The union representing grocery store workers at Vons, Albertsons and Ralphs stores in Southern California have rejected the most recent contract proposal from the supermarkets and authorized a potential strike. Both sides have said they intend to return to the negotiating table.  If that doesn't work we may see a repeat of the strike-walkout that dragged on for nearly five months between 2003 and 2004 and battered both sides.
What do you think?  Do you support the workers, who say they are fighting for better pay and benefits, especially for employees who were hired since the last work stoppage?  Would you cross a picket line in order to shop at your neighborhood grocery store or would you go elsewhere?

Potential buyers and anyone else interested in taking a look inside the partially renovated Padre Hotel had a chance to stroll around the circa-1928 downtown landmark during the first of three open houses on Monday. View a video of the open house.
The Padre is listed for sale for $5.6 million. Offers for the building are due by the end of the month. Pacifica claims to have sunk more than $4 million  into renovating the eight-story, 72,800 square-foot building.
Despite sporting a refinished exterior, the Padre’s insides still have a ways to go. Many of the interior walls have been torn out, leaving exposed metal framing and pipes. Aside from holes in walls and some holes in the floor near ripped out walls, building materials and trash are visible
But some of the building’s charm remains like the original flooring in the first-floor lobby, unique architectural elements and antique fixtures in the bathrooms of old hotel rooms — one of the last remaining remnants of the historic hotel that remains.
Additional open houses are scheduled for Thursday and June 26.
What do you think of the Padre?  What do you hope the building becomes?  Could the building be part of a revitalization of downtown?

The Holiday Inn Select in downtown Bakersfield may soon become a Marriott.  An estimated $6 million renovation project to upgrade the hotel is underway and is expected to be complete by late September.  What do you think?  Is a more prestigious hotel in downtown a step in the right direction?  Would a Marriott help lure more visitors and conventions to downtown and help improve the image of downtown?

The Padre Hotel in downtown Bakersfield is up for sale again for $5.6 million.  Pacifica Enterprises LLC purchased the historic landmark building for $1 million five years ago, but the company's plan to add condos to the building never materialized and construction stopped halfway through a renovation project that Pacifica claims it sunk more than $4 million into.  There have been issues over asbestos removal and trash left in a parking lot outside the building.  Now the building may get a fresh start as condos, apartments, a hotel (again) or offices.
What do you think?  Do you think the Padre is a shining example of what Bakersfield's downtown can become or a blight on the city's skyline?  How much would a revitalized Padre help plans to reenergize downtown?  Do you think downtown is on its way back or will it take another earthquake to shake up the town's downtown?

Bakersfield explosive growth has again placed it on a list of the fastest growing economies in the nation.  Bakersfield was ranked 11th in the nation among midsize cities and 47th overall among the nation's 393 largest metropolitan areas in a recent Inc. magazine listing of the best cities for business. The ratings were based on job growth over the last decade, with recent growth given more weight.  The rankings were not an indication of the strength of the local economy and there are still some areas for concern, namely the real estate slowdown and how that may affect future growth.  The area's low worker education levels and lack of higher paying jobs could also prove to be stumbling blocks as the city attempts to grow its economy.
What do you think?  Is the local economy strong?  Because of our fast population growth, we continue to add commercial development.   Is the city growing in the right way?  What will Bakersfield look like in another 10 years?