Ocean Beach Historical Society Presents: The Story of Warner Springs – Thurs., Sept. 20

by on September 18, 2018 · 0 comments

in Ocean Beach

Warner Springs: A Cultural Landscape and Land of Broken Dream

Join the Ocean Beach Historical Society presentation on the story of Warner Springs with Richard Carrico.

Warner Springs and the surrounding area is a microcosm of the history of southern California. Situated at the foot of Hot Springs Mountain, the highest peak in San Diego County, the sprawling valleys and hills have been the scene of massacres, insurrections, murder, alleged curses on the land, exploitation of native people, and land development focused on the sulphurous hot springs.

Richard Carrico, a well-known local author and lecturer

Be the first to comment

Read the full article...

20th Annual Ocean Beach Pier Pancake Breakfast! – Sat., Sept. 22

by on September 17, 2018 · 0 comments

in Ocean Beach

The Ocean Beach Pier Pancake Breakfast is a fun and popular tradition in OB that kicks off the big fundraising season for the OB Food and Toy Drive and all of OBTC’s Holiday events.

This year we will hold the 20th Annual Pier Pancake Breakfast on the Ocean Beach Pier from 7:30 am till Noon on Saturday, September 22. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children for an amazing breakfast over the ocean.

All proceeds go to benefit the Annual OB Toy and Food Drive,

Be the first to comment

Read the full article...

Fentanyl-Laced Coke Kills One in Ocean Beach and Two in PB

by on September 17, 2018 · 0 comments

in Ocean Beach

Fentanyl-laced cocaine has taken the life of one OBcean and killed two people in Pacific Beach recently. Two other people survived an overdose. The identities of those affected are not known.

No details have been reported about the death in OB but the 2 PB victims who died – between 30 and 47 years old – were found in a home after relatives grew concerned of the lack of communication from one of them. However, the toxicology results show the victims ingested cocaine laced with fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be deadly even in very small doses, as it is 50 times more potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.

Be the first to comment

Read the full article...

A Blue Wave is Not Enough: Progressives Need to Win the Long War for Democracy

by on September 17, 2018 · 0 comments

in Under the Perfect Sun

Recently I had the pleasure of speaking to the La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club about the Lincoln Club and the history of the American Right. In that presentation, I noted how the ultimate aim of the Right was to dishonestly promote deeply unpopular policies through stealth politics that take advantage of the general public’s naiveté about their agenda.

Locally, groups like the Lincoln Club do their best to intervene in Democratic primaries and shift the landscape in their favor so they can win elections and promote policies that further enrich the elite. As I have written in this space, that’s how San Diego’s “shadow government” has rolled for decades.

At the national level, the Lincoln Club was a key player in bringing us the Citizens United case which helped further stack the deck of national politics in favor of the rich and corporate interests. To really understand the big picture, however (as I told the audience), you need to understand the entire history of the Right’s long war to,

Be the first to comment

Read the full article...

Climate Change and Lorie Zapf

by on September 17, 2018 · 0 comments

in Ocean Beach

By Jordan Beane

On September 13th, the Union-Tribune released their interviews with our District 2 candidates, Dr. Jennifer Campbell and current District 2 City Councilmember Lorie Zapf. In Zapf’s interview, there were a lot of specific questions about the Climate Action Plan, it’s goals and more.

However, I believe the UT should have asked her a simpler question: Do you, Councilmember Zapf, believe in climate change?

Our Republican representative wants you to believe she cares about this existential threat and its impact on San Diego. She, along with the rest of the city council, voted to approve San Diego’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2015.

Be the first to comment

Read the full article...

China Doesn’t Want Our Trash Anymore and Now We Have a California Recycling Crisis

September 14, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

It’s a sad fact of our Californian recycling world – China no longer wants our trash.

China used to be California’s — and the world’s — largest overseas market for recyclables, but in January, China began not accepting “contaminated” material it once brought to its shores. For China, now, if the recycled material is one-half of 1% contaminated, it’s too impure for recycling.

An official for Recology, a curbside hauler that does San Francisco Bay Area trash for recycling, stated:

“There’s no market for a lot of stuff in the blue bin. What we can’t recycle we take to a landfill.”

Back in 2017, Recology was getting $100 a ton for newsprint. Now they are averaging about $5 a ton.

