AMERICA'S SKIES GOING GRAY

 

Early most mornings, you will find Delbert Williams climbing into the cockpit of his Air Tractor, snapping on a helmet and roaring down the runway at the Wasco Airport.

At 73 years old, Williams is an oddity. He is likely Kern County's oldest, regularly flying cropduster -- or preferably "ag pilot" to those in the business.

Age is no big deal to Williams, who commutes from his ranch in Woody to operate Tri-Star Agrinautics in Wasco. He says his hero is Al Grouleff, an 85-year-old San Joaquin cropduster who continues to fly.

But age is a big deal in an industry that has amazed us on the ground for nearly a century with its graceful aerial ballet. This air force of private pilots is getting older. Most pilots now are in their 50s and 60s. It is the exceptional pilot who is healthy enough and willing enough to fly beyond that age.

For the sake of the industry they serve, and the increasing world demand for the food they help grow, many aging pilots now wonder who will fill their seats when they finally are grounded.

"We're in the 911 business," Williams said as he prepared to take off one recent morning. "When the pest control advisor goes into a field, when all alternatives have been tried, when the bad bugs are out-eating the good bugs, they call us in."

Skimming the tops of plants while dodging power lines, skillful cropdusters plant fields, fertilize crops and drop mixtures from the air that help fight the "bad bugs." Safety rules have restricted where and how these pilots work.

Changing crop patterns -- particularly the trading of "king cotton" for tree-planting in the valley -- has reduced the need for their services. And the bigger carrying capacity of today's aircraft has resulted in doing more with less.

But still the need for cropdusters exists and the looming shortage is troublesome.

The California Agricultural Aircraft Association estimates ag pilots in the state log more than 100,000 hours in flight time a year. Terry Gage, the association's president, estimated there are 400 fully licensed ag pilots in California, but only 300 are actively flying.

Many of the old-timer pilots turned their military aviation experience into flying-by-the-seat-of-their-pants civilian jobs upon discharge. But much more is demanded of today's ag pilot. He or she must be an "applicator" first and a pilot second.

Licenses from a wide range of alphabet-soup regulatory agencies and the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as extensive training and apprenticeships, are required.

"Part of the challenge is finding the right individual," Gage said. "It's more than flying low over fields. We need people serious about agriculture."

"We don't wear ties and suits to work. We wear jeans and carry lunch buckets. But we are professional, skilled aviators," Williams said.

It's not just the education, licensing and experience requirements that keep new pilots from entering the industry. It's also the high cost of insuring a plane flown by an inexperienced pilot.

Williams learned how to fly when he was a Bakersfield High School student. He said he paid for his lessons by washing and fueling airplanes for Roy Pemberton at Meadows Field. He completed a tour in the Air National Guard. His experience in agriculture began with mixing chemicals and loading cropdusters.

But likely the professional breaks Williams was given as a young pilot he could not afford to give a newcomer today. In fact he said he advises pilots wanting to get into the business to spend some years in the Midwest, where restrictions and the physical challenges may be less and opportunities greater. Then return to California as a more seasoned aviator.

When I called to San Joaquin to check up on Williams' hero, Al Grouleff, he was out flying with his 18-year-old grandson, Greg Grouleff Jr. Greg's father, Greg Sr., answered the phone at the cropdusting business the family has operated for 67 years.

Greg Jr. has the flying bug. He wants to be a cropduster. When his grandfather isn't dusting crops or joyriding in his Stearman biplane, Greg Sr. said he is teaching the youngster the ropes.

But even with a family business to back up his dream, Greg Jr. is being urged to be cautious.

"We want him to have a backup plan," said his father, who has encouraged his only son to enroll in Fresno State and major in agriculture.

Even the old-timers worry about the uncertainty of their industry.

"I think there will always be a need for us," said Allan Bittleston, who runs Vince Crop Dusters Inc. in Buttonwillow. But he admits the need is shrinking.

This article written by Dianne Hardisty appeared first in The Bakersfield Californian in July 2009.

