News Around the Beach – Early May 2014

Poway Student Organizes High School Proms Away From SeaWorld

Zach Affolter is a young San Diego area activist in support of Orcas held by SeaWorld.  He even has written for us here at the OB Rag about an Easter demonstration at SeaWorld. So it was no surprise to us when the news announced that Zach – who goes to Westview High School in the Poway Unified  – was “leading the charge to get prom moved away from SeaWorld”.  The 17-year-old junior set up an online petition on change.org as his tactic to have the Mt. Carmel High School prom moved away from SeaWorld that is scheduled for May 31. Since Sunday, more than 500 people have signed it.

Zach told  10News:

“They were just like, ‘Hey, our prom’s at SeaWorld … I’m still going to go but I really don’t feel good about going,'” said student Zach Affolter, referring to some friends who attend Mt. Carmel High School.

“There shouldn’t be field trips to SeaWorld. There shouldn’t be proms to SeaWorld. Keeping cetaceans in a small concrete box isn’t educational compared to like seeing them in the wild.”   10News.

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!

Kids Cut by Razor Blades at Mission Bay Park – Update

Last Wednesday, April 30, two kids aged 7 and 15 were cut by razor blades that police said were deliberately placed near the  playground in Mission Bay – Bonita Cove in northwestern Mission Bay – a popular spot for children and parents. Cassie Padilla’s two sons were injured. She told local media:

“They both stepped on razor blades. It’s pretty crazy. It’s really bad.”

Padilla’s 7-year-old son needed stitches after stepping on a blade in the grass. Her older son stepped on another poking out of the ground near a picnic bench. Lt. Paul Phillips of the San Diego Police Department told media that they were “actually embedded” in the foot of the younger boy, KGTV. “Paramedics were able to pull the razor blade out,” Phillips said.   Police searched the park with flashlights and metal detectors and found at least 19 razor blades. “It’s either a sickness or someone who’s got an evil mind,” Phillips said.

This is the third or  fourth time in about a year that razor blades have been planted in the Bonita Cove Park.  They all remain under investigation.   CBS  ABC News News6

Film night at The Green Store Documents Harvey Milk – Thursday, May 8th at 7 pm 

This month’s feature film is the compelling 1984 academy award-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk .  It documents the political career of Harvey Milk, who was San Francisco’s first openly gay supervisor.

The film documents Milk’s rise from a neighborhood activist to a symbol of gay political achievement, through to his assassination along with Mayor George Moscone in November 1978 at San Francisco’s city hall, and the Dan White trial and aftermath. In 2012, this film was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

This film is a personal favorite at The Green Store because Harvey Milk was such an inspiration not only for the gay community but for all people fighting for peace and justice. Free but donations kindly accepted.

Worker Trapped by Overturned Crane on Point Loma

A man is in the hospital with serious injuries after the crane he was operating tipped over while lifting a cargo load. It happened at about 1:45 p.m. Monday, May 4tg at a Scripps Institution of Oceanography facility along Rosecrans Street in Point Loma.  The crane was being used to hoist a container onto a boat when it fell over. The operator’s cabin landed on an electrical box, causing a small fire and trapping the man inside.  Firefighters extricated the man and he was then airlifted to local a hospital.  CBS8

Judge to rule on De Anza Cove settlement Tuesday

From KPBS: This week San Diego could see an end to the legal battle over removing a mobile home development from Mission Bay Park.  On Tuesday, May 6, Superior Court Judge Charles Hayes is expected to decide what the City of San Diego should pay in relocation fees to the residents of the De Anza Cove mobile home development. The lease for De Anza Cove ran out more than 10 years ago. But the residents of about 300 mobile homes have taken the city to court over the relocation payments.  That has stymied the city’s efforts to evict them.

The De Anza Cove mobile home park takes up 76 acres in the heart of Mission Bay Park. Most of the residents of De Anza Cove are elderly, and they are paying rents that are far below the commercial rates expected for waterfront property.  City officials and community activists have grown impatient over the amount of time it’s taking to get the mobile home residents to move out. But lawyers for the residents say the city has violated state law in the way they’ve sought to enforce a rental agreement.

Longtime De Anza Cove resident Ernie Abbit told KPBS, in a recent interview the city has not dealt with them fairly.  “If we had been treated justly and properly, we would have left, and it wouldn’t have been any problem,” Abbit said.  Barring an appeal, Judge Hayes decision will this week allow the residents to be paid to relocate, and allow the city to reclaim that part of Mission Bay Park.   The hearing is set for Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.  (See more at 10News )

Rain Tank Installation workshop

Come out to the OB Woman’s Club – they’re having a Rain Tank Installation workshop on Saturday, May 10th, 1- 5 pm, $35 more info and to register: 619-807-9193, http://lascasitas.weebly.com/

Surfrider San Diego’s 14th Annual Art Gala Helps Keep Our Coast Beautiful – May 9th

 The San Diego County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation proudly presents the 14th Annual Art Gala on Friday, May 9th from 6 to 10 p.m. at Paradise Point Resort and Spa, 1404 Vacation Road San Diego, CA 92109.

