News Around the Peninsula and Ocean Beach

Local News You May Have Missed

Naked Man Rescued After Jumping Off OB Pier

A nude male was rescued by Lifeguards Tuesday morning – the 29th – , after he had jumped off the Ocean Beach Pier.  A female companion – also thought to be in the water – was searched for by a helicopter crew – then she was found safe on the beach.  The two twentysomethings had jumped on a dare – and had appeared intoxicated.  They both were taken to a hospital for evaluation around 4:30 a.m. Police cited them for jumping from the pier, a misdemeanor. Someone called 911 around 3:50 am to report the jumping, which occurred near the cafe. A boat and the helicopter were launched, with the boat finding the guy – who reportedly could not swim – holding onto a quarter-inch fishing line while in the surf. The woman made it to shore on her own. It was unknown whether she too was nude.

Thefts of Raglan’s Copper Mugs

Someone is making off with all the copper mugs at theRaglan Public House and management is getting mad. Raglan  serves a popular drink called the Moscow Mule, and this is where copper mug comes in.  “For people who are Moscow Mule aficionados, you have to use a copper mug,” said Mike Zouroudis, Raglan managing partner. “People freak out when you serve them their drink that’s not in a copper mug.”  That mug is expensive.   “Anywhere from $18 to $25 a cup,” he said.  More here.

OB’s Matt Molarius – Makes Local TV’s San Diego’s Top 9 Rhythm Guitarists

NBCSan Diego has called Matt Molarius – frontman for alt-rock favorites Transfer, and lives in OB, one of San Diego’s Top 9 Rhythm Guitarists.  See here.

Disabled Vet’s Point Loma House Renovated by Local Volunteers

Nearly a hundred local volunteers helped renovate the Point Loma home of Mike Beuoy, a disabled veteran on Saturday, April 26th. Beuoy, 37, is now able to walk on his own, but for years was confined to a a wheel chair and crutches. He had been a Coast Guard aviation survival technician from 1996 to 2002, performing rescue swimmer and paramedic duties. He severely injured his back on duty.

His nearly century old home has many stairs in front and he has had to get in via a back door.  The volunteers changed that. Their plan is to lanned to refinish the stairs and create path that will make it easier for him to enter the home.The project was organized by Rebuilding Together San Diego, a nonprofit organization that provides critical repairs for low-income homeowners. Others were from the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors,

The volunteers also helped repaint the house, did electrical work, replaced the kitchen hood and provided new landscaping for the front yard.  Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilman Ed Harris came by to help kick off the project.

Sailor Detained at Point Loma Naval Base After Firing Pellet Gun

The Point Loma Naval Base was placed on alert for two plus hours Thursday, April 24 after a sailor was found with the pellet gun he was shooting and waving; it appeared as a lethal weapon by witnesses from a sixth-floor barracks room. The pellet gun is one used for recreational purposes. The unidentified sailor reportedly stated that he fired the weapon at a mirror in a parking garage, said Capt. Scott Adams, commanding officer of the base. Pellets were recovered near the mirror. The Navy characterized the weapon as an airsoft gun, which is often used for games and simulated combat. Adams said it was “something designed for sporting activity.”  Someone on the ground saw the sailor brandishing the weapon from the sixth floor, a base spokesman said.   Associated Press

South Beach Bar & Grill Makes TV Station Best 5 Tacos

It’s no surprise to OBceans that our South Beach Bar & Grill got on somebody’s list of the best top tacos in town.  But Channel 10 News has announced its “Best 5 Tacos”, and the local eatery known for its fish tacos was on the list. 10News

Who else is on their list? Tacos El Gordo, JV’s Mexican Food – near USD, Lucha Libre Taco Shop, and La Fachada, in Logan Heights.

City Council Turns Dana Middle School Field Over for Point Loma High Baseball Team and for $2 Million Renovations

An agreement to pave the way for $2 million renovation of a baseball field in Point Loma got unanimous approval from the San Diego City Council Tuesday, April 22nd.  he Council voted to turn the field at Dana Middle School over to the San Diego Unified School District, from the city’s Park and Recreation Department. The city of San Diego has a joint-use agreement with San Diego Unified for 7.3 acres on the Dana campus, encompassing two baseball fields and paved playground areas.   The San Diego Unified School District owns the land and will bankroll the project.