WRITER'S 'NICHE' -- SIX FEET UNDER

 

Lisa Kimble has been a story teller her entire professional life, first as an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist and now as a freelance writer for magazines and other publications.

So the Bakersfield, Calif., journalist’s latest venture – offering her services as a writer of obituaries – isn’t as odd a career move as some might think. After all, she’s still writing about everyday folks. The only difference: These life stories have an ending.

The mother of three and wife of Bakersfield attorney Craig Edmonston is hanging out her “shingle” as an obituary writer, launching a company she calls A Life’s Story. (See www.alifesstory.com or e-mail alifesstory@hotmail.com)

Before anyone gets the wrong idea, Kimble isn’t a morbid or gloomy person. In fact, the Mount St. Mary’s College graduate is warm and upbeat. She’s likely the last person you would cast in the role of a Munster Family member.

“Obituaries are not stories of death. They are stories of life,” Kimble says. “They are rich tapestries woven from the fabric of people’s lives. They are windows through which we can understand how lives were lived. They are opportunities for us to learn wonderful life lessons.”

It is the rare journalist who can escape being assigned to write an occasional obituary. But in recent years, Kimble also has picked up the task of writing obituaries for family and friends who have died.

A few months ago, she received a call from a mortuary asking her to help relatives of two murder victims as they struggled with their profound grief to write an appropriate farewell to their loved ones.

“I began to realize what a big need there is for a professional writer to help families,” she said. “At the time of a death, families are dealing with so many decisions. They often have difficulty thinking clearly. But they want to write something that will be a fitting legacy, a tribute.

“At these times, a professional writer – a neutral, but compassionate person – can guide them through this important task,” said Kimble, calling it a “great honor” to write obituaries.

Obituaries are among the top-read features in most newspapers. Kimble admits obituaries often are the first thing she reads when she picks up her newspaper.

But the art of obituary writing has evolved over many decades. The once flowery tomes of a century ago became choppy formula-written articles, as the assignment fell to rookie reporters, or clerical staffs on many newspapers.

Author Marilyn Johnson in “The Dead Beat” noted that obituaries had a rebirth in the 1980s, when experienced story tellers, such as Kimble, began taking an interest.

In her 2006 book, Johnson writes about Jim Nicholson, an investigative reporter for The Philadelphia Daily News, who began writing obituaries in 1982 to “brighten” the pages of his newspaper.

Mixed in with Nicholson’s obituaries about big newsmakers who had died were stories of “ordinary people whose lives had been considered dull as linoleum to the general public,” Johnson wrote. Nicholson offered them up “as heroes of their neighborhood and characters of consequence.”

“Everyone is important,” agreed Kimble, explaining her interest. “Everyone’s story is unique.”

Most of the obituaries we read in the newspaper are written by people left behind to mourn the dead. The authors are mostly family members, who piece together the deceased’s life from their memories and perspectives.

“It is important for people to leave behind information about their lives. Like safe deposit boxes, you are the only one who has the key,” said Kimble, who also envisions helping the “living” prepare obituary information that can be left with their pre-need funeral arrangements.

But at the very least, talk to family members about the important aspects of your life, she said, adding that she has encouraged her own father to assemble his biographical information.

Some people want to have the final word; they want to write their own obituaries. Kimble said a professional writer can help with that, as well.

Self-written obituaries can leave readers with tears in their eyes, or laughing their bellies off. Take, for example, the man who wrote in his 2002 Winston-Salem Journal, N.C., obituary: “I’ve got some bad news for you (besides the fact that I am dead). … just as I had always suspected, God is a Republican.”

Susan Lane, a former New York fashion model, wrote in her 2003 obituary, “Susan was an eternal optimist, an unapologetic liberal and a delightful dinner and party guest. She was never a member of the NRA, or the Republican Party.”

In November, 52-year-old David Allen Palmer wrote touchingly in his Bakersfield Californian obituary about his life that ended when he lost his battle with the “evils” of pancreatic cancer.

Many obituaries do not include the cause of death, opting to focus on the deceased’s life. But Palmer, who worked for Kern County’s Waste Management Department, decided to share that information. However, he devoted most of his obituary to celebrating the life he lived, the friends he cherished and the lessons he learned.

