April 2013

The Best Bike Ride Around Mission Bay – The Long Version and Photo Journal (for those who will never ride it)

April 30, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

This is a chronicle – complete with a photo journal – of the best bicycle ride around Mission Bay. It is a ride that has been honed by the author – along with a few friends – over the last three decades – since the early Eighties.

It is a ride along a route that has a minimum of traffic and street exposure, and it is a route that is approximately …. 13 miles round trip from the Ocean Beach Skateboard Park in Robb Field.

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Factors that “Flip” Landings at San Diego Airport – When Take-Offs Are Reversed and Go East

April 30, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

Originally posted on April 30, 2013

Every OBcean knows – as well as every Point Loman and anyone who lives just west of San Diego’s airport – about plane take-offs.

They usually go right over the Peninsula. And have for years. I grew up on Point Loma and went to Point Loma High School and clearly remember many classroom instructions being interrupted by the low-flying giant aircraft directly overhead or slightly over. People in OB call it “the OB Pause” – when all conversation or listening is muted by the roar of aircraft engines over your head.

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Video of Mission Beach Cigarette Citation Goes Viral and Lights Up National Debate Over Cellphone Videos

April 30, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

A video by a guy on the Mission Beach boardwalk who was being given a citation for smoking a cigarette has gone viral. The incident involved Adam Pringle who refused to shut off his cellphone while videoing the San Diego police officer – and now Pringle’s video of part of the incident has sparked a conversation that has gone national over the rights of people using the video on their cellphone (or other cameras).

Pringle – from Escondido – was smoking a cig on the boardwalk at Mission when he was approached by San Diego Police on bicycles. As the officer began writing up a citation, an infraction, Adam Pringle began using his cell phone to video the officer.

The officer then asks Pringle to shut off his cellphone. Pringle refuses – saying it was his right. The officer asks him at least one more time – and Pringle continues to video the officer.

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“Move to Amend” – the Campaign to Get Big Corporations Out of Politics – Meets Tonight in Point Loma – Tuesday, April 30th

April 30, 2013 by Source

The Campaign to Get Big Corporations Out of Our Constitution and Big Money Out of Our Elections The OB Rag was contacted by some local organizers for “Move to Amend” – a nation-wide group that works to kick large corporations out of US politics, elections, and our Constitution. There is an important event in our […]

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OB Town Council Decides to Keep Historic OB Entryway Sign Design

April 30, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

The results are in – and now it has been declared that the Ocean Beach Town Council will keep the current design of the OB entryway sign at the end of I-8 when they replace the actual sign very soon.

Town Council members voted during a multiple-month process for the winning design – from a field of 5 designs. Here is what the Council reported on their website:

We had five outstanding finalists for the sign (including keeping the same design, but refurbishing it)! Electronic ballots were distributed to Ocean Beach Town Council members on Monday, April 1 and voting occurred between April 1 and April 8. The winning option was announced at the OB Town Council meeting on Wednesday, April 24.

WINNING OPTION: Keep the same design, but renovate the sign!

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Ocean Beach Planners Have Another Controversy on their Agenda Wed Night – May 1st

April 30, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

Yessiree, the OB Planning Board has yet another controversy on their agenda for Wednesday night, May 1st. This time it’s the Inn at Sunset Cliffs issue.

Briefly, at issue is the application by the owners of the Inn, at 1730 Sunset Cliffs Boulevard – at corner with Point Loma Ave. – of a permit for what’s being called “an ‘after-the-fact’ surfacing of a deck on environmentally sensitive lands”. The Inn has 24 rooms and sits upon a .56 acre plot.

There has been some opposition in the surrounding neighborhood to this application, and there is an expectation that residents from that area will attend the meeting to express their views. Reportedly, the sub-committee of the Board that usually makes recommendations to the full Board on projects before it did not take a stand on this issue.

This meeting is the Board’s monthly meeting, held in the OB Rec Center, at 4726 Santa Monica Avenue. The meeting usually starts sharply at 6pm.

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How Much Is Your Life Worth?

April 30, 2013 by Source

The price of some cancer drugs exceeds $100,000 a year.

