Bakersfield is a house divided over the allegations against Monsignor Craig Harrison, District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer is laser-focused on the homeless and crime issue and Gene Voiland is honored by Washington State University

Sunday-Monday, September 22-23, 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. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not reflect the views of any other individual, news organization or business. Send news items to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... FATHER CRAIG: How bad has the rift in our community become over the investigation into molestation charges against Monsignor Craig Harrison? Well, it is hard to believe it could get any worse. Friendships have fallen by the wayside as the community has taken sides: those who believe

Father Craig without reservation, and those who have taken a wait and see attitude to give respect to the accusers. There simply is no in between with some people. Disagree and you are the enemy, worthy of being ostracized, isolated and ridiculed. Stand by Father Craig and you are spitting in the face of young people who may have been victimized by his own hands. While we wait on the Diocese of Fresno to rule on his fate, Father Craig's legal team papers critics with lawsuits, a tried and true legal strategy meant to intimidate others into remaining silent. (Some even talk openly of suing the Roman Catholic church) Many Craig supporters are withholding support from the church, feeling that if they can hurt the church financially, it will force the Diocese of Fresno to bring him back. When his supporters speak of the worse case scenario (that Harrison is not allowed back in his old position) there is even talk of Father Craig opening his own church. Would cradle to grave Catholics actually leave the church to follow Father Craig, a move that seems more evangelical in focus than Roman Catholic? Does the person trump the faith? This is likely more of an emotional reaction than reality, but the mere fact it is being talked about speaks to the level of discord this whole case has left in our community. Let's all hope this issue is resolved quickly before more damage is done.


 * ... HOMELESS: If there is one person who understands the public frustration over homelessness, it is District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer. During an appearance on The Richard Beene Show, I asked her to respond to people who say our community lacks compassion in dealing with this crisis. Zimmer didn't blink, referring to all this as a drug, crime and safety issue. "I am not a social worker," she told me. Rather, she is here to make our community safe. Bravo! Zimmer spoke at length about her plan to prosecute, and jail, repeat misdemeanor offenders, not the end-all solution but certainly a start. Count me in as one of those who has reached the boiling point. The photo below shows a vagrant in the alley behind my house, resting after shooting up. It is all too common these days. And then I spotted this post on Facebook: "I had a homeless drug addict high on heroin walk through my front door in broad daylight telling me,  'I had what he wanted and he was here to get it' over and over as I ran out screaming my face off and my kids were upstairs. This was on 18th street south of 24th. I found needles in the alley, was awakened by shouting in the middle of the night, someone had a party on my lawn... I could go on and on. This is a DANGER to our community."

 * ... GENE VOILAND: Congratulations to Gene Voiland, retired CEO of Aera Energy, who was honored by his alma mater, Washington State University, with a Foundation award recognizing his contributions to the university. A 1969 graduate of WSU, Violand has given generously to his alma mater and in fact the engineering school was named after him: the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.

* ... GO RUNNERS: The CSUB men's basketball team unveiled its new schedule this week, and it features some terrific matches against top ranked teams. On Nov. 23 the Runners will travel to Spokane, Wash., to play Gonzaga, always a top 10 contender, and on Dec. 7 they travel south to play Ole Miss, where CSUB Coach Rod Barnes played and also coached, earning SEC coach of the year honors.. Finally, our Runners will play Texas Tech in the Lone Star state on Dec. 29.

* ... BARBECUE: The arrival of fall and cooler temperatures means it's barbecue fundraising season again in Kern County. One of the biggest with perhaps the worthiest of causes is the annual St. Vincent de Paul Homeless Center Fall BBQ. It will be held Thursday, October 3 at the facility at 316 Baker Street. Doors open at 5 p.m., and guests can enjoy a NY steak or Teriyaki chicken and all the trimmings, grilled to valet parking will also be available. The day-facility receives no federal funding and relies on this event to provide two hot meals a day, access to restrooms and showers, and social services to upwards of 200 men, women and sometimes children every day. As everyone in our community grapples with the growing homelessness problem in our area, consider the ticket the most important $35 you'll spend all year. Tickets available at the door and at the Thrift store next door.

 * ... MEMORIES: Take a walk down memory lane with me and feast on these photos of Bakersfield back in the day.

First design of Bakersfield's new minor league baseball stadium is unveiled and more blowback on the Bakersfield Prayer Breakfast

 * ... BASEBALL: I got a sneak peek at the early plans for the new minor league baseball stadium being planned for the corner of Brimhall and Coffee roads. The principals of the Kansas City architectural design firm (Pendulum Studio) unveiled the plans before a small group of business people at the downtown, Neutra-designed home of David Coffey Wednesday evening. The first draft shows a beautiful, compact stadium built on seven acres with the ball field dug several feet below the surface, offering spectacular views from virtually anywhere around the perimeter. There is family-style seating, a mounted grass berm play area behind the outfield and a multi-purpose room that can be used for special events. The main investors, oilmen Gene Voiland and Chad Hathaway, envision a multi-purpose venue that can be used for anything from concerts to conferences to rodeos.

 * ... RESTAURANT: Bakersfield is getting a promising new restaurant next Friday. The owners of Sushi Moon say they will open February 1 in the old Hourglass Building at the corner of Brimhall and Calloway Drive. Sushi Moon will feature fusion sushi and Korean barbecue, and I am told they also will carry a nice selection of Japanese and Korean wines.