“In lieu of flowers or gifts, those wishing to make any type of contribution may donate to the American Cancer Society on behalf of all people everywhere. Tell them Dave Palmer sent you,” he wrote in an obituary that welled more than a few tears in readers’ eyes.

Some companies prepare obituaries in anticipation of key staffs’ unexpected deaths. However, not all these efforts go smoothly, or are taken seriously. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Bill Janz wrote about being ordered decades ago by a crusty old editor to pen his own obituary in case he croaked.

“I couldn’t decide whether to begin it by saying, ‘The sweetest, nicest person who ever lived died yesterday,’ or be more modest and just say ‘the nicest,’” Janz wrote, recalling that a colleague who covered environmental issues, wrote that he was known “throughout the state for his grasp of sewage.”

In the case of newsmakers who are getting a bit long in the tooth, or who are plagued by health issues, newspapers may prepare obituaries in advance. Knowing these stories are being written, newsmakers often have publicists or representatives supply biographical information, putting their own spin on the obituary.

Obituary writing is receiving so much new attention that a fledgling organization has formed to hone the craft. At www.obitwriters.org, you will find tips on writing obituaries, stories about obituary writers, new technology, such as vobits (video obituaries), and the hilarious blog www.obituaryforum.blogspot.com. Among the postings on the blog is a video of Jon Stewart presenting his RIPpy Awards, which this year honored the most stupid Michael Jackson death stories.

If you really get into this obituary writing thing, you can join the Society of Professional Obituary Writers and attend its 2010 convention in Philadelphia in April. Organizers report the convention will begin with a “kickoff dinner.” That sounds about right.

As for Kimble, she is planning on writing her own obituary – mainly because she is certain those she leaves behind will leave out what she believes are some “important” things.

A version of this story written by Dianne Hardisty was published in The Bakersfield Californian on Jan. 3, 2010.

WORLD WAR II PILOT SHARES MEMORIES

 

Don Westfahl looked across a barren field on the airport in Shafter. From a layer of fog poked weather-beaten buildings, the leftovers of World War II. They stirred memories of a time that changed Westfahl’s life.

A 19-year-old farm boy from Perry, Okla., Westfahl was sent with thousands of other young men by the Army Air Corps to Minter Field, just east of Shafter, Calif., to learn how to fly fighter planes and bombers during World War II.

“It was enjoyable to be there as a cadet,” the 85-year-old Westfahl recalled during a recent interview. “We were treated well. The food was excellent. Honey, butter and a case of milk were always on the table. The mess sergeant would save the best steaks and he would put on a banquet at the end of training.

“They demanded discipline, but they were more interested in getting us to be pilots than in changing us. It was a good group of guys who had a lot of fun flying.”

Minter Field also was where Westfahl met his wife of 55 years, the former Lee Becker of Bakersfield, which is just south of Shafter. Westfahl and Becker met during a Junior Women’s League dance for cadets in 1944. Becker worked in a medical office on the base. The young cadet was just passing through.

Westfahl spent 10 weeks of his 40-week aviation training course at Minter Field, the Army Air Corps’ largest “basic training” base on the West Coast. After leaving Minter Field, he went on to advance training at bases in Texas, South Carolina, Georgia and Oklahoma.

But that dance in the “rec hall” sparked a romance kept alive through letters. “I still have letters I won’t let anyone see,” Westfahl confessed with a sly chuckle.

The couple married in June 1944 and Lee followed her husband from camp to camp until he was sent overseas a year later. From a base in India, Westfahl flew weather reconnaissance flights to support pilots navigating the dangerous “Hump,” a death-defying route over the Himalayas used to supply Chinese troops fighting the Japanese.

At the war’s end, Westfahl came “home” to Bakersfield, where his bride and a young son he had never seen were waiting for him. He was hired by a local refinery and worked his way up to assistant manager, before moving to Sunland Refinery, where he wound up a 40-year career as its manager.

