District 2 Councilmember Jennifer Campbell to Attend Peninsula Community Planning Board Meeting – Thurs., Feb 21

by on February 21, 2019 · 0 comments

in Ocean Beach

TONIGHT 6:00 PM Point Loma Hervey Family Library

District 2 Councilmember Jennifer Campbell will address tonight’s meeting of the Peninsula Community Planning Board and will take questions for a brief period of time (about 10 minutes in total).

The meeting will begin at 6:00 PM SHARP (Note the change – usual starting time is 6:30 PM) and she will be the first agenda item.

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Woman Left for Dead at Sunset Cliffs Sues City – Alleges 911 Dispatchers Ignored Calls

by on February 21, 2019 · 0 comments

in Ocean Beach

Last April 12, a woman in her twenties was found on the Ladera Street stairs at Sunset Cliffs bleeding from gunshot wounds around 7 in the morning. A passerby found her and called police. Initially listed in critical condition, she was in stable condition after she had undergone surgery. Yet what happened to her remained a mystery.

She was conscious when police arrived and with multiple wounds to her head and lower body. She initially claimed she didn’t know what had happened or who had shot her. Later news reports stated the young woman was shot by someone she knew – that she had been targeted – but police could not reveal by whom or why.

About a month later, – in May 2018 – the fog around the mystery started to lift. We reported then:

According to her mother – daughter Mya, 19, had been kidnapped by three alleged gang members who attempted to kill her – who have since been arrested. … It all began, [the mother] said, on April 11 when she got a call apparently from her daughter saying she had been kidnapped, was being held for ransom and asked her mother for $2,500.

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Midway Planners Table Vote on Famosa Canyon

by on February 21, 2019 · 0 comments

in Ocean Beach

By Geoff Page

“Point Loma” was the only action item on the Midway-Pacific Community Planning Board’s agenda at the Wednesday, February 20 meeting. That seemed odd, even to some board members. The action item was a request for a letter of support from Midway for the Save Famosa Canyon group’s position of keeping a piece of land in Point Loma as open space instead of having affordable housing built on it.

The Midway meetings start like most planning boards and after introductions, approving minutes, and non-agenda public comment, come the “City Government Office Reports.” Midway’s agenda listed ten of these government reports. Not all of them show up at every meeting, and mercifully for all, this meeting was lightly attended. Only Josh Coyne, representing Dr. Jennifer Campbell, District 2 Councilmember, was there and his report was brief.

The next item on the agenda was the single action item “Famosa Presentation-request for support.”

The chair turned the floor over to the group of about five people. Two of this group did the most talking, Cameron Havlik and Margaret Virissimo.

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Hey Trump! Hands Off Venezuela! – San Diego Protest – Friday, Feb. 22 at 4:30-6 pm

by on February 21, 2019 · 0 comments

in San Diego, World News

There’s a “Hands Off Venezeula” demonstration this Friday, February 22, 2019 at 4:30 – 6 PM – at the San Diego Federal Courthouse in downtown San Diego.

Protest Trump’s efforts to get his regime change in Venezuela.

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Reparations Are Way Overdue

by on February 21, 2019 · 0 comments

in Civil Rights, From the Soul

by Ernie McCray

Every now and again
in this nation,
talks of reparations
enter into our conversations
and some folks
are saying
that such
could cost trillions
by some calculations,
implying it would be
too costly.

But a few trillions seem
like a bargain to me,
considering that at one point
in our history
my ancestors
snatched up so much cotton
that the economy of the United States
was the envy
of the international marketplace.
It put smiles on many
a slave owner’s face.

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Louise Peirson and her History-Making Garden in Ocean Beach

February 21, 2019 by Source

By Kathy Blavatt / February 19, 2019 ©Photos Kathy Blavatt Collection

“With every breeze I hear the name Louise”

What triggered the flood of sweet memories of my dear friend Louise Peirson (Brain) this time? Was it the scent of her garden? The whispering breeze through her trees? The pallet of vibrant floral colors etched in my memory?