Read the full article → 0 comments

The Sport of River Surfing by a Former OBcean

September 14, 2018 by Source

A Surfer Anniversary OB Probably Missed

by Seal Morgan

Did you know that July of this year was the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the sport of US riversurfing?

And, strangely enough, it was a San Diego kayaker/surfer working as a Jackson Hole whitewater raft guide back in 1978 who saw the potential and managed to stand up that summer on the Snake River’s Lunch Counter Class 3 Rapids standing wave. Mike Fitzpatrick and two friends admit they didn’t surf it well being as they were far more into kayaking, and they didn’t keep surfing that spot in the years afterward until recently, but Fitz and his friends are no doubt the Founders of US riversurfing.

Ten years after that watershed moment, in early Spring of 1988, this OB-born/Mission Beach-raised surf kid

Read the full article → 5 comments

Medicare for All and the Myth of the 40% Physician Pay Cut

September 14, 2018 by Source

By Dr. Carol Paris / Common Dreams

The surge in support for improved Medicare for All—now up to 70% in recent polling—has single-payer opponents ramping up their scare tactics. The Koch-funded Mercatus Center recently claimed that Medicare for all could only work with painful sacrifices from doctors, specifically by paying us Medicare’s current reimbursement rates, which are about 40% lower than private insurance.

If single payer would cost doctors so much, why do a majority of us

Read the full article → 1 comment

Be a Sponsor of the 20th Annual OB Pier Pancake Breakfast and Support the OB Food and Toy Drive

September 13, 2018 by Source

Read the full article → 0 comments

Should San Diego Adopt Los Angeles’ Rules for Scooters?

September 13, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

If you’ve been to San Diego’s beach communities or to downtown, you’re aware of the changes – both good and bad – that have been wrought on these neighborhoods by the new brand of scooter – the electric, dockless scooter.

You’ve seen them dart in and out of traffic, you’ve seen them on the sidewalks – and none of the riders are wearing helmets. You may have even heard a scooter rider coming down an OB sidewalk and demand you get out of the way.

Read the full article → 12 comments

The Chuck E Cheese’s President

September 13, 2018 by Source

Read the full article → 3 comments

Secret White House Committee that Pushes Negative Pot Stories Results in Demand for Neutral Information About Medical Cannabis from the Government

September 13, 2018 by Staff

It has been reported the Trump White House has set up a secret committee to collect and distribute negative stories and statements about cannabis. It’s called the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee and it’s made up of Executive Branch officials. BuzzFeed News broke the story on August 29 and it opens with:

Read the full article → 4 comments

Midway Planners Forced to Hold Special Meeting to Approve City’s Last-Minute Changes

September 12, 2018 by Source

By Geoff Page

To borrow one of Yogi Berra’s timeless comments, it must have felt like “déjà vu all over again” for the Midway Community Planning Board on Monday, September 10, when they found themselves voting to approve a final draft of their community plan – one that they voted to approve on the 21st of last March.

The OB Rag’s story dated March 27 described the final vote and the schedule that was supposed to follow:

Read the full article → 4 comments

President Trump Admin Took Millions From FEMA For ICE Detentions – Video from Rachel Maddow

September 12, 2018 by Source


From the MSNBC YouTube website:

Senator Jeff Merkley talks with Rachel Maddow about a document showing that the Trump administration took ten million dollars from FEMA’s budget ahead of the 2018 hurricane season and gave it to ICE to pay for detentions.
Come inside for the video

Read the full article → 0 comments

Three-Story Going Up on 4900 Block of Saratoga – Despite Being Denied by Ocean Beach Planners

September 11, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

Apparently, a three story building is going up in the backyard at 4925 Saratoga Avenue in Ocean Beach. Despite any other 3-story residences in the immediate neighborhood and despite the project being denied by the Ocean Beach Planning Board on May 3, 2017.

Applicant-Owner Todd Schak applied for a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) to build a two-story house (okay, it’s a small house with only 918 square feet) on top of a 4-car garage. There’s already a rehabbed Craftsman 2-bedroom in the front which is 800 square feet.

Read the full article → 7 comments

OB Resister Sisters Say: ‘All in All You’re Just Another …’

September 11, 2018 by Source

Resister Sisters of Ocean Beach struck again. And thank you, Pink Floyd!

