Judi and Rob McCarthy's generous gift to the Kern Community Foundation, Linda Jay retires from the Bakersfield Association of Realtors and we get our first snow of the season

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. 

 * ... MCCARTHY GIFT: One of life's true joys is being able to give something back to the community when you can, and few do it better than Judi and Rob McCarthy. The McCarthys formerly owned and ran Litespeed Systems, Bakersfield's premier high-tech firm before moving it to Austin several years ago and selling it. Now they have dug into their pockets to give generously to one of Judi's favorites local non-profits, the Women's and Girls' fund and the Kern Community

Foundation. In all, the McCarthys gave the Foundation some $2.5 million, including a $400,000 matching grant to the Women's and Girls Fund. Said Judi: "When I served on Kern Community Foundation’s board, my eyes were opened to the ways a community foundation can benefit its community: specific initiatives like the Women’s and Girls’ Fund or Kern Futures (student scholarships) or strengthening nonprofits; and encouraging citizens to keep their philanthropy local. I knew back then that, if we ever had the means to give back to the place where we’d raised our family and built our business, we’d do it through the Foundation. We reside in Austin, and this is now home, but our hearts still live in Bakersfield." For some of us, $100 may seem like a big donation, but size does not matter, intent does. Give when you can.

 * ... FIRST SNOW: It took a while but we finally got some much needed rain - and snow - in the higher elevations. The storm that passed through dusted Frasier Park with a blanket of snow while given the lower elevations a good soaking. Bakersfield received .37 of an inch, a good way to start the rainy season.

 * ... IN-N-OUT BURGER: You might have heard about gays and lesbians boycotting Chick-fil-A because of its corporate contributions to family value groups, but how much did you know about In-n-Out Burger and its commitment to traditional values? Instead of backing down as Chick-fil-A did, the popular California burger chain has doubled down by printing more biblical verses on its packaging. This from a Christian website: "In-N-Out Burger owner and president Lynsi Snyder, 37, says in a new interview with The Christian Post that she has expanded a tradition started decades ago when then-company president Rich Snyder printed Bible references on packaging. 'It was my Uncle Rich who put the Bible verses on the cups and wrappers in the early ‘90s, just before he passed away,” Snyder said. 'He had just accepted the Lord and wanted to put that little touch of his faith on our brand. It’s a family business and will always be, and that’s a family touch. In later years, I added verses to the fry boat, coffee, and hot cocoa cups.” The verses are discreet – on the bottom of a cup, for example – but easy to find with a quick search. The company has used well-known Bible references like John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world …”) but also less-popular ones like Nahum 1:7 (“the Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”).

                

 * ... WELL DONE: Congratulations to Linda Jay who retired as head of the Bakersfield Association of Realtors. Jay, wife of Bruce Jay of Valley Republic Bank, has worked for the BAR or years, seeing the organization through the digs and valleys of the local housing market.

 * ... THANKSGVING: So what is your favorite Thanksgiving pie? Pumpkin? Chocolate? Pecan? Check out this map and see where you are.

 * ... MEMORIES: Here we have an old picture dating to 1910 of the Arlington Hotel Building
at the southeast corner of 19th and Chester.

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And as long as we are looking at pictures of old 19th Street, check out this one of the Hughes Druggist location in 1915 at the southwest corner of Chester Avenue and 19th Street that would become the permanent home for Vests Drugs Store in the early 1940s.

Father Craig Harrison gets some good news defending himself against abuse allegations, a McDonald's worker is arrested for spitting into a police officer's food order and gas in California spikes to $5 a gallon

