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Toll-Free (661) 859-1177 Se Habla Español www.bakersfieldtraffictickets.com HARMAN CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC DEFENSE ATTORNEYS , APC BIGGER
THE DAILY DRIVER Attorneys Defending Your Right to the Road TEACHING GRIT ON THE GREEN Life Lessons in Resilience From a Golf-Loving Dad I love golf, and every June, I look forward to the U.S. Open. I have watched two of these championship tournaments in person. This year, I’m looking forward to watching the finals on Father’s Day weekend with my three kids. The oldest is 5, and they are getting just old enough to pretend to like watching golf with me on TV. The 2025 tournament is being held at a famous site that has hosted nine U.S. Opens so far, more than any other course — the Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. World-class competitors, including the PGA’s Top 3-ranked players, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele, are slated to take part. It should be a contest for the ages. That’s fitting for a historic venue like Oakmont. The course opened in 1904, and it ranks with Augusta and Pine Valley as one of the most iconic golf courses in the nation. The first hole is long and narrow, at 428 yards, and it is probably the toughest opening hole in golf. That should be especially interesting for my kids. When we first started watching golf together, they were initially disappointed when a player teed off on a long hole and failed to sink the ball on the first shot. Obviously, no player is expected to do that on the first shot! But it’s been fun teaching them how the game actually works. “You see, you try to get the ball as close as you can,” I explain, “and once you get really close, then you’re expected to make the shot.” But in golf, as in life, not every shot goes in the hole. And if you’re like me, not every shot goes on the fairway either. Sometimes, you slice it. Sometimes, your best effort lands you in the rough. We all make mistakes.
JUNE 2025
“In golf, as in life, not every shot goes in the hole … Sometimes, your best effort lands you in the rough.”
Some of the best lessons from golf come from the shots we miss. Whenever you make a mistake, which you inevitably will, just say to yourself, “OK, I made a mistake. What do I do next to make the best of the situation and try to get things headed in the right direction again?” That lesson can apply anywhere — to a student in school, to a professional truck driver, or to anyone in a tough spot. As a famous golfer once said, “Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots. You get good breaks from bad shots. But you have to play the ball where it lies.” And how you deal with failure will determine how you eventually achieve success. So this Father’s Day, as many of the world’s greatest golfers gather at Oakmont, I hope to be relaxing around the TV with my own three future golfers — trying, as only a parent might do, to pass on the powerful life lessons I have learned from golf. –Paul Harman
And when we do, we have to say to ourselves, “Well, now I’m in the rough. How do I get my game back on track?”
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LOYALTY RUNS DEEP GITA’S HEROIC DASH TO SAVE HER OWNER
The bonds we develop with our pets are unlike any other we experience. They depend on us for their every want and need, and we often give them whatever they ask for! We know they would do the same for us if the roles were reversed. As the years pass, that bond deepens, making us inseparable from our furry friends. Many of us have felt despair when we imagine life without our trusty dog, cat, or other pet. It turns out that some animals feel the same and will do everything in their power to protect their owner if tragedy occurs. An 84-year-old man in Washington state woke up one morning to the sound of his glucose machine telling him his blood sugar was too low. As he headed toward the fridge, he noticed his 13-year-
head back home when dizziness overcame him. He fell to the ground, broke his hip, and immediately started shouting for help.
Gita remained by her owner’s side for some time before realizing nobody would hear him in the secluded woods. She jumped into action, heading toward a well-traveled street, where she encountered a sheriff’s deputy. The deputy tried to get the dog in his vehicle to no avail, so he surveyed the surrounding area to find Gita’s owner. The deputy could not locate the owner but still felt something was wrong, so he turned his attention back to Gita. The two locked eyes before Gita stood up and ran toward an unmarked side street. Gita led the deputy directly to her owner before any more harm could come to him.
old dog, Gita, wanted to go outside. Shortly after being let out, Gita took off toward the woods, and her owner followed in pursuit. After traveling 20–30 feet, the man turned around to
After the event, the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office posted “Hero Dog Saves Owner” and their account of the story on Facebook. Gita certainly proved her loyalty and bravery that day!
FROM FLICK TO FLAME Serious Penalties Await Drivers Who Toss Cigarettes
Few smokers think much about flicking ash or an extinguished cigarette from the window of a moving vehicle.
The Paul Buzzo Act imposes a mandatory court appearance in front of a judge for flicking a lit or unlit cigarette, cigar, match, or ash onto the highway. First-time offenders must also pay a fine and perform eight hours of community service. The law is named for an 11-year-old Concord, California, boy who thought the state’s existing ban on throwing burning materials from a car was too vague and lenient. He contacted California legislators to suggest more specific prohibitions. Section 23111 of the California Vehicle Code, named the Paul Buzzo Act in his honor, took effect in 1970 under former Gov. Pat Brown. If you or someone you know has been cited for illegal disposal of cigarettes or ash, or if you are facing any other traffic citations in the 18 counties in and around the San Joaquin Valley, contact us today to arrange a free consultation. We will be glad to assess your case, gather any relevant evidence in your defense, and fight to secure the best possible outcome.
Discarded cigarettes, however, are a significant cause of wildfires in California and throughout the West. Investigators have blamed cigarettes tossed from moving vehicles for a San Diego County fire that charred 10,000 acres and destroyed 16 homes in 2001; the 20- acre Golf Fire in Kelseyville in 2019; and the 300-acre Peterson Fire in Solano County in 2020. By the time the landscape erupted in flames, those careless drivers were miles away, heedless of the devastation they caused.