The couple raised three children – Donald Jr., the oldest, who teaches English in Saudi Arabia; Patricia, a travel agent in Torrance; and Michael, who lives in Bakersfield and is retired from an oil equipment sales career. Westfahl’s bride died 10 years ago.

About six months after retiring from his refinery post, Westfahl said he “got nervous.” He went back to work as a part-time plumbing and electrical salesman at a Lumberjack home improvement store until it closed a few years ago.

In 1999, a man Westfahl knew from his refinery days came into the store. Talk bounced around various topics and somehow Westfahl mentioned he had been stationed at Minter Field during the war. The man he was talking to was a volunteer at the Minter Field Air Museum.

“I didn’t even know there was a museum,” Westfahl recalled. That was 10 years ago. Not only was Westfahl recruited as a volunteer, he became the “go-to guy” when people want to tour the old base, and learn about its war memorabilia, restored aircraft and various World War II-era military vehicles.

Westfahl is the museum’s only docent who actually served at the base. His first-hand knowledge is treasured by volunteers and visitors.

“Most of the board members can give a good tour, but only he can tell you where the buildings were on the field. He can point out the ready room,” said Dean Craun, a retired television marketing executive, who volunteers as the museum’s public relations contact.

“You never know who will pop through the doors,” said Craun, explaining museum visitors include local residents and those from far away.

“A few years ago, we were contacted by a guy who had been adopted. He wanted to learn more about his father and knew he had been based at Minter Field,” said Craun. Volunteers sorted through documents, including past issues of the base newspaper, the Echelon. They found a photo of the man’s father, had it enlarged and sent it to him. The man later visited Minter Field. “He was quite moved by the experience.”

“Not long ago, a couple of guys from England had been visiting military museums in the Bay Area and then driving to Arizona. They pulled off the highway to see the Minter Field Air Museum,” said Craun.

“It is important to preserve Minter Field,” said Craun, noting that more than 11,000 pilots were trained at the base during World War II.

It was named after Lt. Hugh C. Minter, a member of a locally prominent family and World War I pilot. Minter, the commander of the 73rd Pursuit Squadron at March Field in Southern California, died in a mid-air collision in 1932 over that base.

In historical documents, Minter Field is described as a “city within a city,” with about 7,000 personnel at any given time. The primary training aircraft at the base was the BT-13 Consolidated Vultee Valiant, affectionately known as the “Vultee Vibrator” because it shook during certain maneuvers.

“The museum honors the Greatest Generation – people who put it on the line for their country in the 40s,” said Craun. “The military is downplayed in schools. There isn’t much taught about World War II, Korea or Vietnam.”

Craun is putting together a video library commemorating the generation at the museum. So far, he has assembled more than 900 hours of World War II videos. A library of Minter Field and World War II records also is being archived in what was once the base’s original fire station.

The museum is a non-profit organization dependent on fundraising and donations. Major events conducted by the museum include a February founder’s day banquet, a spring Warbirds air show and an October military vehicle show.

The museum is open to the public and for touring on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. By special arrangement, tours at other times can be arranged. Call 654-9159 or e-mail mfam@minterfieldairmuseum.com.

The museum is located 12 miles north of Bakersfield at 401 Vultee St., Shafter, Calif.Exit Highway 99 at Lerdo Highway and drive west. Admission is free.

This article written by DIANNE HARDISTY first appeared in The Bakersfield Californian on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. You can see more articles written by Dianne Hardisty by going to www.svs2help.com


ABOUT MINTER FIELD

Dedicated Feb. 7, 1942

Named after Lt. Hugh C. Minter, a member of a locally prominent family and World War I pilot who died in a mid-air collision in 1932 over March Field

The largest Army Air Corps base during World War II on the West Coast for “basic” air cadet training

More than 11,000 combat pilots were trained at Minter Field

Minter Field Air Museum is located at 401 Vultee St., Shafter. Exit Highway 99 at Lerdo Highway and drive west. Admission is free.

Museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours at other times can be arranged by calling 654-9159 or e-mail mfam@minterfieldairmuseum.com.

