Mother's Day photos and tributes

May 14 is a time of commemoration and celebration of Mom. It is a time of breakfast in bed, family gatherings and crayon-scribbled "I Love You's." Suprise your mother by putting her photo and a few lines about what makes her so special in the May 3 edition of The Southwest Voice for FREE! Submit your tributes here by April 26. Questions? Call editor Lauren Ward at 716-8630.

The Nosy Neighbor: Campus Park

Campus Park, developed in the early 1980s in Southwest Bakersfield, is home to many families. The boundaries are White Lane to the north; railroad tracks to the south; Gosford Road to the east and Old River Road to the west.

House Sales:
According to sales data from January 2005 to now, 188 homes have sold in Campus Park. On the high end, 9412 Hemingway Place — 2,000 square feet with two bathrooms and three bedrooms –– sold for $366,000 on Oct. 13, 2005.
Population: 4,928
Households: 1,657
Average Household Income: $70,826
Average Disposable Income: $54,595
Median Years In Residence: 3.16
Education: The majority of residents — 27.81 percent — hold a bachelor’s degree; 23.44 percent attended some college, but did not receive a diploma.
Marital Status:
Divorced — 10.03 percent
Never Married — 23.52 percent
Currently Married — 59.65 percent
Separated — 1.85 percent
Widowed — 2.98 percent
Race and Ethnicity:
Campus Park is 86.99 percent white; 25.06 percent of the residents are Hispanic.
Occupation and Employment:
The majority of residents — 12.50 percent — work in educational services. Health care and social assistance are the occupation of 11.97 percent. And 10.86 percent are in retail trade.
Retail Potential by Store Type Average Per Household Unit:
New car dealers — $5,732.18
Grocery stores — $4,212.77
Limited Service Restaurants — $1.316.41
Total merchandise potential — $27,604.20

The Nosy Neighbor will regularly spotlight a neighborhood in the Southwest. Is there a neighborhood you’re interested in getting the facts on? Submit a nomination to: lward@swvoice.com

New in the Neighborhood

Businesses and community organizations answered Cal State Bakersfield President Horace Mitchell’s call for public-private partnership ideas with six proposals for Southwest Bakersfield, including a baseball stadium, two towers of hotels and condominiums and a children’s learning center. The idea behind the proposals is that CSUB would allow private, public or nonprofit organizations to build and run facilities on the southern part of campus, along Camino Media, on the condition the facilities benefit the university’s academic mission. Mitchell said he had been in discussions with officials of the Bakersfield Blaze and the city, who agreed that a new city baseball stadium should be located in the Southwest. Mitchell said he and City Manager Alan Tandy had conferred with representatives of the Los Angeles Dodgers and were told the baseball team would be interested in an affiliation with a minor league team, if a new stadium were built at Cal State. The ballpark could help the CSUB athletics program move from Division II to Division I. The university administration will evaluate the six proposals over the next weeks before deciding how to proceed.

••••••••

Milton Woolsey, professor of education at CSUB, has been named “Professor of Education of the Year” for 2006 by the Association of California School Administrators.

••••••••

Raffle tickets for the local St. Jude Dream Home are on sale now and available at Wells Fargo branches, Hancock Fabrics and Green Frog Markets. The raffle will raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which treats children with cancer. One of the $100 tickets will earn the buyer a 2,400-square-foot Lenox home in Shafter’s Brookside Estates worth about $492,200. Anyone who buys a ticket before May 19 will also be entered in an early bird raffle for a year’s worth of free groceries from Green Frog Markets. The drawing for the house and other prizes will be held Aug. 5.

••••••••
Kern County Superintendent of Schools Larry Reider has promised new hiring rules for bus drivers after Tara Lea Cook, 35, was arrested in March after passing out behind the wheel of a KCOS’ bus, according to the California Highway Patrol. The current screening process includes driving records, criminal background checks and pre-employment drug testing.
Currently, following federal requirements, 50 percent of the district’s bus drivers are subject to random drug tests each year, and 10 percent are subject to random alcohol tests. Both those numbers will be increased, Reider said. The district is looking at adding pre-employment alcohol testing to its screening process. The district also may increase the number of employees who are trained in spotting signs that would be considered reasonably suspicious.

••••••••

Vincent Rojas, president and chief executive officer of Kern Schools Federal Credit Union, has been honored as the 2006 recipient of the CSUB President’s Medal. Rojas was presented his medal Wednesday at CSUB’s annual President’s Associates Dinner at Seven Oaks Country Club.

••••••••

Julio R. Blanco has been appointed dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at CSUB. Blanco, who is currently chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at California State University, Northridge, will assume his new position on Aug. 14.

