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The Board Will Also Review “Improvements” to Spray Street Park and Proposed Round-About on W. Pt. Loma

This Wednesday, August 5, the Ocean Beach Planning Board will hold its online meeting at 6 pm via WebEx and requires pre-registration (see below).

First up on its agenda is an informational item where the Board will hear about the upcoming round-about on West Point Loma Blvd and other ADA improvements. Also the volunteer panel will review recommendations from a Park Ad Hoc sub-committee on improved amenities at Spray Street Park or the grassy area next to Dog Beach parking lot.

The big ticket item on its agenda is a review of the Board sub-committee’s recommendations on short term vacation rentals (STVRs). In response to Councilwoman Campbell’s recent “compromise” proposal on STVRs, the Planning Board formed an Ad Hoc sub-committee which has come up with a number of recommendations for the full Board to consider.

The motion that passed in the subcommittee is as follows – note that this was not a recommendation to vote for or against the proposal – :

Is It Time to Change Name of Cabrillo National Monument?

Perhaps it’s time for this discussion – should the Cabrillo National Monument name be changed?

New Revelations About 2015 Police Shooting in Midway of Fridoon Nehad

When the board that reviews San Diego Police Department shootings looked into the 2015 shooting of Fridoon Nehad in an alley in the Midway district, it was not allowed to see an outside review of the case,

Former Surfrider Pizza Owner Gina Champion-Cain Pleads Guilty in Massive Ponzi Scheme Case

Local businesswoman Gina Champion-Cain – former owner of OB’s Surfrider Pizza – pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to conspiracy, securities fraud and obstruction of justice,

Monday, the San Diego Union-Tribune ran a story by Pam Kragen about Ocean Beach’s greatest sidewalk chalk artist in memory. Erick Toussaint has turned sidewalks into masterpieces, copying great artists in Cranola chalk and using the concrete that we all walk or bike over as his canvas.

Back in April, to entertain his house-bound children, Erick began creating some chalk art on the sidewalk in front of their house. His kids grew quickly bored – but not his neighbors and not other OBceans who have seen his work. Toussaint told the U-T:

“Whether people are artistic or not, I live in a community that appreciates it. My neighborhood is really chill and supportive.”

When the pandemic hit, Toussaint, was and still is the design director for the San Diego Natural History Museum, which has been closed to the public for most of the past months since mid-March. Creating masterpieces has been a way for him to keep his art skills fresh during the pandemic.

From SanDiegoVille.Com

A video is making waves on social media that appears to show a woman macing a man at Dusty Rhodes Park in San Diego’s Ocean Beach. Allegedly, the woman approached a young couple who was enjoying lunch with their puppy and harassed them for not wearing facial coverings before macing both them and their food.
“So this happened today at dusty rhodes dog park today in ocean beach,” wrote Ash Sherilynn O’Brien on her Facebook page.

“This is my husband getting maced by a random old lady. We had our 3 month old pug with us. We were just sitting down eating lunch and minding our own business. We were not wearing masks because we were eating. You can’t wear a mask and eat at the same time. She kept calling us idiots and flipping me off. Then she started saying more stuff and I told her to leave the park and stop harassing us. She then came right up to our table wear we were eating, pointed the mace at me first and got a little on me, and then my husband stepped in and took the entire can.”

By Geoff Page

It would not be a stretch to say that our District 2 city council member Dr. Jennifer Campbell would have preferred to be almost anywhere other than where she was Wednesday evening. She was sitting in front of a computer having a meeting arranged by the Ocean Beach Town Council in front of the council and audience members, on-line.

These Obceans all did Ocean Beach proud. They asked tough questions and refused to let Campbell slide away with political answers. It was not an easy hour-long session and when Campbell signed off at the end, she was clearly irritated.

Campbell came into the meeting smiling and happy and the reaction seemed to surprise her. It was like the almost confused, angry disappointment you see when someone thinks they are being benevolent and, instead of love and respect, they are scorned and do not understand why.