OB Rag

Voice of San Diego / May 27, 2026

Tonight, Wednesday the 27th, the San Diego City Council will hold a public hearing on this year’s proposed budget, which seeks to close a $118 million deficit. Tonight’s public hearing will be held in Council Chambers starting at 6:30 p.m.

The meeting is the latest deliberation following Mayor Todd Gloria’s May revision. He restored some library and recreation center hours after Councilmembers pushed back, saying those cuts pose a threat to public safety.

But there are still some tense conversations ahead.

WE WANT MAXIMUM PARTICIPATION
Join San Diego ART Matters, Arts+Culture: San Diego, and regional arts and culture leaders for a public press conference calling attention to the proposed elimination of City funding for arts and culture grants in the FY27 budget.

From Voice of San Diego / May 27, 2026

When Mayor Todd Gloria first proposed eliminating grants that support arts institutions and community programming in the city’s budget, many of us in the arts community were deeply concerned. The proposed $11.8 million reduction to arts funding—an 86.6% cut—would have a significant impact on organizations and programs that serve hundreds of thousands of San Diegans each year.

Arts and culture contribute so much to the economic vitality and civic life of our region, but these proposed cuts threaten the ability of arts organizations to continue to play that role into the future.

When the mayor later released his revised budget in May, however, no funding was restored for arts and culture. Indeed, as funds were found for other areas of the budget, the arts were left behind. For many in the sector this was profoundly discouraging and intensified fears about the future stability of arts programming. It raises significant concerns about the city’s priorities and our collective future.

City arts and culture funding does not bankroll lavish galas or extravagant productions. It supports community theater in neighborhoods that otherwise have little access to the arts. I

By Deacon Jim Vargas   / Times of San Diego / May 16, 2026  

Each and every day, hundreds of people come through the doors of the Neil Good Day Center in the East Village. For many, it is one of the few places they can seek refuge off of the streets. For others, it is a place where they can find the basic dignities that life on the street too often denies: medical care, laundry, showers, restrooms, haircuts and pet care.

It is a place where people who are ready to begin their transition out of homelessness can connect to vital services that will support their journeys, whether that be housing placement programs or job seeking support. In 2025 alone, we served 6,712 people.

All of this is at risk of vanishing within a matter of weeks.

Earlier this month, Mayor Todd Gloria presented his draft budget. His proposal, should it pass, would mean the loss of over $4.5 million in funding for services provided by Father Joe’s Villages that support our neighbors experiencing homelessness. And it would mean that funding for the Day Center would be cut entirely.

By Ed Harris

My experience as a former District Two Council Member and Lifeguard taught me that most of our elected officials do not represent the communities. They spend their careers pleasing special interest to ensure they get donations for their next office. When deciding who to vote for please follow the money. The other candidates in this race are already indebted to special interests. They are getting ads paid for by committees and parties who spin the truth. When you are flooded with campaign mailers take a look at the bottom to see who funded it. Then you will know who will own that candidate. Mandy is the real deal. She’s not bought and paid for by special interests.

She hasn’t sold out our neighborhoods, our coastline, or our community values for political favors or insider backing. She’s independent, she’s authentic, and she’s exactly the kind of leader we need at City Hall right now.

We do not need another rubber stamp politician.

USS F-1 Submarine Sank in 1917 After Collision During Training Exercise, 19 Crew Members Lost

By Pia Gray / Futura / May 12, 2026

A research expedition off the coast of San Diego has captured the most detailed imagery ever recorded of the USS F-1 submarine. The World War I vessel sank in 1917 following a surface collision during a training exercise, taking 19 crew members down with it. Operating 1,300 feet below the surface, researchers used advanced deep submergence technology to document the site with precision, providing a clear window into a century old naval tragedy.
Locating the relic

The USS F-1 has occupied the seafloor west of Point Loma since its sudden sinking eight days before Christmas. While a Navy submersible initially spotted the rough location of the wreckage in 1972 during an unrelated search, a close-up survey remained impossible for decades due to the extreme depth. A joint expedition by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the US Navy finally resolved the mystery by deploying deep sea submersibles directly to the site.

By Jacob Mitchell

I am a fourth generation San Diegan and the son of an Olympian. My life has been defined by the idea that if you play by the rules and put in the work, you deserve a fair shot at the podium, but if you look at San Diego today, you’ll see a city where the playing field is tilted.