Oh yes, I know what triggered these thoughts … it was the January 29, 2019, Architectural Lecture, “Rosecroft Garden, Masterwork of Alfred D. Robinson,” at the Point Loma Assembly.

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OB Historical Society Celebrates 25th Anniversary With ‘Treasures From the Archives’ – Thursday, Feb. 21

February 21, 2019 by Source

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Locals Open New Seafood Market and Restaurant in Ocean Beach

February 20, 2019 by Source

Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill Opens With Much “Finfare”

by Bob Edwards

There’s been a lot of activity and happy faces at the foot of Santa Monica Street where a new restaurant, Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill, has opened. Excited locals and other San Diegans, food blogs, and a film crew from a major TV network have all been checking out or publicizing the opening.

It has always been this reporter’s policy to not review any restaurant before it has been up and running a month or two to give it a chance to iron out the inevitable issues that arise with an opening. I am going to make an exception in this case because there don’t seem to be any issues! I’ve paid a couple visits to Blue Water and service, food quality, cleanliness, and a good vibe have been spot on each time. It’s probably because

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The Constitution Does Not Give Trump ‘Emergency Powers’

January 8, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Our Constitution does not give President Trump “emergency powers” and he can’t suspend it whenever he perceives there’s a national emergency. So says Constitutional expert and Dean of UC Berkeley Law School, Erwin Chemerinsky. And I believe him over Trump and any of his sycophants.

If Trump tries to simply invoke emergency powers and build a wall between the United States and Mexico without congressional approval, it would “constitute an unconstitutional and dangerous expansion of presidential power,”

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Project Review Committee – of OB Planning Board – Has 3 Projects – Wed., Feb. 20

February 20, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

There are 3 projects on tap to review by the OB Planning Board’s Project Review Committee. Here’s the agenda for the Committee, which meets Wednesday night, Feb. 20, at the OB Rec Center, 4726 Santa Monica Ave.

4811 Pescadero Avenue – a permit to demolish the existing family residence and attached garage and construct a single dwelling unit and new duplex units.
1776 Cable Street – a permit for additions and alterations to a one-story single family unit and a one-story attached garage. The additions include first and second floor additions, and conversion of a garage into a granny flat “accessory dwelling unit.”
4645 Coronado Avenue – a permit to demolish existing structures and construct two new 2-story residences with an attached garage.

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Online News Site Sues SDSU for Details on Its Mission Valley Stadium Plans

February 20, 2019 by Source

Funny, it was just the other day I was talking to a bicycling partner about the future of a sports stadium in Mission Valley when he began complaining the public didn’t know yet anything about what San Diego State University was planning to build at the former Chargers site. And then bingo! The Voice of San Diego sues SDSU on this very issue.

From Times of San Diego:

A local news organization is suing San Diego State University, claiming that the school has refused to disclose records involving its plans to redevelop SDCCU Stadium, with particular focus on whether the project will necessitate raising student tuition and/or fees.

According to the suit filed Friday in San Diego County Superior Court, Voice of San Diego has unsuccessfully sought records for four months regarding plans to convert the stadium into SDSU West, a 35,000-seat stadium site also featuring a river park, classrooms, hotels, retail stores, and 90 acres of open space.

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Ray Blavatt – OB Artist – Part of Winning Team for International Adult Literacy Award

February 20, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Many of us know Ray Blavatt as the quiet, tall man with long blond hair behind the projector or setting up the sound system for presentations by the OB Historical Society. Or we may know him as the cartoonist whose drawings have adorned the walls of local coffee houses.

But now, the nation knows him – as do even people across the seas – for Ray is a professional animator and artist who has been for decades part of a San Diego team working on developing “handcrafted” video games that teach adult literacy by using music to teach reading and math. For now Ray’s team has just won an international award for adult literacy.

Ray is the artist for Learning Upgrade which last week was named the co-winner of the $7 million Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPrize. The Learning Upgrade and the co-winner, People ForWords out of Dallas, won out over more than 100 teams from 15 countries.

