'Steam' Building Over Proposed Route of California High Speed Rail System

‘Steam’ is building throughout California over the proposed route of California’s high speed rail system. A futuristic transportation system that former California Gov. Gray Davis once dismissed as being something out of “Buck Rogers,” a recent allocation of about $2.6 billion in federal stimulus dollars and California voters’ passage of a nearly $10 billion bond in 2008 has moved high speed rail from “theoretical” to “possible.”


But with the system’s brighter hopes is coming controversy over details, including where the high speed train tracks will be laid.

In the May 30, Bakersfield Californian, reporter Steve Mayer wrote about the controversy over two proposed routes through the heart of his city. Both basically follow an existing railroad alignment.

The plan is for the route to enter Bakersfield from the northwest, stop at a downtown terminal and exit to the east on the way to the Antelope Valley and beyond to Southern California. Because of the speed, both routes deviate a bit – in a sweeping curve – from the existing railroad alignment. Likely historic homes and buildings will be in its path, causing controversy in the city.

Bakersfield is not alone in raising concerns about the path high speed rail will take. Farmers up and down the San Joaquin Valley are expressing objections. And battles have broken out in the Bay Area and Southern California.

“Bringing a high speed rail line through Bakersfield will be disruptive, as well as beneficial,” observed John Hardisty, the city’s retired development services director. John Hardisty now is a court mediator and planning consultant.

Issues of safety and noise will need to be addressed for any route, he said, adding that “rather than deciding that the exact alignment will be where the preliminary study lines have been drawn, the design engineers and environmental reviewers should be refining a route that would least impact the community. Wherever possible, they need to avoid schools, hospitals, homes, businesses and churches.”

Earlier this year, Hardisty wrote in a Bakersfield Californian opinion column about the need for the city to organize its efforts to become the site of a test track and heavy maintenance facility for the California High Speed Rail system. Several San Joaquin Valley cities, including Fresno, Merced and Bakersfield, are competing for the project, which will bring million of dollars in investments and thousands of jobs to the community that is selected.

But route selection for the entire system has become increasingly contentious.

“If you think getting a freeway alignment adopted is tough, you ain't seen nothing yet. This could be a bigger battle,” said Hardisty.

John Hardisty writes about high speed rail and other land-use issues on his Planning Beat blog.

About the author: Dianne Hardisty retired in 2009 as The Bakersfield Californian’s editorial page editor. She now is a freelance writer in Bakersfield with reporting specialties in business and government. Her work frequently appears on her Examiner webpage.

Blood donations to Houchin Blood Bank in Bakersfield, Calif., could end up on battlefields in Iraq, Afghanistan

Houchin Community Blood Bank / John Harte

Writing in today’s Bakersfield Californian, Maureen Buscher-Dang reveals that people who donate blood at their local community blood banks may be helping U.S. soldiers on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.


As an example, she notes that during the past 18 months, Houchin Community Blood Bank in Bakersfield, Calif., has sent six shipments – each containing 15 units of blood products – to the Armed Services Blood Bank Center in Tacoma, Wash.

The center’s primary mission is to support the nation’s military operations, explained Victor Shermer, the center’s donor recruiter and public affairs officer. Shermer also is a retired Army major.

Shermer told Buscher-Dang that within a week of being drawn from a donor in Bakersfield, or someplace else in the United States, a unit of blood may be helping a soldier in Afghanistan or Iraq.

The Armed Services Blood Program relies primarily on military personnel, military families, federal employees and participants in universities’ reserve officer training corps for blood donations. But like with their civilian counterparts, sometimes there is a special need for a rare blood type and inventories run low. The Armed Services Blood Program then sends out a call to purchase units from civilian centers, such as Houchin.

“December and January are the worse months of the year,” explained Shermer. “Soldiers go home on leave. They are not available to donate. When we do not have enough to meet our quota, we purchase it.”

Maureen Buscher-Dang is a Bakersfield public relations consultant, who represents Houchin Community Blood Bank. She is passionate about donating blood and supporting our troops. Until his recent retirement, her husband, Alex Dang, was a member of the Army Reserves and completed a tour of duty in Iraq.

About the author: Dianne Hardisty retired as The Bakersfield Californian's editorial page editor. She now is a freelance writer in Bakersfield. Her stories also appear on the Examiner webpage.

Hina Patel: Bakersfield sickle cell victim showed courage, sacrifice

Hina Patel is interviewed at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital in February by Dianne Hardisty

Today is Memorial Day, when we remember those who have died who stepped forward – during the present wars, or earlier wars – to defend this country. Often we just look at this day as a day off work, or the beginning of the summer vacation season. But it should be a day to reflect on the sacrifices that have been made.






I do not intend to take anything away from the sacrifices of our veterans. That is what this day REALLY is about. But we can also spare a few minutes today to think about the sacrifices everyday people make for their country, neighborhoods and families.





Today I am thinking about a young Bakersfield woman, Hina Patel . In February, The Bakersfield Californian published a story by Dianne Hardisty about Hina and her brave battle with sickle cell disease. Born with the affliction, she lived two decades with sickle cell disease.