Bloom: Know your roots, know your plants

I am mostly German, with a dash of English, Dutch and Native American thrown in.
I drink French roast coffee made with Colombian beans and green tea from China brewed in an English stoneware pot.
My bubblebath is from Italy, my shirt is made in India and the style of my house originates in another land.
The fact is, I know my roots — and I am anything but unusual. As exposed as we are to multicultural influences and goods, it seems as if most people know their past; what they’ve got and where those things come from.
Except when it comes to plants.
Despite the worldwide trade in exotic plants that began in the last half of the 16th century, most of us don’t have a clue about the origins of the plants in our own back yards. Most would say they came from the nursery, before adding, “Who cares?”
But knowing your roots can save you money and transform a common, ordinary garden into a magnificent and productive showpiece. For starters, you’ll learn to avoid certain horticultural mistakes.
For instance, hanging on to those pathetic plants that detract from the overall picture. You know which ones I mean, we all have one or two dreary specimens that never quite produce or look like the pictures in the catalogs.
You have fed them, coddled them, given them extra water — you have even replanted them in different places in the yard.
You are feeding the stereotype that serious gardeners are dotty — or just plain imbalanced.
Or, you could take a good look at their roots.
Chances are good that those plants are seriously displaced, and you are just wasting time and energy by prolonging the inevitable.
As an example, take the Primula malacoides, sometimes called the fairy primrose.
It is hard to pass up its delicate, pastel tones and dainty fragrance. Unfortunately, its glory is usually short lived here, as the March winds and slugs arrive just as they start to put on a show.
P. Malacoides come from a damp, fresh, temperate climate in China and are happiest there or in the mists of an English garden — or at least in coastal California’s fog belt.
Better to plant Pacific giant primrose and add alyssum to give the lacy look.
The obvious plant choices, then, are species native to our region or to regions with similar growing conditions.
Look around the world for plants from climates similar to ours. One of the best sources for checking out those roots is the “Sunset Western Garden Book.”
It will show you what zone you live in and which plants work in those zones. If you want to learn more about the plants in your nursery and your garden, or what to do with them, you need a copy of this book.
Sure, you may take a step or two backward and succumb to an inappropriate plant, and you may love it so much that you are willing to work to make it succeed.
But for the most part, peace of mind will come when you stop battling — and start accepting — the nature of your place.
And as an unexpected bonus, since your plants will be in harmony with their garden conditions, you’ll spend less time in horticultural combat and start to enjoy your garden.
Sit in your garden with a glass of wine or a cup of tea. Once you start tracking down information on your plants, you’ll feel like you’re a child again: curious, hungry for knowledge and full of the sweet smell of the earth.
You could also start to question your roots and dig deeper into the rich humus of horticulture.
With luck, by the time you know your roots, you’ll have learned a few things about yourself.

Joanna Reed will write a regular gardening column for The Southwest Voice. She is the owner of Cricklewood Secret Garden on Brundage Lane.

The Undercover Chef: Sorella Ristorante Italiano

I visited Sorella Ristorante Italiano during spring break.
Its location — not on a main street — makes it a hidden treasure. But once you discover Sorella, you’ll never forget it.
Since it was 5, it was pretty quiet, but that gave me a good chance to take in the setting of the restaurant. First impressions tell you that Sorella is a fine dining restaurant — a place where you take that special someone.
Upon entering the restaurant, we were instantly greeted and seated. The ambiance is very relaxed and intimate. White tablecloths, burgundy napkins, candles and Italian murals all contributed to the Mediterranean atmosphere.
Not only is the setting relaxing, but the service is gracious and attentive. Our waiter checked on us three or four times.
Sorella has a full service bar which is in the center of the restaurant. The mixed drinks were just the right blend. When I go to most restaurants, they usually aren’t as consistent as in a lounge, but that’s not the case at Sorella. I would recommend any of the mixed drinks, as well as any selection from their impressive wine list.
We were too early, but Sorella offers live entertainment reminiscent of Frank Sinatra and those old-time classics we all love.
My companion and I had the garlic chicken calzone, two fresh salads, bread and olive oil and drinks. The meal cost $34 and was definitely worth every penny.
The highest priced entree on the menu is the Tutto Mare (everything from the sea), which includes shrimp, clams, cod and calamari served on a bed of linguini.
The portions are extremely generous. In fact, we shared the small calzone and came away with a third of it. Unless you’re feeding a teenage boy, you might consider sharing entrees.
Sorella, which is also listed in the Restaurant Runner, offers a takeout a la carte menu with anything from spaghetti to spicy vodka chicken.
Probably the best bargain is their all-you-can-eat buffet, available Monday through Friday for $8.99.
My only criticism was the hallway leading to the bathrooms. It resembled a storage place, but that was the only flaw I found.
There is not one negative aspect to the food, service or ambiance, and those are the main ingredients in a fine restaurant.