The story was on the front page of Saturday’s San Diego Union-Tribune:

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10 Years Ago in Ocean Beach – February 2009

February 19, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

What was going on in Ocean Beach 10 years ago? Back in February 2009. We cracked open our archives to see what were the issues, controversies and concerns among OBceans a decade ago.

It turns out almost exactly ten years ago to the day the coast received a huge downpour – it rained an inch in just 4 hours in OB on February 16, 2009. Back then the OB Rag was advocating that people harvest their rainwater.

There were a couple of controversies rocking Newport Avenue back then – the closure of the store Rock Paper Scissors and a dispute between the Farmers Market and a jewelry storeftont.

So, we have tracked down some of the more interesting and provocative posts and share them with you inside …

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Faulconer’s Proposed Ordinance for Scooters at City Council Committee Hearing – Wed., Feb.20

February 19, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s proposed regulations for scooters and bicycles will be discussed at the City Council’s Feb. 20 Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting, which meets at 2pm in City Hall, 202 C Street, 12th floor.

FYI – Councilwoman Jen Campbell of District 2 does not sit on this committee.

The proposed ordinance is summarized by the Mayor’s office here (italic bold emphasis is OB Rag’s):

Permit and Fees: Each company wishing to operate within City limits will be issued a six-month permit and will be required to pay $150 per device annually. Operators will only be allowed to amend or renew their permit, including increasing the size of their fleet, during the permit issuance months of January and June. Companies offering an approved equity program can receive a $15 per device reduction in their annual fee.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders Goes All In – Will California Be His Waterloo?

February 19, 2019 by Doug Porter

By Doug Porter / Words & Deeds / Feb. 19, 2019

If you thought this was an off year, you were wrong. The 2020 election has begun in California.

Sen. Kamala Harris has the inside track, but it ain’t over until the votes are counted.

As expected, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has announced his candidacy for President of the United States. Good for him. Yay for us. His 2016 campaign inspired millions of people and transformed politics. A raft of once seemingly impossible policy proposals have become probable, should almost any Democrat win the 2020 election.

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Tracking the Parrots of Ocean Beach and San Diego County

February 19, 2019 by Source

By dan weisman / Escondido Grapevine / February 18, 2019

Seen a wild pandemonium of parrots lately? Report it immediately. That’s the question and request posed by University of San Diego Biology Instructor Dr. Janel Ortiz and her San Diego Parrot Project, along with “parrot sighting submission form” and a hardy SDPP thank you.

Ortiz takes the academic show on the road Wednesday. That’s when she and her flock of students plan to take flight with a plan to begin a survey of the wild parrots of San Diego County. She is asking fellow county residents if they see something parrot, say something parrot to university parrot watchers.

The parrots shouldn’t be hard to miss. This is parrot time, to be sure, as wild parrots go looking for mates in mid-February,

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San Diegans Rally Against Trump’s Fake ‘Emergency’

February 19, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

A couple hundred San Diegans took their Presidents’ Day holiday to protest the current president’s fake “national emergency.”

Rallying in front of the County Administration Building, speakers denounced Trump’s authoritarian move, that the southern border should not be considered a national emergency, and described other issues that were in more of a need to be addressed, such as climate crisis and gun violence.

The San Diego rally was organized by San Diego Indivisible and MoveOn.org, and was one of dozens across the country.

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The Adrenaline Was Flowing Over Movie Tickets

February 18, 2019 by Judi Curry

The Old Broad Loses Her Cool

I have a birthday coming up in a few days. This is a BIG birthday and I have been trying to not think of it; just want the day to pass quietly without any attention being given to the day. Unfortunately that is not going to happen, in spite of two of my daughters on a trip to India and not being here to “commiserate” the day with me.

The remaining daughter has already asked me a dozen times where I want to go to celebrate; has asked me if there is anyone I would like to have join us, etc. And not only that, she was planning a party for me – more about that in another column – and she inadvertently sent me the guest list.

