.kern.ca.us
Especially call if you live in Oildale, Shafter, McFarland, Delano, Lake Isabella, Kernville, Inyokern, Ridgecrest, Randsburg

At the June 10 supervisors meeting, McQuiston said: “Over and over I heard today, the will of the people.  The will of the people, if that were the only basis of our constitutional rights…if we took a vote today, the will of the people would be that we don’t pay taxes…Courts are the final arbiter of what the constitution is….but I believe the ruling was wrong.”

Don Maben 868-3660 district2@co.kern.ca.us
Especially call if you live in south Bakersfield along 99, Mettler, and southeast county including Tehachapi, Mojave, California City, Rosamond, Boron

At the June 10 supervisors meeting, Maben said: “I want to ask Mr. Baumann [the county’s attorney] to report back here on July 8 [on whether other county employees can perform both homosexual “marriages” and man-woman marriages]…and…to determine exactly what the impact on her [County Clerk Ann Barnett] budget would be to perform those ceremonies…and on the interesting issue…that other counties can commission citizens of this county [to perform both homosexual “marriages” and man-woman marriages].”

Mike Maggard 868-3670 district3@co.kern.ca.us
Especially call if you live in north, northwest, and northeast Bakersfield)

At the June 10 supervisors meeting, Maggard said: “I am opposed to same-sex marriage. I supported Proposition 22. But I live in a society of laws and I will, as I swore an oath to do, uphold the law…the difficulty is what is the law? It is worthwhile to consider this ordinance…it’s certainly fair and worthwhile to do this.”

Ray Watson 868-3680 district4@co.kern.ca.us
Especially call if you live in the west side of county, including Wasco, Lost Hills, McKittrick, Taft, Maricopa, Grapevine, Lebec, and Frazier Park

At the June 10 supervisors meeting, Watson said: “I have a lot of gay friends…we shouldn’t be judgmental…Loving relationships are really the foundation of our society – and it doesn’t matter what kind they are… But I think, at the same time, I am concerned about changing what the definition of marriage has been to so many people over the centuries.”

Michael Rubio 868-3690 district5@co.kern.ca.us
Especially call if you live in southeast Bakersfield, including Lamont and Arvin

Rubio was an excused absence from the June 10 board meeting, but will be back on July 8 to support or oppose the Marriage Protection Ordinance.

Further media information:

Note that many of the proponents for homosexual “marriage” are the same persons who opposed reinstating ‘Christmas” and “Easter’ on the calendars and the posting of the National Motto in the Kern High School District.


Ch. 17 story and video: www.kget.com/news/local/story.aspx 
Bakersfield Californian www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/468001.html

Video from supervisors meeting (starts 55 minutes into video): kern.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php

 

Newsom Offers To Staff Butte, Kern County Weddings

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / KCBS) ― San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said he would go to Butte or Kern County himself to marry gay and lesbian couples, if those counties truly do not have enough staff to perform same-sex ceremonies next week.

Plenty of Bay Area counties are fine-tuning their plans for next week's historic wedding day. However, the clerks of Kern and Butte counties have said they won't perform any weddings next week, because they are not equipped for the legalization of gay marriage.

Same-sex couples can marry in California beginning at 5:00 p.m. Monday. However, Kern County hasn't updated its marriage procedures yet to make its process gender-neutral.

Newsom expressed surprise that the cities of Bakersfield and Oroville were worried about not having enough commissions to marry gay couples. Newsom said he would dispatch volunteers, if the clerks are intersted in having the help.

Meanwhile, Newsom plans to marry lesbian pioneers Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon privately at San Francisco City Hall, then hold a news conference while the couple celebrates elsewhere.

Sonoma County's clerk plans to stay open until 8:00 p.m., marrying up to 30 couples.

Here's where the story came from: cbs5.com/local/gay.weddings.marriage.2.746698.htm l

Kern County Auditor-Controller Ann Barnett's office sent out this press release Thursday morning:
APPOINTMENTS TO OBTAIN MARRIAGE LICENSES
In order to conduct business in an orderly fashion, the County Clerk’s office will be scheduling appointments for those desiring to obtain marriage licenses after June 16, 2008. Since this is a variation of our current practice of first come, first serve, we want to notify our customers of the change. To schedule an appointment, please call 868-3743. To prepare for an appointment, customers may use the marriage license application that is available on the County Clerk website.

