Grassroots and Progressive views on local, national and world news

‘Who Runs the City of San Marcos?’

by Source on September 20, 2019 · 1 comment

in Election, San Diego

By Richard Riehl

I was disappointed to learn that our new home in San Marcos, although within city limits, is located in the San Diego County unincorporated area of Lake San Marcos. We cannot vote in city elections, even though we are functionally subservient to the city.

As the November election draws near, I’ve resolved not to vote for any county, state or national candidate before I follow the money to find out who gave them the cash to run their campaigns. Thanks to federal and state law requiring candidates to file public disclosure statements, you can find out who owns an elected official’s loyalty.

Here’s an example of how that works at the federal level. According to the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University, Incoming first-term members of Congress are instructed to spend upwards of four hours per day raising money, which is time taken away from the legislative responsibilities of being an elected official.

Addresses and occupations of donors are required on the California Fair Political Practices Commission

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The Chaos of San Diego’s Scooter World

by Frank Gormlie on September 19, 2019 · 0 comments

in Ocean Beach, San Diego

It seems like everyday there’s news in the chaotic world of scooters in San Diego. There was a major piece in the New York Times warning tourists of San Diego’s scooters. And just this week, the Los Angeles Times examined the new technology of “geo-fencing” which scooter companies employ in order to comply with the demands of cities wanting to limit their range and speeds .

Meanwhile in San Diego, Uber announced earlier this month that it’s pulling almost all of its Jump branded e-bikes and scooters out of the city boundaries – except naval bases San Diego and Point Loma – because of an on-going dispute the company is having with San Diego’s new regulations governing dockless scooters and bikes. La Jolla Light

One month ago, the city of San Diego stated the parent company of Lime electric scooters violated the city’s new “geofencing” speed limits in certain areas at least three times and began the process of revoking the company’s permit to operate in the city. Lime officials deny these violations and claim the city is mistaken. Some time this month a code enforcement hearing will determine if Lime scooters stay or go. If Lime loses the gamble, it will have to wait at least six months before applying for another permit. KPBS

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The Widder Curry’s Tribute to Her Late Husband, Bob

by Judi Curry on September 19, 2019 · 2 comments

in Ocean Beach

By Judi Curry

Ten years ago today my Irish husband of 46 years, Bob Curry, passed away from the ravages of Lung Cancer. He was a smoker for 30 years; he stopped smoking for 30 years.

Before he passed away he said to me that “ . . . if I had known I was going to die of lung cancer I never would have quit smoking.” He missed it every single day. (Strange that he never said to me that he would never have started smoking!)

Supposedly as time passes on, so does the ache of death, and perhaps that is true because it is not with me all the time anymore.

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‘The Planet Is On Fire and Trump Fans the Flames’ – Global Climate Walk-Out – Sept. 20

by Source on September 19, 2019 · 0 comments

in Environment, Ocean Beach, San Diego

In support of Greta Thunberg and the youth of the world, the Resister Sisters of Ocean Beach posted this message Wednesday, Sept. 18, over …..

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News and Notices for Ocean Beach and Point Loma – Mid-September 2019

September 17, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

People’s Cafe Has Closed

OB People’s organic cafe on Voltaire Street has closed. The O.B. Garden Café, at 4741 Voltaire, just opened their doors in mid-December 2017. ….

San Diego Second Most Popular City, Says Airbnb – OB 5th Most Popular in SD

San Diego was the second most popular California destination for Airbnb hosts. … Once in town, the most popular neighborhoods Airbnb guests visited were … Ocean Beach was fifth …

Port Hears More from Point Lomans on Master Plan; List of Changes Made

Global Climate Strike this Friday, September 20th

September 16, 2019 by Jim Miller

Find a San Diego Action to Support

By Jim Miller

It seems a day can’t go by without more dire news on the climate crisis. Last week as the President shamefully demonized climate refugees desperately fleeing the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, the UN warned that the climate crisis represents not just a threat to our environment but also to human rights. As the Guardian reported, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet told the human rights council that, “The world has never seen a threat to human rights of this scope.”

Why? Because, as Bachelet explained, “The economies of all nations, the institutional, political, social and cultural fabric of every state, and the rights of all your people, and future generations, will be impacted.” Only two days after that, the Washington Post reported that “Dangerous new hot zones are spreading around the world” causing historically warm ocean temperatures that have prompted mass die-offs of marine life.

The OB Pier Pancake Breakfast Is One of the Great Social Events of the Year in Ocean Beach

September 13, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

One of the greatest social events of the year in Ocean Beach is coming right up next Saturday, September 21st. It’s the annual OB Pier Pancake Breakfast hosted by your OB Town Council. It’s actually the 21st Annual gig.

