Month: November 2014

By 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 …”

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.

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 …

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.

By Anna Daniels

This 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.

By 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.

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.

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

By 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. …