Easter is celebrated as America becomes less religious, the building housing the old Trout's honky tonk goes up in flames, Measure N fuels big spending in Bakersfield and celebrating the sculptures of Ben Victor

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

 * ... RELIGION AND AMERICA: We just celebrated Easter and worshipers throughout Kern County turned out at parks, in their homes and in places of worship to express their faith. There is no doubt Kern is a very religious place, with 49.4 percent of residents identifying themselves as religious with 30 percent of them saying they were practicing Catholics. But there also is no doubt that America is becoming less religious by the generation. By far, the least religious generation in the U.S. today is Generation Z

where 42 percent of respondents identified themselves as unaffiliated. Older Millenials come is second in terms of not believing in God (30 percent) followed by Generation X (21 percent), the Boomers (15 percent) and the Silent Generation (9 percent). The most religious states in the nation, according to Pew Research? That would start with Vermont with New York, Massachusetts and Utah close behind. The least religious states: Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Nevada and West Virginia.

 * ... ERIC SIMPSON? Speaking of religion a former counselor at the Bridge Bible Church has found himself in legal trouble over allegations of sexual misconduct. According to KGET, a lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct against former counselor Eric Simpson has been settled for an undisclosed sum. The suit alleged that Simpson manipulated a woman who had initially gone to him for marriage counseling sessions with her husband. Simpson, the lawsuit said, insisted on private sessions and eventually ended up sexually abusing the plaintiff. Simpson has apparently left the church and local attorney Gabe Godinez, who represented Simpson, told KGET his client admitted no wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlement. 

 * ... MORE SIMPSON: Meanwhile, Simpson may have left the Bridge Bible Church but he has shown up as a person involved with CityServe of Bakersfield, a popular and influential non-profit that seeks to help the most needy in our community. The organization, which brings churches and non-profits together to serve the under privileged, owns the old Montgomery Ward building on F Street where officials announced new homeless housing would be created. Exactly when Simpson went to CityServe is not clear but he was identified on the organization's Facebook book page as director of the CityServe Educational Collaborative. In the Facebook feed, Simpson is quoted as saying that CityServe is in a partnership with Bakersfield College where "we are able to offer them quality education and opportunities to learn, develop, and utilize their skills to better our community, both in employment and as a person." Attempts to reach Pastor Wendell Vinson at CityServe for comment were not successful.

* ... MEASURE N: Remember Measure N, the city sales tax proposal that won voter approval by the narrowest of margins in 2018? Now also remember that the tax was passed by a public weary of soaring crime and chronic homelessness. Proceeds from the tax, the city assured us, would go primarily to combat crime. Then came the pandemic when tax revenues sunk and the city was fortunate to have another source of money. That tax now generates about $113 million a year, and it is largely responsible for a long laundry list of improvements across the city, some crime related and some not. This year, some of the Measure N money ($400,757) will go for mental health counselors at BPD, with another $3.8 million earmarked for enhancements to the downtown corridor. The Brundage homeless centers will get $1.8 million, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park gets $1.6 million, $2 million is set aside for city of living adjustments and $1.3 million is set aside for public art. 

 * ... OVERHEARD: At the Alberton's on Coffee Road and Stockdale Highway an employee is heard explaining why they were completely out of shopping carts: "We're so sorry but the homeless people take them all. It's been like this forever."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Wow, so when you answer the door naked to scare away Jehovah's witnesses, it's funny but when I do it with Girl Souts, I get arrested. Is it because I'm brown?" 

 * ... TROUT'S BURNS: The building that once housed the old Trout's honky tonk on north Chester went up in flames the evening of Easter, yet another blow to the rich history of the Bakersfield Sound and the remarkable musicians who put our community on the map. For folks interested in preserving local history this is yet another blow to a community that at times doesn't seem to honor its past. No word on the cause of the fire.

* ... BEN VICTOR: Last week we told you about a new statue that is being made for a World War II memorial at a downtown park,  and it turns out the artwork yet another piece by local Bakersfield product Ben Victor. Son of "Doc" Victor (president of a local bible college) and wife Joyce, Benjamin Victor is a Foothill High graduate who has emerged as one of our country's premier sculptors. (The public response to his work has been overwhelmingly positive so we will share more here). He already made the bronze Roadrunner sculpture at at CSUB  and he is the only living artist to have three works on display in the U.S. Capitol building. The new sculpture will go up at Jastro Park and will depict a wife and mother who just received a telegram that he husband had been killed in action. Victor's work is stunning, and in addition to the new sculpture, I am including some of his other works of art for your enjoyment.

