Interstate 5 in California ranks as one of the most dangerous highways in the nation, a publisher with deep roots to Kern County retires and City Serve raises $558,000 with the Mayor's Ball

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. 

 * ... DANGEROUS ROADS: Some of the most dangerous interstate highways in the country are located right here in California. According to the insurance website The Zebra, Interstate 5 is ranked No. 3 out of the 10 most dangerous roads in the country. The website also found that California contains portions of

four of the deadliest U.S. interstates, spanning from Northern California to Southern California: I-5, I-15, I-40, and I-80. Interstate 95, which goes through major cities like New York, Baltimore, Boston, Jacksonville, Florida and Miami, Florida, was found to the most dangerous highway in the U.S.

 * ... LOGAN MOLEN RETIRING: A longtime editor and journalist with deep ties to Kern County has retired. That's the word from Logan Molen who announced his retirement as publisher of the Steamboat (Co.) Pilot after 3 1/2 years. If that name is familiar it should be: Molen served in a variety of editing and management positions at The Bakersfield Californian over the course of more than 20 years, and he also served as publisher and CEO of the family-run Eugene (Oregon) Register-Guard before joining Swift Communications in Steamboat.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Sorry I couldn't respond to your emails. Supply chains are messed up right now."

 * ... KERN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: Hats off to Aaron Falk, formerly a district field manager for Rep. Kevin McCarthy and now newly hired as head of the Kern Community Foundation. Falk succeeds Dr. Kristen Beall Watson, who held the position for six years before leaving to serve as chief of staff to the president at California State University, Bakersfield. Falk takes over as CEO of perhaps one of the most undervalued non -profits in the community. It arguably helps more people throughout Kern County, particularly via its Women's and Girl's Fund, than most other non-profits and has grown into an important and influential voice in our community.

 * ... MAYOR'S BALL: And speaking of valuable non-profits, the CityServe organization benefitted from the annual Mayor's Ball this past weekend, an elegant evening that raised some $558,000 for the charity that aids families in need. That's almost twice the amount ($271,000) raised last year, and it drew an eclectic mix of Bakersfield representing the goodwill generated by the work of CityServe. Its success was due in no little part to the popularity of Pastor Robin Robinson, whose sheer energy and commitment has elevated her to perhaps the most popular (and effective) religious leader in town. (Her ability to tap into corporate donations for a worthy cause is impressive.) The event was held in the old Montgomery Ward building on F Street, now owned by Canyon Hills and used as a headquarters for CityServe.

 * ... ST. FRANCIS CHURCH: How many of you have seen this picture of the old St. Francis Church, circa 1920, before the 1952 earthquake destroyed it? Thanks to the Kern County of Old website for sharing.

 * ... MEMORIES: And take a look at this map, circa 1923, of the downtown area around Jastro Park. Some of the older homes have been built but others not. Thanks to Matt Revenaugh for posting this jewel.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy says Trump will remain a player in GOP politics, we have another run on toilet paper at local stores and abuse cases at the Boy Scouts near 100,000

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.

 * ... KEVIN MCCARTHY:  Donald Trump may have lost the election but Congressman Kevin McCarthy is earning applause after the Republicans picked up eight to 10 seats in the House of

Representatives,  almost all of them women, minorities or veterans. In an interview with The New York Times, McCarthy said he was most proud of "the growth of the party... that is going to be more diverse than it ever was." He also said he expected Trump to remain active in the Republican Party. "If at the end of the day he does not win the presidency, he will still be a player and he'll still have a base. And if you sit back, if Trump was not on the ticket, would we have won seats this year? He brought turnout."

* ... TOILET PAPER: Don't say I never warned you. A week ago I reported here there would be a run on toilet paper and paper towels, and sure enough it has happened. Store shelves across Bakersfield are empty as folks stock up on paper good anticipating more time at home and possibly a state ordered lock down.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Someone toilet papered my house last night and it is now worth $875,000."

 * ... BOY SCOUTS: Did you hear that more than 92,000 men have come forward to file sexual abuse clads against the Boy Scouts, a staggering number of claims that attorneys say is reflective of decades of assaults by scout leaders across the nation? To give you an idea of the scale of this scandal, lawyers say the number of abuse claims top the number of cases in the Catholic Church, which itself has been dealing with a long sordid history of wayward priests preying on young men and women. Attorneys say there have been abuse cases involving scouts in all 50 states as well as at military bases in Japan and Germany. Let that sink in for a minute.

 * ... WOMEN: I ran across this old picture posted by David Dyas with this caption: "Left to right, Ortencia Miranda and Francisca Ruiz Garcia, of Bakersfield.  Francisca married Benigno Garcia at the San Diego Mission in 1873.  She married Manuel Martinez in 1888 at St Francis Church. Ortencia married Joe Garcia, Francisca's son.  From the Rachel Arias Collection Kern County California Mexican Family Photos.