Read the full article → 0 comments

Everybody Wants to Be Listened To

September 11, 2018 by Ernie McCray

by Ernie McCray

I don’t remember how I first got on Facebook. But I’m glad I did because it’s worked for me.

I’ve learned to just scroll past all the ads and fabrications and fake news and the like and get right at what’s up with my “friends” who are mostly people I’ve known for some time and people who became my friends through them.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Will the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Meet Its Match? Floating Trash Collector Just Left San Francisco on a Mission

September 11, 2018 by Source

Will the Great Pacific Garbage Patch soon meet its match? We may soon know as a giant, floating trash-collector steamed out of San Francisco on a mission Saturday, September 8, to clean it up.

And some see the effort as a turning point in the campaign to rid the world’s oceans of plastic trash. Amid the accolades for the project – the creation of Boyan Slat, a 24-year-old Dutch college dropout who raised more than $30 million on a five-year quest to build an ocean-cleaning machine – are also some harsh criticisms. In the meantime the floating garbage collector with a nearly a 2,000-foot boom

Read the full article → 1 comment

News from Ocean Beach and Point Loma – September 2018

September 10, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

New Pet Store Opening on Bacon Street

Review of Long Branch Torrey Pine by Advisory Board Postponed

Protest at Famosa Property on Sept 29

Scientists are finding pollutants after storms can stay trapped near shore longer than previously thought.

COME INSIDE FOR THESE AND MUCH MORE

Read the full article → 4 comments

Scuba Diver Dies Off Point Loma Saturday

September 10, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

Tragedy struck Saturday morning, Sept.8, when a 73-year-old scuba diver drowned while diving off the tide pool area near the sewage treatment plant in Point Loma.

Apparently the as-yet to be identified man became separated from his dive partner. The dive partner called 911 and just before 11 a.m. emergency crews responded by boat after they received reports of a scuba diver in distress. One news report had a bystander pull the unconscious guy out of the water by the time they arrived.

Read the full article → 1 comment

San Diegans in America’s Finest Tourist Plantation Struggle to Make It … But Nobody’s at the Barricades

September 10, 2018 by Jim Miller

Speaking to the Anger Beneath the Postcard?

It should come as no surprise to anyone who ventures outside San Diego’s hermetically sealed and relentlessly marketed image of itself as a carefree paradise by the sea that the reality of our city is quite different than the happy fantasy.

A recent study by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) confirmed this when it released a report that noted of America’s Finest City, “45% of San Diegans fall into an auspicious category: people who work full time and still struggle with poverty.”

Read the full article → 3 comments

Musings from the ‘Old Broad”: In and Out Burger, Prop.6, Nike and Judge Kavanaugh

September 10, 2018 by Judi Curry

By Judi Curry

Being a widow for 9 years has changed the way I think; the way I live; the way I respond to others.

I have tried to discuss what is going on in the world with “Shadow”, my 6 ½ year old Golden Retriever, but his responses are less than satisfactory and leave me frustrated and angry a great deal of the time.

As I embark on this new facet of my life – a “weekly” column – not be considered a “weakly” column, I probably will impart my pent-up feelings to you and cause some of your great consternation and anger. I am happy to say that the “scars” from previous encounters have healed sufficiently, and I am ready to step into the arena again. Ready? Here goes!

I am boycotting In and Out Burger.

Read the full article → 20 comments

Update on New Owner of Boarded Up 3-Story at Ebers and Greene Streets

September 7, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

We have recently learned one of the lenders on the boarded-up and fenced-off 3-story at Ebers and Greene streets, ended up purchasing the place.

Apparently, Albert Boyajian bought the place at 2269 Ebers from the primary lender, Center Street Lending, for $925,000 a couple months after the trustee sale.

And, Boyajian has been sitting on the property for the last five months, doing nothing. Yet, he’s a pretty big deal up in Los Angeles.

Read the full article → 1 comment

OB Rag Editorial: Leave the Torrey Pine on Long Branch Alone!

September 7, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

Here are four things you need to know about the Torrey Pine at 4633 Long Branch Avenue in northeast Ocean Beach.

One. The tree is not moving. There is at least 1 pin in the tree (possibly 2) placed by the city as an intersect to measure movement; a city engineer told a local resident there has been no movement by the tree, and its not falling. This means the city has data about the tree that demonstrates it is not going to collapse or that it has even moved.