For the price of a ticket, you get a wonderful breakfast and nosh it down right over the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Plus it’s an event that mainly locals attend and you’ll get to chat with people who love this town. Not only that – but given that this is an election season – there will probably be a number of politicians showing up to show their shiny faces as they know this an important social get-together.

And there’s more! The proceeds from this breakfast go to benefit the OB Food and Toy Drive,

As Trump Sucks Money From California Donors – He Tells the Rest of Californians to ‘Go Suck a Tailpipe’

September 18, 2019 by Doug Porter

The Trump administration has decided to revoke California’s power to set its own standards for vehicle emissions. There are three reasons why this is happening.

The obvious reasoning for this move by the “Environmental” Protection Agency is to encourage the consumption of dirty energy commodities. Fossil fuel producers and refiners, most of whom support Trump, have the opportunity for continued profits, even as their products shorten the time we have to stabilize the planet’s climate.

Weakening auto emissions standards nationwide dovetails with other administration actions, including rolling back rules governing coal-burning power plants and easing restrictions on energy companies governing leaks of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Never mind that tailpipe pollution is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Trump Lunch Fundraiser Set for Today – Wednesday – at the US Grant Hotel

September 18, 2019 by Doug Porter

By Doug Porter / Words&Deeds

The word is that Trump’s re-election fundraiser will be happening at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego, Wednesday, September 18.

Guests have been asked to arrive between 9 and 11. Trump is expected to arrive at 11, and speak at Noon.

Local activists have announced plans to gather in Horton Plaza Park across the street from the hotel to protest the policies of the Trump administration.

The infamous inflatable Baby Trump balloon is expected to make an appearance.

San Diegans Voted for Billions in Infrastructure Fixes, But Money Is Running Out

September 18, 2019 by Source

by Mary Plummer / inewsource / September 17, 2019

Three years after San Diego voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to boost money to fix roads, sidewalks and storm drains, funding is falling far short of projections and is expected to run out by the summer of 2022.

When voters approved the Rebuild San Diego measure by a 30-point margin in June 2016, they did it on promises from Mayor Kevin Faulconer, City Councilman Mark Kersey and business groups that $3 billion to $4 billion in expected revenue growth and pension cost savings would fund infrastructure improvements over the next 25 years. It doesn’t look like that will happen.

Mayoral Debate for Beach Communities – Wed., Sept. 18 at Mission Bay High School

September 18, 2019 by Staff

Come one – come all – the Mayoral Debate for the beach and coastal neighborhoods of San Diego. Of course, you’re invited to join your local community organizations, like the OB Town Council and the OB Planning Board, the OB Mainstreet Association, the Point Loma Assoc., Save San Diego Neighborhoods, ReWild Mission Bay, San Diego Lifeguards, Surfrider, Coastkeeper …..

This the time for coastal issues to be debated by Barbara Bry, Todd Gloria and Tasha Williamson at the September 18th Mayoral Debate. That’s a Wednesday and it’s happening at the Mission Bay High School, 2475 Grand Ave.

A full auditorium will send a strong message to the candidates

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Ocean Beach’s TV Series, Terriers, Was Robbed of Long-Term Greatness

September 18, 2019 by Source

Editordude: Every now and then a TV critic bemoans the cancellation of “Terriers” – that detective series on FX that was filmed in Ocean Beach but let go after only one season – and it surfaces on the internet. Here is the latest –

by Bryan O’Donnell / 25 Years Later / Sept. 12, 2019

“Only the good die young” as the song goes. Over the years there have been a number of TV shows that have made an impact on us here at 25YL, which we have been sad to see struck down in their prime. …This week Bryan O’Donnell takes a look at Terriers.

I’m upset all over again. In September 2010, FX debuted its quirky drama Terriers, about a pair of underdog private investigators in the San Diego area. Starring Donal Logue as Hank Dolworth and Michael Raymond-James as Britt Pollack, Terriers built a strong cult following…

‘What Costs $72,000 an Hour Just to Entertain Some San Diegans?’

September 18, 2019 by Judi Curry

By Judi Curry and Gil Field

What does cost $72,000 an hour just to entertain your fellow San Diegoans?

What “glorifies” with exciting and colorful shows of speed, power and noise?

What celebrates the skills and machinery that were developed with the prime purpose of kill, maim and destroy?

How many “performers” have been killed in accidents during their performances?

What spews exhaust into the environment, and costs millions of dollars to fuel for the show

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Why Should the Woman Always Have to Pay: Unsolved Murders in San Diego – OB Historical Society Presents – Thurs., Sept.19

September 17, 2019 by Source

Author Richard Carrico Returns to Ocean Beach for 1923 Unsolved Murder of Local Dancer and Actress

Richard L. Carrico will take the Ocean Beach Historical Society and guests back to 1923 to delve into the mysterious unsolved murder of Fritzi Mann, local dancer and actress. “Found dead on the beach at Torrey Pines, Fritzi showed evidence of blunt force trauma but died from drowning. In addition the autopsy report noted that she was in a “delicate condition.”