The chapter’s annual Art Gala celebrates ocean advocacy while showcasing local artists and raising funds for local programs and initiatives. From featured artworks to interactive art projects, the organization’s programs will be highlighted at the event, taking place at the lavish waterfront resort. Guests will be able to enjoy live art demonstrations by featured artists Wade Koniakowsky, Sean Dietrich, and Rodney Rodrigo Mccoubrey, bid on items in the silent auction, and enjoy music from San Diego musicians Tristan Prettyman and Paul Cannon. Featured pieces have been highlighted in the Art Gala blog.

According to Chapter Manager Haley Haggerstone,

“This year’s gala is going to be bigger and better than before. We have some incredible new artists coming on board this year including San Diego musicians Tristan Prettyman and Paul Cannon. Tickets are going fast and we are expecting to sell out again. You don’t want to miss this one!”

The 14th Annual Art Gala will also honor this year’s award winners for their dedication to the organization’s mission of protecting oceans, waves and beaches here in San Diego County. This year’s award winners include FM102.1 KPRi, Dan Murphy and Sunshine Johnson.  San Diego radio personality, Madison Keith, from KPRi’s “Madison in the Morning” will be the emcee for the gala. Tickets are $60, include entrance to the event, food and drinks, and can be purchased online here. The event is expected to sell out again this year. Proceeds directly benefit the chapter’s education, outreach and advocacy initiatives aimed at protecting San Diego County’s coastline.

OB Elementary a Distinguished School

A number of San Diego County schools were named distinguished in an annual recognition by the state Department of Education. And Ocean Beach Elementary was among those so distinguished.  Ocean Beach also received an Exemplary Arts Education Program award.

The schools are among 424 public elementary schools named California Distinguished Schools by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson recently. The program focuses on students’ right to an equitable and rigorous education and recognizes schools that have made progress in narrowing the academic achievement gap, according to a press release from the state Department of Education.

Schools earning the Distinguished School title agree to share their signature practices with other schools and become a mentor to those seeking to replicate their work.  Elementary and secondary schools are recognized in alternate years.  U-T SD :

Update on the Cohn Family’s OB Warehouse

Here’s a report from  U-T San Diego  about the upcoming opening of the Cohn’s latest OB restaurant.

It’s not like David and Lesley Cohn are newbies to Ocean Beach, given their first successful foray with Bo-beau Kitchen + Bar. But once they decided to invest last year in some restaurant real estate on busy Newport Avenue, they made sure to listen carefully to what their future patrons wanted. Please, not another bar, passers-by implored.

Teaming with designer Philippe Beltran, who’s collaborated with the Cohn Group on eight restaurants in the last three years, David Cohn acknowledged that the initial concept has undergone some tinkering over time, moving from casual street food to a more elevated global cuisine. Chef Amiko Gubbins, who formerly owned the restaurant, Parallel 33, is crafting the menu, which takes inspiration from Asian, Moroccan, Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine.

Beltran, who forages around the world and the web for unique, recycled finds, is dressing up the second-story space with a combination of metals, woods and accent pieces to imbue it with a “warehouse chic” ambience. Corrugated metal from the roof of a metal shop was used for the facade, while an Airstream trailer Beltran purchased from a Texan is a dramatic centerpiece for viewing the open kitchen in the back of the 140-seat restaurant. The women’s room is embellished with 59 antique hand mirrors while the men’s restroom showcases vintage oil tins behind glass.

Charmed by Ocean Beach’s eclectic vibe, the Cohn Restaurant Group has gone all in on its newest location, buying the former Portugalia restaurant building rather than lease the space.  Cohn said of his purchase:

“One of the things about California real estate is prices are always going up and most restaurateurs sign leases where every year or two your lease goes up and up and sales don’t always go up and up and up. Our Bo-beau GM lives in Ocean Beach and when this restaurant space came up, she said you have to do another restaurant here.   We didn’t have to spend this kind of money in Ocean Beach but we wanted to make this special.”

Opening date: end of June

Sample dishes: Korean pulled pork, with sweet potato scallion pancake and kimchee; Dukkah-spiced lamb skewers, with marcona almonds, medjool dates and pomegranate glaze.  U-T San Diego

OB Exposed! Coming Friday, May 16th

OB Exposed!, the wonderful photo contest held by the OB Historical Society every year, is coming soon. It’s Friday, May 16, at the Masonic center, 1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., Photographic Impressions of Ocean Beach & Point Loma More info: Ocean Beach Historical Society.  6 pm-8:30 pm

Friends of OB Library to meet May 22

The Ocean Beach Friends of the Library meet monthly at the OB Branch. Their May meeting is Thursday, May 22, 2 pm.

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