Month: February 2014

Ocean Beach has lost another of its citizens who helped others over the years. Michael Charter passed away on January 23rd, he was 69. A longtime community volunteer for OB, who helped the homeless and veterans, died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Vibra Hospital of San Diego.

After serving in Vietnam for almost 2 years once he was drafted in 1967, and receiving a Purple Heart, he returned to civilian life and dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism. He was able to earn a bachelor’s degree in business management from Cal State Long Beach. He married twice and was divorced twice. In that time, his family had moved to Point Loma. Michael had two daughters and a son from the marriages. Charter became a contractor who helped remodel homes and restaurants.

Some local OBceans have decided to organized a bike ride through Ocean Beach to get the vote out for mayoral candidate David Alvarez.

Date: Saturday Feb.8th

Starting Point: Robb Field Park, Ocean Beach
– specific location is the first parking lot to the right when entering via car.

Time: 12pm – 2pm ride.

Ride will begin soon after 12pm.

After ride gathering with music and beer

Everyone is welcome, family friendly. This is in support of David Alvarez’s bid for mayor with specific focus on GETTING OUT THE VOTE IN OCEAN BEACH! All are encouraged to vote regardless of choice or party preference.

By Will Falk / San Diego Free Press

I have a problem with some of the people I call the “shower police.” These are the people yelling about how we all need to take shorter showers because of the water crisis. They deem anyone a hypocrite who accuses corporations and the government of being the worst water offenders while not enthusiastically letting a night of the strongest urine fester in their bathrooms.

My problem with the shower police is not that they’re wrong that we all need to live as simply as possible. We do. My problem with that shower police is not that they’re wrong that we all must endure much more than funky bathrooms. We will.

My problem is that the shower police often confuse personal change with social change.

Editor: In our continuing series about the planning districts in Ocean Beach – which will continue up to the March 11th OB Planning Board election – today we focus on District 3 – the north-east quadrant of the community. (For our earlier reviews, go to District 1 and District 2.) A good reason we’re doing this series is because we believe that OB is facing a development crossroads, which means the planning committee continues to serve a very important function.

By Frank Gormlie

The third district of the OB Planning Area is an anomaly because its neighborhoods are diverse and a good portion is physically separated from the others. The district includes OB’s most north-eastern area, that neighborhood hemmed in by West Point Loma Boulevard and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, but also includes a huge section on the other side of Nimitz Boulevard that has some more expensive condos as well as a sizable area of affordable housing.

The district almost looks like a giant bow tie with two large wings centered at Seaside and Nimitz.

Editor: A few months ago, OB Rag reporter Matt Wood had the privilege of spending the day with OB firefighters – the crew of C Division at the Ocean Beach No. 15 Firehouse. His post was part of the Rag’s continuing series of articles about the public servants who serve the people of Ocean Beach – our effort to put faces on good folks who often go unknown to the neighborhoods they serve.

Matt’s story got great feedback and he was invited back again – this time to hang out with one of the other two divisions. Here’s his account of that day with them.

By Matthew Wood

The A Division is losing its leader. Instead of mourning the loss of a tremendous firefighter, they are taking the opportunity to celebrate.

Division captain Bryon Wenger will retire later this month as he closes in on 38 years fighting fires, 27 of them in San Diego and the last few (he can’t completely remember how long) here in OB.

To celebrate, Wenger is going for a run. Specifically, on his last day he’s going to run all the way from his home in Lakeside to the station on Voltaire. That’s 24 miles, nearly the length of a marathon.

“Well, not quite a marathon,” Wenger says with a smile.

By John Lawrence / San Diego Free Press

More than 49,000 flights were canceled and another 300,000 delayed in January as airlines lost $75 million to $150 million because of costs such as deicing jets as well as lost revenue. 30 million people had their flights canceled or delayed.

Flight cancellations cost passengers an extra $2.5 billion in meals and extra hotel bills in January alone. Many stranded passengers had to wait days — and in a few extreme case up to a week — to get a seat on a flight out.