The district will underwrite the make-over, with the assistance of retired major league pitching star David Wells, a graduate of Point Loma High School, whose baseball team plays its home games there.   PLHS baseball coach Joe Radovich lobbied for the decision, saying that Wells Field is long overdue for a major makeover, starting with artificial turf and state of the art-irrigation.   Residents were assured that night lights will not be installed.   7San Diego

Candidate for Judge from OB Called Black Judge “Racist”

A candidate for San Diego’s Superior Court once tried to get an African-American judge who was the former leader of the local chapter of the NAACP removed from his case because of what he termed “her permanent disability as a Negro racist.” The candidate, Douglas Crawford of Ocean Beach, is also facing a disciplinary suspension from the State Bar on another matter in the same case: For emailing lawyers representing the opposing side in a lawsuit, saying that his client would trigger an IRS audit of the opposing party if settlement talks did not begin.

He’s appealing a 90-day suspension from the bar, which said he broke ethical rules by trying to get an edge in the case by threatening the audit. In the same case, in February 2011, Crawford filed a motion to disqualify San Diego Superior Court Judge Randa Trapp, a black woman appointed to the bench in 2003. In court papers and an interview this week, Crawford said the move was based on Trapp’s past affiliation with the NAACP which he described in court papers as a “militant, ‘black power’ organization that solely focuses on the ‘advancement of colored’ people

Point Loma’s Holy Cows Win Media and Technology Innovation Award

Point Loma’s Holy Cows earned the Media and Technology Innovation Award at the international FIRST Robotics Championship in St. Louis on Saturday, April 26, but the high school team did not repeat its championship win from last year.  An alliance of four teams, including one from California, finished on top of the competition held at the Edward Jones Dome. Eleven San Diego County teams competed in two levels at the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology competition, which began Thursday and ended with elimination rounds Saturday.

In the FIRST Robotics Competition level, teams competed with robots that weighed up to 120 pounds. The FIRST Tech Challenge level is open to middle and high school students and uses smaller robots.  Option 16, a team from Westview High School in the Poway Unified School District, advanced to the semifinals in the FIRST Tech Challenge level but was eliminated before the final round Saturday.  No San Diego team made it to the final round.

The worldwide competition challenges high school students to build robots that compete in a game that changes each year. In this year’s game, teams of three robots competed against one another and scored points by throwing a ball into a goal.  The Holy Cows of High Tech High in Point Loma won the 2013 top Chairman’s Award, a distinction that resulted in them leading off last year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.  The Media and Technology Innovation Award given to the Holy Cows recognizes the team that “develops and implements the most outstanding digital experience, marketing strategy and rationale for digital channels to disseminate content to its audience and further the FIRST Mission,” according to the organization.

PB Activists Successfully Lobby for City-Wide Community Planners Vote to Use Land Use Policies to Regulate Alcohol Businesses

Pacific Beach anti-alcohol activists proved their lobbying abilities when they spearheaded a successful effort to have the city-wide committee of community planning heads vote to change the way alcohol businesses are regulated.  After lobbying by a group called the Friends of PB and Public Safety, on April 22 he Community Planners Committee – made up of nearly 3 dozen chairs or representatives from planners from all over the City – voted to support using land use policy to properly regulate alcohol licensed businesses in the city.

After impassioned pleas for reason by almost a half dozen communities before the planners who urged them to support the recommendations of the group’s sub-committee, the committee voted unanimously to do just that. The sub-committee was chaired by Brian Curry, a supporter of the activists.  The sub-committee had been lobbied by the group – whose OB rep is Julie Klein and had submitted nearly 300 pages of information mainly to do with Pacific Beach with graphs, crime states and their relations to alcohol businesses.  The bulk of the alcohol policy information submitted can be viewed at this link: https://app.box.com/s/xx03779rzx0eotr2us7b

The community of PB is severely impacted by all its bars and booze-serving restaurants. Much more so than OB.  OB is not even on the top 10 highest crime neighborhoods. But many OBceans also are becoming dissatisfied with the high – and building – numbers of alcohol serving businesses in Ocean Beach.

The 66th Annual Ocean Beach Kiwanis Kite Festival and Craft Fair Is Saturday, May 10th!

This free family event is the oldest children’s kite festival in the United States, now celebrating its 66th year. This is a third-generation event; people who attended as children are now bringing their children and grandchildren.

Date: Saturday, May 10, 2014
Location: Dusty Rhodes Park, Sunset Cliffs Blvd. at Nimitz
Hours: 10 am to 4 pm

Free kite making and instruction for all children. Prizes for best decorated kites, by age category. Spectacular kite flying demonstrations throughout the day. Carnival rides and a craft fair are also part of the event. Youngsters are taught how to make kites; all materials are supplied. Any handmade kite can be submitted, not just kites made at the Festival.   Entertainment and lunch are provided. Adding to the fun, families can go on carnival rides or browse for unique handicrafts at the craft fair.   The Kite Festival is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach and the Ocean Beach Recreation Center – and we hope to see you there! Be sure to RSVP on the FaceBook Event Page and check it for updates.