2022 Year in Review
Dec. 29—NEW WWII MEMORIAL WOWS CROWD
More than a thousand people crowded into Jastro Park in downtown Bakersfield in early December to dedicate the newly finished Kern County World War II Veterans Memorial, crowning a community effort that was years in the making.
Described by one organizer as a place of reverence, remembrance and education, the memorial includes six 9-foot-tall black granite panels, each weighing 7,500 pounds. Etched into the front side of those panels are the names of 689 soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen from Kern County who lost their lives in the war.
POWER OF THE PRESS?
Yes, Virginia, you can fight City Hall, or in this case, Caltrans.
Just hours after The Californian reported in August that Bakersfield motorists were outraged over Caltrans' decision to permanently close the Stockdale Highway off-ramp at southbound Highway 99, at least two members of the Bakersfield City Council and other government officials were on the phone with Caltrans trying to work out a solution.
With little time to spare before the planned 8 p.m. shut down Aug. 11, officials with the city of Bakersfield, the Thomas Roads Improvement Program and Caltrans agreed to keep the busy off-ramp open.
It felt like a rare and righteous win for local motorists.
CASINO APPROVAL
The Tejon Indian Tribe won final approval in November to build a 3,000-slot casino that will form the centerpiece of a $600 million resort hotel and casino half an hour south of Bakersfield.
Developed and operated in partnership with Florida-based Hard Rock International, the 11-story, 400-room complex will feature a 165,500-square-foot casino with 13 restaurants and convention space northwest of South Sabodan and Wild Flower streets. An RV park, tribal offices, a health-care facility and tribal housing are also part of the plan.
The county estimates the center will generate 1,000 construction jobs, nearly $60 million in annual payroll and an estimated $361 million per year in direct and induced sales and compensation.
There was no word on when construction will begin, but the work is expected to take 18 months.
RIVERLAKES RANCH PLUMBING
Leaky residential plumbing became something of an epidemic in the RiverLakes Ranch area of northwest Bakersfield in 2022 after thin copper pipes suddenly ruptured only about a quarter-century after construction.
Neighbors reported pinhole leaks damaging drywall and collapsing ceilings. Many said they had assumed their problems were unique until they noticed a veritable fleet of plumbing trucks showing up around their neighborhood.
Dozens of homeowners were frustrated to learn their homebuilders are generally liable for such problems for only 10 years after construction, which in their case took place in the mid-1990s.
Some residents ran up bills of $10,000 or more, with insurance covering only a small portion of the total cost.
THE BAKERSFIELD SOUND
Hundreds of music fans, local history buffs and Bakersfield boosters came together in March to celebrate the regional development of a sub-genre of country music that changed the dials on amplifiers, took the mufflers off the drums, frightened music executives in Nashville and reflected the blue collar values and hard-drinkin' honky-tonkin' of its fans in Bakersfield and Oildale.
The "Bakersfield Sound" exhibit finally opened March 20 at the Kern County Museum, and attendees oohed and awed at the glittering costumes, the vintage posters and the musical instruments that were once played by pioneers of a genre of country music named for a city 100 miles north of Los Angeles.
Almost to a person, the first thought attendees had that Sunday was, what took us so long?
WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS
The Cal State Bakersfield women's basketball team provided no shortage of intrigue in its two-day stay at the Big West Conference tournament in Henderson, Nev., on March 8 and 9. After Las Vegas native Jayden Eggleston scored the first points in the history of the new Dollar Loan Center, the Roadrunners held on for dear life and used a Vanessa Austin putback with one second left against CSUN to become the first-ever winners in the new venue. That earned them a date the following day with top-seeded Hawaii, which had already beaten CSUB three times during the season by an average margin of 13 points.
When it mattered most, the game was much, much closer. The Roadrunners held Big West Player of the Year Amy Atwell to four points, but this time surrendered a 45-40 lead late and saw Austin's desperate hook shot fall short as time expired. After the game, CSUB coach Greg McCall said his Hawaii counterpart Laura Beeman told him the Roadrunners deserved to win. "With every ounce of blood in my body, I believe that," McCall said.