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: Father Craig Harrison got some good news last week when the Merced County District Attorney's office said it would not pursue charges of sexual impropriety dating back to a 1987 incident. Harrison's supporters cheered the news, even though authorities said it was

impossible to determine what happened - given the years that have passed - and the fact that the statute of limitations had expired. The decision was well short of a full exoneration for Harrison but it was still welcome news for a priest who has spent seven months trying to salvage not only his livelihood, but also his reputation. Harrison, 60,  was removed from his position at St. Francis Parish last April pending an investigation into multiple charges of sexual impropriety over the years. What we are witnessing now is a public relations battle, being played out not in the courts or in a legal sense but in the court of public opinion. It pits defense attorney Kyle Humphrey, Harrison and Harrison's legions of followers against those who argue that the accusers should not be summarily dismissed simply because of Harrison's immense popularity. Given that the statute of limitations has expired in virtually all of the cases, there was never any doubt that Harrison would be cleared by authorities and that the final decision - in reality the only one that matters - is in the hands of the Diocese of Fresno, which suspended Harrison. What we have now is a spirited local campaign to clear Harrison's name, even if - as many speculate - he never holds mass ever again in a Catholic Church. Will we ever know the truth about what happened between Harrison and these young men decades ago? Likely not, given that all these cases seems to devolve into a he said/he said. Take your pick: you either support Harrison or you believe there may be a grain of truth in the stories of multiple men over several decades dating back to the 1980s in Firebaugh, Merced and Bakersfield.
 WHERE WE ARE NOW: In a local television interview Kyle Humphrey called out unnamed members of the press who he criticized for alleged slanted reporting. And he dodged a question if more lawsuits against Harrison's critics were forthcoming. Will he slap a lawsuit on the Catholic Church itself since - let's be clear here - it was the Diocese of Fresno that started this whole thing by removing Harrison from the church? That is not as far fetched as it seems since Harrison enjoys the support of some of our community's wealthiest and most influential business owners, as well as CEOs and vice presidents of some of Bakersfield's most prominent companies who have not been shy about publicly supporting their priest amid multiple allegations.
 WHAT IS NEXT: A big date is coming up Nov. 25 when the Diocese of Fresno will have to release Harrison's personnel file, which could do two things: add potentially damaging details to the charges by accusers, and tell us what the church knew, and when it knew it. Attorneys for both sides will meet with a Superior Court judge to determine how much - and when - of the personnel files will be released. One thing is clear: Humphrey and his team will deal with each accuser individually, cast doubt on their motives and impugn their credibility and do everything to win the public PR battle going forward.
 THE DECISION: At the end of the day, it will be Bishop Joseph Brennan who will decide Harrison's fate. Unlike prosecutors who look for evidence that could sway a jury, Brennan could decide he believes Harrison's reputation has been damaged bad enough that he could no long serve effectively, and cut him loose. His options: return Harrison to the pulpit, move him to another church, kick him out of the church or simply do nothing and let the case drag on for years. At the end of the day, and this is the pity in all this, we may never know what really happened to the men who came forward.

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 * ... BAD FORM: Remember Tatyana Hargrove, the young woman who sued the Bakersfield police alleging excessive force a couple of years ago? You may remember her sitting alongside her attorney looking pained as she sought a jackpot for her alleged mistreatment. Well now -and you know where this is going don't you? - she has been arrested on suspicion of tampering with food at a local McDonald's where she worked. The charge: a coworker saw her spitting on food and rubbing a hamburger bun on the floor before serving a police officer. Hargrove was bitten by a police dog during the incident, sued the police and lost in court. And there you have it.

 * ... GAS PRICES: Well, it has happened. The price of a gallon of gasoline in California has spiked to $5 in some place, more than double the price in some other parts of the country. A Mobil station in West L.A. advertised gasoline for $5.29 per gallon of regular unleaded on Tuesday morning, video from the location showed. A gallon of supreme cost $5.69.

 * ... MOVNG UP: Congratulations to Chelsea Lewis who has passed the California bar exam and is headed to become a working lawyer. Belden is the daughter of Leanne and Scott Belden. Her father is a partner in the Belden Blaine Raytis law firm. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara and later the UC Hastings Law School.

 * ... DENNIS MULLINS: The funeral service for Dennis Mullins filled the chamber at Trinity Anglican Church in the southwest this weekend, a final goodbye to a quiet lawyer whose word was his bond. Mullins, 67, died of a ruptured aorta a week ago, leaving a wife (Melanie) and daughter Anna. Mullins worked for Tejon Ranch and Klein DeNatale Goldner before retiring recently and devoting his time as a water lawyer. He was considering going into the seminary at the time of his death.

