Month: April 2015

In a huge spread in it’s “SD In Depth” section of the Sunday paper on April 19th, the U-T San Diego announced its “Five Ways to Conquer Drought” in large headlines. This drought relief was accompanied by shorter op-ed pieces and a decent map of “Our Water Infrastructure”.

Yet, after a perusal of all 4 newspaper-sized pages devoted to the drought and water, there was not one word about “fracking” – not one word – in fact, neither “fracking” nor big oil were even mentioned in any of the articles. The U-T has ignored the threats posed by fracking and is trying to turn us away from this horrible destruction, a threat posed …

Junco’s Jabs by Junco Canche

By Jim Miller

Last week was Tax Day and with it came the annual ritual of bemoaning our ever-rising taxes and complaining about the endless growth of big government.

Indeed just a few days after Tax Day, I gave a talk at a local college on the history of income inequality and workers’ struggles in which I made a comparison between the stark odds workers face today in the Fight for $15 with the similarly steep hill they faced 100 years ago before the rise of the American Labor Movement and the reforms that came with the New Deal.

As is usually the case, however, a few folks in the audience just could not get their heads around the idea that it was not all government’s fault.

A tragic wrong-way crash at the entrance to Ocean Beach took 2 lives and injured 2 more early Sunday morning, April 19th.

It appears from news accounts that a VW sedan took a wrong-way turn down 8 West – going east- right – before 1 a.m. The VW – driven by a 22-year old – crashed head-on into a Honda Accord with 3 people in it.

by Dan Bacher

The mainstream media, state officials and corporate “environmental” groups have for years tried to portray California as the “green” leader of the nation.

In reality, California suffers from some of the greatest environmental degradation of any state in the nation, since corporate agribusiness, the oil industry and other big money interests control the majority of the state’s politicians and exert inordinate influence over the state’s environmental policies.

Customers and passersby are beginning to notice. “Tiny’s Tavern” – a venerable watering hole and small grill on Voltaire Street in Ocean Beach – is closed and its doors are locked. What’s going on?

As close observers of the local scene as well as our readers may recall, Tiny of Tiny’s Tavern had an agreement with People’s Food Co-op Market.

The property on which his business rested was sold to People’s and Tiny had an agreement with them to continue to operate his tavern for one year – then he was going to retire to Hawaii with his proceeds. And the market was going to use the property as part of their expansion.

Editor Note: Acclaimed author and champion of social justice Eduardo Galeano died on April 13, 2015. Democracy Now! provides a tribute here.

From TomDispatch.com

His book Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent came out in 1971 and proved to be the first vampire thriller of our American imperial age. Its blood-sucker of a plot was too outrageous not to be mesmerizing: a country called the United States declares a “good neighbor” policy for those living in its hemisphere because they just look so tasty, and then proceeds to suck the economic blood out of country after country.

Hollywood never topped it. “True Blood” and “The Vampire Diaries” couldn’t hold an incisor to it; Buffy was a punk by comparison.

Big Question: Will New Owners Keep 97-Year-Old Cottages or Is Another Huge Condo Complex Coming In?

9 Units and Empty Lot on 5100 Block of Muir Sold

A 3-lot piece of Ocean Beach – totaling nearly 10,000 square feet – a half block from the beach on the 5100 block of Muir – has just been sold for $1,325,000.

The 3 lots on the last block of Muir Avenue, 5137, 5141 and 5153 – an empty lot – include 7 buildings, occupying a total of 9,943 square feet (448-043-21, 22 and 23). Overall, the property consists of 8 one-bedroom units plus one studio:

“All are welcome”

St. Peter’s by the Sea
1371 Sunset Cliffs Blvd

Saturday, April 18, 1:00 – 4:00 PM

By Lois Lane

The construction that has fascinated and puzzled passers-by to St. Peter’s by the Sea Lutheran Church has come to an end. The church is inviting the community to see the spectacular update at an Open House on Saturday, April 18, 1:00 – 4:00 PM.

For everyone who watches the construction going on and never sees the final product, this is chance to view a meaningful change to a site that effectively combines old and new.

Plaintiffs seek community benefits and oversight of public funds

Editor: Yesterday, April 15, our online partner, the San Diego Free Press, published a copy of the news release on the legal complaint just recently filed against Civic San Diego in Superior Court by the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council and Dr. Murtaza Baxamusa, a CivicSD Boardmember. We are – as SDFP did – providing their news release and a link to the complete filing below without analysis at this time.

SAN DIEGO, CA – A legal complaint was filed April 10th in the San Diego Superior Court against Civic San Diego (CivicSD) and the City of San Diego

Historical Society Presents Jim Peugh

Come one, come all – out to the next OB Historical Society presentation – this one on the history of Famosa Slough – the body of water just next to northeast Ocean Beach along the San Diego River.

Jim Peugh – chair of the board of directors of the Friends of Famosa Slough – will be giving the presentation about its history. It was once an ice age coastal canyon, and it once was on the City’s chopping block to be sold off to developers.

Occasionally our wandering reporter jots down what’s new – or not new – on Newport Avenue – the commercial center of Ocean Beach. Here’s what we found on a quiet Tuesday, the 14th of April.

BBQ House to Open Expansion by July 4th

The owners and staff at OB’s famous BBQ House are set to open their expansion by July 4th.

A Plea to Not Give Money to the “Homeless by Choice”

Pasted on the glass windows of a number of businesses along Newport, was a flier pleading for people to not give any money to “travelers”

Merchants Ready to Hire – Signs of Good Times

There were two storefronts advertising that they need help and want to hire. One was at “miss match” and the other at Margarita’s.