The police hauled in several suspects including a Hollywood producer, wealthy businessmen, and Louis Jacobs, a medical doctor from the Army base at Camp Kearny. Jacobs stood trial twice for the murder but ultimately got a verdict of not guilty.

To this day the case remains unsolved, but Carrico has a theory about who the murderer was.

An Independent Police Review Board for San Diego: Why People Want It

September 17, 2019 by Staff

By Joni Halpern

An argument could be made that an assault on the First Amendment led to drafting of the proposed amendment to the San Diego City Charter that will come before the San Diego City Council’s Public Safety and Liveable Neighborhoods Committee on September 18, 2019.

A growing number of local individuals and organizations are hoping the Council will move forward to place the charter amendment on the ballot in the near future, allowing city voters to decide whether to establish an independent citizen review commission to investigate complaints of misconduct by San Diego Police Department officers.

Presently, the City’s Community Review Board on Police Practices relies on initial review and investigation of any complaints by the Internal Affairs (IA) Unit of SDPD…

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OB Town Council President Winkie and Other Residents Rip City for Lack of Progress at Point Loma ‘Natural Park’

September 16, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park was ripped apart three years ago as part of what the city called the Sunset Cliffs Improvement Project.

On Friday, September 13th, OB Town Council president Mark Winkie and other local residents ripped apart the City of San Diego’s efforts to complete the so-call Point Loma “Natural Park”.

KUSI reporter Dan Plante interviewed Winkie, Dan Dennison – a member of the OB Planning Board and retired drainage engineer – , as well as Anne Jackson Hefti – who has been active in opposing the use of RoundUp in the park.

Reporter Plante – who is a local – gave a rather impassioned report on the current state of the park,

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Consensus in Morena Area: San Diego City Officials Heed Developers Over Residents

September 16, 2019 by Staff

Councilmembers Campell and Bry Voted Against Morena Corridor Plan

By Joni Halpern

For more than three years, the machinery of the City of San Diego has been seeding the public with an idea. The broad skeleton of the idea is that San Diego needs more development to house expected population growth. But land within the City is built out, so city officials contend the only places left to accommodate new growth are in selected portions of existing planning areas.

If the details were as simple as that, the meeting last Wednesday night, Sept. 11, 2019, of about 80 residents of the Morena area – Bay Park, Overlook Heights, and Clairemont probably wouldn’t have been necessary. But flesh added to the City’s skeletal idea over the past few years foretells a change in the quality of life for San Diego neighborhoods targeted for intensive development of high-density housing in so-called “transit-priority areas.”

It is that change — which residents believe will lead to fearsome levels of population overload, severe traffic congestion, the overflow of parked cars from new developments onto existing residential streets, unhealthy air quality, and the loss of a neighborhood feeling — that has roused residents along the Morena Corridor to organize.

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Dr. Seuss Knew a Thing or Two About Lindbergh

September 13, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Dr. Seuss was of course Theodor Seuss Geisel. Before he became famous drawing Dr. Seuss books, he drew political cartoons.

Dr. Seuss Knew Who Lindbergh Was

Here’s a few of his cartoons:

Can’t We All Just – Stop Calling the San Diego Airport After an Anti-Semite and Nazi-Lover?

September 13, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

There it was – the “L” word on the agenda of a local Ocean Beach community organization announcing a presentation about Terminal One by Airport Authority representatives. Ugh! “Lindbergh” as in Charles Lindbergh and as in “Lindbergh Field,” the San Diego Airport’s former name.

But ol’ Charles Lindbergh was an anti-Semite and Nazi-lover. So, can we all just stop calling the San Diego Airport after him? After someone who gushed antisemitism in his speeches and who was a big fan of Adolf Hitler and of Nazi Germany.

It’s not easy, I admit, to stop using titles that everyone’s used for decades. I slip up myself once in a while – but lately have been catching myself. A well-known writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune used the “L-word” about a year ago in an article about the airport. When I saw it, I was repulsed.

Then there’s the blinders of those who write about Lindbergh and never mention his dark side.

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The World We Want

September 13, 2019 by Source

The University of California Has Been Shaped by Market Value
By Niall Twohig

One thing I noticed in my decade studying and teaching at UCSD is that we—students, teachers, and our academic programs—rarely define the principles we want to live by in our university and society. By principles, I’m referring to what critic George Monbiot calls a “description of the world as we would like to see it.”

I see a risk in not defining our principles. If we do not describe the world we would like to see, we risk accepting the world we see as the only possible world. We risk accepting what is valued in that world as what is most valuable to us.

