District 2 Appointment Decision Moved Up to April 7
Chet Barfield – rep for the currently vacant District 2 Council seat – announced at recent community meetings that the appointment decision on who replaces Kevin Faulconer for the remainder of his term has been moved up. The new date is now April 7 – the day the City Council will consider whom to appoint from the 18 applicants (one person has unofficially dropped out). There is nothing else on the Council’s docket, Chet assured everyone, and as every Council member has one vote, after the first round of voting, the number surviving that vote ought to drop to 8 or less.
The Council will keep voting until one applicant has 5 votes. He encouraged people to attend the public hearing as Council members are not that familiar with most of the applicants. Local OB applicants include Gretchen Newsom, Jane Gawronski, and Jim Musgrove.
Steer clear of the ocean directly following rainfall
The County’s Department of Environmental Health Wednesday issued a general advisory to beachgoers to stay out of the water for the next 72 hours due to this morning’s rainfall. “Swimmers, surfers and other ocean users are warned that levels of bacteria can rise significantly in ocean and bay waters, especially near storm drains, creeks, rivers and lagoon outlets that discharge urban runoff,” read the advisory. Urban runoff can include animal waste, soil and decomposing vegetation, among other things.
April Calendar for OB
- April 8 – Saratoga Park Workshop
- April 12 – Dog Beach Clean-up
- April 17 – Celebration of 90 Years of the OB Woman’s Club at OB Historical Society
- April 26 – Beach to River clean-up
- April 27 – OB Restaurant & Hospitality Week
- May 10 – OB Kite Festival (postponed from March due to rain)
San Diego Soliciting Bids for Improvement Mission Beach Lifeguard Station While OB’s Older Lifeguard Station Is Ignored
On March 27th, there was a mandatory pre-proposal meeting downtown to begin the process of the bidding war for the Mission Beach Lifeguard Station improvements. The bids will have to cover full or partial replacement and construction of the existing exterior stucco, roof, windows and the associated mechanical, electrical, and plumbing. Bids are due on April 15 by noon. The existing station is at 3141 Ocean Front Walk, San Diego, CA 92109. The City states: All questions regarding the RFQ should be presented in writing to as soon as possible, but no later than the pre-submittal meeting: E-mail: mmaria@ad.sannet.gov Telephone: 619-533-4688.
We’re of course happy that Mission Beach is getting a new lifeguard station. Goodness knows, they need one. But guess what? OB needs one even more. Where is the City’s bid process for OB’s new Lifeguard Station? Questions? Call your Councilmember. Oh, wait, OB doesn’t have one just now. Call Todd Gloria, call our mayor.
OB Friends of the Library Student Essay Winners to Be Honored – April 8
Every year, our branch of the Friends of the San Diego Public Library participates in the city-wide essay contest, open to fourth, eighth, and tenth grade library patrons. In the Ocean Beach Library area, we have five winners, who will read their essays, or have them read, and will receive certificates, gift certificates to Barnes and Noble, special essay contest pens, and other literary-related gifts, like a dictionary or thesaurus. The presentation will take place next Tuesday, April 8, at 6:00 p.m., in our historic library. The public is welcome to attend this celebration!
Merchants From Both Sides of the Hill Meet and Strategize
The most recent “meeting of the minds” between Point Loma and Ocean Beach community leaders, which took place recently at Shades Oceanfront Bistro, bodes well of things to come. “We brought both sides of the hill together,” said Dave Martin, Shades owner, OB MainStreet Association board member and past president of Ocean Beach Town Council (OBTC).
“This really was a great first step,” noted Robert T. Jackson, chair of the Point Loma Association (PLA), an organization of residents and businesses committed since 1961 to improving the quality of life of Point Loma through beautification, education, charitable activities and civic collaboration. …
Other groups represented at the parley included the Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation (OBCDC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the vibrancy of Ocean Beach; the OB Community Foundation, which supports community initiatives involving education, youth sports and public safety; and the Ocean Beach Planning Board, the group recognized by the city of San Diego to speak on land use and development issues. (For balance of article, go here.)
Suspected drunken driver hurt in OB crash
A 32-year-old woman who may have been driving drunk was seriously injured Saturday in a chain reaction crash in the Ocean Beach section of San Diego, a police sergeant said. The collision took place about 12:53 a.m. at the intersection of Nimitz and Sunset Cliffs boulevards, San Diego police Sgt. L. Taylor said.
According to Taylor the unidentified female driver was heading eastbound on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. Four vehicles were stopped at the intersection with Nimitz Boulevard. The woman, Taylor continued, plowed into the rear of the last car in line causing a chain reaction crash.
The woman suffered a broken femur and was transported to a local trauma center. One of the other drivers complained of pain to the responding paramedics, he said. Alcohol was suspected of playing a role in the crash, Taylor said. The collision was being investigated by the department’s Traffic Division, he said. There no word yet on whether the woman was cited or arrested. CBS8
Couple and Dog Safe After Becoming Trapped by Tides
A couple and their dog are safe Tuesday morning thanks to rescue crews. They were pulled from the beach just north of Point Loma Nazarene after they got trapped by rising tides. Authorities say the couple and their dog were walking along the beach when they stopped in a cove. They saw the tide start to rise and soon realized they were stuck.
“We started walking back and realized it was way too deep, we weren’t going to make it around the cliffs. The tide was slamming pretty hard against the cliffs,” Tamara Rusheed said. They called for help and lifeguards brought in a jet ski to carry them to safety. CBS8
Things Haven’t Changed – Whiskey Boat Captured Off Point Loma – April 2, 1929
The following “Local Notes” appeared in the April 2, 1929 issue of the San Diego Daily Transcript:
The Mexican fishing boat Espiritu seized off Point Loma on Saturday with 500 cases of whiskey aboard, is being held at San Pedro on a charge of smuggling, which owners of the craft deny, claiming they were beyond the 12-mile limit.