We are currently governed by a system that treats residents as a revenue source and institutional developers as the only viable solution to our problems. I am not a politician, as a chemist and an MBA candidate, I don’t believe in vague talking points; I believe in data, systems, and accountability. It’s time we stopped managing San Diego through headlines and started managing it for long term results.

Housing: Bridging the Generational Divide

The most pressing issue facing our beach communities is the housing crisis. State policy mandates a certain number of new homes San Diego needs to build in 9 year cycles. Currently, the City’s response to the mandate is to drop development fees for corporate entities and hand out subsidies for hyper-dense projects that lack community oversight.

I hear two very different, yet equally valid, fears in our district.

News Item: In 2025, the San Diego City Council passed a final budget that reduced the San Diego Humane Society’s (SDHS) annual animal services contract by $1 million. While the city initially proposed a more devastating 20% ($3.5 million) cut, the compromise forces the organization to evaluate fee increases and operational adjustments while facing critical shelter capacity issues.

By Debbie L. Sklar

Public discussion has included questions about the San Diego Humane Society, including shelter capacity, animal control responsibilities, and executive compensation. San Diego Humane Society President and CEO Dr. Gary Weitzman is compensated at more than $500,000 annually, according to publicly available IRS Form 990 filings. Records published through ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer list total compensation of approximately $509,396 in the most recent reporting period, including salary and other reportable compensation. The filing also lists approximately $72.8 million in annual revenue and more than $100 million in net assets.

Weitzman has served as president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society since 2010.

by Ernie McCray

Attending a
Community College league of California
Trustees Conference
with Maria, my querida,
a trustee,
I happened upon
a session that very much interested me,
one regarding
protecting campuses
from ICE
who a while back
became a concern
to Santa Barbara Community College
when agents, nevertheless,
although they didn’t harass or arrest
any students,

UPDATE: Police identified the suspect, 29-year-old Charles Fluker, as the victim’s brother.Just around midnight Monday, May 25, an unidentified man was stabbed in the parking lot near the Barons Market off West Pt Loma, following an altercation with another man.

Police Officers arrived to find a guy with stab wounds. He was taken to UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest for treatment but died after arrival, police said.

The person suspected in the stabbing left the scene in a vehicle. Hours later, around 4:45 a.m., police arrested the suspect at a home in Linda Vista.

By Jillian Butler

Every Memorial Day weekend, the Point Loma and Ocean Beach Peninsula community pauses to remember the men and women who never returned home from war. Against the backdrop of sweeping ocean views and rows of white headstones overlooking the Pacific Ocean, residents, veterans, and military families gathered at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Point Loma can trace its military history back to the late 18th century when the Spanish sought to build a fortress opposite Coronado Island. In 1852, the southernmost point of Point Loma was given to the United States Army and named “Fort Rosecrans”, after Major General William Rosecrans, a Civil War Era union soldier, and later California Congressman. In 1932, Fort Rosecrans was registered as a California Historical Landmark.

During the two World Wars, Point Loma became a key strategic point. The United States military erected numerous bunkers, fire-control stations, and radio stations. The area was equipped with long-range coastal artillery batteries, an underground railroad to carry ammunition to the batteries — rendering the region a crucial coastal support zone. Additionally, the area served as a bastion for anti-submarine warfare.

What better way to honor those who sacrificed themselves for American freedom than to highlight the ways America is losing that freedom.

These are articles about ICE conducting itself in San Diego County over the recent months — its ICE capades.

The casual cruelty of ICE detentions hits home in San Diego

by Chris Jennewein / Times of San Diego / May 23, 2026,

The casual cruelty of Immigration and Customs Enforcement hit home in our neighborhood on Friday. Nicolas, a landscaper who has worked in our neighborhood for over 35 years, didn’t show up. It was the first time. It turns out he was detained by ICE on Monday and is being held at the notorious Otay Mesa Detention Center. His cellphone was taken away. His wife and three U.S.-citizen children, who live in Carlsbad and Escondido, are scared and unsure what to do.

We gave them money for a lawyer, and I reached out to Rep. Mike Levin‘s office, which quickly provided helpful advice. Jewish Family Service of San Diego also stepped up to help. But the initial damage is done. Nicolas’ family must deal with a major crisis, and his successful business could falter in the interim. We were one of his first customers, and I sent a letter of recommendation for his citizenship application nearly 20 years ago. I believe the application is still pending. Unfortunately, our Citizenship and Immigration Services agency is no model of speed and efficiency.

How is Nicolas’ detention an example of ICE prioritizing criminals? How is a hard-working, dependable landscaper with dozens of long-time customers in San Diego and Del Mar a threat to society?