OB Rag

By Kate Callen

Are you happy with the way San Diego is governed? Do you think our elected officials listen attentively to you and care about your neighborhood?

If your answer is “F*** No!,” you should participate in a 60-year-old system of local democracy where your vote has real impact: Cast your ballots in next month’s Community Planning Group (CPG) elections.

Every March, San Diego’s 41 active CPGs hold elections for open board seats. Unlike elections at higher levels of government, these don’t involve negative campaigning and Big Money mailers. Candidates present their backgrounds and positions, and almost all ballots are cast in person.

It’s a miracle San Diego still has CPGs. The all-volunteer advisory boards, established in 1976 to give citizens a voice in urban planning, came under attack in 2018 for being anti-progress, anti-inclusivity, undemocratic, unscrupulous, and just too darn old.

By Marc Snelling

Canadians love Americans. We know it’s mutual.  We don’t need “Palm Springs Loves Canada” banners or multi-million  “California Love” commercials from Gavin Newsom to prove it.  Marketing campaigns from Palm Springs and California, among many other US cities and states, seeking to win back Canadian tourist dollars have all fallen flat.  They don’t work because they tell Canadians what they already know.  It is the rhetoric, threats and violence of the current US regime that fuel the grassroots boycotts of US travel and products.  Americans may want to concentrate their efforts there if more Canadian tourist dollars.is what they want.

January 2026 saw the trend continue with the latest Stats Canada reporting showing a 26.8% year-over-year drop in Canadian return trips across the border.  There remains no US alcohol on the shelves of government liquor stores in 11 of 13 provinces and territories. This isn’t because Canadians don’t enjoy California wine or Kentucky bourbon.  It’s the taste of fascism they don’t care for.  Many Canadians have grandfathers lying in the graveyards of Europe who fought fascism to build a better world for their children.

By South OB Girl

San Diegans promoting the protection of historical resources and historical districts departed from City Hall on Tuesday disheartened and disgusted.

The vote of San Diego City Council to approve City Planning’s Preservation and Progress Package A had been a disappointment for many.  Members of the public in attendance however had not been just OBceans.  Dozens of people from throughout San Diego attended Tuesday’s meeting and organizations and individuals from throughout the city gave compelling speeches during public comment.

Only a small number of people, about 4 people, spoke in favor of approving Package A.  However, the odds were not looking in favor of the opposition from the beginning of the afternoon session and before public comment even started.

There are 9 City Council members and 3 of them were absent on Tuesday.  Marni von Wilpert, Raul Campillo, and Sean Elo-Rivera were absent.  There were whispers in the audience that they must have been absent to avoid the issue completely, as all three will be launching into fresh campaign trails.

So that left 6 votes on Tuesday. 

by Lynne Miller 

Don’t be disheartened.  We are on the path that will win, it will just take awhile, and a commitment from all of you.

The last lines of Starry Starry Nights go like this:

“They would not listen, they’re not listening still
Perhaps they never will”.

My friends inside and outside of Coastal CareTakers sent letters to the city council and submitted comments for the Feb. 24th meeting. Then they showed up, and filled the chambers, and they had a lot to say. And what they said was brilliant! Everyone did their homework, and when each person took the mic and spoke for Ocean Beach and all of San Diego, they were spot on!

The only problem — the Council had decided how they would vote before the meeting. If they had entered the chambers with an open mind, and “really listened” they would have voted to put Package A where it belongs, at the end of the crumbling OB Pier where real sharks could shred it and put it to rest!!!

The Peninsula Community Planning Board (PCPB) will be holding elections in March 2026 to fill seven (7) seats. Five (5) seats have 5 year terms and two (2) seats have a 1 year term and will go to the 7 candidates with the most votes in rank order.

Requirements for those interested in becoming a Board Member:

• Candidates must be 18 years of age.
• Candidates must reside, own property, or operate a business within the PCPB boundaries (boundaries map provided at www.pcpb.net).
• Candidates must attend a PCPB meeting or the candidates’ forum scheduled for March 12th.

The election will be held on Thursday, March 19, 2026 from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm, at the Point Loma / Hervey Branch Library located at 3701 Voltaire Street, San Diego, CA 92107.

