Is a new priest headed to St. Francis now that Monsignor Harrison has been on suspension for almost a year? Plus the former head of the Kern Community Foundation comes on to share his story of a childhood molestation and Rick Kreiser is honored by Bakersfield College

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 person or organization.

 * ... ST. FRANCIS: The Diocese of Fresno is apparently ready to send a new pastor to St. Francis to fill in until the questions surrounding the fate of Monsignor Craig Harrison are resolved. It is not yet

confirmed but I was told a new priest could be here sometime in March. Meanwhile, the status of Harrison remains unresolved almost a year after he was suspended by the Diocese over allegations by now grown men that he preyed on them sexually when they were young. Harrison has denied the charges but a recent report from the Fresno District Attorney's office found the allegations "credible." Shortly after that revelation, Harrison and his attorneys filed a defamation lawsuit against the Diocese of Fresno.

 * ... RADIO TIME: H.A. Sala, a prominent criminal defense attorney who is part of Craig Harrison's defense team, will appear on my radio show this week to respond to the Fresno DA's finding and launch a defense of Harrison. Does Harrison's lawsuit against the church mean he has given up on getting his job back at St. Francis? (After all who sues their boss expecting to get their job back?) How damaging is it when a DA's office says the evidence against Harrison seems credible? Were they implying he may be guilty of the accusations? We will cover these questions and others when Sala comes on the program this week.

 * ... JEFF PICKERING: And finally, we will chat with Jeff Pickering on Tuesday after his own revelation that he was molested as a youth by a doctor but as ashamed to come forward. Pickering, who now lives in Florida but spent time in Bakersfield as head of the Kern Community Foundation, will speak to the shame, guilt and embarrassment that explains why he kept the molestation a secret for 30 years. Pickering has documented his gripping story in a serial blog post that can be found at ... https://stillpracticingmetoo.fyi (Jeff Pickering pictured with his wife, Stephanie)

 * ... RICK KREISER: Congratulations to Rick Kreiser for being recognized by Bakersfield College for his contributons to the BC Foundation. Kreiser was honored at the Sterling Silver Dinner held at Seven Oaks Country Club Saturday night. In addition to Kreiser, the school also honored Dr. Bill Baker for his 43 years of service at the team doctor for BC football. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Burton)

 * ... BERNIE SANDERS: Just 48 hours after President Donald Trump spoke to a rousing crowd at Meadows Field, Bernie Sanders swept through town to cheer on his supporters at a rally at the Park at River Walk. And, despite what you might read on social media, particularly Facebook, it was a standing room only crowd that greeted the Democratic front runner. Facebook was full of posts saying only a handful of people showed up for the event, but in fact there was a crowd of around 3,500 who turned out for the rally.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Stop assuming all toddlers want to give you a high five."

 * ... MEMORIES: Stephen Humphrey posted this on the Kern County History Fans Facebook page. The caption: The Bakersfield Club in 1914 located on the n/e corner of 19th and "F" Streets. Building demolished after the 1952 earthquake. West Side Liquors now occupies the location.

A swarm of earthquakes hit Ridgecrest and the high desert, Casa Munoz heads to Las Vegas, Rep. Kevin McCarthy makes some predictions and what is with all the nude homeless people around town?

Friday, July 5, 2019

 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. Send news items to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... JULY FOURTH: The downtown July Fourth parade, now 31 years old, keeps growing in size

and popularity. Mayor Karen Goh kicked off the festivities at the corner of Elm and 22nd Street as several hundred people walked the streets of old downtown to celebrate the birth of our nation. Enjoy these random shots.

* ... EARTHQUAKE: So where were you when the 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck on July Fourth? I was at the Bakersfield Racquet Club, taking a rest between pickle ball games, and sat in awe as i watched the huge light poles sway back and forth like a palm tree. Seismologists say we should expect more aftershocks of equal or even greater strength. take a look at this map of the known faults in our area.

 * ... TERM LIMITS: Remember David Abassi, the marijuana proponent who has tangled with both the city and the Board of Supervisors?  He says he is out of the cannabis business now, but he is not done with politics. His next goal is to gather enough signatures to put a initiative on the local ballot to establish term limits for the Board of Supervisors. "This could wipe out the entire board," he told me. "Wipe the slate clean."

* ... KEVIN MCCARTHY: Who does House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy think may win the Democratic presidential nomination? When we spoke earlier this week on The Richard Beene Show, McCarthy said Bernie Sanders was the best positioned to use his vast organization and fund raising ability to win the nomination. Joe Biden will fade, he said, and at this point in time, he said Sanders seems most likely to win the nomination.

