More lurid details emerge as the case of Monsignor Craig Harrison plays itself out in court filings, the state of Texas seeks to benefit from California's ongoing woes, and Olvia LaVoice leaves KGET for greener pastures in Seattle

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 reflect the views of any other individual, organization or company. 

 * ... FATHER CRAIG: Are overzealous supporters of Father Craig Harrison harassing and intimidating those who speak out against the suspended priest? Those are the allegations made by a San Diego lawyer who wants to have a Harrison defamation lawsuit dismissed because it targets free speech. The allegations came in two statements included in a legal filing (called an anti-SLAPP motion) filed in response to Harrison's defamation lawsuits against two critics. Those two men are

Stephen Brady, head of a group called Roman Catholic Faithful, and Ryan Dixon, a former friend of Harrison's who is studying to become a monk and is now known as Brother Gilligan. Both have been sued by Harrison because of their criticism of Harrison. The anti-SLAPP motion seeks to have Harrison's lawsuit dismissed, and it provides Harrison's critics a new platform to raise questions about the monsignor's past behavior. Furthermore, the new charges by Brady and Dixon reveal a potential dark underside to the widespread support Harrison enjoys in the community. Some supporters, the motion alleges, have taken matters into their own hands in an attempt to harass and intimidate Brady and Dixon. Among the allegations:
  * Brady claims he received a long series of rambling emails from Harrison's brother, Rick Harrison, in which he brags about hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for his brother's defense. In one email, he refers to Brady as "Satan."
 * The more troubling allegations come from Brother Gilligan, in which he provides details about the time he and Harrison were close at St. Francis. Gilligan alleges Harrison lavished him with money and gifts to buy his allegiance. Gilligan also said Harrison would "befriend older wealthier people for financial gain." A one time, Gilligan said he felt betrayed ... when he (Harrison) asked me inappropriate questions to see whether I was homosexual." One other time, Gilligan said Harrison asked him, "What kind of porn do you watch?"
 * Gilligan went on to allege he grew suspicious that Father Craig was sexually abusing kids at St. Francis and was told by another man that Harrison "would take his temperature by grabbing his testicles." Gilligan also claimed that during one trip, he shared a bed with Harrison and that the monsignor "sexually caressed" his chest for about 10 minutes.
* Gilligan also alleges that Harrison "told me directly that he wanted to tell people the sins I confessed to him so that I would be kicked out of seminary... Fr. Craig threatened to break the seal of confession because he was upset with me for threatening to tell authority figures about how he mishandles money, how he would give young guys, including myself, large amounts of cash, and particularly how he would manipulate me."
 * Since giving testimony against Harrison, Brother Gilligan said his mother had been fired from her position at St. Francis and that his mother's home had been vandalized, her tires had been slashed and that his mother woke one morning to find her yard filled with "We Support Msgr. Craig Harrison" signs. He said his mother and grandmother were living in a "constant state of fear" and were forced to move to Oklahoma.
 Harrison and his attorneys have denied all of these allegations and have indicated they are building a strong case against Brother Gilligan to refute the charges, one by one. It should also be noted that nowhere in Gilligan's statement does he or anyone allege that Father Craig personally directed or was involved (or even knew about) in any retaliatory behavior toward his critics.
 THE NEXT STEP: The judge hearing the case, Judge J. Eric Bradshaw, is weighing a request to have Harrison's personnel file made public. Harrison's attorney, Craig Edmonston, opposes the move and dismissed it as an overly broad fishing expedition. At stake: the personnel files might include past reports of inappropriate behavior as well as how the Diocese of Fresno responded to any previous allegations. (file photo of Father Craig with Ryan Dixon)

 * ... BIRTHDAY: As an aside, it should be noted that Father Craig continues to enjoy enormous popularity in Bakersfield, and that many of his followers are willingly contributing to a defense fund on his behalf. There is open talk of his attorneys suing the Catholic Church itself, and as a show of support, several hundred people (one person estimated the crowd at 600) turned out for a surprise birthday party on Father Craig's 60th birthday last week.

