Month: May 2014

(Fifth in a series)

By Cara Wilson-Granat

This is the fifth in a series of ten in which we meet one of the San Diego 10 orcas and hear from an advocate who continues to be one of the voices of these imprisoned voiceless, never stopping until the whole world listens.

This week’s Prisoner Advocate is Doni Lantow. (After reading about Prisoner #5, Keet, please scroll down this article and “meet” one of the top San Diego 10 Prisoner Advocates.)

Prisoner #5: Keet

Age: 21

Born on February 2, 1993, at Sea World San Antonio, Keet (his name is Tlingit Indian for “orca”) is known for being the grandbaby of Shamu, and also for being one of the most heavily transported orcas in captive history. It’s amazing this beautiful orca has such a gentle nature considering how disruptive his entire life has been.

Barely 18 months old when he was separated from his mother, Kalina, Keet was left behind when she was moved away from him to Sea World Orlando, pregnant with another calf. Remember, in the wild, orcas generally live in close-knit family pods consisting of several females, calves, one or more males and/or juveniles.

Editor: The following report of the huge clean-up last Saturday, the 26th, by one of the organizers, gives us a glimpse of what happens when groups and community-minded people join forces in making the village better.

OB Community Cleanup a Collaborative Success

Good things happen when we all work together. Despite sideways rain and howling morning winds, 150+ volunteers turned out to accomplish a shared goal this past Saturday, April 26th.

The Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter, CSI- OB (Cleaner Streets Initiative), Ocean Minded, Ocean Beach Town Council (OBTC), and OBMA’s Crime Prevention Committee joined forces for a community cleanup of epic proportions.

Our volunteers hit the beaches, parks, streets, and alleys as part of the countywide Creek to Bay Cleanup sponsored locally by “I Love a Clean San Diego”. The results speak for themselves.

Between Coronado Avenue and West Point Loma, we collected:

• 302 pounds of trash,
• 89 pounds of of recycling, and
• 12.75 pounds or 24,225 cigarette butts

City Committee Votes to Allow the Update to Proceed to Planning Commission and City Council

As a dozen OBceans looked on, a City committee on April 30 unanimously authorized the next step for the Ocean Beach Community Plan Update, allowing it to proceed to the Planning Commission later in May and then the full City Council itself in early July.

The City committee, the Smart Growth and Land Use Committee, chaired by Lorie Zapf, was the first step in a process for the Community Plan Update that eventually ends when it goes before the California Coastal Commission sometime later this year.

Present representing OB and the planners were Jane and Tom Gawronski – Tom is the immediate past chair of the Planning Board, John Ambert – current Vice-chair, Andrew Waltz – a Board member, plus members of the Update sub-committee which included Mindy Pellesier, George Murphy, and Gio Ingolia, plus the group included Gretchen Newsom, president of the OB Town Council.

Reality for Whales in Captivity to Focus on ‘Incarceration for Entertainment’ Industry

by Diane Welsh / Indy Blog

LOS ANGELES—Raul Julia Levy of Julia Productions is the Hollywood producer behind this bold concept of a Reality Show on Whales in Captivity, and, to no surprise to many of his supporters, by all accounts Captivity is attracting several offers for advancement to screening, starting with a 4-episode series launch.

Due to the controversial sensitive nature of the subject as a social issue, the preliminaries are being handled carefully through the Law Office of Brian G. Raymond in Los Angeles. Julia-Levy is conducting the project in business partnership with co-actor Richard Grieco. They are in the midst of negotiations and are looking forward to planning filming. Still yet to be finalized is an agreement for production with a significant U.S. network. To date, ?Julia-Levy and Grieco report they have received more than 1 offer.