Events

Nancy Anderson serves as Kern County’s Chief Administrative Officer, and brings with her a wealth of government leadership experience. She previously worked for Kern County for 20 years in a variety of key leadership positions, including Chief Operations Officer, Assistant County Administrative Officer for Budget, Finance and Compliance, Assistant Auditor-Controller, and Special Accounting Division Chief.

She then honed her craft at the County of Santa Barbara for four years, serving as their Chief Assistant County Executive Officer and Assistant County Executive Officer. Born and raised in Bakersfield, CA, Ms. Anderson is thrilled to be returning home to lead her community forward. Ms. Anderson also holds a Bachelor of Science from CSU Bakersfield with a concentration in accounting and is a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Luigi’s and Lemucchi’s Grocery has been at its present location since 1910 and is one of Bakersfield’s oldest continuous family operated businesses. Joe Lemucchi, the founder of the business, came to California from Lucca, Italy and started his original cafe on Sumner Street in 1906. Lemucchi married Emelia Degiuli, also an Italian immigrant, and the couple moved in 1910 to the present location of the business at 725 East 19th Street. The original store had family quarters in the rear where the couple’s 4 children, Louis, Lena, Harry and Helen, were born.

The early business featured a grocery, a cafe, a bakery and a gasoline station. 19th Street was the main thoroughfare between Bakersfield, and the then town of Sumner. The street car line from Bakersfield extended east on 19th Street and terminated at Baker Street.East 19th Street also ended at the Lemucchi Store, merging into Edison Highway which became the main highway exiting and entering Bakersfield on the east side.

The now famous Luigi sandwich originated in the cafe where Joe and Emelia always had fresh stew, pasta sauce and minestrone soup for hungry customers. Small but intimate in the back corner of the grocery, the cafe was always a popular gathering spot.After Joe Lemucchi’s death, Emelia and her son, Louis, continued the business. The bar was added next to the old store, and the restaurant expanded into the building to the east. In the 1920’s and 1930’s the concrete and steel structure now housing the  restaurant, had been rented by Shell Oil Company and was at one time their Kern County Headquarters. The new expanded bar and restaurant were named “Luigi’s.”

Luigi was an incessant collector of photos and sports memorabilia, covering the walls of his business with photos of local athletes spanning more than ten decades. The photos displayed on the walls constitute only a small portion of Luigi’s pictorial collection.The photos of Luigi’s are a constant attraction to multiple generations of Kern County patrons who return frequently to view a favored photo with a friend, relative or member of a new generation.Since the death of Luigi in 1989, Luigi’s has been operated by a new generation of the Lemucchi family. Antonia Valpredo, daughters Monica, Lanette and son Gino are the third and fourth generations of the family to operate the popular East Bakersfield establishment.

Location address: 7301 Old River Rd, Bakersfield

The speaker will be Lynda Resnick from The Wonderful Company

Tamara Baker is the Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Association of Kern County (ADAKC), where she leads the organization’s mission to support individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia. She joined ADAKC in March 2024, bringing a wealth of experience in communications, nonprofit management, and community engagement. Before joining ADAKC, Tamara served as the Communications Manager for BLOOM Fresh (formerly International Fruit Genetics), where she played a key role in global branding, marketing, and corporate strategy. Prior to that, she held leadership positions at Kern Economic Development Corporation and Bakersfield College, specializing in community relations, strategic planning, and event management.

A proud Bakersfield native, Tamara earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Sociology from California State University, Bakersfield. She is a 2017 graduate of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Bakersfield program and remains actively involved in the community, currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Kern Economic Development Foundation.

Register at KeepBakersfieldBeautiful.us or contact Jennifer Yamauchi.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Kern County (CASA) has announced its new executive director is Bakersfield native Ashley Vorhees

Previously, Vorhees was the executive director of the American Heart and Stroke Association and site director for Catholic Charities in Bakersfield for
several years.

Most recently, she was Vice President of Fundraising and Communications at Girls Scouts of Central California South.

Vorhees will lead CASA’s efforts in recruiting and training volunteers to act as court appointed special advocates to children who have been removed from
their homes and placed in foster care.

Come celebrate the end of our adopted school's students with a performance from the Boys and Girls Club nationally awarded Music Fusion!

Jimmy Yee serves as president of Yankee Communications, Inc. with over two decades of local and national experience managing government relations and public affairs issues.

Prior to founding Yankee Communications, he served as Chief of Staff in the California State Assembly and in various roles with U.S. Congressman Bill Thomas, past Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee.

As president of Yankee Communications, Jimmy specializes in communication and political risk at the federal, state and local levels of government. He represents a diverse field of companies and associations including oil and gas, real estate, agriculture, health care, waste management and public utilities. His experience and hands-on approach enable his clients to traverse the challenging intersection between business and government. Jimmy’s strengths are in managing public opinion while balancing and monitoring political risk – a challenge in today’s economic environment.