When she spoke at the Houchin Community Blood Bank's annual recognition dinner in February for platelet donors, she thanked the Bakersfield donors for their life-giving generosity. She had been sustained by frequent platelet transfusions.





And when she agreed to be interviewed for a follow-up story, she was very, very sick. In fact, part of the interview took place in an isolation room at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital But Hina and her mother, Bhavana Patel, gave up their privacy and some of their precious final minutes together because they were committed to having people better understand the devastation of sickle cell disease and the need for people “at risk” to be tested.





Hina died on May 5, 2010. Despite her illness, she graduated with honors from Bakersfield’s Stockdale High School, was enrolled at Bakersfield College and had been accepted into the University of Pacific’s pharmacy program. She was a brave and accomplished young woman.





About the author: Dianne Hardisty retired as The Bakersfield Californian's editorial page editor. She now is a freelance writer in Bakersfield.

Hunting for Bakersfield's 'historic character'

Photo by John Hardisty

Jack Hendrix stands in front of the turn-of-the-century Bakersfield house he restored.

John Hardisty spent nearly 30 years guiding the city of Bakersfield, Calif., forward as its development services director. He managed the city’s Planning Department as Bakersfield grew to include about 143 square miles and serve a population of nearly 340,000 people.

During those years, his focus was on the present and the future. Now retired from the city and working as a planning consultant and court mediator, Hardisty’s focus is also on the past, as he writes an occasional column for The Bakersfield Californian.

Beginning with his May 23 feature on the turn-of-the-century home of the late Louise V. Olcese, a Bakersfield capitalist, Hardisty will write about the historic, significant and sometimes downright strange homes and buildings in Bakersfield.

Bakersfield, at the southern end of California’s San Joaquin Valley, has a rich history rooted in oil and agriculture. It also has a hard-scrabble reputation born of the struggles of the Depression-era Okies, who flocked to the community.

Known for its brand of Country Western music and Basque food, Bakersfield can be as sophisticated as any city – and mind you, it’s California’s 11th largest – but it can also be a bit quirky.

Hardisty’s occasional column will highlight such attractions as Bakersfield’s tallest building and explain why at 12 floors it was required to obtain a variance from the city’s height limitation. He also will interview the architect of Bakersfield’s futuristic-looking triangle building and recall the 1970s battle waged to get city clearance to build the “funny looking thing.”

At the center of what was once the city of Kern (east Bakersfield) is a sprawling, formerly elegant train station. He will tour readers through the now mostly boarded up and weather-beaten structure, which is used by the railroad to house a skeleton staff and store supplies.

“To keep moving forward, it is important for every community to understand its past,” said Hardisty, explaining the focus of his column. “To attempt progress without an understanding and respect for history is like building without a foundation.”

This sensitivity to history is particularly important to Bakersfield. The city was hit in 1952 by an earthquake that destroyed much of its downtown and many of its public buildings. Some contend Bakersfield’s historic character was turned to rubble by the earthquake. But if you look closely, you will find some remnants have survived.

Hardisty’s column will take readers on a treasure hunt for Bakersfield’s historic character.

About the author: Dianne Hardisty retired as The Bakersfield Californian's editorial page editor. She now is a freelance writer. This article appeared first on her Examiner page.

Bakersfield National Cemetery holds first Memorial Day

Photo by Dianne Hardisty

Flags adorn graves at the Bakersfield National Cemetery

Bakersfield National Cemetery, located on 500 acres donated by the Tejon Ranch Co., 20 miles southeast of Bakersfield, Calif., will hold its first Memorial Day Ceremony Sunday, May 30, at 10 a.m.

Among those speaking during the ceremony were Steve L. Muro, acting under secretary for memorial affairs, and Congressmen Kevin McCarthy and Jim Costa.

The 130th national cemetery in a system that now includes 131, the Bakersfield National Cemetery opened in July 2009.

To date, the remains of 600 have been interred in the cemetery since its opening, according to director Cindy M. Van Bibber.

Nationwide, an estimated 1,000 World War II veterans are dying every day. The death rates for Korean War and Vietnam War veterans also are increasing. The system of national cemeteries has expanded to accommodate these veterans.

“I am surprised more people are not utilizing the Bakersfield cemetery,” said Van Bibber, who recent transferred to the facility from a similar one in Fort Bliss, Texas. “The setting is awe-inspiring.”

Bakersfield is one of three cemeteries in the system that utilize “water wise” landscaping. The other two are located in Phoenix, Ariz., and Fort Bliss. The Phoenix and Fort Bliss cemeteries are located in deserts, where cactus and similar vegetation are commonly found.

While Bakersfield is not located in a desert, the site lacks a source of water, preventing it from sprouting the carpet of grass found in most cemeteries.

To some, the Bakersfield National Cemetery may appear bleak and barren. But Van Bibber notes that landscaping still is taking shape. Native plants, including the oak trees and wild flowers that decorate the rolling foothills of the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada Mountains will adorn the national cemetery.

She credits the cemetery’s support group with providing guidance and assistance as the cemetery provides a resting place for the men and women who dedicated themselves to preserving the freedom of the United States.

About the author: Dianne Hardisty retired as the editorial page editor of The Bakersfield Californian. She is now a freelance writer. This article appeared first on her Examiner page.