Sorella Ristorante Italiano
7800 McNair Court
Hours:
Monday-Thursday, Sunday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Phone: 396-8603

Chef Aly Tomasi will write a regular column.
Is there a Southwest restaurant you’d like to see her review? E-mail: allison_tomasi@yahoo.com

Little Italy big on taste

The owner of Little Italy, who prefers to be known simply as Chang, said he’s learned not to underestimate the people of Bakersfield.
“They know good food,” said Chang, a Brimhall Estates resident who’s been in town two years and can be found seven days a week at his 32-seat, white-tablecloth restaurant, tucked away in the Town and Country Shopping Center on Stockdale Highway and Coffee Road.
Though it’s only been open about a year, Chang said Little Italy already has a loyal clientele eager to dig into the grilled porkchops pinenut ($16.95) and chicken picatta ($13.95).
“Most of our customers come at least twice a month, and many three times a week,” said Chang, who prepares every dish himself.
Chang, seated on a dark wood chair in the tiny dining room, which features two large murals, with music from “Phantom of the Opera” playing in the background, said we can thank his wife, Nu, for his ending up here.
Born in Thailand — where his mother owned a restaurant — he moved with his family to Washington, D.C., in the 1970s, and stayed there to complete his education, make his way up in the restaurant business and raise a family of his own, which now includes three children and two grandchildren. He moved back to Thailand briefly in 1980 to open a Western steakhouse, but the market at that time wasn’t accommodating.
Chang visited Bakersfield over the years with Nu to see her dearest friend from Chicago, a nurse at Kern Medical Center.
“Then she convinced me to come to the West Coast to try and make a living,” said Chang. He was hoping for the “coast” coast, but agreed to try it out here first.
Chang chose the location for Little Italy because he found the shopping center pleasant and relatively quiet. He chose Italian fare because he finds it easy to cook.
The dignified Ben, who worked with Chang for years in D.C., came to Bakersfield in April to man the “front of the house.” “We’re like brothers,” said Chang.
Little Italy is so small that you’ll inevitably overhear other diners’ conversations. For appetizers, they’ll probably be discussing whether to opt for the calamari fritti, lightly fried baby squids served with tomato sauce ($6.95); the mozzarella marinara, fresh buffalo mozzarella dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and deep fried, served with marinara sauce ($7.95); or the Italian sausage and peppers, mild Italian sausage sauteed with sweet peppers, onion and tomato sauce served with grilled polenta ($7.95).
Soups include the minestrone ($4.95) and potatoes and leek ($4.95), and salads include the Greek spinach ($6.95) and antipasto ($10.95).
Menu items described as “classic Italian,” all for $9.95, include spaghetti and meatballs, cappellini bolones, meat lasagna and cheese manicotti.
Pasta selections on the dinner menu include the penne with vodka cream, chopped fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil in a vodka cream sauce ($13.95); the cappellini scampi, jumbo shrimp sauteed with garlic butter, white wine and parsley ($18. 95); fettuccine cabonara, panchetta, onion and egg yolk with cream and Parmesan cheese ($13.95); and linguini frutti di mare, linguini pasta with shrimp, scallops, clams and mussels in a spicy marinara sauce ($20.95).
If a house specialty is more up your alley, you might try the chicken saltimbocca, a chicken breast rolled with prosciutto, mozzarella cheese and sage and cooked in mushroom Madeira wine sauce ($16.95); veal tenderloin, two 4-ounce veal tenderloins sauteed in brandy mushroom sauce ($24.95); or salmon Mediterranean ($18.95), Atlantic salmon sauteed with chopped tomatoes, capers, garlic, calamata olive, oregano and white wine butter sauce ($18.95). All specialties include fresh vegetables and pasta with tomato sauce.
Beer and wine are also available, as are daily specials. The lunch menu includes sandwiches.
If you plan on going to Little Italy, it’s wise to make a reservation. Chang said there’s always a crowd at 6:30 p.m.
Chang is currently expanding Little Italy to accommodate an additional 65 people.

Do you know any outstanding Southwest individuals who deserve to be profiled? E-mail suggestions to: lward@swvoice.com
Have you been to Little Italy and want to share your experience? Hit the “Reply or Comment” icon that appears below the story and share your opinion with our readers