Go to www.minterfieldairmuseum.com for more information.

Bernanke, Fed lousy watchdogs

 

Long before Republicans scored a surprise victory in Massachusetts and long before some Democrats started backing away from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Bakersfield, Calif.’s former Republican Congressman Bill Thomas expressed doubts.

Thomas, who now is the vice chairman of the congressionally established Fiscal Crisis Inquiry Commission, was interviewed in December about the commission’s upcoming hearings on the nation’s economic meltdown. The interview appeared in The Bakersfield Californian on Dec. 26, 2009. It can be read online at http://tinyurl.com/ThomasFCIC

A lot of Thomas’ heat was directed at federal regulators, including the “watchdogs” at the Federal Reserve, who let Wall Street banks run amuck, creating schemes that included bundling of undervalued and sometimes worthless mortgages, and reselling them to investors.

“Everyone kept talking about how great Ben Bernanke was because he had studied the Great Depression, and how he wasn’t going to let that happen twice,” Thomas said. “But the problem with the Great Depression was one of liquidity. They puckered up. So when they made runs on the banks – and these were banks that were perfectly sound – no one carried the cash-deposit capability to meet everyone wanting their money all at once. And they couldn’t get loans.”

The lack of liquidity did not cause the latest meltdown. Instead, the cheap money Bernanke and the Fed allowed to pour into the economy was pouring “gas onto the fire,” Thomas said.

Thomas criticized Bernanke and the Fed, which is the nation’s central bank that manages the money supply and supervises commercial banks, for allowing the housing bubble to inflate and then drag the economy down when it imploded.

Bernanke’s four-year term as the Fed chairman ends Jan. 31. Nominated in 2005 by Republican President George Bush, Bernanke has been nominated for a second term by Democratic President Barack Obama.

Many are interpreting last week’s Republican victory in Massachusetts’ special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy as evidence of growing voter anger over the economy. Bernanke’s Senate confirmation has been swept up in the political fallout.

Since the Fed was created in 1913, the Senate has never rejected a president’s nominee for chairman. The last time a nominee faced significant opposition was in 1983, when then President Carter’s Fed chairman, Paul A. Volcker, faced reappointment. Volcker won a second term by a vote of 84 to 16.

Several Democrat and Republican senators have declared their opposition to Bernanke’s continued leadership. But leaders in both parties and President Obama are running to his rescue. A vote on Bernanke’s reappointment could come as early as today.

But even Bernanke’s supporters are lukewarm. They warn rejecting Bernanke would destabilize the stock market and send a disastrous message to global partners. Besides, candidates waiting in the wings to replace Bernanke may not be any better. Most critics and supporters agree that when Bernanke and the Fed finally acted to shore up the economy last year, bigger problems were averted.

Under Bernanke’s leadership, the Fed failed to respond to signals that the economy was in trouble. Even now, many believe Bernanke has done little to acknowledge or atone for the unresponsiveness, and has turned a deaf ear to jobs creation and banking reform.

While Bernanke likely will be confirmed, doubts have been cast over his political independence and his ability to set the brakes.

Thomas noted that it is the Fed’s job to “take the punch bowl away from the party.” Instead, Wall Street bankers were allowed to just keep drinking. Thomas is concerned that as the initial crisis has passed, banks are returning to their same old tricks.

Will Bernanke in a second term be more vigilant, responsive and politically independent?

“It’s always easy to be a Monday morning quarterback,” said Thomas. “Clearly there was an unwillingness to stop this structure because it appeared to be okay and it was very lucrative.”

Thomas’ commission will shine an intense light on the meltdown players, including Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who headed the New York Federal Reserve Bank during the meltdown run-up. Its findings will help Congress and the president identify causes and craft safeguards.

Americans vowed “never again” after the Great Depression. But memories and political will faded as the good times followed. The punch bowl was left too long at the party.

This article written by Dianne Hardisty appeared first in The Bakersfield Californian on Jan. 28, 2010. Contact Hardisty through her webpage at http://www.svs2help.com/

BRAVO FARMS IS WORTH THE STOP

 

Likely you have driven by Bravo Farms, on the east side of Highway 99, about six miles south of Kingsburg, without giving it a thought. Maybe the 1950s Nash Metropolitan poking out from a rooftop caught your attention. But unless you needed gas, you probably never thought about stopping.