If you want to fill out your forms ahead of time go to the clerk's website and download a form.

From politico.com:

He’s a highly effective fundraiser in an election cycle in which Republicans are starved for cash, a hero to the wing of the party that views John McCain with the most suspicion.

But despite his fundraising power and reputation, Vice President Dick Cheney is unlikely to share a stage with McCain anytime soon — and may not be called on to play any role at all in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Is McCain committing political suicide by not including Cheney in his battle plans, or is he better off keeping a safe distance from the vice president?

Read the whole story here.

This is our first dispatch out of today's Board of Supervisors meeting. What do you think of the idea? Is it worth getting sued over?

Opponents of gay marriage Tuesday called for Kern County supervisors to pass an ordinance denying licenses to gay couples in the county.

Supervisors took no action, simply referring the issue to county lawyers and asking them to report back on July 8.

But there was some skepticism about whether such an ordinance would be legal.

Enacting an ordinance that goes against the constitution and the decision of the California Supreme Court “doesn't seem to withstand scrutiny” said Supervisor Jon McQuiston.

Even supporters of the ordinance admitted that state law currently requires the licenses to be issued.

"The license is the law," said anti-pornography and anti-abortion activist Rosalyn Strode.

Her husband, Thurman Strode, delivered the anti-license ordinance — drafted by the Campaign for Children and Families — to supervisors.

The ordinance states “no employee of (blank) County, and no elected or appointed official of (blank) County, may issue a marriage license to any couple other than a statutorily qualified man and woman.”

Randy Thomasson of Campaign for Children and Families said the county can pass the ordinance and stop all marriage licenses.

He said issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples violates the state constitution because the Supreme Court had no power to redefine marriage in ruling on Proposition 22 last month.

“Can you actually protect marriage in your county? Can you pass the ordinance? Yes you can,” Thomasson said.

He said Kern County supervisors should be brave enough to pass his ordinance and rebel against the court even if it means legal reprisals.

The California Supreme Court ruled in May that no state statute such as Proposition 22 can alter equality provisions in the state constitution.

The justices stated, “the provisions of the California Constitution itself constitute the ultimate expression of the people's will.”

Hello, Californian reporter Louis Medina here trying to get comments from the community for a story I'm doing. It's to follow up on Kern County Clerk Ann Barnett's decision to stop performing civil marriages — for gay or straight people — after the California Supreme Court stood by its decision to legalize gay marriage beginning the evening of June 16. Only licenses will be issued after June 13.

Did she let her personal beliefs get in the way of her duty to offer low-cost marriage ceremonies or is she a principled leader trying to carry out the will of the people who elected her?

Please call me with your comments at 661-395-7496. I need to talk to people to quote for my story and I am desperately looking for people willing to be quoted.

Thanks so much.

Look forward to hearing back from you.

Cheers,

Louis Medina

Reporter

TBC

Auditor-Controller County Clerk Ann Barnett's motives in ending all civil marriages in Kern County may be a little more clear Thursday in the light of reporting and documents obtained by The Californian.

Check out the story here.

We discovered that Barnett sought legal protection from a Christian activist group, the Alliance Defense Fund, before making her decision Wednesday.

She also tried, according to County Counsel Bernard Barmann, to resign her elected position as County Clerk — without dropping the other two aspects of her job — county Auditor and Elections Division boss. (She can't choose to split the job, Barmann said.)

And she had Barmann file a brief in support of a stay on gay marriages with the California Supreme Court.

What do you think? Did Barnett end all civil marriage ceremonies just so she didn't have to have her staff marry a same sex couple?

After some initial confusion Wednesday night as to what Kern County is going to do with gay marriage (our misunderstanding, not a county flip flop), the bottom line now is that the county clerk's office will cease performing all ceremonies as of June 13.

Here's the statement from Auditor-Controller-County Clerk Ann Barnett: “Because of long-term administrative plans, budgetary reasons, and the need to increase security for elections, the Clerk’s office will cease solemnizing weddings, which is discretionary on the part of the County Clerk,” the release said. “As done in other counties, information necessary to solemnize marriages will be made available to those acquiring licenses.”

We're checking out these administrative plans, budgetary reasons and security concerns.