‘Beauty & the Beast’ reaches for the stars

What does it take to produce a Disney Broadway musical?
“Dedication to producing the highest quality show which you are capable,” said Teri Richardson, who is in charge of the “Beauty & the Beast” show scheduled for later this month and into May. “There’s a higher expectation.”
Richardson, a homemaker and mother of two, has previously directed four musicals for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Church in Bakersfield: “Music Man,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Oliver.”
“This has been one of the most difficult musicals I have done by far,” said Richardson, “but the most rewarding!”
The cast of 70 members and non-members ages 12 to senior citizens were invited to try out in January. They committed to three weekly practices and seven performances.
“This is the best cast-package I’ve ever had and I love working with them!” Richardson said.
Performances are April 28 and 29 and May 4, 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. and April 29 and May 6 at 2 p.m. at 2801 South Real Road at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Two local Realtors headline the cast.
Aimee Nolan is cast as the petite, strong-willed Belle, and Russ Allred convincingly portrays the transformation of a spoiled, cursed beast to a penitent human.
Arvin High School History teacher Ben Keller gives a strong performance in the role of the conniving and egotistical Gaston.
The supporting case of Kyle Tillet as LeFou; Claudia Worley playing Mrs. Pott’s; and Mark Richardson as Lumiere bring a Broadway quality to the show. (If you don’t believe me, ask the dishes!)
Richardson and co-director Suzanne Kinnison began preparations last year with a trip to New York to see the musical.
“We tried to make this show as close to the one you would see on Broadway as possible,” Richardson said.
Fourteen different background drops depicting an enchanted forest, a bar scene with singing deer and a quaint country French village were painted by art major Cliff Childs and Janna Kinnison.
“I enjoyed the artist challenge of creating each scene,” Childs said. “My favorite is the castle doors.”
A 30-foot high castle facade complete with balconies, spiral stairways and turrets extend from each side of the stage into the audience.
Before the play even begins, the audience will feel something special is about to happen.
The design of 197 costumes plus 40 hairpieces was the responsibility of Kinnison.
Under her direction, volunteers sewed, sculpted, welded, sanded and painted the costumes.
“The enchanted objects were the most fun,” she said.
Kinnison scoured home improvement stores, local discount stores and the L.A. garment district for just the right fabrics and items. Foam, wire, sonatubes, plastic molding, harnesses, bolts and lots of glitter were used.
The dancing forks, knives, spoons, whirling whisks and brooms, spinning plates and a flying enchantress will dazzle the audience.
“I love being a dancing napkin,” says 15-year-old BHS freshman Cassie Sorensen. “My costume is so cool!”
Dana Kinnison, local public defender, provided Disney’s musical magic. He recorded 16 instruments’ scores into a synthesizer, creating a full orchestra sound effect.
One highlight of the show is Kinnison’s arrangement of a hip-hop style, mega mix jingle.
“The audience will be on their feet singing and dancing with the cast when they hear the mega mix,” he predicted.
During rehearsals, cast members helped each other with homework, developed new friendships and learned theatrical techniques such as blocking, projection and character interpretation.

CASA offers ‘Light of Hope’ for abused children

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Kern County will host its “Light of Hope Event,” a candlelight vigil “seeking advocates for ALL children,” on April 27 at The Marketplace.
The event, presented by Tejon Ranch and Chain-Younger Cohn and Stiles, will begin with the lighting of candles at 7 p.m. around The Marketplace fountain.
The goal is to bring public awareness to April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
CASA of Kern County, a member of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association, is one of more than 987 local community programs that recruit and train citizen volunteers to advocate for the rights of abused and neglected children.
The public is invited to purchase a candle to light as a sign of support in the fight against child abuse. Your purchase of a $5 candle will provide funds to support recruitment, screening, training and supervision of CASA volunteers. For more information, please see our Web site at: www.kerncasa.org
Or,call 631-(CASA) 2272.
CASA is also now accepting applications for the next training class, which begins on May 16. CASA can supply a small poster for your employee work areas, or give a brief staff presentation.
CASA trains concerned community members to advocate for abused and abandoned infants, toddlers, children and youth.
Applications can be downloaded from the CASA Web site.