 * ...COURTING TEXAS: The state of Texas has wasted no time in exploiting Calfornia's troubles, erecting billboards across the state to lure businesses to move to the Lone Star state. The billboards promise a steady supply of electricity as opposed to the ongoing blackouts and power outages that have bedeviled California during the fire and high wind reason.

 * ... ADIOS OLIVIA: Olivia LaVoice, one of the better investigative TV reporters to come around in a long time, is leaving KGET for another gig at a Seattle television station. LaVoice will join KCPQ in Seattle, her hometown, after four years with KGET.

 * ... BAD CITIES: Check out this map I spotted on Facebook, which identifies Bakersfield as the "worst" city in California. Who makes these maps anyway? I can think of a hundred towns "worst" than Bakersfield ... have you ever been to Compton, or Inglewood, or Brea, or Modesto, or Riverside, just to name a few? You get my drift.

 * ... MEMORIES:A couple of historic cool old photos of our town back in the day.

Father Craig's attorneys are accused of trying to intimidate witnesses and censor free speech and now face an anti-SLAPP measure, the power blackouts may lead to a new exodus of businesses from California, and our hero military dog heads to the White House

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 reflect the views of any other individual, organization or company. 

 * ... FATHER CRAIG: It has been more than six months since Father Craig Harrison was suspended by the Diocese of Fresno because of allegations of sexual abuse, but the time is quickly coming when the general public will have access to all of the allegations. The reason? The case has now entered in

the legal realm, thanks to Harrison's attorneys filing defamation cases against Brother Gilligan, who is studying to become a Benedictine monk, and Stephen Brady, head of Roman Catholic Faithful, a group that tracks sexual abuse cases among the clergy. The lawsuits opened Father Craig to discovery, and Brady's attorneys are seeking Harrison's personnel file at the Diocese. Presumably, those attorneys are banking on the personnel file containing lurid allegations of abuses and possibly even information on how the Diocese covered them up. And now, Rancho Santa Fe attorney Paul Jonna invoked the anti-SLAPP statute in defense of Brady, saying Harrison's lawsuits were intended to intimidate witnesses and censor free speech. (Ironically, the anti-SLAPP action was filed on Harrison's 60th birthday). So did Harrison's attorney, Craig Edmonston, do the right thing by filing these lawsuits and opening a potential Pandora's box of bad publicity for his client? Time will tell, but stay tuned because thing are moving quickly. (photo of Stephen Brady and Craig Harrison)

 * ... LEAVING CALIFORNIA: As if things in California aren't bad enough for businesses, you can add the power blackouts to the reasons businesses are fleeing the state. That's right, high tech firms in the Bay area are warning that they may leave because of the unreliability of having 24/7 electricity. That is the same message that Barry Hibbard, a commercial real estate broker with ASU associates, told me on The Richard Beene Show last week. "First we had ABC (anywhere but California) and now we have the uncertainty of power," Hibbard said.  “The uncertainty is the greatest threat they face to running their businesses in Silicon Valley today,” added Tim McRae, Vice President at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. McRae is in charge of the organization’s energy policy. The impending power shutoffs were a frequent topic of discussion at the organization’s annual luncheon Friday, which brought together hundreds of business, political and community leaders.
“I think I join every leader in California to express my deep concern that this cannot be the new normal,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff when asked about the impact of PG&E’s policy to turn off power to prevent wildfires when faced with high-wind events.

 * ... MENTAL HEALTH: It appears an organization is pushing for a statewide ballot initiative that would bring back mental health facilities for many of the homeless that wander our streets. That's right, former Assemblyman Mike Gatto is behind a proposed 2020 measure that would require a person who commits a public nuisance violation to a sentence to "be served in a hospital or other mental health treatment facilities." This is bound to be controversial, pitting those who want to bring back institutions for the mentally ill against those who feel this is a cruel and inhumane way to deal with a very serious issue.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "My wife and I decided we don't want to have children. We will be telling them tonight at dinner."

 * ... HERO DOG: Here's a good news story we can all enjoy. This is the military dog that helped chase down the ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before he detonated a suicide vest died during a special forces raid. The dog, named Conan, was wounded but is recovering at an Iraqi medical center and will make an appeared with President Trump at the White House.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this old photo of the Tejon Theater, thanks to the Kern County of Old Facebook page.