By John Lawrence / San Diego Free Press

How much is your life worth?

In a free market economy like the US, that question is settled by ability of the individual to pay. If you can’t pay over $100,000 a year for a life-saving cancer drug, your life isn’t worth as much as someone who can.

In a free market economy your life is worth exactly your ability to pay. In countries where the government pays the cost of drugs, they decide how much your life is worth. In Britain it’s $50,000; that’s the price the British government has negotiated the most expensive drugs down to. Is there a moral limit to how much Big Pharma can charge for some life saving drugs?

Some doctors seem to think so.

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Green Store and OB Rag Open House a Success – Thank You!

April 29, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

The Open House that the OB Rag and The Green Store held yesterday, Sunday the 28th, turned out to be a huge success – with a big turnout. The Mayor was a no-show, however, but he is forgiven as he was down at the international border opening gates, a worthy pastime.

The significant turnout from the community and from supporters of both organizations is gratefully appreciated by all the volunteers who work for the two groups that are now under the same roof. Donations were given, T-shirt sales were made, delightful acoustic music was played, and the liquid refreshments ran out before the vegetarian food. Thanks to all who came and joined us in our celebrations, and who donated to our causes. And gracias to those who also brought food.

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Petition Drive to Get People’s Food Co-op to Move to Old Apple Tree Market?

April 29, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

We have heard rumors that there is a petition drive just getting off the ground here in OB in an effort to get People’s Food Co-op to either purchase or lease the old Apple Tree Market site over in the central commercial area of the village.

The former business – Apple Tree Market – closed at the beginning of the year. The store owner had talked about opening a smaller version of the store in his property on Newport Ave – the old OB Bike and Skate Shop (the old Bof A building), but we are unaware of any progress in that direction.

In the meantime, residents, shoppers, and visitors do not have immediate access to a large market in downtown Ocean Beach. The nearest large food stores are over in the Midway (Barons), up near the high school (Stumps), or on top of Point Loma (but the Fresh & Easy is closing itself).

And then there’s OB People’s Food Co-op – the organic store that has served the community and outlying areas since the early 1970’s – and already OB’s largest employer – with over one hundred full and part time people – many of whom live in the village.

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Labor Bashing and Lincoln Club Love : the Last Refuge of Losers and Scoundrels in San Diego Democratic Politics

April 29, 2013 by Jim Miller

Local Races in Assembly District 80 and City Council District 4

By Jim Miller

Before I devote the month of May to the San Diego Free Press’s upcoming focus on my Golden Hill neighborhood, recent events compel me to do one last column on the special elections in Assembly District 80 and City Council District 4.

The 80th California Assembly District: Lorena Gonzalez vs Steve Castaneda

In the race to replace Ben Hueso in the 80th it shouldn’t be shocking that Lorena Gonzalez’s opponent has attacked her for being a “union boss” except for the fact that that charge was hurled at her not from a Republican but from fellow Democrat, Steve Castaneda. Indeed, Mr. Castaneda, who would surely have taken labor’s endorsement if offered, was far too quick to turn to cartoon like right-wing anti-union stereotypes. This should tell us all we need to know about this variety of Democrat.

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Are They Going to Slip Something By Us Again at “The Inn at Sunset Cliffs”

April 29, 2013 by Judi Curry

By Judi Curry

I was stunned to find out that there is a potential building change going to be asked for that will totally destroy the Sunset Cliffs area.

Let me tell you what I know – and let me stress I do not know how much truth there is to this, but people are talking, just like we heard the “talking about the VFW building.”

“The Inn at Sunset Cliffs” – corner of Pt. Loma Avenue and Sunset Cliffs – is seeking permanent and private ownership of the coastal area just west of the hotel.

The Ocean Beach Planning Board hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday, May 1, at 6:00pm at the Ocean Beach Recreation Center.

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Mayor Filner to Attend OB Rag and Green Store Open House on Sunday, Apr 28

April 27, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

We have received confirmation that Mayor Bob Filner plans on attending our Open House this Sunday, April 28th.