'ZIGGY' LEAVES CSUB
Kenneth "Ziggy" Siegfried, only the third athletic director in CSUB's history, left the school unexpectedly for the same position at the University of Evansville in April. The day the news broke, Siegfried was already holding a press conference on the volleyball court in Evansville, Ind., thanking his "work family" from CSUB and talking about the conversation in which he had informed them that morning. CSUB responded by appointing Senior Associate Athletics Director Cindy Goodmon, Siegfried's second-in-command with over 35 years of experience and the senior woman administrator, as its interim AD. She held the role for four months, making her biggest decision when the athletic department declined to bring back softball coach Crissy Buck-Ziegler. In the end, after holding open forums on campus with three candidates, the search committee selected Southern Methodist Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director Kyle Conder, who was officially unveiled in a press conference on Oct. 7.
GAMES CANCELLED DUE TO GANG FEARS
School districts canceled three football games in northern Kern County due to fears of gang violence — Delano at Wasco, Taft at Chavez and McFarland at Kennedy — despite assertions from law enforcement that there were no credible threats on these campus events. Other fall sports such as cross-country, tennis and volleyball were also impacted by broader shutdowns of extracurricular activities implemented by the Delano and McFarland school districts.
The decision followed a string of shootings in Tulare County, including one just north of Delano near County Line Road and Road 136 four days earlier that resulted in two deaths. The cancellations disrupted students' festivities — Kennedy's game was intended to be its homecoming — as well as the South Sequoia League standings.
CASA ESPERANZA OPENS
Casa Esperanza, a transitional home for homeless women and children opened Oct. 21.
The home includes seven bedrooms for six families, four bathrooms, an office, homework room, laundry room, family room, dining room and kitchen. Families are able to stay from six to 24 months.
Casa Esperanza staff and supporters eventually overcame obstacles for the home to open such as neighbors from across the street and near Bakersfield College College and Panorama Park were against the idea. The city was initially against the home opening and tried to block its construction before the state stepped in and OK'd the project based on law for transitional housing.
NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY
The Mancera family, including Christy (mom) and Gabriel (father), welcomed 2-year-old Isabella as she became their 13th child and fourth to be adopted.
Isabella was among 58 children whose adoptions were finalized on National Adoption Day, Nov. 18, at Superior Court Juvenile Division, as well as privately at Superior Court's Family Law Division.
It was Kern County's 20th annual National Adoption Day celebration that also featured a barbecue lunch and photos.
FUNDRAISER FOR CENTER FOR THE BLIND
The Valley Center for the Blind held its inaugural Dining in the Dark fundraiser Nov. 18.
The event raised close to $65,000, said Shellena Heber, executive director of Valley Center for the Blind in Bakersfield.
The organization, an important resource for the blind in Kern County, drew about 150 people at Luigi's Warehouse banquet room.
KAUR WINS
Manpreet Kaur was the declared victor in the 2022 midterm race for the city council's Ward 7, which encompasses much of the city's southwest region.
At the city's swearing-in ceremony on Dec. 14, Kaur was also recognized as the first Sikh-Punjabi woman to be elected to the city council.
The 29 year old Bakersfield native received 54 percent of the vote in the three-candidate race. She replaces previous councilman Chris Parlier, who announced in June he would not seek reelection.
Kaur campaigned on a platform that included public safety, infrastructure and an emphasis on equity and inclusion for underrepresented communities.
She previously worked in the nonprofit sector and has graduate degrees in political science and urban planning.
BREWERY GOES EMPLOYEE OWNED
The Kern River Brewing Company announced Nov. 28 that it's now a 100 percent employee-owned business. It joins the nearly 7,000 U.S. companies — nearly 800 of which are in California — that are partially or totally owned by their employees.
According to co-founder Eric Giddens, this decision was made in 2018, citing expansion but also an exit plan. He and his wife/co-founder, Rebecca said that their daughters wouldn't be interested in taking over the business when they retire.
Ownership includes employees who work at least 1,000 hours a year and will be given as shares of company stock each year, at no cost. In their first year, employees will receive 20 percent of their capable share, and in each year following, their shares will increase in grades of 20 percent. Shares allotted are scaled based on how much money an employee makes, though it does not exclude roles like servers and kitchen workers.
"We just couldn't envision selling it to an individual or investment group from out of town," Giddens said. "We wanted it to stay in Kernville, and this seems like the best option to move forward with that."
COUNTY OF KERN WINS FUNDING TAX
Measure K, which establishes a penny tax to be levied in unincorporated areas of Kern County, passed in the 2022 midterm election with 50.98 percent of the vote.