 * ...  BAD FORM: So how did it leave you feeling when you learned Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife flaunted his own rules by dining at the uber upscale French Laundry restaurant when he is telling the rest of us to stay home and away from crowds. That's right, Newsom was accompanied by his wife Jennifer Seibel Newsom and about 12 other people when they dined at the upscale eatery to celebrate the birthday of his longtime friend, lobbyist Jason Kinney. They were inside and dining without masks, the two things our governor is advising all of us to avoid. After the dinner was made public, Newsom apologized and said he could have exhibited better judgment. Ya think? (file photos of the Newsoms and The French Laundry)

 * ... MEMORIES: How many of you bought bicycles here as a child at Vincent's Cyclery on 18th Street across from the Padre Hotel? Check out this photo of the old Vincents. Thanks to the Facebook page Kern County History Fans for this nugget.

 * ... MEMORIES: Here are a couple of interesting shots of Lebec back in the day.

LA lawyers file suit against St. Philips and the Diocese of Fresno for allegedly covering up sexual abuse, Father Craig and three others make a list of accused priests, and another development is planned for Stockdale Highway and Coffee Road

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.

 * ... SEXUAL ABUSE: It didn't take long before a lawsuit was filed against the Diocese of Fresno

for allegedly covering up the sexual molestation of a young Bakersfield girl at the hands of a priest at St. Philips here in town. Filed by Jeff Anderson and Associates out of Los Angeles, the suit was filed under the new California Child Victim's Act which opened a new three year window for victims to

come forth to face their abuses. According to the lawyers, Father Anthony Moreno abused a young woman at the church in the late 1970s. The victim's family reported the abuse to the church, the lawyers said, but the church simply moved Father Moreno to another church and covered up the abuse. Legal experts say this first lawsuit is just the tip of the iceberg as victims come forward seeking justice.

 * ... LOCAL PRIESTS: Monsignor Craig Harrison of St. Francis, already suspended due to allegations that he sexually abused young men over a 30-year period at multiple locations, is among a couple dozen priests in the Fresno diocese that were listed in Anderson Advocates' list of accused priests. The lawyers complied their own list after the Diocese refused to account for all the priests who have been accused of sexual impropriety. Harrison is not alone among accused priests who served in Bakersfield. Also on the list is Father Eric Swearingen who served at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Father Robert Gamel who served at St. Ann in Ridgecrest and Father Miguel Flores who served at St. Joseph. (file photos of Harrison, Swearing, Gamel and Flores.)

 * ... ROUND TWO: Are we ready for another fight over development at the corner of Stockdale Highway and Coffee Road? Last year a developer wanted to build student housing there, but well organized opposition from residents of Stockdale Estates helped shut it down. Now, a skilled nursing facility wants to build a facility at the same spot, directly across from the Trader Joe's shopping center. Pursue Health is hosting a neighborhood meeting at Stockdale Country Club on Jan. 9 to address residents and hopefully get them to support the project. Stay tuned to this one.

 * ... MUERTOS: One of our community's iconic locally owned restaurant's, Muertos in the Wall Street Alley downtown, has rebranded itself and opened as "Two Goats and the Goose." Owner Shawna Haddad said some of the old favorites at Muertos - including its classic Hudson burger named after her son - would return along with new items, including some vegetarian offerings. The new digs open this week.

 * ... STARBUCKS: Just what is Starbucks' beef with Christmas anyway? Each year the Seattle based company, which already opened its bathrooms and facilities to the homeless, unveils a holiday themed cup that doesn't use the word Christmas. And this year is the same, as I witnessed when I ordered a latte and received a "Merry Coffee" cup. Here are the company's themed cups this year:

 * ... MEMORIES: Now here is a great shot taken of the old Santa Fe railroad station. The caption read: "Undated photo of the Bakersfield Santa Fe station taken from the top of what we used to call the Shop Building (Industrial Arts) on BHS campus. It looks like a few BHS (KCUHS) students walking across the tracks in the photo. Mercy Hospital is in the background and the street the tracks crossed here was "F" Street with 14th Street out of the photo to the left."

Bakersfield Observed looks at the top stories to follow in 2020, from oil to groundwater to crime and homelessness ... a guide for the top stories to follow

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.

 As we look toward ushering in 2020, Bakersfield Observed takes a look at the top ten stories we will be tracking this year. It will be an important year, so hold onto your seats.


 10) CITY MANAGER: Bakersfield city manager Alan Tandy retires Jan. 10 after almost three decades as the city's top administrator. To say Tandy's retirement is significant is an understatement, and in fact on a local level, one insider likened it to the rise of a new pope. "In our form of government no one is more powerful than the city manager," said one city employee. "This is a chance to set a new tone." Tandy's list of accomplishments is long, but his personal "take on prisoners" style rankled many and did little to improve relations with the county. When the City Council hires his successor, it will set the mood for possibly the next three decades. Expect that decision in the first quarter of 2020.