What is valued most in our current world is market value. This value is determined by how much profit one makes when one sells one’s product on the market. All that matters in the marketplace is whether

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Southern California Grocery Contract Approved for 47,000 Workers – Strike Averted

September 12, 2019 by Brent Beltran

Kroger and Albertsons Workers Ratify New Contract That Raises Hourly Wages, Improves Benefits, and Protects Customer Service – All With Strong Customer Support

This week, members of the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) from Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new contract that improves the lives of hard-working grocery workers and their families across Southern California.

Marc Perrone, the President of the UFCW International, released the following statement:

Does Todd Gloria Really Have the Mayor’s Race All Wrapped Up?

September 12, 2019 by Doug Porter

The 2020 Primaries: Is it Time for Todd Gloria to Do a Victory Lap?

By Doug Porter / Words&Deeds / Sept. 9, 2019

Short answer: Nah, he’s not gonna pull a Howard Dean.
The first round of polling made news this weekend. A poll has Assemblyman Todd Gloria leading Councilwoman Barbara Bry by more than a 2-1 ratio among likely voters in the race to become San Diego’s next mayor.

Here’s the fine print: 46% of likely voters are undecided,

Longer Answer:

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Full Moon on Friday the 13th – Gee, What Crazy Thing Could Happen?

September 12, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Today is Friday the 13th – and hey, there’s also a full moon. So, a full moon on Friday the 13th – what crazy thing could happen?

Let’s take a look – first at the moon. For us on the West Coast, the full moon will be around 9:30 p.m. (okay – 09:33 pm (PDT)) on Friday. According to moon gazers:

September’s Full Moon was called the Harvest Moon by the early North American Farmers.

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Watching the Watchers – A Field Guide for Police Surveillance in San Diego County

September 12, 2019 by Source

by Dave Maass, Christian Romero, Madison Vialpando / City Beat / September 4, 2019

San Diego County is a perfect storm for the surveillance state. Between the busiest border crossing in the United States, a large military presence, a major port, a booming tech and cybersecurity industry, and elected officials who campaign on government innovation, it’s a wonder that San Diego has yet to become a Big Brother hellscape.

Or has it? Perhaps the process was so gradual that no one noticed.

Teenager Pulled From Ocean at Sunset Cliffs Dies

September 12, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Flowers have been left near the site where a young, 15-year old boy from Sweetwater High School died Wednesday, September 11 at Sunset Cliffs. The teenager was pulled from the ocean after he had reportedly been underwater for nearly an hour.

Anthony Womack had been jumping with friends at the cliffs between Adair and Osprey streets, a favorite jumping spot, popularized on social media. The jump is at least twenty feet.

Rescuers responded after being called at 10 a.m. with a report of a teenager struggling in the water. Womack was finally found in the water after lifeguards searched on a boat and watercrafts for almost an hour.

The Green Calendar for Ocean Beach and San Diego -September 2019

September 11, 2019 by Source

These events were put together by folks at the Ocean Beach Green Center – ( 4862 Voltaire Street, Ocean Beach 92107 oceanbeachgreencenter@gmail.com)

Events in Ocean Beach or Point Loma

September 19th Thursday 7 pm Film Night. “Time to Choose” In this 2016 documentary from Charles Ferguson (Inside Job, No End in Sight) he addresses the worldwide climate change challenges and solutions. He leaves audiences understanding not only what is wrong, but what can be done to fix this global threat. “Time to Choose” is a sobering polemic about global warming that balances familiar predictions of planetary doom with a survey of innovations that hold out some hope for the future. New York Times. Come watch this film and get yourself ready for the Climate Walkout Sept 20th. at the Ocean Beach Green Center – 4862 Voltaire Street,

LA Times Opinion: ‘I’m 73 and live in a van. …already received a warning in Ocean Beach … It feels like there’s no place for me in California anymore’

September 11, 2019 by Source

Editordude: The following opinion piece was published in the LA Times two days ago and it’s already making the rounds on the net. It’s by LaVonne Ellis, a former correspondent for ABC Radio News Networks.

By LaVonne Ellis / Los Angeles Times / Sep. 9, 2019

I wake up early these days, when morning light outlines the blackout curtains and floods the skylight above my bed. After washing up with baby wipes and donning clean clothes, I slide open a curtain to reveal the front seats and windshield of the van that is my home, and check the back one last time to make sure everything is secure. Then I crawl into the driver’s seat and turn the key.

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San Diego City Council Member Gomez’ Big Announcement: Whatever Could It Be?

September 11, 2019 by Doug Porter

By Doug Porter / Words & Deeds / Sept. 11, 2019

Exactly nobody will be surprised on Saturday morning if District 9 San Diego City Council Georgette Gomez person announces she’s running for Congress.

I seriously doubt she’ll be announcing free parking for the Green Day/Weezer concert at Petco during next year’s ComicCon. Or that she’ll endorse Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson.

The not-expected letter from incumbent 53rd District Representative Susan Davis declaring her retirement at the end of this term has changed the 2020 election picture for San Diego.