In recognition of June as National Safety Month, this is a good time to reflect on the hazards of flicking cigarette butts and ashes out of a vehicle window — and to be aware of the heavy legal consequences if you are caught doing so.
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The penalties for driving an overweight truck in California can be crippling. Fines can run extremely high, especially once you’re over 4,500 pounds overweight. At 20,000 pounds per axle or 10,500 pounds per wheel, the limits can be a problem for some loads. Paying close attention to weight limits is critically important. Commercial truck drivers are legally required to stop at weigh stations operated by the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Even U-Haul or Ryder trucks may need to comply, because this rule covers any trucks being used to transport property. If you have any doubts about your status, we recommend stopping to be weighed. If you take a chance, pass a weigh station, and are pulled over later by the CHP for failing to stop, you risk being charged with a misdemeanor offense, in addition to possible penalties for violating weight limits. If you are cited for weight violations, don’t ignore the ticket or put off paying the fine. Either of these options could lead to a stiff fine or even suspension of your commercial driver’s license. Also, simply paying the ticket will not make it go away. Courts view this as an admission of guilt, which can have devastating consequences for your career as a professional driver. A better path is to take steps to avoid problems. Caltrans can issue special single-trip or annual permits to operate overweight vehicles. While fleet operators typically manage these permits for large organizations, independent owner-operators and small trucking firms also can secure permits in advance as needed. Drivers entering California on I-80 from Nevada can also take precautions by using public weigh stations on the Nevada side of the border. Users might be required to pay a small fee, but the penalties for exceeding California’s strict weight limits after crossing the border could be far worse. Our experienced, knowledgeable traffic ticket attorneys have more than three decades of experience defending commercial drivers on weight limit violations and other charges. If you are facing a citation for an overweight truck, reach out to us today at 661-349-9300 for a free consultation. We will be glad to help you develop a strategy for defending against license suspension, points on your commercial license, and other penalties. HEAVY TRUCK, HEFTY FINE Overweight in Cali? It Could Cost You Thousands
Your Referrals Make a Difference! Thanks to your 76 referrals in May, we were able to donate $1,202 to help fight human trafficking and lead medical missions. INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION To learn more about International Justice Mission and their mission to protect half a billion vulnerable people from exploitation, please go to IJM.org . MEDICAL MISSIONS OUTREACH To learn more about showing God’s love by providing quality medical treatment to some of the poorest people in the world, visit the Medical Missions Outreach home page at Medical-Outreach.com .
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ISAIAH 41:10
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, APC HARMAN CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC DEFENSE ATTORNEYS BIGGER
Toll-Free (661) 859-1177 Se Habla Español www.bakersfieldtraffictickets.com
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
1701 Westwind Drive Suite 203 Bakersfield, CA 93301
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
A Dad’s Guide to Building Resilience, One Swing at a Time........................................... PAGE 1
Hero Hound Saves Owner.................................. PAGE 2
Heavy Penalties Hit Drivers for Tossing Cigarettes or Ash................................................. PAGE 2
Avoid Big Fines for Overweight Loads in California........................................................... PAGE 3
The Hidden Innovators Behind Baseball’s Greatest Gear........................................................ PAGE 4
Have a ticket in California? Give us a call, and we’ll help you out! Regardless of the location, we can point you in the right direction free of charge!
Meet the Minds Behind Baseball’s Iconic Equipment A Glove, Bat, and Ball Transformed Baseball Forever
Baseball may be America’s pastime, but it didn’t appear out of thin air. The game we know and love today is a patchwork of early stick- and-ball games, tracing back centuries to England’s cricket and even as far back as ancient civilizations like the Mayans and Egyptians. But modern baseball started taking shape in 19th-century New York. Enter the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club, which set the foundation in 1846 with official rules that included base paths, foul lines, and, mercifully, the elimination of tagging runners out by hurling the ball at them. Of course, baseball wouldn’t be what it is today without the brilliant minds who revolutionized its equipment. Three inventors, George Rawlings, John Hillerich, and Benjamin Shibe, took baseball’s core components and transformed them into game-changers. George Rawlings was the first to look at a player’s bruised and battered hands and think, “There’s got to be a better way.” As a sporting goods store owner, Rawlings designed a padded baseball glove, patenting it in 1885. With added felt and rubber padding, his glove gave players much-needed protection while fielding fast- moving balls. Today, Rawlings’ baseball gloves are as essential to the game as the bases themselves.
Then there’s John Hillerich, a German immigrant and skilled woodworker who ran a shop in Louisville, Kentucky. His game- changing moment came when his baseball-loving son needed a better bat. Hillerich’s new design had a harder surface to help players drive the ball farther, and in 1902, the famous Louisville Slugger was patented. More than a century later, the bat remains one of the most iconic pieces of baseball equipment, wielded by legends past and present. And finally, Benjamin Shibe, the “Edison of baseball.” Before Shibe, baseballs lacked the durability needed for a high-powered sport. In 1909, he patented the cork-centered baseball, a tougher, more resilient ball that allowed for stronger, farther hits. His creation became the official ball of Major League Baseball in 1911, forever altering how the game was played. These three inventors helped shape baseball into the thrilling sport it is today. Next time you watch a game, remember that every leaping grab at the warning track, every solidly hit line drive, and every soaring home run snagged by an enthusiastic fan are built on a legacy of innovation.
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