 * ... PRAYER BREAKFAST: There was a lot of response on my earlier post about the upcoming Bakersfield Prayer Breakfast and its emphasis on the Christian view of Jesus. One reader, who is Jewish, said it appeared to exclude those of other faiths, including our sizable Sikh population. And then there was this tart response from another reader: "Tell your friend, who happens to be Jewish, if he is so butt-hurt, he should start his own 'prayer breakfast.  Your newspaper is pathetic."

 * ... BANDUCCI'S: Retired oilman Lynn Blystone is one of those who remembers Banducci's Corner, and he even recalls the help there. "Our favorite waitress at the Double Tree, Inez Coronado. was a waitress at Banducci's Corner for 22 years and could tell you some stories."

 * ... MORE BANDUCCI'S: Barbara Story wrote that Julia Banducci was her grandmother, and as a child she would help in the grocery store every Saturday. "At that time the restaurant only had the counter, no dining room.  It was so busy that a dining room was added some time after the war. Dick Porter was right about all the business done during potato and grape seasons. The customers all had their special place to sit and their special lunch order.  In high school and college I worked on weekends and summers as a waitress. We knew almost everyone that came in by name.  My sister Judy and my daughter Melinda preferred to work in the kitchen.  Our children Chuck, Patrick and Michael all had their first job at Banducci’s doing dishes, and as Chuck remembers pealing lots garlic.  In that small kitchen my grandmother supervised the making of the raviolis as well as everything else.  Melinda still makes raviolis and pickle tongue for gifts for the family at Christmas.  Many, many pleasant memories like the fried chicken cooked to order with spaghetti, minestrone soup, home made pies, pickled tongue,  pickled white beans, garlic beef dips to name just a few of my favorites. One could write a soap opera about all the happening that went on at Banducci’s Corner."

* .... OLD BAKO: Joaquin Resendez wonders if anyone remembers a restaurant called Spanish Kitchen that was located next door when Sinaloa was located in the Wool Grower's building. "They also served pyrenees bread with their salsa. I believe Wool Growers was located on 21st Street at that time."

Two Bakersfield college kids spend their Thanksgiving break helping storm victims on Statin Island, and Gene Voiland will discuss his plans to revive minor league baseball in Bako

* ... BASEBALL: The plans are well under way to bring Bakersfield a new minor league baseball stadium at the corner of Brimhall and Coffee roads. The two men behind the plan are oil company executive Chad Hathaway and Gene Voiland, the retired chief executive of Aera Energy who has been at the center of civic life for many years. Gene will be my guest on California Radio KERN 1180 Monday beginning at 9 a.m. Tune in to hear his plans to revive minor league baseball here and call (661) 842-5376 with your question. (file photo of new Blaze owners Chad Hathaway and Gene Voiland)

* ... HOUSING: You have heard it before, but if you are thinking of jumping back into the housing market, you probably should do so sooner, not later. According to the Wall Street Journal, the average rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage "hit a record low 3.46 percent for the week ended Nov. 16." The Journal also noted that when people flocked to the rental market, rental prices started to increase and it is now cheaper in many markets to own rather than rent. All this is good news for home buyers and home sellers, not to mention our overall economy.

* ... GIVING BACK: Two Bakersfield High school graduates - Ali Schroeter and Silas Nacita - spent Thanksgiving on Staten Island helping with the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Schroeter is now starting libero with the Rutgers volleyball team and Nacita is on a football scholarship to Cornell University. When neither could come home for Thanksgiving, they joined a group from the Liquid Church in New Brunswick, N.J., to help in the clean up and were later treated to Thanksgiving dinner. Said Ali's father Tom Schroeter:  "It was heartwarming for me as Ali's father to see how two Bakersfield students who were filling the void of no family Thanksgiving by helping others had their efforts recognized by a family committed to the same selfless cause sharing its family dinner with them."

 * ... TRASH: It was distressing to see how littered our local parks were this weekend following the Thanksgiving Holiday. Beach Park downtown was a particular mess, begging the question: is it really that difficult to pick up after yourself?

* ... ZOCALO: If you live in Bakersfield, you’re more likely than most Californians to be obese, have diabetes or suffer from cardiac disease. And you’re less likely than most Californians to be able to see a doctor any time soon. These issues and others will be the subjects of a Zocalo Public Square panel discussion in Bakersfield Tuesday night. The discussion is 7 p.m. at the Bakersfield Museum of Art, 1930 R Street. Kern Medical Center CEO Paul Hensler, University of California San Francisco Center for the Health Professions Associate Director Catherine Dower, and San Joaquin Community Hospital Vice President Jarrod McNaughton will discuss what’s keeping doctors out of Bakersfield, and how to bring in better health care.

Valley Republic Bank: Local bigs go against the grain and open new local bank

What do these guys know that we don't? At a time when the financial industry is in shambles, some of the biggest names in Bakersfield have formed a new bank: Valley Republic Bank. Led by folks like former Aera CEO Gene Voiland and Tejon Ranch CEO Bob Stine, (pictured here) the bank wanted to raise $20 million but instead managed to raise an easy $25 million, reflecting what Stine told me was "real faith that the people of Bakersfield have in their community" during hard times. The Board of Directors reads like a "who's who" in Bakersfield: besides Voiland and Stine, it includes developer Greg Bynum, Bolthouse Properties LLC president Tony Leggio, oncologist Dr. Shawn Shambaugh and Warner Williams, VP of Chevron North America. Insiders say these guys will compete with locally owned San Joaquin Bank for commercial accounts, but that once the Central Valley starts to grow again, there should be plenty of room for both to succeed. Bruce Jay, a longtime Bakersfield banker, will serve as president and CEO.