Two. The City wants to chop the Torrey Pine down. This was evident on July 5 when a crew showed up to do just that. If they hadn’t been deterred by local residents, they would have removed it. Plain and simple. And thank you Matt Madruga.

Read the full article → 3 comments

Do You Have a Local Group or Small Business? How About a Free Ad for One Week

September 7, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

OB Rag Extends Its Offer for Groups or Small Businesses in Ocean Beach or Point Loma

Do you have a small or home business – or are you a member of an organization or group that does public service?

How about one week of free advertising on the OB Rag? You send us the display “camera-ready” and we’ll post it our website for a week.

The OB Rag has between 1,000 to 2,000 readers a day – most by far are from the city and county of San Diego.

This is all part of our support for local groups and small businesses.

Here are the details:

Read the full article → 0 comments

Trump Administration Moves to Extend Detentions As Immigrant Children Contemplate Suicide

September 7, 2018 by Doug Porter

Having been stymied in attempts to circumvent the 1997 Flores ruling which set standards for children in immigration detention centers, the Trump administration is proposing new federal regulations with sweeping implications.

The more than 200-page proposed regulation would give the administration much broader authority over how undocumented immigrant children are treated in its care. Publication of the proposal in the Federal Register on Friday will kick off a 60-day window for the public to comment, after which the administration can move to certify the regulations as final.

Some undocumented immigrant children will be kept in detention for far longer than currently allowed.

Read the full article → 0 comments

The Deafening Drumbeat of the Unfree

September 7, 2018 by Source

Hands on prison bars

By Stephen Cooper

Above the din of disturbing news – that discordant banging you’re hearing, steadily getting louder and louder, that you can no longer ignore – that’s the drumbeat of the unfree.

Dehumanized by the labels “prisoner,” “inmate,” and “convict,” even reduced to serial numbers like Victor Hugo’s Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables,” these men and women are, just like you and me, or any mortal – irrespective of flaws, frailties, even felonious acts and misdemeanors – endowed with the right to be treated with dignity, decency, and respect

Read the full article → 0 comments

‘I Have a Dream’ at the San Diego-Mexico Border and Reflections on 1968

September 7, 2018 by Source

By Rev. Richard Lawrence / San Diego Free Press

1968 came back to me when I stood with Martin Luther King, III, at the Border on August 28 and listened to folks on the other side of the Border holler in pure delight that the day had finally come when a black leader stood tall in the fight for a just immigration policy.

King, III, took us back to his father’s “I Have a Dream Speech” fifty-five years ago and reminded us that there’s no room for leaders who separate children from their parents in the world his father envisioned. No. Dr. King wanted to build bridges, not barriers, to freedom.

Read the full article → 0 comments

The Ocean Beach Green Center’s Calendar for September 2018

September 7, 2018 by Source

September Events from the Ocean Beach Green Center

The following event is at the Ocean Beach Green Center,
4843 B Voltaire Street, Ocean Beach 92107 oceanbeachgreencenter.org 619.225.1083

September 21st Friday 7:00 p.m. In honor of International Peace Day the Peace Resource Center and Ocean Beach Green Center are proud to present an introduction to the film series of “Women, War & Peace”. This 2011 KPBS series challenges the conventional wisdom that war and peace is men’s domain. With depth and complexity, the series spotlights the stories of women in conflict zones from Bosnia to Afghanistan and Colombia to Liberia, placing women at the center of an urgent dialog about conflict and security, and re-framing our understanding of modern warfare. We will be showing “PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL” which tells the powerful and uplifting story of

Read the full article → 1 comment

Ocean Beach Planners Appoint 2 New Board Members, Approve Two-Story Condos on Froude

September 6, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

Meeting last night before a packed crowd in the OB Rec Center, the OB Planning Board – once it obtained a quorum – appointed two new board members, approved the proposed 2 condo project on Froude and agreed to send letters to the City regarding safety issues on OB streets.

2 New Board Members

Two individuals who qualified to be members of the Board were appointed to fill 2 of the 6 open seats on the Board. Kevin Hastings was appointed to planning area district 6 and Tracy Dezenzo was appointed to district 1.

Kevin Hastings

Board member Craig Klein introduced Kevin – who is well known in planning board and town council circles – by stating Kevin “single-handedly provided a huge amount of data [on short term vacation rentals] to help the City Council, to give residents ammunition.”

Read the full article → 9 comments

← Older Articles