OB Rag

Democrat With Local Roots Outshines Triple-Time Trump Voter and Carpetbagger Richard Bailey

Candidate Nicole Crosby has won the OB Rag’s endorsement for the general election to be held in 30 days. Coming to this stance, I looked at Nicole’s campaign website, my experiences over the last year with Richard Bailey, reviewed candidate debate reports from the U-T, Times of San Diego and our own Rag account.

Bailey has been campaigning for over a year and has polished off a number of campaign phrases — he’s into policies not politics, and the city doesn’t have a money problem, it has a spending problem. Yet, of course, he’s into politics.

Although not perfect, Crosby has a more compassionate heart than Bailey does when you compare their positions on San Diego’s homelessness, rent-control, city staffing,Trump’s immigration policies and the constitutional rights of all citizens in the area.

Of note are Crosby’s local roots — they particularly stand out in heavy contrast to the current District 2 officeholder, Jen Campell. Crosby and her family have lived in Clairemont for many years; she was the president of the PTA for her daughter’s school and was the chair of the Clairemont Town Council. This is also a huge contrast between her and the other candidate, Richard Bailey. Bailey — the former part-time mayor of the tiny community of Coronado – just recently moved to Point Loma so he would be eligible to run. That type of movement is often called “carpetbagging.”

Merriam-Webster defines carpet-bagging as “an outsider moving into a new area to exploit a situation or seek personal, financial, or political gain without having local connections.”  A similar definition states it’s a politician who runs for office in a region where they do not live or have no prior ties, just because they think it will be easier to win. This is what Bailey has done.

Yet, setting that aside, on the issue of homelessness, Crosby believes the city is spending too much on enforcing the so-called “camping ban” and sees that as a serious waste of money and the use of police officers, that it costs more than providing housing. Bailey wants to cut city funds for homeless programs.

Crosby believes in rent control for senior citizens as a way to cut into future homeless seniors; Bailey takes a typical Republican view and doesn’t believe in rent-control at all.

By JW August / Special to the OB Rag

There are clear differences between the candidates and they were on display at a debate at the Point Loma Library last night, October 1.  Nicole Crosby is the Democratic Party’s choice and is supported by local organized labor groups  Richard Bailey says he is now an independent after years representing Republican interests.  He is supported by the Lincoln Club, conservative, pro-business PAC (Political Action Committee) which says they are independent of the Republican Party but have supported party candidates as a matter of course.

They were given two minutes for an opening statement.  Those are provided here, in part, from both candidates.

Nicole Crosby:

“when I launched my campaign for San Diego, it is because we’re dealing with crumbling infrastructure. Our politicians are pushing forth half-baked solutions to complicated problems, and I’m raising my daughter in this community, and we want it to be better for her, her friends, and all of our family”

Richard Bailey:

“I previously served as the 53rd mayor of Coronado, and as the mayor of Coronado, we focused on getting the basics of local government right. We focused on public safety, infrastructure, reasonable housing policies, and accomplishing those objectives in a financially responsible manner, and I think the track record speaks for itself.members, and that’s not what we’ve been seeing.”

There was a photo accompanying today’s San Diego U-T report on last night’s District 2 candidate forum at the Point Loma Library. But the photo is very suspicious. It’s very unflattering of Nicole Crosby — it shows her with her face all scrunched up, furrowed brow as she jabs her finger while being very emphatic while Richard Bailey sits there cool as a cucumber (which he is not, by the way).

The photo is a reflection of the old sexist attitudes about women —

By LK Bruce

“Where your hands go, where the light falls, where the shadows make a pattern,
they will lead you. If it comes from the heart it is part of the universe’s song of jubilation.”
James Hubbell

The legacy of celebrated San Diego artist James Hubbell was very much alive at last weekend’s Harvest Moon Fundraiser, where family, friends, artists and admirers gathered at his extraordinary Ilan-Lael compound in Julian to celebrate a life devoted to art, nature, beauty and the power of human connection.