Well, think about it. If you stop once, you will make it a favorite “destination” on your trips north.

The Bravo Farms complex includes a gas station, market, restaurant, gift shop and gourmet cheese factory. But it’s much more.

It’s a jumble of antiques and collectables. It’s a petting zoo, private park, garden patio, meeting place and Old West town. Tomorrow it will be something else, as the visionary and eclectic owners add to their menagerie.

Like most people, I stumbled upon Bravo Farms on my way to someplace else. I left Bakersfield, driving north on Highway 99, heading for a conference in Lake Tahoe. About 90 minutes into the trip, I was already hungry and I needing to find a restroom. The Traver offramp looked promising.

My plan was to get quickly in and out. Instead, I spent nearly two hours savoring the house special – a Bravo cheeseburger – poking around the gift shop, sampling cheese and watching cheese being made through a factory display window.

It was so much fun that I didn’t mind being two hours behind schedule. Those traveling with small children would find this an entertaining place to let the kids blow off some steam.

Bravo Farms’ restaurant is not a mere hamburger joint. It has a large menu that includes a variety of American and Mexican dishes. And if you have a sweet tooth, there also is an ice cream and coffee house.

What began in the 1970s as a Highway 99 fruit stand midway between Bakersfield and Fresno has evolved into a “field of dreams” for an old-time Visalia dairyman and a young Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate.

Jonathan Van Ryn, who grew up on his father’s Tulare County dairy, studied cheesemaking as a Cal Poly student. After he graduated about five years ago, he laid plans to build a cheese factory.

Bill Boersma operated a small dairy near Visalia, where he milked cows and produced handmade cheese he branded as Bravo Farms. With demand for his cheese increasing, Boersma needed a new, bigger location for his factory.

The young man with lots of ideas and the older man with years of experience became partners, moving Bravo Farms into a factory built at the former Traver fruit stand. Last year, the factory turned out 400,000 pounds of award-winning cheese. This year, Bravo Farms expects to produce and sell 600,000 pounds, according to Ryan Davis, who oversees business operations at the manufacturing and retail complex.

“If you are a big cheese lover, you know about Bravo Farms,” said Van Ryn, during a recent interview. Bravo Farms cheeses have won awards at national and international competitions. They are served in five-star restaurants, and sold in gourmet shops, farmers’ markets, chain supermarkets and over the Internet (www.bravofarms.com). “They are very well known in the Bay Area. You can find them in Bakersfield in Save Marts.”

Davis says the top seller is Bravo Farms’ Chipotle Cheddar cheese. This cheese and Bravo Farms’ Silver Mountain, a 13-pound clothe-bound wheel of cheddar, have won raves and awards at numerous competitions.

Van Ryn explains Bravo Farms cheeses are produced the “old fashioned way – all raw milk, nothing pasteurized and a lot of natural flavors.” The cheese is produced from milk that comes from a Pixley dairy operated by Van Ryn’s uncle, Gary de Graaf. It takes about a gallon of milk to make a pound of Bravo Farms cheese.

Visitors can watch cheese being made through a large viewing window or by arranging a tour by calling Davis at 559-897-4634. Bravo Farms cheese is made in three 500-gallon vats. After processing, the blocks are aged for up to nine months before being sold to customers.

Boersma brought his time-tested recipes into the partnership. Van Ryn brought his production knowledge and marketing ideas.

“In four years, we have quadrupled our business,” said Van Ryn. That business expansion has included opening a restaurant and cheese store at the Preferred Outlets Mall in Tulare last fall.

It’s a steady, cautious growth. The partners recently purchased an additional acre of land adjacent to their Traver complex, where a wine retail outlet may be added to complement Bravo Farms’ cheeses.

“We have a lot of dreams,” said Van Ryn. “But we have to make sure Tulare does well first. A lot of people want to do things with us.”