After viewing the Super Bowl many fans had their flights home canceled. Even the victorious Seattle Seahawks experienced flight disruptions. Their charter flight was delayed by a snowstorm in Newark, NJ. After a couple of hours on the tarmac, the plane finally took off, only to be diverted to Minneapolis. They finally made it home hours after their scheduled arrival time.

The Habit Grill
3455 Sports Arena Blvd., #104
San Diego, CA 92110

Just what the area needed – another hamburger restaurant. My favorite has been “Raglan Public House” ever since it opened, with “Hodad’s” and “In and Out Burger” second and third. Yes, I have tried the other “new” ones in Liberty Station; in Mission and Fashion Valley, but Raglan’s still comes out on top to my palate.

I picked up my granddaughter Molli at school today and rather than take her to my house for dinner until her mother picked her up, I decided a fresh, young palate would help me with my review. We went to “The Habit” because it is new to our area; it is in the Ralph’s/Target shopping center; and is across the road from PetCo – all places I needed to stop at after she was picked up.

From the side that we came into the parking lot from it appeared to be closed, but when I drove around to the front of the building it was open, albeit dark. The first thing I would suggest is better lighting along the side of the restaurant. There is an outside patio, replete with space heaters, but the lighting is still bad.

By Eva Posner / San Diego Free Press

It’s no secret San Diego is suffering from election fatigue. First there was the mayoral primary in June 2012, then the general in November. For reasons we all know, another race for mayor started less than a year later in September of 2013. The primary was held in November and we are coming up on the general on February 11.

Unfortunately there will be no rest for the weary, because no sooner will we know our next mayor than the battle for Congress will begin in earnest. And Governor. And Assembly. As well as ballot measures regarding the Barrio Logan Community Plan Update and likely the Linkage Fee. Maybe recreational marijuana or a minimum wage proposition as well.

Hundreds of Point Loma High School students honored the director of the controversial film “Blackfish” – the expose on SeaWorld’s treatment of their Orcas – on Monday, Feb. 3rd.

Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite came to the campus after some film students had produced their own film criticizing SeaWorld and addressed an assembled group of them. She told them she wanted her documentary about the water-park’s captive killer whales to persuade SeaWorld to discontinue “using animals as entertainment.” Cowperthwaite also told the students that they need to form their own opinions on the issue.

By Mimi Caneda Mata

Pour me into the casualty,
Of nonchalant unheard of spaces,
I cannot sink the sunlight so ready to blind;
I want the pungent taste of licorice fields and the drench…
Of a half moon rising.

I will not be left with such little gray,
I like the controversy of a solemn thought;
Riding out the dew and the submerge,
With the color and drought of my ungracefulness…
I am more feel to a fingertip this way.

…

Here is the official agenda for the monthly meeting of the Ocean Beach Planning Board. It will be held – as usual – on the first Wednesday of the month – Feb. 5th, and will be in the meeting room at the OB Recreation Center, 4726 Santa Monica Avenue. The meeting starts sharply at six p.m.

The big item on the agenda is approval or denial of the design for the mid-block pedestrian crosswalk on Santa Monica for school kids.

Former NSA contractor named for ‘contributing to a more stable and peaceful world order’

From Alajezeera America

Two Norwegian lawmakers say they have nominated former NSA contractor Edward Snowden for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.

Socialist lawmakers Baard Vegard Solhjell, a former environment minister, and Snorre Valen said [last week] that the public debate and policy changes “in the wake of Snowden’s whistle-blowing (have) contributed to a more stable and peaceful world order.”

Snowden fled to Russia, where he has requested temporary asylum after leaking classified security documents detailing widespread phone and email surveillance by the National Security Agency. In some cases, the agency shared the data with British, French and other countries’ intelligence units. The files also showed that the agency spied on international heads of state, spurring a fierce debate on privacy, sovereignty and security issues.