* ... MEMORIES: The old Motel Bakersfield on Union Avenue, thanks to our friends at the Kern County History Fans Facebook page.

New York City learns the hard way that most homeless want to remain on the streets, downtown Bakersfield retailers turn to private security to fend off crime and vagrants and sculptor Ben Victor gets some well deserved recognition

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

 * ... DO THE HOMELESS WANT HELP? One of the more vexing issues facing our city is determining to what extent the thousands of homeless and vagrants actually want real help. Housing for the homeless is in woefully short supply, yet affordable housing remains one of the primary focuses by those charged with getting people off the streets and back on the road to self sufficiency. But what if all

those drug addicts, petty criminals and mentally challenged individuals could care less about finding a roof over their head? What if - gasp - they actually prefer being on the street? Before you dismiss the idea, understand that this is exactly what authorities are finding out in New York City where Mayor Eric Adams has launched a major push to clear the subways and get people off the streets. So far, according to the New York Times, of the hundreds of homeless moved from more than 239 homeless camps, only five have opted to move into shelters. That's right, just FIVE people have agreed to go into a city-run shelter out of hundreds. The others? They just want to stay on the street. This is the reality on the ground, and the sooner the powers that be in Bakersfield realize it, the better off we all will be. Shelter is the way to go for some, but for others it simply isn't realistic.

 * ... DOWNTOWN CRIME: And speaking of the homeless and rampant, out of control crime, you have to feel for all those downtown business people who have been struggling with graffiti, vandalism and petty theft for four years now. So far, the city has failed these businesses miserably, leaving retailers to fend for themselves as they battle chronic lawlessness. And now comes this: the Downtown Business Assn. is experimenting with an idea to have a local private security guards walk the streets downtown, hoping the mere presence of a rent-a-cop will bring order to the streets. Well, it's certainly a better idea than the DBA had a few years ago when its solution was printing cards that retailers could give vagrants telling them where they could get a hot shower and warm meal. That was an astonishing bad idea. The hard truth is this: both the DBA and city have been unable to make a real dent in this problem, and it won't be until the state legislature deals with a series of laws that decriminalized almost everything from heroin to street drugs before things will get better.

 * ... COVID TESTS: If you have not used that free Covid test sent to you by our government, make sure the test kit has not expired. It turns out all these Covid test kits are printed with an expiration date, but be careful because different tests have different expiration dates.

 * ... BEN VICTOR: One of the truly talented people to come out of Bakersfield is Ben Victor, son of Joyce and Doc Victor, and he received some overdue recognition recently by Assemblyman Vince Fong. Victor is an amazing sculptor, and he is the genius behind the Roadrunner sculpture out at CSUB as well as some remarkable work that now grace the halls of our nation's Capitol. Said Fong on his Facebook page: "Honored to be able to give an early surprise recognition to world renowned sculptor Benjamin Victor who is getting inducted into the Foothill High School Hall of Fame this weekend! He is the only living artist to have three sculptures in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol and he is the artistic creator of the Oil Worker Monument in Taft! Amazing work! Victor was just 26 years old when his first statue, Sarah Winnemucca, a Paiute activist in Nevada, was dedicated in the Hall in 2005, making him the youngest artist to ever be represented in the Hall. In 2014, his sculpture of Norman Borlaug, "the father of the Green Revolution," was dedicated in the National Statuary Hall and in 2019, his statue of Chief Standing Bear, a Native American rights leader, was dedicated in the National Statuary Hall making him the only living artist to have three sculptures in the Hall. (a few of Victor's works of art) 

* ... THE NEW AMERICAN HOUSEHOLD: The number of Americans who live in multi-generational households is skyrocketing and demographers say it just may become the norm. Since 1971, the number of us living with relatives has quadrupled. In March, says the New York Times, nearly 60 million people were living "with" multiple generations under one roof. Financial issues and caregiving are the top reasons why we live together, but overall those who do live with relatives are happy about it. "More adults living in multigenerational households say the experience has been positive (30 percent) or somewhat positive (27 percent) than say it has been somewhat negative (14 percent) or very negative (3 percent)," said the Pew Research Center.

 * ... MEMORIES: Enjoy these shots of some of our old hospitals, captured in vintage photos. Thanks to the Kern County History Fans.