All that jazz

The Bakersfield Jazz Festival has become a two-day celebration for the community that has been called Bakersfield’s “Rite of Spring.”
The 20th annual festival is scheduled Friday and Saturday, May 12 and 13, at the California State University, Bakersfield Amphitheater.
This year’s festival will feature headliner David Sanborn and a fireworks display to close the show.
Gates open at 6 p.m. on Friday and music starts at 7 p.m.
The festival begins with the legendary saxophonist Pete Christlieb and trumpeter Carl Saunders. Christlieb and Saunders are universally recognized as improvisatory giants of the Los Angeles jazz scene.
Guitarist Joyce Cooling returns with the finest of contemporary grooves that has lifted her to the top of the charts.
The evening concludes with the Grammy-winning Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band. This 18-piece group is sure to set the night ablaze with its outstanding soloists Eric Marienthal and Wayne Bergeron and its groove-based, big band style.
The music begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday with gates opening at 1 p.m.
For those who are new to the Jazz Festival, there are a variety of food vendors, from hamburgers and hot dogs to deep-pit barbecue and Cajun delights. There will be plenty to satisfy your sweet tooth as well.
Beer and wine are available at the festival, but the state Alcohol Beverage Control forbids the bringing of alcohol into a licensed site. However, many will bring their coolers filled with food and soft drinks on to the festival grounds and spread their blankets and lay claim to their turf for a day of jazz on the green.
Also, don’t forget your sunscreen. You can’t predict the weather, but be prepared. Also, know that all children under 12 are free, and the kids seem to love the wide-open (but fenced) spaces.
Check out the jewelry, painting, furniture, ceramics and photography in our artist’s tent in our pavilion area.
Remember, all proceeds from this event go for student scholarships. Last year, more than $22,000 was awarded to 28 deserving students in seven academic disciplines in addition to music, and over the years, the festival has created a scholarship endowment of more than $60,000 from the proceeds.
Besides fun and food, how about the music?
Saturday begins with the Kern County Honor Jazz Band, which includes the best high school players from our area. These young musicians were selected by audition and have been diligently rehearsing for their festival performance.
Next will be the return of many local festival composers, as they take to the stage to give us a musical overview of the talent and musicianship right from our own community. Many are returning to Bakersfield to represent and play with the composers and players who have appeared on our own festival stage during the past 19 years.
Also, this year, the CSUB Vocal Jazz Ensemble will be blending their voices for all to enjoy. This amazing group sings with the jazz vocal style that competes with professionally recorded groups.
Saturday’s evening groups begin with the Estrada Brothers Latin Jazz Group. This family, with its vibraphone/sax front line, will bring its unique slant on the Latin tradition. Clairdee, singer extraordinaire, will treat us to her great sound and soulful delivery.
Closing the 20th annual Bakersfield Jazz Festival will be the three-time Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanborn. His intense performance style has been a transforming, chart-topping force on the jazz scene since 1980. With fireworks blazing the sky, Sanborn’s infectious grooves will undoubtedly bring the audience to their feet to close the festival.
A Yamaha 7-foot grand piano is the festival’s official piano and is provided by California Keyboards.
BAKERSFIELD JAZZ FESTIVAL
May 12 and 13
Cal State Bakersfield Amphitheater
Friday advance tickets, $23 for students; $32 for general admission.
Saturday advance tickets, $25 for students; $35 for general admission.
Children 12 and under admitted free.
Tickets are available at all Valltix outlets, Stockdale Music, California Keyboards, Russo’s at The Marketplace and Front Porch Music.
Save when you buy two-day festival tickets, which are $35 for students and $55 for general admission.
For reserved tables of six, sold only for both days of the festival, call 322-5200. The tables have servers to provide beverages, plus free snacks both days of the festival
For general information, call 322-5200 or check the Web site at: www.bakersfieldjazz.com

Southwest residents gather for ‘No Courthouse’ meeting

A local organization — www.nocourthouse.com — had its first community meeting on April 6 at Ronald Reagan Elementary.
Approximately 105 residents were in attendance, as well as several elected officials.
Following a PowerPoint presentation by Southwest courthouse opponent Bill Descary, City Manager Alan Tandy participated in a Q&A session.
The primary purpose of the meeting was to provide a public forum for concerned residents to obtain information and learn how they can become involved in our efforts supporting locating the federal courthouse downtown.
Hundreds of residents in the communities of River Oaks, Seven Oaks and Grand Island Estates are concerned about the safety and welfare of their families, and feel a courthouse in close proximity to an elementary school and residences certainly puts all of us at risk, as exhibited by the numerous courthouse incidents which have recently occurred nationwide. (Please refer to “Facts of Interest” and select “Related Articles” on our Web site: www.nocourthouse.com)
After paying a premium to live in a master planned community, residents are totally outraged to find out after the fact that a federal courthouse is going to be constructed in the middle of a primarily residential community.
Several residents currently have homes under construction, and there was never any mention of a federal courthouse disclosed to them prior to, or after, they purchased their property.
If the developer and/or GSA had given any consideration to the residents and advised them of their intentions, we could have voiced our concerns early on and avoided the current controversy.
Additionally, locating the federal courthouse downtown is vital to the continued revitalization of the downtown area. Over the last decade, many people have worked diligently to improve downtown Bakersfield.
At the close of the meeting, copies of our petition were available and residents were encouraged to circulate these throughout the city and county.
Subsequently, all community volunteer meetings will be held Thursday nights at 7 p.m. at the BPD Westside Substation at 1301 Buena Vista Road.

Editor’s Note: On April 11, the General Services Administration reaffirmed its decision to build the city’s new federal courthouse in southwest Bakersfield. City Manager Alan Tandy said that there is a further appeal SDA can choose to pursue with the federal General Accounting Office.