For nearly seven decades, Hubbell created works that transformed public spaces, private homes and gardens throughout San Diego and far beyond. Although he died in 2024 at age 92, the creative spirit he nurtured continues to flourish at Ilan-Lael, carried forward by his family, protégés, fellow artists and the many people inspired by his work.

A remarkable architect, watercolorist, pen-and-ink artist, designer, sculptor and poet, Hubbell was a humble giant who created beauty and serenity through masterworks around the world. In addition to being a gifted artist and craftsman, James Hubbell was a passionate naturalist, devoted friend and inspiring teacher. He mentored countless individuals, using art as a way to communicate compassion and kindness.

By La Prensa News Desk / Sept. 21, 2026

A new poll of likely voters in coastal San Diego finds strong opposition to a proposed City sales tax increase, homelessness ranking as the top concern, and Mayor Todd Gloria receiving a lower favorability rating than President Donald Trump.

The poll conducted over the past two weeks shows 64% of respondents oppose a November election ballot measure to raise the City’s sales tax, with only 25% supporting the measure. A similar one-cent sales tax increase, Measure E, failed in November 2024 by only 3,506 votes.

Respondents cited homelessness as their top concern, followed by housing affordability, and the City’s fiscal issues.

When asked whether they believe the City is headed in the right or wrong direction, only 19% said it was headed in the right direction, while 64% said it was headed in the wrong direction.

The poll respondents also expressed negative views of both Mayor Gloria and President Trump.

By Laura Henson / Times of San Diego / Sept. 28, 2026

As California cities embrace increasingly aggressive upzoning, one consequence of these policies receives remarkably little attention: What happens psychologically to people when the future of their own neighborhood becomes permanently uncertain?

That question is particularly relevant as San Diego considers the First Draft Mid-City Communities Plan, which would guide land use and development in Mid-City for the next 30 years.

In San Diego, the argument for allowing substantially more housing in established single-family neighborhoods often comes with a reassurance: Don’t worry. Just because every property can be redeveloped doesn’t mean every property will be redeveloped.

But think about what residents are actually being asked to accept.

Your neighbor’s house may remain a house for another 30 years. Or it may be sold next year and replaced with a large apartment building. The house behind you may remain unchanged — or redevelopment may suddenly take away your privacy, sunlight, parking trees and the physical environment you believed you were buying into.

You don’t know.

And that is precisely the problem.

Advocacy Group Alleges License Plate Readers Are Invasion of Privacy

A new lawsuit has been filed by a local civil rights advocacy group to end the San Diego Police Department’s use of automated license plate readers as an invasion of privacy. The group, Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, is represented by the region’s ACLU and their suit was filed Tuesday, Sept. 30, in San Diego Superior Court.

Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, which advocates for refugees and displaced people, also wants the city to stop using public money on a program it says violates constitutional rights. They allege that the cameras and the database they create amount to an invasion of privacy rights under the state constitution.

The California Constitution “provides strong and affirmative privacy protections,” said Frederick Carroll, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties, at a press conference Wednesday at a news conference in downtown San Diego.

Carroll added:

“If privacy as guaranteed in the California Constitution is to mean anything at all, it means that Californians should not be subject to mass surveillance, mass data accumulation of their travels, a mosaic compilation of their everyday activities.”

By Alex J. Chavez / Only In San Diego / Sept. 28, 2026

Todd Gloria has spent most of his adult life in public service. Few people entered the San Diego mayor’s office with more experience, more political relationships or a friendlier City Council.

Nearly six years later, that makes the question increasingly awkward:

What, exactly, has Todd Gloria delivered?

That is not an unfair standard. It is his.

As president of the United States Conference of Mayors, Gloria now travels the country under the banner “Mayors Deliver,” promoting local leadership on housing, affordability and public safety.

It is a catchy slogan. It also begs San Diego to look at the record at home.

Gloria came into office selling competence. He had been a councilmember, interim mayor and state legislator. He knew City Hall. He knew its personalities, processes and dysfunctions. If anyone was supposed to know how to make the machinery work, it was Todd Gloria.

Yet reporting this year found frustration even among former allies over both his policy record and the administration’s ability to execute.