 * ... MEMORIES: This is one of the most remarkable photos I have seen posted on the Kern County of Old Facebook page. There is no date attached. The second photo also is undated and appears to show Chester Avenue (or possibly 19th Street) downtown.

A UC Berkeley instructor lashes out as rural America, calling the farm life a "bad decision," the city bickers over a low-barrier homeless shelter and local CPA Andrea Hill expands her practice and moves into new digs

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. 

 * ... COASTAL ELITES: And you wonder why this country is so divided? Sometimes you don't have to look far, like a recent Twitter post from a grad student and lecturer from UC Berkeley who

took to social media to declare half the country brain dead. That's right a young graduate student named Jackson Kernion took time to remind the world that rural Americans are "bad people who have made bad life decisions. Some, I assume, are good people But this nostalgia for some imagined pastoral way of life is stupid and we should shame people who aren't pro city?" I am not sure where to start with this, given the stupidity of Kernion's post, but it speaks to the arrogance and narcissistic navel gazing so common by certain segments of our society.

 * ... HOMELESS: The city's on and off again approach to homelessness is beyond frustrating. Yes, our city has done a lot of combat the crisis - helping fund more beds at local shelters, helping pay for emergency response teams and even funding a "poop" patrol to wash feces and urine from our streets - but a divided city council just can't seem to reach consensus on where to locate a low barrier shelter. We thought we had a location - the old Calcot facility on East Brundage - but Ward 1 Councilman Willie Rivera led a spirited opposition and the council voted 6-0 to go back to the drawing board. Meanwhile winter is here and the suffering on our streets continues. And our city council bickers. So here is a novel idea (I wish it was my idea but I stole it from a friend): why don't we challenge all seven council members to suggest ONE place in their ward which is suitable for a homeless shelter. If East Brundage isn't good enough, what is your suggestion Councilman Bruce Freeman? How about a shelter near Seven Oaks? What about it Ken Weir? Care to turn over the old East Hills Mall into a shelter? It's easy to say no. Let's put their feet to the fire and see what they suggest in their own backyard.

 * ... GAS PRICES: Gasoline prices have spiked in California, soaring well above what most Americans are paying at the pump. In some locations, Californians are paying $5 for a gallon of gas.
A number of refinery outages tightened gas supply in the market. The average price of regular gas in California rose to $4.18 a gallon, the highest level since May 13, 2014, according to the Oil Price Information Service, which gathers data for the AAA.California's gas prices are the most expensive in the United States: The national average is currently $2.65 a gallon.

 * ... MOVING UP: Congratulations to Andrea R. Hill, a local accountant who recently absorbed another CPA practice and moved her office downtown. Hill purchased the practice of Jerry W. Kemp, who had been practicing for more than 30 years and was previously Sheats and Kemp. Kemp retired and Hill loved into his office at 2200 19th street. Hill has been practicing since 1985 when she graduated from CSUB. She was previously a tax partner at Brown Armstrong and prior to that in partnership with Cathy Brown, at Brown and Rutherford, CPAs.

 * ... TAFT: Check out this very old U.S. Mail Box in Taft just off 8th Street near Kern Street. Thanks to reader Pam Taylor for getting this shot.

 * ... MEMORIES: Some more historic photos as we walk down memory lane. Enjoy.

Despite its Christian stand Chick-fil-A is one of the nation's most popular restaurants, Julie Crawford gets a surprise birthday, trucks are being stolen in droves around town and Dick Taylor bows out of a county supervisor race

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. 

 * ... CHICK-FIL-A: Just how popular is Chick-fil-A? Well, the restaurant industry says the popular chicken restaurant is now the third most popular fast food eatery in the country, right behind No. 1

McDonald's and No. 2 Starbucks. But it is also one of the more controversial ones simply because its corporate mission is to "glorify God" and it is closed on Sundays. A national research groups showed that Chick-fil-A posted double-digit sales gains in 2018, passing Subway to claim the No. 3 spot in terms of toppling revenue. The company was founded by Truett Cathy, a Christian businessman who incorporated his faith into the company’s practices.

 * ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Happy birthday to Julie Crawford, one of the owners of Pyrenees Cafe and the Silver Fox Starlite Lounge downtown. The longtime entrepreneur was surprised on her birthday by husband Rod Crawford with a surprise party at The Bell Tower club downtown. The Crawfords bought Pyrenees a few years ago (and later the Fox Starlite Lounge) and restored both to their former beauty.

 * ... SUPERVISOR RACE: Former county veterans affairs director Dick Taylor has taken his hat out of the race to succeed Mick Gleason on the Kern County Board of Supervisors. Taylor had been courted to run but said Saturday he had decided against it. "Based on my 27 years running our family business, military record, experience service as a county department head, and knowledge of the district, I've been urged by many community leaders and friends to run for District 1 of the Kern County Board of Supervisors.  Having first moved into the district in 1979 after my honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, I consider it a great honor to be approached to run for this office.  However, after a lot of thought and research, I have decided to not seek election in March 2020 as District 1 Supervisor.  My hope is that a candidate arises to represent this incredible district who possesses the necessary experience, character, trustworthiness, maturity, and statesmanship befitting the highest leadership position in the county.  I want to sincerely thank everyone who has offered their support and I continue to be proud of all the work happening in our great county."

 * ... CALIFORNIA: Few people outside of those of us living in California understand just how big a state we live in. Check out this map that explains it all.

 * ... TRUCK THEFTS: Want to know how bad car thefts are in Bakersfield? I randomly collected pictures of pickup trucks that have been stolen in the last couple of weeks. Here is a selection. Be careful out there.

 * ... MEMORIES: Some old pictures as we walk down memory lane.

The city of Bakersfield punts on deciding on the site for a homeless shelter (again), Phillip Peters enters the race to succeed county Supervisor Mick Gleason and RIP Dennis Mullens, local water lawyer

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. 

 * ... WAITING ... AND WAITING: The city has once again punted on the long overdue decision on where to locate a low-barrier homeless shelter. First the city walked away from a small park off Golden State after a handful of people objected, and now it has done the same after opposition arose to buying the old Calcot facility on East Brundage for a 450-bed shelter. Understanding no one

wants this kind of shelter in their neighborhood, the situation calls for bold leadership which seems to be lacking on our City Council. The city will not resolve this until January, while in the meantime homelessness grows and becomes more visible and serious by the day. By contrast, the county under CAO Ryan Alsop has moved with more urgency, and its 150-bed facility off Golden State should be up and running in just a couple of months. Consider this quote attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

 * ... DISTRICT ONE: Campaigning has started early in the race to succeed Mick Gleason as the District 1 county supervisor. Phillip Peters, a longtime aide to Gleason, has announced he will run and he is already picking up support, and a fund raiser has been scheduled to build his war chest.  Some of Peters' early supporters include Ken Small, Wes Bradford, Terry Hearron and Dr. Sarabjeet Singh. Another potential candidate, former county veteran's affair coordinator Dick Taylor, has yet to decide if he will run.

 * ... EXODUS: It is no secret that people and businesses are leaving California in droves, fed up with high taxes, outrageous housing costs and overbearing rules and regulations from Sacramento. But you might be surprised where they are going. In 2018, the top destination for Californians was Texas, which absorbed 86,164 Californians, then Arizona (68,516), Washington (55,467), Nevada (50,707) and then Oregon (43,058).

 * ... SPOTTED: I spotted this on the Bakersfield Thieves Facebook page: "To whoever tried to ransack my grandmothers garage on the south side and stole two of her giant laundry detergents and whatever else you might have taken. I hope you rot in hell."

 * ... RIP DENNIS: Dennis Mullens, a local lawyer with an expertise in water law, died unexpectedly in his sleep this week. Mullen, 67, worked for Tejon Ranch and Klein DeNatale before retiring recently, Mullen, a quiet but firm force, was active in local water politics. He leaves a wife, Melanie, and a daughter, Anna, who recently graduated from Indiana University.