The OB Rag and The Green Store are sponsoring a joint “happening” promising food, drink, entertainment, and good vibes.

The Open House will be held from 1pm to 6pm at 4843 B Voltaire Street. The Mayor is expected sometime between 2 and 3 pm at the event.

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Police Crackdown in Ocean Beach?

April 27, 2013 by Staff

We have heard reports that around 2pm on Friday, there was a massive San Diego Police “crackdown” on Ocean Beach. One observer counted 15 patrol cars. The new commander of the Western Division took a rather highly-publicized “walk through” in OB not too long ago. Capt. Andy Mills, commander of the department’s Western Division, took […]

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“Eat drink & Be Monkey”

April 26, 2013 by Source

Our friends at Surf Rider Pizza on Abbott Street asked us to but this up:

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Strange Sights in Ocean Beach

April 26, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

Here are some strange sights of Ocean Beach – sights one doesn’t see all that often during the life course of the village.

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Beach Clean-up at OB on April 27 – Part of 11th Annual “Creek to Bay” Clean-Up

April 26, 2013 by Source

I Love a Clean San Diego is organizing a beach clean-up in Ocean Beach from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 27. It’s part of the 11th Annual “Creek to Bay” Clean-up taking part at 92 cleanup sites countywide.

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San Diego’s Favorite Bicycle Rides #1 – Ocean Beach to National City

April 26, 2013 by Source

By John P. Anderson / San Diego Free Press

A few weeks ago I wrote up one of my favorite bicycle routes, from North Park to Ocean Beach. I got some good feedback and suggestions in response and decided to continue this idea. However, I’m still a relatively new to cycling in San Diego and there are many areas of the city and county that I haven’t ridden.

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Why Bomb the Boston Marathon?

April 25, 2013 by Source

Islamic Totalitarians, the Apocalypse, and Terrorism

By Chip Berlet / Talk to Action

Walk a mile in the shoes of those who claim to honor God and yet cheer the bombing of the Boston Marathon. They represent only a tiny fraction of the Muslims on our planet, yet they see themselves as carrying out the will of God. Fanatics such as these can be found in many of the World’s religions. They shoot abortion providers in the United States; blast apart buses in Israel; and murder Muslims in India (and vice versa).

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Congressman Scott Peters to Hold Town-Hall Meet at Ocean Beach Masonic Hall Apr 27th

April 25, 2013 by Staff

Rep. Peters Continues His ‘Congress on Your Corner’ Series of Town-Hall Type Meet-ups

Congressman Scott Peters will hold this month’s ‘Congress on Your Corner’ from 10:30 a.m. to noon, on April 27, at the Masonic Hall, 1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd in Ocean Beach.

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Planning Meeting for “March for Healthy Food” – April 25

April 25, 2013 by Source

The local organizers who are planning a march against Monsanto on May 25th, in San Diego (there will be marches elsewhere across the country) are holding a first planning meeting tonight to create something positive and lasting from these efforts. They want to create something positive for the food systems of our local and global community.
The following is from their Healthy Food for Local Earth website:

Intention: Bring together anyone in San Diego with an interest in planning, supporting and participating in the CommUNITY March for Healthy Food.

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Suit Against Sheriffs Allowed to Proceed – Bogus 2008 Arrest of OB Woman Used Against Her in Custody Dispute with Boyfriend Sheriff

April 24, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

Suit Alleges Conspiracy and Excessive Against Sheriffs and County in Arrest

There has been a positive development in a convoluted and sad story about a woman arrested in OB for using her boyfriend sheriff’s credit card. Her arrest had been used against her in a child custody dispute with him. With all charges dropped, Michelle Cameron had sued the County and the Sheriffs for the use of excessive force and conspiracy.

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OB Flashes: Citizens Patrol to Meet, Foodie Network in OB, and Questions on San Onofre

April 24, 2013 by Staff

OB Crime Watch Citizens Patrol Meeting on May 13th at Woman’s Club

Please join us to discuss and share ideas to help keep OB safe.