County officials said the tax will raise $54 million annually for law enforcement, fire and medical services, among other needs.
The money is expected to replenish a growing gap in the county general fund and add necessary monies to the county's discretionary budget.
Since 2014, according to officials, Kern County property and sales tax revenue have decreased by 31 percent.
It also comes attached with strict requirements, such as the public oversight committee, that officials believe are effective safeguards to demonstrate to the public that the county government is spending the money appropriately.
For now, Measure K sits in a 110-day waiting period enacted by the state's Department of Tax and Fee Administration as the county continues to look at where to apply it. Revenues cannot be collected until April 1 and won't be included in the general budget until the next fiscal year that starts July 1, 2023.
THE WEST CASE
The murder charges filed against the adoptive parents of the California City brothers sent shockwaves throughout Kern County and the nation.
The West children, Orrin, 4, and Orson, 3, were reported missing from their adoptive parents' home in California City in December 2020. The case roiled the community and even Investigation Discovery aired a segment on "In Pursuit with John Walsh" to find the boys.
No public information was available until Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer revealed at a March press conference her office secured a grand jury indictment for Trezell and Jacqueline West. The Wests have each pleaded not guilty to two charges of second-degree murder, a single charge of involuntary manslaughter, two felony charges of willful cruelty to a child, a conspiracy felony charge and a misdemeanor of falsely reporting an emergency.
Orrin and Orson's bodies have never been found. More than 50 witness testified during a grand jury indictment which began in December 2021 and jurors returned with an indictment Feb. 28.
Since then, the biological mother and father both filed civil suits against Kern County claiming Child Protective Services incorrectly allowed the Wests to adopt Orrin and Orson.
PLEA DEAL NETS MURDERER LIFE SENTENCE
In a surprising twist, the man who raped and murdered 13-year-old Patricia Alatorre took a plea deal in October and was sentenced to life without parole in November.
Armando Cruz, 26, agreed to plead guilty to 11 felony charges in exchange for prosecutors dropping the death penalty. He's serving time at Wasco State Prison for first-degree murder, rape, sex acts with a child, contacting a minor for sex and having child pornography.
Cruz was scheduled for a readiness hearing in October 2021 when attorneys announced they reached an agreement and Cruz admitted to all charges. He had recently been dropped by two LA-based defense attorneys in December 2021 who represented him since Alatorre's murder in summer 2020.
Known as "Bakersfield's daughter," Alatorre's death rocked the community when she disappeared. Cruz admitted to raping, and then strangling her to stop her from screaming. He eventually wrapped her body in a red blanket and set it on fire.
FORMER CONGRESSMAN INDICTED
Federal prosecutors unveiled an indictment in August alleging former congressman TJ Cox laundered millions from several of his business partners and investors and falsified campaign contributions.
Cox opened a tax credit company, an almond processing plant and Fresno-based sports operations. Cheques intended for these businesses were instead diverted to his personal accounts and used to pay private school tuition, credit card bills, mortgage payments and a political consultant, according to an indictment.
The disgraced former congressman is also accused of fraudulently getting a loan and giving a family member personal money to make a donation to his congressional campaign.
Cox, a Democrat, represented the 21st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2020 to 2018 by beating Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford by only a few votes. Valadao defeated Cox in the 2020 election by the same margin, and now represents the newly-drawn 22nd Congressional District.
SE BAKERSFIELD GETS NEW HIGH SCHOOL
The Kern High School District opened a new high school this year amid record-setting overcrowding at nearby campuses and led to boundary changes not seen in more than 10 years.
Students from Arvin, Bakersfield, East Bakersfield, Foothill, Golden Valley, Highland, Independence, Mira Monte, North, South, Stockdale, Ridgeview and West high schools were all impacted by the opening of Del Oro High School.
Northwest Bakersfield campuses were largely untouched.
OPIATE EPIDEMIC
The epidemic of fentanyl, which has impacted many local residents, reached a local high school this year.
North High School had a meeting for parents to learn about overdoses on its campus.
But it was cut short after administrators didn't present information about what happened immediately on campus and instead talked about abusing other drugs than fentanyl.
Parents began screaming their concerns and asked for answers about intended steps the campus could take to ensure their kids' safety.