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It’s Not Those Pushing the Green New Deal Who are Naïve About Our Current Crisis

February 18, 2019 by Jim Miller

The Moderate Threat to Climate Action

By Jim Miller

As heartening as the emergence of the Green New Deal as a political rallying cry and litmus test of sorts for the early field of Democratic presidential candidates is, the predictably negative response in other quarters is equally dismaying.

Of course, the most obvious naysaying comes from the Republicans and the rightwing media following the lead of a president who suggests that snowstorms and cold weather are evidence that climate change isn’t happening.

But that’s not the real problem.

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Nature Talk by Point Loma Garden Club at OB Library – Saturday, Feb. 16

February 15, 2019 by Source

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The Windoms of the Dusty Cotton Fields of Mississippi

February 15, 2019 by Ernie McCray

by Ernie McCray

I look at a picture of my cousin, Pearlie Mae, and me, thinking how proud she would be of her grandchild, Renee Purdie, who’s written a collection of poetry she’s calling “Pieces of Me: Love, Lust and Lentils.”

She’d literally glow seeing how this young woman is blossoming as a human being, writing poems that touch the heart.

Like Pearlie Mae and me, she is a descendant of the Windoms of the dusty cotton fields of Mississippi. She’s one of our family tree’s many beautiful flowers who’ve risen above what society expected of us, and managed to do well in life, learning and giving, far and wide, some of us landing in Tucson.

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If Trump Declares a National Emergency, He’ll Be Breaking the Law

February 15, 2019 by Source

Originally posted Jan. 11, 2019

By Marjorie Cohn / Marjorie Cohn Blog / Jan. 11, 2019

Congress refuses to enact legislation containing the nearly $6 billion that Donald Trump is demanding for an unnecessary wall on the southern US border. In response, Trump is considering whether to declare a national emergency, take money Congress has appropriated for other purposes, and divert it to build his wall. But under US law, the president cannot usurp the spending power the Constitution grants only to Congress.

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Building Housing Should Not Lead to NIMBYs and YIMBYs

February 14, 2019 by Source

Editordude: The following appeared as an Op-Ed in the San Diego Union-Tribune online Feb.13 and in newsprint on Feb. 14; we repost it with the author’s permission.

By Roy McMakin / San Diego Union-Tribune / Feb. 13, 2019

San Diego has always built new housing, and will continue to do so. We’ve always been a city that welcomes those wanting to live here. Currently there is need to focus increased energy on home building, both due to demand, but also because the state has mandated we do so. That doesn’t mean we should disregard good planning and robust community involvement in the process.

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5 Ways to Make Grocery Shopping More Zero-Waste

February 14, 2019 by Source

By Mukta Patil / Sierra Club Magazine / Feb 4 2019

Shopping for groceries can be overwhelming. Once you get past the sheer volume of products staring down from the aisles, you’ve got to reckon with their ingredients, prices, and the way the food is packed. For environmentally conscious shoppers, the latter—excessive packaging and the resulting pollution—is especially irksome. Enter the zero-waste grocery store.

These small-but-budding enterprises are increasingly popping up, and they’re promising plastic-free, packaging-free products ranging from grains and produce to detergent and shampoo.

The original zero-waste grocery story was the late in.gredients in Austin, Texas, which unfortunately shut down last April after five years of selling exclusively (un)packaged and locally sourced food.

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Here’s Mayor Faulconer’s New Proposals for Regulating Scooters and Bikes

February 14, 2019 by Source

After months of feedback from some communities of San Diego, Mayor Kevin Faulconer has adjusted his October proposals for regulating scooters and e-bikes and on Thursday, released the newest version.

The proposed ordinance will be discussed at the City Council’s Feb. 20 Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting, which meets at 2pm in City Hall, 202 C Street, 12th floor.

