Friday's Bakersfield Observed: Bakersfield rallies behind Monsignor Craig Harrison after allegations are leveled against him, Blaine Hodge is recognized by Rep. Kevin McCarthy and more random crime throughout town

Friday, April 26, 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... FATHER CRAIG: The news that Monsignor Craig Harrison has been accused of sexually assaulting a young man several decades ago rocked our town in ways that simply cannot be

measured. Harrison is universally beloved, and I count him among my friends and mentors. Rarely has one man had such a positive effect on an entire community, no matter your religion or personal beliefs. Harrison has denied the claim and pledged to defend himself. My take: we live in a time of recrimination and character assassination, so let's not judge this man too quickly. Let's allow this case to play out and let the authorities do their investigation. Did it really happen? Is this a shakedown of the Catholic Church fabricated for profit? (remember Jussie Smollett?) If it did happen, was it an isolated incident or will more come forward? Father Craig is a beloved an iconic figure, and I will stand by his side.

 * ... AFFORDABILITY: Here's some good news locally, though it is a bit of a mixed bag. A new study says Bakersfield is one of the most affordable places to live in the country, although that comes with high poverty and high unemployment. We have always known that Bakersfield is one of the most affordable places to live in California, as are Fresno, Visalia and other Central Valley towns. But all this is all relative given that this is California and we lead the nation in high gas prices and utility rates.


 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Remember when people would flash their headlights to give people a heads up there’s a cop down the road? I liked it when we were all a team.'

 * ... CRIME: Just when you think criminals cannot stoop lower, I spotted this on Facebook: "Saturday evening I had the entire front end of my 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 HD stolen off my truck in the parking garage at the San Joaquin Hospital on Chester Ave. Anyone knows the whereabouts of where I can recover these items please let me know!"

 * ... BLAINE HODGE: It was nice to see our local hero Blaine Hodge be recognized by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy the other day. Hodge, if you remember, was the young man who intervened at the local Starbucks on Stockdale Highway when a woman was being attacked by a man with a machete. McCarthy presented Hodge with the 2019 Citizens Honors Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. “Fight or flight, we all question what we would do in a frightening situation, but we all wouldn’t wonder what Blaine would do,” McCarthy said in a news release. “He acted swiftly and bravely, two qualities that no doubt helped to save the survivor and all those in the immediate area that day.”

* ... MEMORIES: How about this old picture of Bakersfield City Hall back in the day?

Did Rep. Kevin McCarthy warn President Trump against trying to kill the Affordable Care Act? City Councilman Bruce Freeman talks about the controversial dorm project, Keanu Reeves pays us a visit and Blaine Hodge gets a well deserved award

Friday, March 29, 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 such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... MCCARTHY AND TRUMP: Did House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy warn President  Trump against trying to kill the Affordable Care Act?

That's the word from the Axios website that reported McCarthy called Trump and told him it was a bad idea that could hurt the Republicans in the 2020 general election. Said Axios: "McCarthy told Trump over the phone that the decision made no sense — especially after Democrats killed Republicans in the midterms in part over the issue of pre-existing conditions, according to two sources familiar with their recent conversation. As Bloomberg's Sahil Kapur points out — health care was the top issue for 2018 midterm voters, and voters who cared most about health care favored Democrats over Republicans by more than 50 percentage points." My two cents: I think McCarthy is absolutely right about this. Trump should leave the ACA alone and focus on our booming economy.

 * ... CSUB DORMS: It is not often you get authentic, honest dialogue with a politician, but that is what I had with Ward 5 City Councilman Bruce Freeman on the proposal from a private developer to built twin five-story apartment buildings to house CSUB students. For the record, CSUB president Lynnette Zelezny hates it, as do the high end residents of Stockdale Estates across the road. Freeman - remember he is the past CEO of Castle and Cooke which built Seven Oaks - knows something about zoning and he questioned how the developer used a conditional use permit (CUD) to bypass normal zoning regulations. Freeman clearly believes this is an incompatible development - that is my read of what he said, not his words - and I think we can all expect this thing to die on the vine. At the end of the day, after talking to Freeman for a half hour on my radio show, it was good to hear someone speak so honestly about a controversial project in the city.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If your boyfriend has a sticker on his vehicle of Calvin pissing on something, you're gonna be a single mother."

 * ... HOMELESS: Here is your random homeless picture this week, compliments of a runner on the Panorama Bluffs who shot this of folks living on the bike path.

 * ... STAR SIGHTING: Hats off to actor Keanu Reeves who ended up in Bakersfield on a  unscheduled stop and made the best of it. Reeves, 54, was on a United flight from San Francisco to Burbank when the plane landed in Bakersfield because of a mechanical problem. The passengers were later loaded in taxis and driven to Burbank, but not before Reeves regaled them with statistics and fun facts about Bakersfield, and playing some old Bakersfield Sound songs from the past.

 * ... BLAINE HODGE: And here is another shoutout to Blaine Hodge, the young man who was injured when he tackled a man wielding a machete who was attacking a woman at a local Starbucks on Stockdale Highway. Hodge received the civilian version of the Medal of Honor for his actions.

 * ... WOMEN: And finally, congratulations to my friend Sheri Horn-Bunk who is among a group of impressive women recognized by Garden Pathways as the 2019 "Women with a Heart for Bakersfield." Bunk and the others - Jasleen Duggal, Diana Mestmaker and Natesha Johnson - will be honored at a high tea on Wednesday, May 8, at Seven Oaks Country Club.

* ... MEMORIES: Check out these old photos of 19th Street and the original Kern County Hospital. Wow.