Ongoing:
Every Saturday at 10:30 am. San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings.  October 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st. Keep up to date on climate issues and Climate Action events. To register email Jon Findley at jon@climatemobsd.org.  More info: https://www.facebook.com/SDClimateMobilization/

Every Saturday 10 am – 12 pm Peace Vigil for Palestine: Advocate for Peace and Justice in Gaza and Everywhere Join CODEPINK SD, San Diego Veterans for Peace, and Palestine Pals every Saturday at 10:00 am at Ocean Beach Gateway Plaza, on the corner of Sunset Cliffs Blvd. and W. Point Loma Blvd.  Wear pink and bring a peace-related poster if you have one!  More info: https://www.codepink.org/sdvigil and https://www.instagram.com/codepinksd/

For updates on Friendship Park, a place where families and friends unite, transcending borders. Let’s make Friendship Park a park, not a prison, and stop the construction of 30-foot walls through the park. More info:  https://www.facebook.com/FofPark

For Border Angels monthly caravans of Love and Water Drops and other events:  https://www.facebook.com/BorderAngels

San Diego FixIt Clinics Event by San Diego Fixit Clinic Bring your broken, non-functioning things:

Turquoise Tower Update: Peters, CalCities & Community Outreach

From Neighbors for a Better California / September 30, 2026

Community Update Meeting: We will not meet on the first Tuesday in October or November. We expect to reconvene in mid-November, when we hope to have more information to share. We’ll send the new meeting date and details as soon as they are confirmed. Thank you for staying engaged.

Scott Peters on Turquoise Tower: From Pacific Beach to YIMBY Democrats

At the August 26 Pacific Beach Town Hall hosted by the Pacific Beach Town Council and Pacific Beach Planning Group, Congressman Scott Peters made clear that he supports building more housing, but does not believe Turquoise Tower, or Project Vela, represents the kind of housing policy San Diego should be pursuing.

Peters said San Diego has to do two things at once: build enough housing for workers, students, families and people experiencing homelessness, while making sure new development is “a credit to our neighborhood, not a detriment.” On Turquoise Tower, he was unequivocal: “This project doesn’t meet our standards.” He criticized the project’s use of visitor accommodations alongside housing incentives and called the proposal “a charade.”

By Kate Callen

Here in San Diego, recent news stories about developer Christian Spicer have revealed that he is facing multiple lawsuits, loan defaults, forced property auctions, and code enforcement sweeps.

But readers of the New York Times aren’t aware of his collapse. From what they’ve been told, Spicer has been and always will be a pioneer in urban housing development.

Times housing reporter Conor Dougherty first wrote approvingly of Spicer in an October 2021 article headlined “Where the Suburbs End.” The story said that Spicer’s approach to stacking up accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on single-family lots was “a vision for California’s future.”

Dougherty described Spicer as “a mellow presence” who is “trying to make money by building new housing instead of by making existing housing more expensive.” In an October 2022 podcast about Spicer, Dougherty noted, “ADUs are just the first crack in ending the domination of single-family homes in California.”

Public Gets Kicked in the Gut- Part 3

By Donna Frye

Here is Part 1- and here is Part 2–

On Tuesday, September 30, 2026, Governor Newsom signed SB 344, a gut-and-amend bill that eliminated the public’s ability to file a civil lawsuit and challenge in court any unmitigated environmental impacts that may be caused by the Midway Rising project. Specifically, SB 344 “Declares the City of San Diego’s Midway Rising Specific Plan Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SPSEIR), which is pending certification by the City, fully complies with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).”

That means the San Diego City Council will be the final deciders of whether the environmental analysis for the project is adequate and what mitigation measures will be required.

To say that this gut-and-amend legislation reached the governor’s desk in record time is a gross understatement.  Here’s a condensed history of the approximate six week “public process” for SB 344.

On February 12, 2025, SB 344 was introduced as legislation related to the disposition of human remains and the scattering of the ashes at sea. For some reason, on July 17, 2025, SB 344 was placed in the inactive file where it remained for over a year.