 9) LETICIA PEREZ: We will also learn the fate of Supervisor Leticia Perez, who is facing a misdemeanor charge related to charges she did not disclose that her husband (Fernando Jara) was representing cannabis interests while the Board of Supervisors was considering legalizing the retail sale of it. Many had written off Perez, expecting her to fade out of the public limelight, but she has signaled she is back and appears reenergized after her near fall from grace. Perez is the incoming chair of the Board of Supervisors and many are expecting an out of court settlement on the misdemeanor charge, clearing the path for Perez to go forward. Perez is smart, ambitious and not to be underestimated. Among her off-duty goals: grooming young Latino and Latina candidates for office as Kern County grows younger and browner and more diverse.

 8) THE HOMELESS: This will be a critical year in the battle against homelessness. The county's low-barrier navigation shelter will open in early February and the city is moving forward with its own plans to open a similar shelter. County CAO Ryan Alsop and Mayor Karen Goh are at the forefront of the local effort to combat the problem and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been allocated for everything from "poop patrols" to daily cleanup crews to additional prosecutors to handle misdemeanor cases. This will be the year when we determine just how committed we are as a community to reclaim our streets.

 7) FATHER CRAIG: Will 2020 be the year when we learn if Father Craig Harrison will either return to St. Francis Parish or be defrocked from the clerical state? Let's hope so because the uncertainty surrounding his status is a boil on the public consciousness that needs to be lanced. The problem: the final decision will be made by the head of the Diocese of Fresno, Bishop Joseph Brennan, and he is keeping his own counsel for making a decision. Word is that Brennan is waiting for the authorities in Firebaugh to first indicate if they will prosecute Harrison for a decades-old allegation of sexual abuse. But in truth, it will be Brennan's call in the end and Harrison will either find himself "laicized" (it means a person loses the clerical state and no longer has the right to exercise sacred ministry) or he will be returned to St. Francis or possibly moved to another church. If Harrison does not return to St. Francis, as many expect, what will be the second act for this once popular priest who - despite allegations from multiple men of sexual abuse over several decades - remains beloved by so many?

 6) ABUSE ALLEGATIONS: While we wait on word on Father Craig, expect a virtual flood of lawsuits to be filed as victims come forward to tell their stories of sexual abuse dating back decades. Thanks to a new state law that goes into effect Jan. 1, the state has given victims of sexual abuse a new window to file lawsuits against their abusers. Expect dozens of people to come forward across the state, and some of those cases may come locally against priests in the Diocese of Fresno.

 5) KEVIN MCCARTHY: With impeachment haunting President Trump, there are few people in the country with more to win or lose than our own Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who as House Minority Leader has been the tip of the spear defending the president. McCarthy may be criticized by the left for his defense of the president, but McCarthy remains wildly popular in his home district and few work harder on forging local ties than "KMAC" as he is affectionately known. If Trump wins and the Republicans take back control of the House of Representatives, we could be referring to KMAC as "Mr. Speaker."

4) NEW ENERGY, NEW JOBS: Is Bakersfield beginning to shake its image as an "oil and ag" backwater? Some say it is, and they point to the new Amazon distribution center across from the airport and the fact that Bakersfield is outperforming 46 other metro areas in net job and business creation. Helping in that evolution is Bitwise Industries, a Fresno-based tech academy and software startup that hopes to create 1,000 jobs in the city. Bitwise is renovating the building across 18th Street from the old Padre Hotel as part of its Bakersfield investment. With our traditional job centers like oil and agriculture under attack, this is the stuff that could decide our future.

3) CRIME: Every indication is that crime is on the rise, particularly "petty" and "non violent" crime that the state has largely decriminalized. We now live in the state that has decriminalized everything fro possession of heroin to prostitution, and suddenly our communities are full of "petty" criminals stealing indiscriminately, breaking into cars and trucks with impunity and waltzing into grocery stores and Rite-Aids and filling their arms with whatever they desire. Locally, we are thankful for people like District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer who throwing the weight of the DA's office to maintain law and order, but all this will come to a head this year as things will undoubtedly go from bad to worse.

2) WATER: This will be an important year for water in California as local water agencies begin establishing protocols to track water inflow and outflow within their jurisdictions. Huge parts of the Central Valley are literally sinking as local water agencies continue to draw down groundwater supplies, and for the first time the state is trying to get a handle on balancing the needs of agriculture against the reality of groundwater levels and the needs of urban population centers. This could lead to hundreds of thousands of acres of productive farmland being taken out of production.

1) OIL: And finally, 2020 could prove to be a pivotal year in the war against fossil fuels being waged by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the ruling Democratic party in Sacramento. Never before has California had a governor so openly hostile to the oil and natural gas industry as Newsom is, and his actions could directly impact the exploration and production of oil here in Kern County. For oil path communities like Taft and to a lesser extent Bakersfield, Newsom's decisions could have a devastating impact on our tax revenue, our growth, the value of our homes and our future.