What do you think — is this about budget and staffing concerns or an unwillingness to perform gay marriages?

Kern County will perform both same-sex and traditional marriages beginning June 17, County Counsel Bernard Barmann said this afternoon.

"There's going to be a landslide of people, we think, in the gay community coming forward for weddings," Barmann said.

A few hours later, Auditor-Controller-County Clerk Ann Barnett announced that her office would cut out wedding services altogether.

The county will issue marriage licences to both opposite- and same-sex couples, but won't have the staffing or security to handle the weddings, she said in a news release issued after close of business Wednesday.

The contradictory announcements came after the California Supreme Court Wednesday refused to stay its decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, clearing the final hurdle for gay couples to start tying the knot this month.

Kern officials mulling latest gay marriage ruling

Staff and wire reports | Wednesday, Jun 4 2008 12:22 PM

Kern County officials said today they are discussing the latest gay marriage ruling with attorneys and will have word later on their plans for issuing same-sex marriage licenses.

They have said they will follow the law, whatever it turns out to be.

"In response to questions we've received about today's refusal of the State Supreme Court to delay implementation of same sex marriage, we are meeting with our attorneys, and when more information is available, we will let you know," Glenn Spencer, assistant auditor-controller-county clerk, said in a written statement.

California's highest court on Wednesday refused to stay its decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, clearing the final hurdle for gay couples to start tying the knot this month.

Whitney Weddell, a local gay advocate, said June 17 will be an exciting day for same-sex couples in California.

"If you think about it, on June 17, millions of people — straight folks — will get up in the morning and go to work, and their day will be what it was always going to be," she said. "But for many thousands of us, we're going to get up on that day and probably have one of the biggest days of our lives."

Weddell said she would have been disappointed if the state Supreme Court had succumbed to pressure to delay the implementation of same-sex marriage. "We've waited all of our lives for a moment to come when we could feel this, so if we have to wait for a few more months, frankly, it doesn't change anything," she said.

Conservative religious and legal groups had asked the California Supreme Court to stop its May 15 order requiring state and local officials to sanction same-sex unions from becoming effective until voters have the chance to consider the issue in November. The justices' decisions typically become final after 30 days.

The rest of the story: www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/462592.html

By JAMES BURGER
Californian staff writer
e-mail: jburger@bakersfield.com

Losing supervisorial candidate Cliff Thompson isn’t done fighting.

He promised, In an e-mail to The Californian early Wednesday morning, to file a complaint with the Kern County Grand Jury accusing incumbent Ray Watson of extortion.

The 4th District race ended on Tuesday with a firm win for Watson.

But Thompson claims Watson pressured Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall into yanking an employee of his private ambulance business off of Thompson’s campaign team.

“Mr. Watson told Hall if Hall allowed Mark Corum to work on my campaign his ambulance contract would be in jeopardy,” Thompson wrote.

Corum is a public relations employee of Hall Ambulance.

Mayor Hall, contacted this morning after his sweeping re-election win on Tuesday, said having Corum leave the Thompson campaign was “a business decision.”

And he firmly denied any action by Watson to coerce the decision.

“Ray Watson and I have not had any discussion about Mark Corum,” Hall said.
He also said he had not talked to any other person connected to the Watson campaign about asking Corum to leave the Thompson campaign.

Corum has said that when he started doing consulting work beyond his role at Hall Ambulance, he promised Hall he would end any relationship became a problem for the c ompany.

Thompson said in his 5:17 a.m. e-mail that he will file his grand jury complaint immediately.

“I plan to file my complaint to the new grand jury ASAP. I wanted to wait until the election was over to make this public as not to impact the election in a negative manner,” Thompson said.

Repeated calls to Thompson and Watson were not immediately returned Wednesday morning.

Watson’s staff said he would not be available for comment until 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
In other fallout in the 4th District race, Carlos L’Dera, a resident of Pine Mountain Club, vowed Wednesday morning to file a recall against Watson as soon as that is possible.
Recall proponents will have to wait nearly a year before formally serving Watson with recall papers.

Watson cannot be served with recall papers until 90 days after he is sworn into office in January 2009, according to Kern County Elections Division chief Sandy Brockman,

“We are going to be launching a recall effort as soon as possible,” L’Dera said.

He said the delay will allow Watson opponents to rally people to their cause.