Pedestrian injured in Point Loma crash
A pedestrian was injured after being struck by a car Friday night March 28 in Point Loma. The crash occurred at about 8:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of Rosecrans Street, according to a watch commander with San Diego police.
Officials initially reported the crash as a possible hit-and-run. However, police later discovered the driver in fact went to get help and then returned to the scene. The male victim was not in a crosswalk when he was hit, SDPD said. He was taken by ambulance to UC San Diego Medical Center with leg injuries. His exact condition was not confirmed. Police are also investigating whether he was intoxicated. The driver, meanwhile, will not face charges. The name of the victim was not immediately released. 10News
Service station in Point Loma sold
The service station in the Midway market at 4049 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego 92110, has been sold for $3.41 million.
Report on Status of Liberty Station Building Leases – 83% Occupied
Sean Giffin is the leasing manager helped overhaul Point Loma’s Liberty Station. He has worked to overhaul 27 historical buildings at Liberty Station in Point Loma, and now has the greater challenge of doing it without redevelopment funds. Giffin, said 16 of the buildings that were intended for civic, arts and cultural uses have been completed and are 83 percent occupied. SD Daily Transcript
Mutts Against Butts Collected 9 Pounds of Cigarette Butts in 1 Day
From Garnet Avenue at the First Dog-Friendly Environmental Cleanup in March. Mutts Against Butts, a local organization hosting dog-friendly environmental cleanups, collected a whopping nine pounds of cigarette butts from Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach, CA on March 1, 2014. The event attracted 30 volunteers and 20 dogs; and $4,500 of prizes were given away at the after-party. The event faced the largest rain storm of the winter season, but it did not stop volunteers from walking their dogs and beautifying Pacific Beach. The cleanup started at Libs Chiropractic Center where dogs and owners grabbed reusable Surfrider trash sacks, garden gloves, and Mutt Mitt dog bags, then headed out in the rain to pick up cigarette butts.
The volunteers covered seven blocks of Garnet Avenue, from Lamont to Everts, and after a fun morning cleaning up the streets, the volunteers met up at PB Fish Shop to eat tacos and win prizes. Prizes ran the gamut from fitness gift cards, dog food and toys, doggie baths, dog gear, wine, and dinner specials. Most of the prizes were donated by community stores and restaurants. To learn about future Mutts Against Butts events, contact Alicia Amerson at info@muttsagainstbutts.org.
Taste of Mission Beach – April 10
The Taste of Mission Beach is Thursday, April 10th from 5pm to 9pm! Don’t miss this first restaurant walk in Mission Beach. You can buy tickets at these restaurants: Luigi’s at the Beach, Cheesy Express, Starkey’s BBQ, Olive Cafe, Saska’s and Naked Bakery. Join your community in celebrating 100 years of Mission Beach!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
If you or your group has an upcoming event, how about advertising it in the OB Rag? If your restaurant group, for instance, is planning a tour, take out a temporary ad for a few bucks – we have 1500 to 2,000 readers a day – and help support your local online news source for the beach area.
Accidents keep happening at this intersection because there are not sufficient stacking lanes for the I-8 freeway. There used to be 2, now only one.
Yeah no kidding. I still have a bum knee and bad back from my chain reaction crash waiting to get on the I-8 at Sunset Cliffs. The lady who hit us, Jeanette Rivera, was doing 50 miles an hour while talking on her cell phone, and watching the sunset. She totalled her SUV, the truck behind me, and my 6-month old truck, the SUV I hit was a BMW X3 on a test drive from the dealership. Remember that trainwreck Frank?
Ah yeah. Thought of that train wreck when I read the original news report. Geez. My guess, without any evidence, is that SeaWorld finagled the City to repaint the traffic lanes so that there are two that go north towards the caged orca farm, with only one going to the freeway. Makes sense, doesn’t it. Let’s enable the traffic to SeaWorld and help create a bottleneck for those who actually have to get on the immediate freeway.
Every day since I moved in 8 years ago has been a craps shoot leaving town or coming home – on the way to 8 there are routine a-holes that know they need the right lane but stay left and try to dive in at the last second to catch I-8 east, safety be damned. Coming home, everyone stays in the left lane, then swings right at the wide intersection to either get into the right lane of the two headed onto Nimitz or to dive all the way across to Sunset.
I’m normally not big on cops picking on petty traffic infractions, but it wouldn’t bother me the least to see police or CHP spending a week or two shooting fish in a barrel to send a message…
Oh, and very cool to see the e-cig next to the morning coffee in the intro graphic!
ON behalf of the editorial staff, thanks for noticing. I hear the night staff really had to search for an appropriate graphic to grace the news update, and chose this one as an ode to the changing times, plus a nice ironic touch for those who read the Rag on their tablets.
Chris and I are at 10 months off the stinkies next week after smoking for nearly half our lives – I’ve become a bit of an evangelist…
Congratulations Dave! I think that’s a huge accomplishment. As someone who smoked a pack or more every day for 12+ years and finally quit 5 years ago…I tip my hat to you. It’s tough.
Not to discredit vapes and the obvious benefit they have getting people off dirty tobacco, but I wonder then what’s the next step to get off the Vape? I used patches, gum, hypnosis, acupuncture, voodoo (not really, but you get the idea), and finally had a breakthrough where I found myself tobacco (nicotine) free. So where’s the exit plan with Vapes? Or does there need to be one? I dunno. Just curious.
Again, I don’t mean to take away from your success. I’m sure you feel great, and I remember the release I felt when I got off it. So, congrats to you sir!