Laurelglen Bible Church: Reaching out with welcoming arms

Jonathan Swift, in his 1711 “Thoughts on Various Subjects,” said: “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”
That’s not the case with Laurelglen Bible Church (LBC) on Ashe Road. Members of the church don’t isolate themselves from others who are different, but rather reach out their arms in welcome.
“Over the years, the church has matured, so that now we can go out into not only the local community but the whole world,” said the Rev. Roger Poppen, LBC’s senior pastor, who has been at the church for more than 16 years.
Poppen said LBC supports a variety of local missions, such as Children to Love and Youth for Christ, and about 100 church members go on global missions every summer.
LBC is also unique in that it is the only church in Bakersfield, according to Poppen, that has a ministry geared toward the deaf and hard of hearing.
Special worship services and Bible studies are held for the deaf, and the church also offers beginning ASL (American Sign Language) classes. Typical worship services draw 80 people.
Those who come to LBC will find that they offer three things, said Poppen: 1. a quality program for children; 2. meaningful worship; and 3. solid solid teaching of Scriptures.
The church sits on four acres in the Southwest, and — with an attendance of 1,500 on a typical weekend — is almost getting too big for its britches. Poppen said the church is in the process of purchasing the condominiums to the west of the church property for possible future expansion.
It’s a good problem to have for a church that started small in 1978. The first meeting was held in the Youth for Christ building on California Avenue with 99 attending. At that time, LBC was called Southwest Mennonite Brethren Church.
From 1979 to 1981, under the leadership of Pastor Ed Boschman, LBC grew steadily in all areas. The YFC building was outgrown and the congregation moved to Seventh Day Adventist Church on Wilson Road.
The existing property was purchased in 1979, and construction of the existing activity center was completed in 1981.
The first associate pastor was added to the staff in 1982. At that time, weekly attendance was more than 300.
From 1982 to 1987, the education wing was constructed in two phases and two additional pastoral positions were added during the next five years.
Construction of the worship center was completed in spring of 1994, and the church family occupied the new facility on Easter Sunday with 2,600 in attendance.
The Saturday evening service began in January 1997 to help ease the Sunday morning congestion and provide an alternative opportunity for weekend services.
In 2003, Laurelglen gave birth to a daughter church — The Bridge. LBC purchased 25 acres of property near the corner of Stockdale Highway and Allen Road (next to Bakersfield Christian High School) and planted the new church, which began meeting in September of 2003 under the leadership of the Rev. Jeff Gowling.
Poppen said 275 Laurelglen members went to The Bridge, thus easing the strain on Laurelglen. Poppen describes The Bridge as more contemporary and “seeker-driven,” versus the more traditional Laurelglen.
As the years go on, Laurelglen will likely continue spreading the love.
“Our ultimate purpose is to help one another grow into spiritual maturity. We encourage you to enter into that process with Christ and with us at LBC,” said Poppen.

Unfair comparison

On March 22, The Bakersfield Californian listed the “top five” and “bottom five” county schools, making an unfair comparison.
At the “top five” schools, 18.2 percent, 22.8 percent, 14.6 percent, 13 percent and 18.2 percent of the students qualified for free and reduced-price meals.
At the “bottom five” schools, 98.6 percent, 89.7 percent, 86 percent, 62.5 percent and 99.6 percent of the students qualified for free and reduced-price meals.
Clearly, these schools are working with children from quite different economic backgrounds.
For high schools in Kern County, the correlation between the percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced-price meals and the 2005 API Base is -.769.
For middle schools, the correlation is -.879.
And, for elementary schools in the Bakersfield City School District, the correlation is -.894.
All of these correlations are highly significant, and suggest a very close relationship between the degree of poverty and these test scores.
While correlation does not prove causation, the evidence certainly suggests that the difference between these schools is largely due to a difference in privilege. The students from wealthier families have had advantages which most students from economically poorer families have not had.
When a child in a middle-class family gets an earache, the parents take the child to a physician. Impoverished families can’t afford such care. Neither can they afford appropriate dental care, pre-school education or a whole host of other experiences.
Rather than embarrass the teachers and administrators who work in schools with a high percentage of impoverished children, we should thank these professionals for their dedication and encourage them to do what they can to break the cycle of poverty, recognizing that it is a great challenge to teach or administer in a school where virtually every student is coming from a home below the poverty line.