Van Ryn’s father, an antique collector who moved his Tulare County dairy to New Mexico, is credited with bringing many of the collectable items to the Traver complex.

“He doesn’t play golf. This is his hobby,” said Van Ryn, explaining his father collects nostalgic signs, statues, furniture and just plain “stuff” that are on display and for sale at Bravo Farms.

And what about the Nash Metropolitan on top of their building? There’s no deep meaning. Like a lot of the stuff at Bravo Farms, it’s just there for the fun of it.

This article appeared first in The Bakersfield Californian on Feb. 7, 2010.

MAKE IT COUNT!

 

Everyone – citizens, residents and undocumented immigrants -- will gain, or lose from the results of the 2010 Census.


Based on the count of people living in the United States in 2010, about $400 billion in federal funds will be distributed to communities. Public services, ranging from police protection to medical care, will receive federal support based on population estimates. And representation in federal congressional districts, as well as local government bodies will be determined.

For a variety of reasons, including fear of the government and the desire to make “political statements,” some people will not participate in this U.S. Constitution-mandated national population count.

Some of the very people who may be tempted to avoid the Census are the ones who will lose the most from not being counted, noted Reyna Olaguez, U.S. Census spokeswoman for Kern and Tulare counties.

These are the people who may be most in need of public services, or whose voices should be heard and heeded by elected government officials.

Latinos and Asian immigrants are among those most likely to avoid being counted.

Olaguez explained some fear information collected on Census questionnaires will be shared with other government agencies. But federal law prevents this from happening. Answers and other information about respondents are confidential.

The Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders has launched a boycott of the U.S. Census in an attempt to force Congress to reform immigration policies.

“We urge members of Congress to pass a fair, decent and humane comprehensive immigration reform bill. Though such efforts have been stalled, we must continue to preach and insist: legalization before enumeration,” the Rev. Miguel Rivera, the coalition’s president, said in a January press release.

This has sparked a reaction from other Latino leaders. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, as well as representatives of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund held a press opposing the boycott and urging people to participate in the Census.

They called having an accurate count of everyone living in the United States – regardless of their immigration status, or ethnic background – a “civil rights issue.”

“A full count of immigrants will ensure that their communities get the resources they need to address the economic and educational needs of the residents,” said Rosalind Gold, senior director of policy research and advocacy for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

Census questionnaires will be mailed out in March and are to be mailed back by April 1, Olaguez said. Between April and July, Census workers will go door-to-door to households that did not return questionnaires and to seek responses.

This year’s Census questionnaire contains only 10 questions. It is much shorter than the forms used by the Census in 2000. That year, some households received a lengthy American Community Survey, which included lifestyle questions.

Hiring of part-time enumerators for the door-to-door phase of the Census will get into high gear in February, said Olaguez. Enumerators will work flexible and part-time hours from April until July, earning about $11 to $19 an hour.

Go onto the Internet at http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/ or call 866-861-2010 for hiring information.

This article written by Dianne Hardisty appeared first in Mas Magazine on Feb. 7, 2010.

VYING FOR LATINO VOTES

The 20th Congressional District, which includes Kern, Kings and Fresno counties, was identified by last year’s “Measure of America” survey as the poorest in the nation. Represented by Democrat Congressman Jim Costa of Fresno, the district came in “dead last” for poverty, poor health and school dropouts.

Few who have worked with the poor in the southern San Joaquin Valley were surprised by the findings, which also explain why minority communities, where new immigrants often struggle just to survive, see little participation in the political process.

“It’s the hierarchy of needs,” said Kern County Supervisor Michael Rubio, whose 5th District includes some of the poorest neighborhoods of Bakersfield, Lamont and Arvin.

“The first thing many people think about is, ‘Do I have a job today? Am I making a living wage? Do I have health care?’ They don’t have time to read campaign material. The hierarchy of needs means they have to fend for themselves first,” he said.

“Many are too busy trying to survive and pay next month’s rent,” said Magda Menendez, administrator of the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation in Bakersfield.