CIVIL CASE SETTLED
A former Kern High School District police chief and officers settled their civil case in July against the district for $2.25 million after they said KHSD administrators created a hostile work environment for them after they reported an alleged misuse of a police database by district officials to spy on students and parents.
Former KHSD Police Chief Joseph Lopeteguy alleged KHSD administrators abused the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System in 2015, a database operated by law enforcement to conduct background checks. It was used to ensure athletes lived in the correct district so they could play sports.
CLETS is a database only privy to law enforcement agencies to use during their investigations. A person can be charged with a misdemeanor or felony for divulging information from CLETS to civilians.
The Kern County Sheriff's Office had recommended a misdemeanor and felonies in this case, but the Kern County District Attorney declined to file charges.
STAFF SHORTAGE
Local law enforcement has been contending with fewer resources to investigate more crimes this year amid a nationwide dearth of applicants seeking to don a neatly pressed uniform.
The Bakersfield Police Department didn't meet its goal to hire 100 officers this year, a promise touted by city officials when stamping for Measure N votes, a one-cent sales tax in Bakersfield that barely passed in 2018 to fund public safety measures and homelessness. It fell about 35 officers short of its goal.
Kern County sheriff's deputies also closed two jails because they don't have staff — more than 400 unfilled positions weigh heavily on the agency, according to Sheriff Donny Youngblood in October.
Sheriff's deputies signed a contract with Langley Productions to film them for a popular show "COPS." This is the second time the show will shoot deputies — it did so once in 2010.
All eyes are on city and county staff to address these vacancies and fill positions.
LEAKY OIL WELLS
Idle oil wells arose as a new worry in the Bakersfield area this year after state officials discovered methane leaking from a series of local bores at volumes too high for emergency responders and state officials to measure.
Word arrived in May that two wells that had been improperly abandoned were releasing methane near a residential neighborhood in northeast Bakersfield.
As work was being done to address the leaks, news came of uncontrolled emissions at other wells around town. The number of problem facilities soon grew to total 45.
Some of the wells resumed leaking even after they were repaired, but eventually all were at least temporarily capped. In September, state regulators unveiled a draft plan to prioritize oilfield inspections and repairs to an estimated 5,300 idle wells around the state At least $165 million in federal money and $100 million in state dollars have been set aside to begin the work.
California's oil industry has criticized the state's focus on orphan wells, saying the money would be better spent on bigger emitters of methane, like dairies and landfills.
REFINERY CONVERSION
Construction complications and a worsening cash crunch set back what was supposed to be the launch of California's largest renewable diesel plant at the former Big West refinery along Rosedale Highway.
Long Beach-based Global Clean Energy Holdings Inc., the plant's owner since 2000, had planned this year to begin producing 15,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel refined from rendered animals fats and organic feedstocks.
But the facility isn't expected to start running until the second quarter of 2023, at the earliest, after the project's price tag ballooned to $560 million from the original estimate of $200 million.
In November, GCEH said it needed to raise outside money to finish the job, which it told investors "may not be available on favorable terms, or at all."
INLAND PORT
Kern's profile as a warehousing and distribution hub took on whole new dimensions in August with county approval of a project expected to handle 3 million 20-foot-equivalent shipping containers per year.
The Mojave Inland Port is planned to receive containers by rail from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Once they arrive at a privately financed, 402-acre property near highways 14 and 58, they are to be loaded onto trucks for distribution around the western United States.
They project is projected to support 2,851 permanent jobs in Kern and add $73 million per year to the county's property-tax base.
KCCD-B3K SPLIT
A multimillion-dollar state grant program exposed — and then appeared to heal — a rift over competing visions for Kern's economic future.
Negotiations toward a unified county application to the $600 million Community Economic Resilience Fund ran almost until the last minute before a breakthrough unified a Kern Community College District-led coalition and one led by the B3K Prosperity collaboration.
Leadership and focus were the main points of contention as B3K promoted a more mainstream approach, while KCCD focused on giving voice to labor and historically underrepresented groups.
The state had made it clear it wanted just one application from Kern, not two competing bids. Shortly before the grant application deadline, B3K agreed to take a back seat to KCCD, which was named the application's fiscal agent and "co-convener" along with B3K, Community Action Partnership of Kern and the Kern, Inyo & Mono counties Central Labor Council.
It remains to be seen whether the county will receive the $80 million or more it hopes to receive under the CERF economic development initiative.