Calls for public hearings on San Onofre grow, fears about summer power supply may be exaggerated

See this post at The Reader by OBcean Dave Rice:

Food Network shoots show at OB Noodle House – Guy Fieri visits Hodad’s again also

… and more

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Mayor Filner Angry at Federal Raid on Pot Dispensary and Demands Answers

April 24, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

Federal Official Reacts to Filner’s Anger and Displays Woefully Inadequate Understanding of Medicinal Herb

Mayor Bob Filner is very angry with the Federal raid on a pot dispensary in downtown San Diego on Tuesday, April 23rd. He called it “provocative” and described it as intimidation. And he wants answers.

A day after the City Council and the Mayor discussed finding solutions to the issue of medical marijuana dispensaries in San Diego, federal agents agents raided a marijuana collective, reportedly breaking a glass door in order to gain entry into the downtown building on Tuesday.

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The Best Bicycle Ride Around Mission Bay

April 23, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

A Tour of the Best Bicycle Route Around San Diego’s Aquatic Playland

The tour I now present around Mission Bay is a great one and it is a ride that has been honed by me and a few riding friends over the last three decades – since the early Eighties. It is a ride along a route that has a minimum of traffic and street exposure, and it is a route that is practically 13 miles round trip from the Ocean Beach Skateboard Park in Robb Field.

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Dave Davis – Once San Diego’s Printer for the Movement

April 23, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

Every now and then we must pause in our daily rush and grind to acknowledge the passing of someone who is important to us. This is especially true in the tiny world of progressive journalism in San Diego. And it is true as we pause on the passing of Dave Davis.

Now, there are probably very few people in San Diego right now who even remember Dave Isaac Davis, but it was his little print shop in Golden Hill that was responsible for printing up the very first issues of the original OB Rag way back in 1970 and 1971, when we considered it to be an “underground newspaper”.

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Gabby Giffords: A Senate in the Gun Lobby’s Grip

April 22, 2013 by Source

“If we cannot make our communities safer with the Congress we have now, we will use every means available to make sure we have a different Congress”

By Gabrielle Giffords / New York Times / April 17, 2013

SENATORS say they fear the N.R.A. and the gun lobby. But I think that fear must be nothing compared to the fear the first graders in Sandy Hook Elementary School felt as their lives ended in a hail of bullets. The fear that those children who survived the massacre must feel every time they remember their teachers stacking them into closets and bathrooms, whispering that they loved them, so that love would be the last thing the students heard if the gunman found them.

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When Banks Wrongfully Foreclose, They Get a Slap on the Wrist

April 22, 2013 by Source

Those illegally foreclosed on get a pittance in return.

By John Lawrence / San Diego Free Press

Banks foreclosed on military service members, homeowners who had been approved for a loan modification and even homeowners who were current on their payments. At least 53 homeowners who weren’t behind on their payments were successfully foreclosed on and lost their homes for no reason.

There was widespread criminal behavior on the part of the banks, but in a recent settlement they got off relatively cheap.

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Corporate Education Reform Goes to College Despite Flunking Out in the K-12 System

April 22, 2013 by Jim Miller

By Jim Miller

Things haven’t been going too well for the corporate education reform forces lately. In Chicago there is great controversy surrounding and parent resistance to school closings as a result of the efforts of over zealous reformers. This shameful turn of events puts yet another black mark on former Obama Administration chief of staff and current Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel’s heavy-handed reign of error over his city’s schools.

Across the country in Seattle, teachers, students, and parents came together to resist the overuse of standardized tests by asking questions that resonated nationwide about the disservice we are doing to our children. And, in Atlanta, a massive cheating scandal raised eyebrows about the hegemony of high stakes testing as well.

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Fatal Car Crash on West Point Loma Boulevard Sunday Night

April 22, 2013 by Staff

About 6:30 pm, Sunday night, the 21st of April, a car being driven by Crystal Noel Banducci was going east when it drifted into oncoming traffic on the 5000 block of West Point Loma Boulevard.

Banducci’s red Honda CRX then crashed head-on into a westbound Toyota Camry, being driven by a 40 year old pregnant woman, as yet unidentified.