 * ... CASA MUNOZ: One of our city's most iconic Mexican restaurants is moving to Nevada, and you can blame the high cost of doing business in California. Pep Munoz, part of the family that ran not only Casa Munoz but also Mexicali and Sinaloa, told me it was the rising cost of doing business here that led to the decision to leave California. Munoz blamed new fees and taxes and a rising minimum wage for his reason to live. If the minimum wage rises to $15 an hour, Munoz predicted there would be a mass exodus of full service restaurants. Munoz' father, Joe, will likely stay in town and possibly operate a much smaller restaurant, possibly in Shafter. The new eatery will be located in Henderson outside of Las Vegas and may be named either Sinaloa or Casa Munoz.

 * ... MORE PEP: And where does Pep Munoz go when he is not eating at his own restaurant? I posed that question to him and here is his list: Pyrenees Cafe, Uricchio's Trattoria, Sorella's, K.C. Steakhouse and Happy Jack's.

* ... HOMELESS: Here's a post on Facebook that speaks to our homeless crisis. No comments are necessary.

 * ... MEMORIES: Some old pictures of a Bakersfield in another time. First we see a scene from the old Golden Crust  Bread facility and then a shot of the stately old Southern Hotel, 19th Street and  Chester, circa 1898-1905. Enjoy.

Bernie Sanders takes on fracking in California, ties it to groundwater contamination, prompting backlash from the energy sector

 * ... FRACKING: Bernie Sanders is seriously obsessed with fossil fuels and hydraulic fracturing, and while campaigning in Delano he again linked fracking to water contamination, a charge that has been debunked at both the state and federal level. All this triggered this response from retired oil executive Lynn Blystone: "I doubt that neither Bernie

Sanders nor his audience listening to Mr. Sanders criticize fracking were aware that the largest single stage frack west of the Rockies was performed without incident in 2005 beside where they were standing at the 'Forty Acres' in Delano on the Sunrise-Mayel gas well (1.3 million pounds of sand) and the deepest frack west of the Rockies (18,500 feet) was performed in 2005 without incident on the Ekho No. 1 oil well without incident just a few miles west." Thanks Lynn, but remember this is the political season and politicos feel they have a license to ignore the facts.

 * ... CSUB GRADUATION: Good news out at Cal State Bakersfield, where the university will hand diplomas to the largest graduation class in history, some 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students.

 * ... CALIFORNIA PRIMARY: A local voter is commenting on all the robo calls and political advertising before next week's California primary: "I voted absentee two weeks ago as did most of my friends. All this last minute advertising is just wasted money."

 * ... GUN CONTROL: The California legislature is rushing through a new series of gun control laws, believing that new restrictions on law abiding citizens will somehow have a beneficial effect. One of the best challenges to this came in an opinion piece in the East Bay Times, which read in part: "Changing a culture of violence does not begin with weapons and it certainly does not begin with wholesale suppression of civil rights. It begins with understanding the source of violence and treating the disease, not the symptoms -- were guns a source of violence, then nobody would walk out of a gun show alive. Instead, violence is seeded within subcultures. In America, it is uniquely tied to inner-city cultures that support and even praise violence as a means to petty ends. Changing violent cultures has to be an evolution and no legislation will cause this to happen."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I’m beginning to believe that successful relationships come down to Netflix compatibility."

 * ... MORE TWITTER: "Don’t refer to them as voices in your head. Do as the professionals and call them your ‘team of writers.’"

* ... LORRIE MURPHY shared this warm experience when she and a friend walked their dogs to the Park and RiverWalk for the lowering of the flags on Memorial Day weekend. "It was a beautiful ceremony with the circle of flags reflected in the lake as the sun went down and a light breeze was blowing to keep the flags standing out straigh.  But what impressed us the most was the families that were out with their children. Not a cell phone or electronic device is sight! Children laughing, riding their bikes, skate boards and roller skates  Little children laughing at the joy of kisses from dogs.  Families taking pictures with the flags in the background.  People looking you straight in the eye when stopped and talked to you. Made you proud to be an Americian and especially from Bakersfield. You just knew that no matter what the news said everything was going to be OK."

 * ... ANIMAL SHELTER: And finally there was this from Annette Lindquist: "I thought you might like to hear a feel good Memorial Day story. The Kern County Animal Shelter and Bakersfield Republican Women teamed up for Animals for Armed Services and Pets for Vets. Within three hours eight dogs and one cat went to a loving vet's home with a new bed, dish, food, toy, treats, collar, leash and an application from The Bakersfield Pet Food Pantry to receive complimentary food each month.  Several times we were brought to tears as we watched an abandoned dog select its new owner with a "paw hug" around the neck and wet kisses on the face. It was a win-win situation, for sure. We were honored to be a part of such an incredible event for our military and stray animal population."