EDUCATION
California State University, Bakersfield, B.A. Political Science

Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club members and dozens of community volunteers are placing 1,000 flags in The Park at River Walk on Saturday morning, May 24, 2025, for the eleventh presentation of Thousand Flags.

The visually stunning, emotional Thousand Flags display honors and remembers those who have died serving our country. The community can view this magnificent display beginning at noon on Saturday. The Memorial Weekend Thousand Flags event will also feature a military band concert Saturday evening in the amphitheater and a Thousand Flags Fun Run on Sunday morning. Memorial Day will feature a patriotic vendors fair, hosting dozens of organizations that serve our veterans. At noon, Breakfast Rotary will host a short, patriotic program which will feature the presentation of donations to local military organizations and will end with a spectacular parachute jump by paratroopers from Comrades in Canopies.

Spend an evening among the flags listening to music and enjoying an adult beverage in our Beer Garden.  

Dinner includes: 2 Pork or Beef Sliders, Mac & Cheese, Chips, Cookie & Soda/Water

See any member of Bakersfield Breakfast for tickets.  First Lady Marti Lari has tickets for you too!

$20 per adult, $12 per child

BYOC - Bring You Own Chair (or blanket.)

Register at https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Bakersfield/THOUSANDFLAGS. 

Join this family-friendly 5k and run through Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary’s annual Thousand Flags Memorial Day weekend display. This awe-inspiring annual event showcases over 1,000 American flags on display at The Park at River Walk to honor those we have lost.

here will be a 5k course and a one-mile memorial walk. The 5k course winds its way through the scenic flag adorned park and down the multi-use trail adjacent to the park, and is suitable for both runners and walkers.

Proceeds will support the Thousand Flags event and other Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary community projects.

The events will be timed and awards will be given for the top three 5k finishers in each category.

Register by April 15, 2025 to ensure you receive a Thousand Flags T-shirt and medal. All veterans participating in the event will be recognized with a complimentary Thousand Flags pin.

Plan to have lots of fun, meet people from other clubs in our district, celebrate DG Sherry Sim, and celebrate clubs and Rotarians that make a difference!

Register at District Awards & Governor Step Down | Rotary District 5240

Join well over 100 of your District 5240 friends and thousands of Rotarians from around the world. 

https://convention.rotary.org/en-us/

Lieutenant Nicole Anderberg has served with the Bakersfield Police Department since 2004. She began her career as a 9-1-1 dispatcher before entering the police academy in 2007. Over the years, she has gained extensive experience in Patrol, Investigations, Internal Affairs, and currently manages the Impact Unit, which addresses quality-of-life issues affecting business owners and residents in Bakersfield.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy and administration from California State University, Bakersfield. Nicole is married to Nathan, a sergeant with the Bakersfield Police Department, and they have two children, Thomas (9) and Eleanor (5).

Lieutenant Anderberg is an active member of Kiwanis – Westchester and serves on the Advisory Board for the Downtown Business Association. In her free time, she enjoys participating in local 5K races and tending to her family ranch, home to horses, cows, and chickens

It’s time to start planning for our July Club Social! We’ll be gathering at Chuy’s on Rosedale Highway, and we’d love for you to join us for some great food and fun company.

 Location: Chuy’s, Rosedale Hwy
 Date: July 10, 2025
 Time: 5:30 - 8:30 pm

Please RSVP by Monday, July 7th by replying to this email or texting me at 661-809-9294. If you choose to text, don’t forget to include your name so I know who you are.

Lito Morillo has 26 years of administrative experience with the County of Kern and now serves as the Director of Human Services. He oversees in excess of a $533 million budget and more than 1800 employees who provide Child Protective Services, Family Reunification, Foster Care, Adoptions, Family Stabilization, CalWORKs, Cal-Learn and other social services.

Mr. Morillo graduated from CSU Bakersfield with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Administration. He began his career at the Department of Human Services in 1994 where he served in the roles of Eligibility Worker, Administrative Coordinator and Assistant Program Director. He promoted to Program Director at Aging and Adult Services in 2007.

In 2011 Mr. Morillo became the Director of Aging and Adult Services and served in this role for 11 years. He also serves on various boards including the Independent Living Center, Kern Senior Network and Strata Credit Union. Throughout his career, Mr. Morillo has led collaborative efforts forming numerous partnerships with county agencies, businesses, non-profit groups, faith-based organizations and others to provide vital and innovative services to the vulnerable and this community.

Mr. Chad Hathaway is the founder and owner of Hathaway LLC, Caballero Operations LLC, and Lobo Operations LLC. Collectively, these oil and gas entities—referred to as the Hathaway Group—operate more than 250 oil and natural gas wells across California. The group manages an owns daily production of approximately 500 barrels of oil per day, 700 million cubic feet of natural gas, and sells 10 acre-feet per day of agricultural-quality water.