From OB Planning Board website

Board Elections / Running for a Seat
Four (4) of our 12 seats are up for election each year. Board members are elected to 3-year terms. Board members are volunteers and receive no compensation.

Voting in the 2026 election

You are eligible to vote if you are at least 18 years of age and reside or own property, or own/operate a business within the Ocean Beach Planning Area (see map below). It is NOT necessary to be a registered voter with the state or county government.

All voters must complete a registration form and a ballot. This includes providing a photo identification and proof of a valid Ocean Beach address. There are 4 options for registration and voting:

By Keith Fink 

Yesterday’s City Council meeting was at best disheartening.

What with the complete absences of some council members and the lack of interest/ attention of others, the cat was out of the bag early that the fix was in – the decision already made. It was disappointing to not see the council chambers full or to hear additional relevant arguments perhaps not emphasized enough but, alas, the results would likely have been the same had the room been silent and empty.

There does seem to be a few points raised, however, that seem to need addressing.

First, though perhaps least importantly, was the comments of the only speaker (whose name I do not recall) in favor of the Package who did not appear to be associated with a developer. He complained about the lack of development in OB and how it was needed to support business on Newport, citing all of the boarded up businesses there. As I made my way up Newport yesterday evening after drowning out my sorrows at South Beach, I endeavored to count them – finishing with the same number with which I started – zero!

David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune / Feb. 25, 2026

San Diego softened its historic preservation rules Tuesday in order to accelerate homebuilding, despite objections from leading local historians and many Ocean Beach residents worried about community character.

The City Council voted 5-1 to approve a package of rule changes that include allowing the City Council to overrule the city’s Historical Resources Board when the board designates a property historic.

The updates also allow developers to take advantage of the city’s controversial Complete Communities incentive in Ocean Beach as long as a property isn’t the site of a historic cottage.

Developers and city officials praised the changes as modest and sensible reforms that will boost the impact of dozens of pro-housing updates and policies the council has approved in recent years.

by Todd Walters / Times of San Diego / Feb. 24, 2026

Public office demands more than ambition. It demands principles. It demands courage. And above all, it demands accountability.

That is why I cannot stay silent about San Diego Unified Board President Richard Barrera and his bid for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Leadership is not defined by titles held or campaigns launched. It is defined in moments of crisis, when speaking up carries risk, when loyalty to power conflicts with loyalty to people, and when silence becomes a choice.

During one of the most painful chapters in our union’s history, Barrera made that choice.

For years, former United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 135 President Mickey Kasparian faced multiple public allegations and lawsuits involving sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation. These were not whispers. They were reported, litigated, protested and deeply felt by labor and the broader community.

At that time, Barrera served as secretary-treasurer of the union. He was widely regarded as Kasparian’s right-hand man, a senior officer with influence, access and authority. If there was ever a moment that called for moral clarity, this was it.

And yet, he remained silent.

by Debbie L. Sklar / Times of San Diego / Feb. 20, 2026

In 1916, the sands of Mission Beach were dotted with striped canvas tents and cabana-style shelters, forming a temporary seaside neighborhood known as Tent City. Visitors and a handful of longer-term residents pitched their lives on the shoreline, enjoying the Pacific breezes, the surf, and a rare chance to live directly on the sand.

Tent City was located in:

• Old Mission Beach, generally west of present-day Mission Boulevard.
• Near Redondo Court, site of the former bathhouse.
• Beachfront parcels that later became permanent residential lots.

Promoted as an affordable coastal retreat, Tent City offered rental sites and small lots for sale, appealing to families and vacationers who wanted more than a day trip to the beach. The settlement reflected a broader early-20th-century trend in Southern California: transforming open beachfront into planned, accessible recreational communities.

The following photos were submitted by Cory Miller and taken at the Tuesday, Feb. 24 City Council hearing on OB’s historical district in City Council Chambers. Text was submitted by South OB Girl, an irregular Rag columnist.

A full half hour early, approximately 30 OBceans had already arrived. Council Chambers wasn’t open yet and we waited in the lobby. Security opened the Chambers up since so many people were waiting . Everyone began submitting their speaker slips right away. 20 people in this photo with at least 10 to a dozen people not in the photo.