Sen. Dean Florez, whose 16th state Senate district overlaps the 20th Congressional District, agreed. He also blamed confusing ballots, which are cluttered with complex and sometimes contradictory propositions, for discouraging widespread voter participation.

“People have to have a reason to vote, to come out and take the time to express their choices,” said Florez, who is running for California lieutenant governor. “I’ve spoken to people who simply feel that the ballot is too complicated and it feels like it’s somewhat of a test that you would get in school.”

“There are too many important issues affecting minority communities for people not to participate,” said Nicole Parra, who represented Kern County’s 30th Assembly District until she was termed out of office in 2008.

Now a Fresno-based government consultant, Parra noted that the Central Valley struggles with persistent poverty issues. The valley’s average per capita income is 32.2 percent lower than the rest of the state; college attendance is 50 percent below state average; and the unemployment rate is among the highest.

To mobilize “voters, people need to feel like they make a difference, they are part of a team,” said Parra. “Most importantly, voters want to know that the elected official cares about their needs and their concerns.”

The Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) has been meeting with Kern County activists in hopes of encouraging minority voters to participate in this year’s critical elections.

“It’s a matter of empowering people to get involved with their government at the national, state and local levels,” explained Danny Lee, president of APAPA’s Central Valley Chapter.

Les Fong, vice president of APAPA’s Central Valley Chapter, said his organization is planning to hold a May 2010 town hall meeting in Bakersfield to bring local and state candidates before Kern County voters. A voter education program also is being developed. Fong, a Stockton advertising executive, can be reached by e-mail at les@kenfongassociates.com.

According to estimated U.S. Census data, Latinos in 2008 comprised 47.1 percent of Kern County’s population, with non-Latino whites comprising 41.1 percent. Blacks were 6.4 percent, with the remainder of Kern County’s population of 800,458 being comprised of various other minority ethnic groups.

Yet, non-Latino white voters have the political clout in California. The Public Policy Institute of California reported last fall that while Latinos make up about 32 percent of the state’s adult population, they are only 17 percent of the registered voters most likely to turn out in elections. By contrast, whites constitute 47 percent of California’s adult population, but 68 percent of the state’s likely voters.

Many Latinos and other ethnic minorities are not citizens and therefore not eligible to vote. U.S. Census estimates for 2008 indicate about 68 percent of Kern County’s 155,938 foreign-born residents – and that population figure includes children and immigrants who are legally in this country -- are not U.S. citizens.

But even removing the citizenship factor, Latinos and most ethnic minority groups in California and Kern County have a low voter turnout rate, according to researchers and political observers.

Lee explained that many new citizens come from countries that have repressive governments. Voter participation is not understood or considered relevant. “They are not involved. They stay within their families. They keep to themselves.”

Recent gains by Latino politicians, who have been elected to local and state offices, should not be overestimated, warned Florez.

“Yes, you have Latinos who are taking on greater and more significant roles in government, but that was not always the case, even 10 years ago,” he said. “There is a nascent rise in political power among Latinos … [but the Latino community] is growing astronomically in California.

“We are entering a period where California will become the most integrated, multi-cultural population ever in the history of the world and it’s all been accomplished relatively peacefully,” he said. Minority participation in the political system is “a big deal because this integration is important to our survival as a society.”

Citing the findings of Bakersfield researcher Jesus Garcia, Menendez noted Kern County has 113,000 “high propensity voters” – people who have voted in three of the last five elections. Of these, 35,000, or about 32 percent, are Latino.

Of the 10,000 new voters in Kern County, 4,000 were Latinos – 43 percent registered Democrats, 20 percent Republican and “a whopping 30 percent were declined to state. [That sends] a big message to the Democratic and Republican parties, don’t you think,” she said.

Rubio suggests the political clout of minority communities could be awakened in 2010.

While people are focused on survival, “in times of great stress, as we currently are in, pressure builds for change,” said Rubio, who is running for the 16th state Senate seat and hopes to replace the termed-out incumbent. The 2010 elections could be about change.

This article written by Dianne Hardisty appeared first in Mas Magazine on Feb. 7, 2010.