Excellent prognosis

As the 61 Stockdale HOSA “Health Occupations Students of America” competitors arrived at the Burbank Airport Hilton Convention Center for the state conference, a mixed look of determination and anxiety clouded their faces.
Even though most of the students were seasoned participants, the knowledge of the stiff competition ahead of them beckoned for their highest degree of performance.
HOSA’s main focus is on educating and preparing high school students for a future career in the healthcare field.
With many workshops offered to students during the four-day conference, the wide array of competitive events is the chief method through which students experience situations related to healthcare.
Led by Stockdale’s Medical Academy Director, Janelle Burke, who is to be the future HOSA state board chair, and her advisers, Toni Sward, Sharon Simmons, Mark Regier and Carla Cherry, the students came prepared and determined to win.
The competition, held from March 23 to 26, started off with the Kaiser Permanente National Healthcare Issues Exam, in which students are tested on the past year’s most significant medical- and health-related news topics.
The top 20 who scored the highest on the exam were recognized, and 10 of those were Stockdale students!
Furthermore, Stockdale’s Gatz Nieblas took home first place and the annual scholarship from Kaiser.
As time passed and more and more students finished their competitions, the look of anxiety returned to their faces as the closing ceremonies approached. Little did the competitors and advisers know how much they would shine under the lights of the awarding stage.
In front of 800 students from all over the state, Stockdale proved its excellence after numerous names of its students were called to stage to be recognized.
For the first time in Stockdale history, all of the top 10 awards in medical terminology were received by Stockdale students. It was a remarkable sight as student after student in almost every single category of competition received their awards.
All those who placed in the top three of their competition (please refer to the table for full results) will go on to represent the California HOSA in the National Conference in Anaheim, Calif. this summer.

A second Southwest?