 * ... PANORAMA BLUFFS: Hats off to Supervisor Mike Maggard who helped coordinate a beautification program up on the Panorama Bluffs. Various artists from the Arts Council of Kern
(Iva Fendrick, Jorge Guillen, Taya Morroquin, Kristen Montoya and Jennifer Williams Cordova) painted power boxes on the bluffs to discourage graffiti and give the park some extra pizzaz.

 * ... GOODBYE CALIFORNIA: So what do some Californians think of their governor and his policies that drive people and businesses out of the state? Chck out this meme I spotted on Facebook.

 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this wonderful first old photo from the Kern County History Fans Facebook page. Just love it. The second shows a group of what could be football players from the old Kern County Union High School.

BREAKING NEWS: A Superior Court judge orders the Diocese of Fresno to produce Father Craig Harrison's personnel files that pertain to sexual abuse with minors and gambling in a potentially devastating blow to his efforts to clear his name

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. 

 In a potentially devastating blow to the efforts of Monsignor Craig Harrison to clear his name, a Kern County Superior Court judge has ordered the Diocese of Fresno to produce all records in Harrison's personnel file pertaining to sexual abuse of a minor as well anything related to Harrison having a gambling problem.

 The order from Judge J. Eric Bradshaw was handed down Monday, ordering the Diocese to turn over all records pertaining to Harrison having sex with a minor, sexually abusing a minor or having a gambling problem.
 The ruling could be devastating to Harrison if it produces records pertaining to allegations of sexual abuse against Harrison dating back 30 or some years. Among other things, it would answer questions from critics and Harrison supporters who doubt the validity of past allegations, and it could also provide lurid details from the accusers themselves.
The court ordered the Diocese to produce:
 a) Complaints and records pertaining to plaintiff having sex with a minor
 b) Complaints and records pertaining to plaintiff sexually abusing a minor, and
c) Complaints and records pertaining to the plaintiff gambling or having a gambling problem
 The court order, curiously, was a direct result of Harrison's legal team (attorney Craig Edmonston) filing defamation lawsuits against two Harrison critics: Stephen Brady of the Roman Catholic Faithful and Brother Justin Gilligan, a lifelong friend of Harrison's  who is studying to become a Benedictine monk. (Gilligan has since turned on Harrison, providing testimony that claims Harrison groomed young men with money and favors, talked openly about pornography and homosexuality and engaged in chronic gambling)
 Edmonston's lawsuits against Brady and Brother Gilligan opened the door to discovery motions like the one San Diego attorney Paul Jonna filed on behalf of Brady. Judge Bradshaw did not agree with everything that Jonna asked for, but he did agree with what Jonna and the defendants most wanted: the Diocese personnel files.
 In addition to providing details of any allegations against Harrison in Firebaugh, Merced or Bakersfield, where Harrison served, the personnel files may show the central question of: what did the church know and when did it know it?
 Judge Bradshaw ordered that the records be brought to court on Nov. 25, during which time he would meet with attorneys for both sides and hear arguments about how the files should be made public.
 SOME BACKGROUND: What we do know is that several young men have come forward alleging inappropriate contact with Harrison when he served in Firebaugh, Merced and Bakersfield Those cases are currently being reviewed by law enforcement authorities in Firebaugh and Merced. The Bakersfield police department closed the local investigation, saying it was impossible to establish exactly what happened in the local case.
  The Diocese of Fresno has been waiting for authorities to rule on the Firebaugh and Merced cases before it rules on the fate of Father Craig. The release of the personnel files will shed new light on those old cases, potentially provide details of exactly what the contact between Harrison and the accuser was, and possibly provide insight into how the Diocese responded when a priest in its realm has been accused of sexual impropriety.
 From a legal standpoint, some legal observers see this as a repudiation of Harrison's aggressive tactic of filing defamation lawsuits against Brady and Gilligan, which opened Harrison to discovery.
 Said one prominent local attorney: "It was a risky strategy and I am sure they (attorney Jonna, Brady and Gilligan) see this as a gift from (Craig) Edmonston. It's not a good day for Father Craig."