OB FLASHES – News, Calendar, and Whatever – July 22, 2010

Lifeguards Mike Gilmore and Jim Birdsell (3rd unidentified) are assisted by off-duty firefighter Rob Lukaszewicz during a dramatic rescue of man off Sunset Cliffs on Monday, July 19, 2010. Photo by Jim Grant.

Community Meeting on Recent Small Dog Deaths Tonight – July 22nd

There has been troubles at OB’s dog parks recently – there have been mauling and deaths of small dogs at both Dusty Rhodes Dog Park and Dog Beach. In response, a community meeting is being held tonight, July 22nd, at the OB Recreation Center at 5:30pm. The Rec Center is at the corner of Santa Monica and Ebers. The meeting is being hosted by the Dusty Rhodes Rec Council.

Heathen Party and Park-to-Beach Procession on Saturday July 24th

The Heathens are back! The OB counter-cultural network of artists and circus performers are returning to their roots with a party and their annual procession to the beach this Saturday, July 24th.  The non-alcohol party will begin at 2pm at Dusty Rhodes Park and is planned to be family friendly. The theme this year is Heathen Hokey-Pokey with recommended costumes of jester and cowboy/cowgirl. (We reported on their recent fund-raising party, what happened last year here, and plan to be there for this event in our undercover reporter costumes. If you’d like to volunteer to assist the OB Rag in our coverage, send us an email at obragblog@gmail.com)

The annual Heathen Procession will begin around sunset, 7:30ish, and proceed from Dusty Rhodes Park to Sunset Cliffs Blvd to the foot of Newport Ave. and end with a bonfire on the beach. Organizers hope to have cooperation from the SDPD that will allow them to stage their circus-like procession down Newport and to perform their traditional ‘dance in the street’ at the intersection of Bacon and Newport.

OB Town Council guest speaker from controversial ‘San Diegans 4 Great Schools’ – July 28th

The OB Town Council will hold their regular monthly general meeting on Wednesday, July 28th, and it’s open to the public. The meeting begins at 7pm and is held at the Masonic Temple.

During this meeting, the Town Council has a guest speaker by the name of Scott Himelstein, who is a representative of a controversial group, “San Diegans 4 Great Schools” – which we just reported on here.  The group is controversial because it has been meeting in secret for a year and has just emerged with a business-backed plan to change the make-up of the democratically elected San Diego School Board.  And undoubtedly, Himelstein will be discussing his group’s proposals to circumvent the public’s role in selecting the school board.

Lifeguards and off-duty OB firefighter pull man from ocean off Sunset Cliffs

Photo by Jim Grant.

Sometimes, you just can’t get away from your public duties if you’re a first responder. OBcean Rob Lukaszewicz was reading quietly on his deck overlooking the cliffs on Monday late in the afternoon when he spotted somebody seemingly in trouble out in the ocean. Rob, a firefighter for nine years, grabbed his binoculars, and sure enough – some guy was having problems with a small boat. Rob grabbed his surfboard and paddled out to see what was going on. He ended up helping to save a man’s life.

Lifeguards had dashed to the scene on their personal water craft and skiff, and together they brought the guy who was now unconscious out of the water. He was given CPR and other first aid, and taken to the ER. The unidentified guy did survive – thanks to lifeguards Mike Gilmore and Jim Birdsell who were assisted by Lukaszewicz  Here’s the Union-Tribune report by Susan Shoder.  (Thanks again to Jim Grant.)

Sunset Cliffs Benches: $3000 X 15 = $45,000 – YIKES!

New $3000 bench supplied by cash-strapped City of San Diego. Photo by Jimi Olsen.

By Jimi Olsen / San Diego Reader / Originally Published July 15, 2010

The San Diego City Parks and Recreation Department has installed the first of 15 ipe wood benches at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. The new bench is located just south of the foot of Hill Street on Luscomb’s point (near the surf break somewhat recently renamed “Mouse-Scombs”).

Mike Ruiz of the City’s Shoreline Parks Division says he is waiting for the new fiscal year funding to be approved before he can go ahead and install more of the hardwood benches valued at $3000-plus each.

For the remainder of this article, go here.

Flash from the past: trapped would-be burglar gives Gary Gilmore the business

Our own Gary Gilmore, Newport Ave’s favorite goldsmith, was interviewed by the Voice of San Diego just recently. In his column The People Project, Sam Hodgson, has Gary recount an incident that occurred years ago, when a would-be burglar gets trapped trying to slide into the jewelry shop through the ceiling vent.  The cops arrive and find the guy – and start laughing.  The media shows up … more TV cameras show up. And boom, the next day’s business was like “the day before Christmas,” says Gary.

For the Voice interview, go here.

New homeless sticker is seeking a home

The new homeless sticker, created by the Regional Task Force on Homelessness (with help from us at the OB Rag), is seeking a new home.  Staff of the agency plan to contact local stores in OB to see if they are interested in selling it.  The alternative sticker will sell for $2.50 – and ALL proceeds will go to the homeless in Ocean Beach.  If you’d like to purchase one of the new ones, go here to the Task Force website and order one, or contact us here via email – obragblog@gmail.com. The alternative sticker has had a very slight modification – the word “tolerance” was changed to “compassion.”