Southwest resident Kevin Morrison moved from L.A. to Bakersfield two years ago to get away from the “big city.”
Now it seems the big city may be catching up with him.
In what city planners are calling the largest project in Bakersfield history, two developers — D.R. Horton and Flying Seven Ventures — have delivered proposals to add housing all the way west to Interstate 5 and almost as far south as Bear Mountain Boulevard.
The two new projects, which city planners refer to as a single development over 11 square miles, would include homes, apartments, schools, shopping centers and parks and house about 70,000 people. One development would be built on dairy land owned by James Borba. Completion would take about two decades.
The proposals were delivered only two months after the Kern County Local Agency Formation Commission allowed Bakersfield to add about 100 square miles to the city’s sphere of influence, territory city leaders are allowed to annex.
“I think Bakersfield was big enough about 100,000 residents ago,” said Ron Wheeler, reacting to the news. “The project will have a negative impact on the area’s quality of life. The air pollution is bad enough as it is. Where will the water come from to support 70,000 additional residents? Unless a network of freeways is in place, the traffic will be terrible. Doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out.”
Southwest resident John Stovall, a retired attorney for the water board and public policy professor at Cal State, also has his concerns.
“The proposed developments around the dairy property are huge, and we are already beginning to experience some overdevelopment. We should be very careful about creating any new entitlements now, and we should ensure that any developments meet the highest standards,” he said.
Wheeler, at least, is comforted by the estimated time-frame for completion.
“I am 66 years of age and as such, anything projected to happen in 10 years will have to be explained to me by the rest home personnel when it finally materializes. Anything projected to happen in 20 years will be subject to having my ashes scattered upon it,” he said.
Community member John Rapolla was more philosophical.
“Local residents will be impacted in one way or another from all this growth, but when we choose to live in or near a growing urban area, the problems of growth should be expected, and all we can do is find ways of coping with these problems,” he said.
According to D.R. Horton spokeswoman Cindy Pollard, their development, Gateway, will have a general plan that is a mix of commercial, single family and multifamily housing, plus room for open space, recreation and schools. Pollard said there is no set date for the start of development, and that build-out time will likely take 20 to 25 years.
Larry Pickett, Flying Seven Ventures spokesman, said while all plans are fluid, they hope the project will reach the Bakersfield Planning Commission by fall and that ground breaking will take place in two to three years. The development has commercial and residential elements, with mostly single-family residences.
Bakersfield City Councilman Harold Hanson of Ward 5 said he hadn’t noticed much of a buzz yet among Southwest residents. People don’t get that excited when they hear the “as many as 25 years” part, said Hanson.
“And most people would rather have houses than a dairy,” Hanson added, referring to the two 14,000-cow mega-daries James Borba and cousin George Borba fought to bring to Kern County. The dairies, which were approved, are in development. Both Pollard and Pickett said the proximity of the dairies to the future developments won’t be an issue.
Stovall said that while it may be true that housing developments are better than a mega-dairy, the standards should be applied in comparison to ordinary farm land.
“Fees for development should not only cover the direct road improvements, but the indirect traffic impacts, as well, so that our road system can be maintained at its current level of service.”
Hanson said some of the traffic issues should be alleviated by the $726 million Congressman Bill Thomas obtained in highway funding for Kern County last year. Highway projects funded by that bill include the Beltway system: $100 million to complete a beltway around the north and west edges of the city.
Hanson also predicted that many of the individuals who purchase homes will be commuters who live in the Valencia and Castaic areas.
“They’ll just jump on the 5 and go south,” he said.
Hanson said while there will likely be concerns raised about water, pollution and “critters,” the developers are used to dealing with government agencies.
“Our situation is easy compared to what they face in places like L.A. and San Diego. There they run into more opposition,” he said.
Gordon Nipp said the Sierra Club is bound to be involved once they look into both of the projects to make sure they are smart growth.
One of the issues he has with the developments is where they are. They’re building on prime agricultural land, said Nipp.
John Fallgatter, president of Kern County’s Smart Growth Coalition, suggests the city encourage developers to build in the east by offering incentives.
City Planner Marc Gauthier said he and his associates have done everything local government can do to bring development to northeast Bakersfield.
Gauthier said because an absence of subsurface water was the reason for historical lack of growth in the Northeast, the city created a sewer assessment district for northeast Bakersfield and spent millions laying sewer lines in the area during the 1990s. The city also provided the water plant on Morning Drive in conjunction with Cal Water in 1999.
“We would love to see that area (all non-ag land) develop and therefore lose that much less ag land in west Bakersfield. The lack of activity in this area has been a continuing disappointment,” said Gauthier, who partially blames the Sierra Club for suing developments in northeast Bakersfield and cooling the interest of the financial institutions that lend the necessary money for development.
Another key issue is water, said Stovall.
“Is there an adequate water supply to serve these houses year in and year out without overdrafting the groundwater basin? Crops can be fallowed if there is a water shortage; housing cannot,” he said.
Florn Core, the water resources manager for the city of Bakersfield, said the city was expecting such developments as the “nationals” started buying up local property — just not this fast. He said the city is looking at how they are going to provide water, and it will likely come from a combination of surface water and groundwater. Core said the city owns extensive Kern River water rights that can be dedicated to the projects, as can Kern Delta water.
“We’ll staff up as needed, and try to keep ahead of the projects by drilling wells and building water treatment plants,” said Core.
But water is just one element that must be considered.
At the moment, Gauthier describes the department as “at a loss” grappling with how to deal with the need for roads, sewer mains, water mains, public facilities like a satellite police station, fire stations and park maintenance structures in the proposed developments.
Gauthier said both the developments’ size and location are issues.
“The scale is certainly a problem, but perhaps more troubling is the fact that the project is located so far from existing development. It may be a 40-minute drive from city hall,” he said.
Gauthier said the city has a variety of standards outlined for D.R. Horton and Flying Seven to preserve traffic volumes and address air quality.
“We have outlined clearly what we want addressed and have offered to work with them to ‘raise the bar’ for development in the city of Bakersfield,” said Gauthier. “This is actually an upside when dealing with developers who own so much property.”
Pollard said this is true, and that there are tremendous benefits to a master planned project. A community planned by one developer can take into consideration in the specific
planning process the demands, impacts and needs of a particular area, said Pollard.
“D.R. Horton is working with other developers in the area, in an unprecedented planning effort, to study cumulative environmental impacts of all projects in the area. Collaborative planning such as this will lead to organized land use planning and development benefits for the entire area,” she said. “We believe the Gateway project will truly reflect Bakersfield, and ‘Life as it should be.’”
Nipp is pleased that the development will be something of a self-contained, walkable community so residents won’t need to “fire up the SUV.”
He said both developers should take advantage of the large size of their projects to incorporate environmentally-friendly features. Using solar power to generate electricity, like Castle & Cooke is doing with its City in the Hills project, is one idea, said Nipp. Using street lights that don’t glare and cause light pollution is another, as is using drought-tolerant native plants in the landscaping.
As for Kevin Morrison, who moved to the Southwest to escape Los Angeles, he doesn’t plan on moving again — yet.
“I’m sure some Bakersfield natives consider me a part of the problem, but as long as Bakersfield continues to offer quality California living at a fraction of the L.A. cost, it will be a hot relocation destination,” said Morrison. “I think that with competent city managing and closely monitored development schedules, Bakersfield can handle the continued growth and be a model to other growing areas. That’s the kind of people we have.”

Want to get involved and get your voice heard? City Planner Marc Gauthier said to send a letter requesting to be informed of all public meetings. He said it’s best to wait until summer to submit a letter, since in reality the initial public meetings are a long way off, probably early 2007 at best.

A great time at Glenwood Gardens Annual Egg Hunt

Our family had a great time at Glenwood Gardens annual egg hunt. The kids enjoyed an egg toss, barrel racing, pizza, popcorn, bounce house, live band and a huge egg hunt! It was a great time for people old and young alike Having all the grandkids and great-grandkids around always brings a smile to my Grandma Minnie Dean's face, and I know all the other residents love it, too. Thanks, Glennwood, for a great day that brought together all ages.

Recent Posts : The Southwest Voice