Pine Mountain Club has had ongoing problems with emergency services provided by Hall Ambulance.

And residents there have been angered by Watson’s opposition to using county money to pay for a permanent ambulance or firefighter paramedics in the small town in the mountains above Frazier Park.

L’Dera’s outrage is personal — tied to a 911 call he made this past winter seeking an ambulance to provide emergency care and transportation for his wife.

Hall Ambulance teams, according to county officials, could not make the journey up the road to Pine Mountain Club from Frazier Park due to heavy weather and snow and ice-covered roads.

L’Dera’s wife had to be evacuated in a small truck-mounted snow plow.

larger view

By the time you read this, Hillary may have ended her campaign, but maybe not.

There's a good analysis on why she's biding her time, by AP's political analyst Ron Fournier. Read it here.

And CNN wonders if Hillary is bucking for the VP ticket.

While the political director for the Huffington Post has this to say: "...the next 48 hours are now as important to the future reputation of Hillary Clinton as the last year and a half have been." Read her piece here.

Kern County elections chief Sandy Brockman just said the numbers are NOT coming in as fast as they used to.

That's because they have to count by hand, burn it on a CD and take the CD into another room and upload it on to the county net.

They are not allowed to modem results even from across the room.

They're even driving results in from Ridgecrest and other burgs to be counted downtown.

Can't count them on site and then modem them in on a dedicated line.

The Californian projects that incumbent Harvey Hall will win outright for a third term mayor.

At 8:53 p.m. with 40 of the 164 precincts reporting, Hall has a won 74 percent of the vote, with 14,178 votes. Marc DeLeon is in second with 11 percent of the vote and 2,231 votes.

For the Kern County 4th District Supervisor, Ray Watson has a large lead over Cliff Thompson, getting 59 percent of the vote with 29 of 101 precincts reporting.

For Judge of the Superior Court Office #24, Larry Errea is winning with 72 percent of the vote over Olaf Landsgaard.

For Judge of the Superior Court Office #30 Holly Mitchell and Charles Brehmer are headed for a runoff in November with both candidates getting 30 percent of the vote. However, only 150 of 442 precincts have reported so it's not over.

By Joe Boesen

So what do you guys think about the fact all the networks are declaring Obama the Democratic nominee and Hillary's saying I'm not going to make any decisions about my future tonight? What's she waiting for?

Interesting tidbit of election news:

Staff and wire reports

Bakersfield carrot farmer William Bolthouse donated $100,000 to an initiative aiming to fight gay marriage — a measure  that will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot along with the presidential race.

The initiative qualified for the ballot Monday, less than a month after the state Supreme Court overturned a ban on gay marriage. June 17 marks the date when California counties will be permitted to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The National Organization for Marriage California donated $700,000 to the campaign. One of the organization’s largest financial contributors includes Bolthouse, who declined to comment about his donation Tuesday.

The measure’s proponents said the campaign to promote the initiative may exceed $30 million. Supporters have spent about $1.8 million to collect signatures and publicize the initiative, according to campaign filings.

Other supporters include San Diego developer Terry Caster ($172,000); hotel developer Manchester Financial Group of San Diego ($125,000); Fieldstead and Co. of Irvine ($400,000) and Knights of Columbus Headquarters in Connecticut ($250,000).

Kevin Yamamura of McClatchy Newspapers and staff writer Angelle Barbazon contributed to this report.

So, when I went to my humble polling place in downtown Bakersfield today, I was handed an electronic voting card to use.

County Elections chief Sandy Brockman said poll workers are trained to offer voters a choice between the official paper ballot or the plastic card used in electronic touch-screen voting machines.

Another co-worker, who votes at the same polling place as I do, also got the card handed to them without explanation or option.

But another co-worker, who votes at East Hill Mall, was handed a paper ballot and not offered the "plastic" option.

Was anyone out there given a choice? Were you handed "paper" or "plastic?"

James Burger

Californian staff writer

The Drudge Report is an online collection of news reports with huge worldwide traffic. The site is heavily trolled by politicos in Washington and beyond. For a long time it was considered to favor Republicans, but analysts and officials with McCain, Clinton and Obama say the site is now solidly behind Obama.

Politico.com has an excellent article on the power of the Drudge Report and its subtle shift in support. Read it here.