November 2014

The Day after the Elections: Same as It Ever Was?

November 6, 2014 by Anna Daniels

By Anna Daniels

bilingualvoteWednesday dawned in City Heights much like every morning here, with the cough and sputter of cars starting, the occasional twitter of birds, a siren shrieking on El Cajon Boulevard. Kids will pass by the house on their way to school. …

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BREAKING NEWS: Dog Rescued in Ocean Beach – Covered by All the Media – So, We Don’t Have to …

November 6, 2014 by Frank Gormlie

Yesterday in Ocean Beach, November 5th, a poor dog stuck in the mud was rescued by a lifeguard on a surfboard.

All the mainstream media covered it. And here they are …

Channel 8

U-T San Diego

7SanDiego

10News

So, we don’t have to. And another thing …

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OB Man Missing Since Halloween

November 6, 2014 by Staff
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UPDATE: Scott Bowles’ body was found floating off South Mission on Friday, a week after he had gone missing. Cause of death unknown.

Scott Bowles Last Text on Friday, Oct. 31

Now there’s an Ocean Beach man missing. Scott Bowles, 37, who lives in OB, was supposed to pick his daughter up in Julian on Friday, October 31st – Halloween – according to his Bowles’ father, but never showed. His last text message was from that afternoon.

Bowles’ car was found parked at his home and his cellphone was inside. Someone had reported him missing, and police went looking. All his stuff was left. Police are now asking the public for help.

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Just Who Is Mindy Pellissier – “OB Citizen of the Year”?

November 5, 2014 by Frank Gormlie
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At their recent annual awards dinner, the OB Town Council presented their “OB Citizen of the Year” award to Mindy Pellissier for her steadfast work on the OB Community Plan update process – a process that she alone has worked on for the last 12 years. Mindy helped guide the Update through the City Council unanimous vote on the Plan last July 29th.

Mindy is well known in OB – Mindy was on the OB Planning Board for many years – , and she and her partner, Jane Donley, own and run the famous Dog Beach Dog Wash on Voltaire Street. A ‘do-it-yourself’ dog wash had never been done before in San Diego, when she and Jane opened it nearly 22 years ago.

“People thought we were nuts,” to open such a venture, Mindy told me the other day as we sat down for an interview. “We were the very firsts do-it-yourself dog wash in San Diego. Now’s there’s 32.”

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#Dear Congress

November 5, 2014 by Ernie McCray

For Al JareezaBy Ernie McCray

Al Jazeera America inquired “If you could ask Congress to take on one thing – one policy, one issue, one bill, one idea, one principle – what would it be and why?”

They then recommend that contributors start their “one thing” request with: “#Dear Congress…” and submit a picture of themselves holding the message.

So I sent:

“#Dear Congress, I want you to …”

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Liberty Station Woman Still Missing

November 5, 2014 by Staff
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Elizabeth Sullivan Last Seen Oct. 19th – Nothing Since

San Diego Police reported on Monday, November 3, that the Point Loma woman from Liberty Station is still missing and that there are no new leads.

Elizabeth Michelle Sullivan, 31, has been missing since October 13th, where she was seen at or near her home in Liberty Station. A text message sent on Oct. 13 was the last contact she’s had with friends or family. Her phone has since been turned off. Her vehicle was found at home.

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What’s Not to Like? Gas Prices Down, Solar Energy Production Up

November 5, 2014 by John Lawrence

Wikimedia photo circa 2006

By John Lawrence

Gas prices have dropped below $4.00 a gallon for the first time in several years.

Every one-cent drop in gas prices means a $1 billion annual decline in energy spending by Americans. Consumers can use the savings to eat out more often, buy more goods or pay down debt. That’s good for US motorists and consumers, but that’s not the whole story.

Part of the story has to do with the fact that …

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OB Planning Board: a Demolition, a New Cross-Walk, a Bike Corral, and “Round-about”- All on Nov. 5th

November 4, 2014 by Frank Gormlie

UPDATE: Here’s a Report on the OB Planning Board meeting.

The Ocean Beach Planning Board meets Wednesday, November 5th, at the OB Rec Center, located at 4726 Santa Monica Ave. The monthly meeting – held in the Center’s community room, begins sharply at 6pm.

The Board has four action items on its agenda.

Demolition and Construction at 4741 Del Mar Ave

First up, is an application to demolish an existing house and garage at 4741 Del Mar Avenue and replace them with a 2-story single-family residence with detached garage.