Mr. Hathaway also serves as the Co-Founder and President of the Kern County Energy Foundation, Chairman of the Eastside Water Management Area, and is a Co-Owner of both Kern Enterprises LLC and Nineteen13 LLC.

About Nineteen13 LLC: NINETEEN13 is an independent, athlete-driven NIL collective dedicated to empowering student-athletes at Bakersfield College.Our mission is to foster athletic excellence across all sports, provide transformative opportunities for junior college athletes, and re-establish the national dominance of Bakersfield College athletics. By leveraging Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities in a compliant and sustainable manner, we aim to equip our athletes with the resources, exposure, and financial support necessary to thrive both on and off the field.

In March of 2024, Dr. Steven Bloomberg was selected to serve as the 7th Chancellor in the history of the Kern Community College District (Kern CCD), which serves students across 24,800 square miles of the Southern San Joaquin Valley. He has more than 30 years of experience as an administrator of higher education, starting in 1994 as the Workforce Development Director for Cerro Coso Community College, which is one of Kern CCD’s three sister colleges, as well as extensive experience in workforce development, community outreach, and continuing education.

Before returning to Kern, Dr. Bloomberg was previously the president of Southeast Arkansas College, where he led the college through many high-profile initiatives such as inmate education, innovative career pathway development, and opening the first phase of housing on the Southeast Arkansas campus.

During his tenure as Kern CCD Chancellor, Dr. Bloomberg has emphasized servant leadership, strategic foresight, and enhanced collaboration between the district’s three colleges. He continues to hold town hall meetings and focus groups with campus stakeholders to address organizational culture and has developed a five-year strategic plan for optimizing student success in alignment with the Vision 2030 initiative championed by the California Community Colleges’ Chancellor’s Office. Dr. Bloomberg launched the Kern CCD Supervisory Leadership Institute to align strategic directions and build rapport between directors, deans, and administrators at Bakersfield College, Porterville College, and Cerro Coso.

As a former student whose life was transformed by his time at Kern CCD, Dr. Bloomberg’s background and philosophy align with the district’s goals of retaining students, increasing enrollments, and preparing the Southern San Joaquin Valley workforce for new careers in emerging technologies. Chancellor Bloomberg has a Ph.D. in Higher Ed Administration from the American College of Education, as well as a Master’s degree in Instructional Technology from West Texas A&M.

Join us for a fun and exciting evening of fellowship with your Rotary family and friends.

Congressman Vince Fong was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on May 21, 2024, proudly serving California’s 20th Congressional District, which includes parts of Fresno, Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties, and cities such as Bakersfield, Clovis, Hanford, Lemoore, Ridgecrest, and Visalia.

As a Bakersfield native, Vince has been committed to improving the region he calls home. He began his public service career with Congressman Bill Thomas, then Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, focusing on trade policy to expand markets for American farmers and small businesses. Returning to Kern County, Vince spent nearly a decade as District Director for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, where he worked on local job creation, commonsense reforms, and quality-of-life improvements. He also brought national attention to Valley Fever by organizing a key symposium that spurred research and policy action.

Elected to the California State Assembly in 2016, Vince championed energy independence, infrastructure improvements, and job growth throughout the Central Valley.

In Congress, he serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, advocating for investment in regional infrastructure, supply chain resilience, and technological innovation – especially in East Kern’s aerospace sector. He is also dedicated to ensuring veterans receive their earned benefits and supporting military installations at China Lake, Edwards, and Lemoore.

Vince holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a master’s from Princeton University. He lives in Bakersfield with his wife, Amanda, and their son, and remains deeply committed to representing the values and priorities of the Central Valley. 

Darin Budak is the Director of Recreation and Parks for the City of Bakersfield, bringing over 30 years of dedicated experience to this vital role.

He's responsible for the daily operations of our Rangers, Recreation, Parks Maintenance, and Planning and Construction Divisions, expertly managing a significant $36 million budget. You can see his impact in the beautiful parks and excellent recreational programs we all enjoy.

Prior to his current position, Darin was our Parks Superintendent, overseeing the care of all 63 city parks. And for those baseball fans, you'll appreciate that he spent six years as the Head Groundskeeper for the MLB Spring Training site of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. A fun fact: he was even on the grounds crew for the Little League World Series held each August in Williamsport Pennsylvania

Darin's commitment to parks and recreation started in Rock Springs, Wyoming where he was born and raised. Darin holds a Bachelor's from Northern Arizona University in Parks and Recreation Management. 

Join us for pizza and conversation on September 11, from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.  If you know someone interested in joining Breakfast Rotary, bring them with you for pizza.