Banducci, 32, of San Diego, died at the scene,

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Loose Money on the 805 – Hundreds of Bills Floating on Freeway

April 20, 2013 by Frank Gormlie

On the I-805 just south I-8, there are reports of hundreds of bills floating on the freeway – bills, up to hundred-dollar bills – on the road, in the air.

One witness said a hundred-dollar bill got stuck on his windshield, and he tried to pull over, but CHP patrol cars were indicating that traffic needed to flow and continue on.

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kh April 19, 2024 at 1:11 pm on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachAre you seriously trying to equate the tens of thousands in annual Prop 13 benefits some receive on their investment properties with the $9 writeoff...
sam April 19, 2024 at 1:10 pm on Reader Rant on the New Warehouse Plan for San Diego’s Unhoused CitizensThis lease was negotiated by the staff at the Real Estate Department, who clearly had no issues agreeing on terms, with the approval of management....
chris schultz April 19, 2024 at 11:49 am on Why San Diego Should Not Be Awarded Anything for Its ‘Bonus ADU’ Program — Not One ADU Unit Has Been Built as Low-Income HousingSANDAG spending a billion over the next 4 years for bike lanes is mind boggling.
paul krueger April 19, 2024 at 11:44 am on Why San Diego Should Not Be Awarded Anything for Its ‘Bonus ADU’ Program — Not One ADU Unit Has Been Built as Low-Income HousingExcellent and very revealing research! Thanks for sharing!
Paul Krueger April 19, 2024 at 11:43 am on Why San Diego Should Not Be Awarded Anything for Its ‘Bonus ADU’ Program — Not One ADU Unit Has Been Built as Low-Income HousingHere's a link to the city's news release on it's nomination for the 2024 "Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability": https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024-04-16-city-of-san-diego-a-top-10-finalist-for-2024-ivory-prize-for-housing-affordability.pdf
Kate Callen April 19, 2024 at 11:40 am on Why San Diego Should Not Be Awarded Anything for Its ‘Bonus ADU’ Program — Not One ADU Unit Has Been Built as Low-Income HousingThe good people at Ivory Innovations are in the pocket of Ivory Homes, the largest home builder in Utah. The Ivory Family is one of...
chris schultz April 19, 2024 at 11:40 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachDo you help your kids? Even after they're grown? Should taxation be randomly F the person who worked for what they have? If I helped...
paul krueger April 19, 2024 at 11:22 am on Why San Diego Should Not Be Awarded Anything for Its ‘Bonus ADU’ Program — Not One ADU Unit Has Been Built as Low-Income HousingThanks very much for posting this detailed info!
paul krueger April 19, 2024 at 11:21 am on Why San Diego Should Not Be Awarded Anything for Its ‘Bonus ADU’ Program — Not One ADU Unit Has Been Built as Low-Income HousingHere ya go: https://ivoryinnovations.org
paul krueger April 19, 2024 at 11:20 am on Why San Diego Should Not Be Awarded Anything for Its ‘Bonus ADU’ Program — Not One ADU Unit Has Been Built as Low-Income HousingYes, that was written as a reply to Ivory Innovations, and our group, Neighbors For A Better San Diego composed a more complete response that...
chris schultz April 19, 2024 at 11:10 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachCars are taxed by your registration fees and deductible.
kh April 19, 2024 at 11:08 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachNobody is talking about removing prop 13 for people's first home. But why is a family buying their first home paying more in property taxes...
kh April 19, 2024 at 11:00 am on 2 New Projects Proposed for West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean BeachWell then, mom and pop can put it in the kid's name. Done. And they can preserve Prop 13 benefits in doing so, if the...
Jane April 19, 2024 at 10:51 am on 8 ADUs in 3-Story Complex Proposed for 4500 Block of Pescadero in Point LomaPer Next Door, "Through the Peninsula Community Planning Board, the City has asked for citizen comments before 03May. Since this is before the PCPB Project...
Jane April 19, 2024 at 10:32 am on 8 ADUs in 3-Story Complex Proposed for 4500 Block of Pescadero in Point LomaHome was sold 1 year ago at $1.8M for a 1000 sq ft home on 7500 sq ft lot. Original intent was to put even...