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While DeMaio ‘Burns Inside With a Desire’, Another Sexual Misconduct Claim Materializes

November 4, 2014 by Doug Porter

Carl Demaio Allegations-300x168“Carl DeMaio burns inside with a desire to change things for the better. We could use far more elected officials with such passion and drive.”
– UT San Diego, October 4th

By Doug Porter

On the eve of the election a Navy veteran has come forward to add a second voice to accusations regarding sexual harassment by congressional candidate Carl DeMaio.

Coincidence? I think not. …

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Where Is My Polling Place? And Other Last Minute Election Questions in San Diego

November 4, 2014 by Anna Daniels

By Anna Daniels

vote 2014This is for all you super busy people and procrastinators out there who haven’t turned in your mail ballot yet or figured out where you need to vote on Tuesday.

If you are still figuring out which way to vote for candidates and propositions, check out our SDFP Progressive Procrastinators Guide. You can find all of our November 2014 election analysis and coverage in the SDFP Voter Guide for Progressives. And if this is your first visit to the San Diego Free Press, we hope you’ll bookmark this site and come back for more grassroots news and progressive views.

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Massive Dumping of Fracking Wastewater into Aquifers Shows Big Oil’s Power in California

November 4, 2014 by Source

california-fracked-315x288By Dan Bacher

As the oil industry spent record amounts on lobbying in Sacramento and made record profits, documents obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity reveal that almost 3 billion gallons of oil industry wastewater were illegally dumped into Central California aquifers that supply drinking water and irrigation water for farms.

The Center said the wastewater entered the aquifers through at least nine injection disposal wells used by the oil industry to dispose of waste contaminated with fracking (hydraulic fracturing) fluids and other pollutants.

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Fundraiser for Katie Connor Passes $10,000 as She Nears Complete Recovery

November 3, 2014 by Staff
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A Saturday fundraiser for OB hit-and-run victim Katie Connor at Pizza Port surpassed $10,000. Meanwhile doctors are saying that she is near a full recovery.

Katie will return to her home in Maryland with her parents to complete her recovery. Then she’ll return to OB, and hopefully be able to gain her old job back at Pizza Port.

Katie used to work at Pizza Port in OB, when she was struck October 12th while riding her bike home from work; she was heading eastbound on West Point Loma Boulevard toward Sunset Cliffs in the early morning hours when she was struck by a white pickup truck with a camper shell. The driver remains at large. And police are still searching for the driver.

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A Feeling of Satisfaction As the Widder Curry Finishes Her 3rd Cookbook

November 3, 2014 by Judi Curry
Thumbnail image for A Feeling of Satisfaction As the Widder Curry Finishes Her 3rd Cookbook

For the last 2 years, I have been working on my third, and final cookbook.

How fitting it is to think that I finished it on the 5th anniversary of my husband’s death and received it today, his 87th birthday.

In between writing the book, I was also writing for the San Diego Free Press and the OB Rag; volunteering as a “Front Office Manager” for the Moxie Theatre of Performing Arts every now and then; critiquing restaurants; and seeking other diversions to keep my sanity after a 46 year marriage.

Many of you are aware that I also run and own my own “Jamming” business, making unusual jams with wines and champagne

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November 2014 Progressive Procrastinator’s Voting Guide: OB and San Diego Edition

November 3, 2014 by Doug Porter
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By Doug Porter

A big deal is being made over the large percentage of California voters who’ve opted to use the vote-by-mail ballots. While right-wing efforts in other states are focused on Voter ID laws and other variants of Jim Crow, the don’t vote effort here on the left coast is focused on spreading doubt about the reliability of the mail in system.

A mistake in mailing out ballots in Sacramento becomes evidence of a state-wide “glitch ridden ballot system”, according to Breitbart.com. Their “concern” is sooo touching. They’d like you to be afraid of mail-in voting, mostly because they’re afraid that other-than-Republican voters are discovering how easy it can be to use.

Sadly, a disturbing large percentage of those ballots will be left out of the count because people never got around to filling them out. If you’re one of those people who’ve put off filling out your ballot, here’s a handy-dandy cheat sheet

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3 Critical Votes Where You Can Make a Positive Difference on November 4th for California and San Diego

November 3, 2014 by Jim Miller

go voteBy Jim Miller

Most political observers are predicting bad results for the Democrats at the national level, but there are a few important races where progressives might be able to win key victories that will have a real effect here in California and a number of largely ignored down ballot contests where we can elect solid people while keeping some dangerous, incompetent characters out of public office.

More specifically, tomorrow we can:

1) Take a significant step away from the colossal stupidity of the last several decades of the war on drugs, senselessly draconian three strikes laws, a ballooning prison industrial complex, and surging economic inequality by passing Proposition 47. …

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