OB Rag

By Debbie L. Sklar

Little Italy today is one of San Diego’s most visible dining and residential districts, but much of what people see now sits on top of a far more industrial and working-class
waterfront history. The neighborhood’s transformation didn’t happen all at once, and many layers of its earlier identity are still embedded in the streets, buildings, and public spaces that remain.

Here are five things you might not know.

1. It was once a major tuna processing hub

Before restaurants and redevelopment, this area was closely tied to San Diego’s tuna industry. Italian immigrant families were central to fishing, canning, and dockside work along the waterfront. The neighborhood functioned as part of a larger working harbor economy, where industrial labor defined daily life far more than residential or
commercial activity.

The U-T this morning announced that the City of San Diego has “quietly” pushed back its decision on Midway Rising, the massive 50-acre redevelopment project slated for the Sports Arena area until “an unknown date later in the year.”

As UT reporter Jenifer van Grove mused, the project has been “promised for May and then June,” and now pushed back even more. She wrote:

The City Council’s Land Use & Housing Committee is not slated to hear the item before the council’s summer legislative recess, Councilmember Kent Lee, who chairs the committee, told the Union-Tribune.

Last week, we posted an article about anti-short term rentals stickers being plastered around north OB.

Now, we find residents of Clairemont have done one better against the ADUs that have clobbered their community over the last couple of years. (See above)

Here are a couple more of the small professionally made and anonymous signs that have popped up in the Clairemont Mesa area.

It’s Been Nearly 2 Years Since Rag Contest — Here’s an Update on Clairemont Area ADUs

By Michael A Hernandez 

It’s been almost two years since the Rag held a contest ranking “The Worst ADUs in San Diego”. Launched in an effort to better understand the severity of the issue of rampant ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) development in America’s Finest City, the contest received dozens of resident submissions from at least 20 different localities.

Submissions were evaluated by a panel of judges consisting of reporters and experts on the subject who scored the projects based on their physical size or number of units, aesthetic, and their impact on the neighborhood, like affected street parking.

The issue has been a hot topic ever since the introduction of the City of San Diego’s Bonus ADU Program, which enabled homeowners to build additional ADUs on a property even after the maximum number allowed by right had been reached, so long as they agreed to rent the affordable housing unit to low or moderate-income households for the next 10-15 years.

Please join the Ocean Beach Historical Society for a fun field trip to the community landmark “The Thursday Club”

The San Diego Community Coalition publishes this email bulletin to keep our members and the general San Diego public informed about important Council and Planning Commission hearings and other city public meetings.

Monday, June 15: City Council, 2:00 p.m.

Agenda:

Item 203. California Coastal Commission Modifications to the 2024 Land Development Code Update of the San Diego Municipal Code and Local Coastal Program.

Why it matters: This would make it easier to build affordable housing in coastal regions. In theory, that’s a worthy idea. But given the age-old intense demand for coastal residences, how long would it take for market forces to flip affordable coastal homes into expensive coastal homes?

Eric Law, the chair of the Peninsula Community Planning Board, has just announced that Navy representatives will provide a briefing to the community on Navy plans for the redevelopment of the NAVWAR Old Town Campus.

The update will be at the Peninsula Community Planning Board monthly meeting on Thursday, June 18th, 2026 — 6PM at the Point Loma Hervey Library Community Room, 3701 Voltaire St, San Diego, CA 92107.

Law stated,  “The NAVWAR Old Town Campus (OTC) Revitalization program manager and the Navy Region Southwest Public Affairs Officer have confirmed that they will provide a briefing to the community on the OTC program ….”

OB Rag Staff Report

San Diego’s 22-year experiment with a “strong mayor” has been hobbled by a string of financial crises.

Is it time to consider restoring the position of City Manager?

Jack McGrory, a former city manager for San Diego, will share his thoughts at a town hall forum on “Why We Need a City Manager and Other Insights” on Saturday, June 20, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Mission Valley Library, 2123 Fenton Parkway.

Sponsored by the San Diego Community Coalition (SDCC) and Neighbors for a Better San Diego (NFABSD), the forum is the fifth in a series of question-and-answer sessions on important civic issues.

These events are free and open to the public, but seating is limited.

Firefighters quickly contained an early morning commercial fire Sunday, June 14, at a business office building in Point Loma, preventing more extensive damage, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue officials.

Crews were dispatched around 5 a.m. to reports of a commercial structure fire at at 3405 Kenyon Street, identified as the Point Loma Business Center. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the first floor of the five-story office building. Crews entered the building with hose lines and located the fire inside a first floor office suite. Crews conducted a primary search of the entire building and found no occupants inside.

Entire List From Across City Included

Here are the results from the latest — and last — round of San Diego city budget cuts in terms of hours at Ocean Beach and Point Loma libraries and rec centers.

Point Loma

The Point Loma branch library, along with 5 others, will have its hours reduced. PL will deal with its cuts by opening only for half days on Saturdays. That will bring its operating 51 hours a week down to 47 hours.

And the Cabrillo rec center will be reduced to 40 operating hours a week, but its cuts will be smaller, because it already had less than 60 operating hours per week.

Ocean Beach

The OB library is currently operating 5 days a week, with Sunday and Monday closed. But it will soon close on a more permanent basis as its expansion gathers steam.

About 40 protesters gathered in Mira Mesa last Sunday, June 14, and campaigned for a “No Kings” in America. Several OBceans were in the crowd and sent these photos.

By JW August

It’s called the Black Family Statue. The original statue was installed 52 years ago, the work of local artist Rossi Wade and was created to honor Black family values.

A little more than a half century after the original Black Family Statue took its place in a Mountain View park, its long-awaited replacement was celebrated Saturday, June 13th with an official unveiling.

The community gathering at Neil Pettis Mountain View Park, which doubled as a Juneteenth celebration, capped a decade-long effort to replace the original wood statue that had grown so deteriorated that only a brass plaque and the brick and mortar foundation remained.

By Eric Sanchez / SanDiegoRed / June 14, 2026

Authorities and local residents are sounding the alarm after a dog exhibited neurological symptoms and tested positive for methamphetamine following a visit to the dog beach in Ocean Beach, San Diego.

The dog’s owner, Justin Voeller, took to social media to warn other pet owners about the incident involving his small dog, Angus. Voeller said he brought Angus to the specialized dog beach around 10:00 a.m. Initially, the dog appeared unwell but was simply “glued to the sofa and very alert,” leading Voeller to believe it was only a stomach issue.

However, by approximately 4:30 p.m., Angus began showing clear neurological signs, including repetitive movements, hyperactivity, and fully dilated pupils.

Opening of Strait of Hormuz and End to Israel’s Attacks on Lebanon Parts of Murky Details

By Jason Burke / The Guardian / Mon 15 Jun 2026

A framework peace deal between the US and Iran has been reached, Donald Trump and senior Iranian officials have said, bringing the 15-week conflict to a tentative end and offering hope of relief for the Middle East and the world economy.

The secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, would end permanently from Monday night.

The precise terms of the deal remain unclear but in a statement posted to Truth Social on Sunday evening, the US president announced the opening of the strait of Hormuz as well as the removal of the US naval blockade. “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” he wrote.

Trump later clarified that reopening the strait would depend on the signing of an initial memorandum of understanding on Friday, which Pakistan, acting as mediator, said would take place in Geneva.

Leaked drafts suggest the memorandum will trigger an immediate 60-day period of intensive technical talks, during which the most contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme, will be discussed. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed that negotiators would seek to reach a broader agreement that would include sanctions relief for Iran.