Here is the summary of what his office describes is included in the new proposed ordinance:

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News From Ocean Beach – Mid-February 2019

February 13, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

98 Year-Old Betty Morse’s Eviction Dismissed

Just in time for her 99th birthday, Betty Morse – on the brink of losing her Ocean Beach home – won a legal victory to stop her eviction.

OB Pier Repairs Delayed Even More

Poor weather conditions and high surf caused delays in the repair assessment for the iconic Ocean Beach Pier.

Fake Tickets Harass People Who Live in Cars

Just days after the San Diego City Council voted to repeal an ordinance that banned people from living in their vehicles on city streets, fake parking citations have popped up in OB.

East County Man Stabbed Outside Winston’s Is Recovering

An East County man is recovering after he was stabbed outside an Ocean Beach bar for trying to break up a fight.

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Billionaire Jacob’s Plan for Balboa Park Back On the Shelf

February 13, 2019 by Source

Mayor Kevin Faulconer and a group of major philanthropists are shelving a plan to remodel Balboa Park’s Plaza de Panama after bids for the project came in way over budget last month.

Lisa Halverstadt / Voice of San Diego / February 12, 2019

A controversial plan to clear cars from Balboa Park’s central mesa is on hold.

Philanthropist Irwin Jacobs, who has long championed the Plaza de Panama project, said this week that philanthropists have halted fundraising efforts necessary to get the project to the finish line after three construction bids each came in at least $20 million higher than earlier estimates for the project.

“There is an excellent plan for how to proceed, but the costs are a little too high at this point,” Jacobs said.

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A Green New Deal Builds Local Support as the Right Goes Bonkers

February 13, 2019 by Doug Porter

By Doug Porter / Words & Deeds / February 12, 2019

Socialism, Flintstone cars, and cow farts. Oh. my! *

The introduction of HR 109, Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal supporting the vision of a more just and sustainable path for the country has shifted the conversation about climate change simply by pointing out the need for a comprehensive approach.

Assemblyman Todd Gloria announced introduction of Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR 7) urging Congress to pass a Green New Deal. If passed by the California State Legislature, this will put California officially on the record in support of the recently introduced federal legislation.

The San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council was first in the nation among its type of local coalitions to pass a resolution supporting a “Green New Deal with strong labor provisions in concert with our environmental and community partners.”

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Socialism Is More Popular Than You Think, Mr. President

February 12, 2019 by Source

Most surveys show Trump would lose in a matchup against a democratic socialist named Bernie Sanders.

By John Nichols / The Nation / Feb. 6, 2019

Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address did not feature a musical soundtrack. But, if it had, surely the orchestral accompaniment would have soared when he got to the line: “We are born free, and we will stay safe. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country.”

But, just as surely, the music would have quieted down as the camera shifted to the assured countenance of newly elected US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democrat who was elected last fall after campaigning as “an educator, organizer, Democratic Socialist, and born-and-raised New Yorker running to champion working families in Congress;

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Councilwoman Jen Campbell Coming to Ocean Beach for a Conversation – Friday, Feb. 15

February 12, 2019 by Staff

Join the Ocean Beach Town Council and the Ocean Beach Woman’s Club for “A Conversation with Jen Campbell”, our newly elected Councilwoman for the 2nd District.

It’s all happening Friday, February 15th at 7:00 pm at the OB Woman’s Club at 2160 Bacon Street. There will also be light refreshments provided.

Your questions can be submitted

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Renaissance on Voltaire Street?

February 11, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Is there a renaissance happening on Voltaire Street right now? There’s a bunch of new businesses that appear to bring a sense of renewal on this major east-west boulevard that connects Ocean Beach and Point Loma.

Two new eateries – both Italian – are happening on “upper Voltaire” – on the other side of Catalina from OB. Check them out.

Leucadia Pizza Opens

A new pizzeria – Leucadia Pizza Kitchen has opened at 4161 Voltaire Street (where the salad in a jar place was previously, as was another pizza franchise).

“Super High-End” Italian, Cesarina, Opens This Week

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