Month: June 2015

By Ernie McCray

Someone on Facebook posted, regarding the recent “pool party” event in McKinney, Texas: “If you don’t like the interaction you’re having with the police, just trying obeying the law.”

A comment was made saying that what happened could have been avoided if the girls had just acted responsibly and obeyed the laws.

I couldn’t help but think “There are pool party laws?” But, as to “obeying the laws,” I’m down with that. I’m just opposed to somebody, who is hired to uphold the law, slamming those who don’t obey the law to the ground or kicking them in the face or choking them or executing them in the streets.

Drought Helps Water Quality at San Diego and Other California Beaches

The group, Heal the Bay, just released their annual report card on water quality. They assign a letter grade to beaches and coastal areas up and down the West Coast in three categories, the dry season from April to October, dry periods from November through March, and during wet weather.

By Jeeni Criscenzo /
San Diego Free Press

I spent a recent Sunday afternoon exploring the new exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum, Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed.

Being somewhat of an aficionado of Maya studies, due to the considerable research I did while writing the novel, Place of Mirrors , I had tacked the announcement for this event to my calendar with great anticipation. I wasn’t disappointed! This exhibit was thorough, interesting and respectful of the Maya culture, both past and present.

Another Police Shooting of African-Americans!It Can Happen Anywhere in the United States Including Olympia, WA. It Did Happen Here!

by Peter Bohmer / June 4, 2015

At 1:15 A.M. early Thursday, May 21st, 2015 on the westside of Olympia, Washington, white police officer, Ryan Donald, shot two young Black unarmed brothers, Andre Thompson, aged 24, and Bryson Chaplin, aged 21.

These two Olympia residents were initially in serious condition at nearby hospitals in Tacoma and Seattle. Andre Thompson was released from the hospital five day after being shot but has broken ribs and internal injuries. As of June 4th, Bryson Chaplin is still hospitalized and paralyzed from the waist down with a bullet lodged in his spine.

We’re running a poll to see what kind of device our readers use most when they view the OB Rag.

Is it a personal computer or some kind of a mobile device?

We ran a poll last week on the exact same question, but began wondering whether some of our friends who read on certain mobile devices could access or even see the poll.

So, please – help us out and take part in this. Come on in ….

Condo Project Failed to Meet OB’s FAR; 2 Other Projects Approved

The OB Project Review Committee, as a sub-committee of the full Planning Board, previews any construction projects that come before the official volunteer group, and it usually decides to either make a recommendation for approval or denial of the project.

And at last night’s meeting of the Project Review Committee, it unanimously rejected a proposed project slated for the large empty lot at the southwest corner at Abbott and Muir. By a vote of 8 to 0, the sub-committee voted to recommend denial of the project for the full Board, which next meets on July 1.

The sub-committee did vote to recommend approval for 2 other projects on their agenda, one on the 4900 block of Cape May and the other on the 5000 block of Santa Monica.

By Robert Little

There is a lot of action at the corner of Pacific Beach Drive and Crown Point Drive in Pacific Beach these days. The visible construction of grading for a small restoration project behind the marsh fence started in May of this year but the preparations started more than two years ago and the covering of the bare sandy soil will take at least six months to complete. The work is restricted to the portion of the marsh owned by the University of California and managed by UCSD.

By John Lawrence

Some guys just can’t resist the temptation to score an extra couple of hundred thousand bucks by using their position inside a company such as Qualcomm and the information they are privileged to know in order to buy and sell stock before the public has access to that information.

Such a guy was Derek Montague Cohen, who knew about Qualcomm’s plans to buy Atheros Communications in 2011.

He knew that Atheros’ stock value would go up after it was publicly announced that Qualcomm would buy them. So he bought Atheros stock before it was announced publicly and before the stock price went up.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner has determined that Anne Gillin – a well-known transient person who frequented Ocean Beach and Shelter Island – died by accidental drowning.

The reported concluded:

Based on the autopsy findings and the circumstances surrounding the death, as currently understood, the cause of death is drowning, and the manner of death is accident.

There was no evidence of foul play. Investigator Sandra Joseph also found that Gillin suffered from diabetes.

Gillin was reportedly last seen by a friend on the wading beach at Shelter Island on either April 27 or 28.

By Jon Linney and Don Sevrens / Special to the OB Rag

Our walk-in park at the upper end of Avenida de Portugal is moving forward. Big time.

We have a nonprofit sponsor. United Portuguese S.E.S., by a vote of the board of directors, has agreed to take on that role. What’s more, they will be our financial custodian, processing all private donations through a segregated account.

The agreement is a milestone on our path to success. It fulfills a city requirement that we have a nonprofit sponsor and means all donations are tax-deductible. Further, with UPSES serving also as the financial custodian, every penny of every donation will go directly to the park. There will be no administrative fees.

Review Committee to Meet Wed., June 17 at OB Rec Center

We often do not cover the OB Planning Board’s Project Review Committee meetings because most the projects end up for a final decision at the regular Board monthly meeting anyhow.

Not this month. For it definitely appears that the Project Review Committee – a sub-committee of the full Board – has a full plate for it June 17th meeting.

It has 3 projects to review – for a total of 10 new units and 26 parking spaces.

Interestingly, all the proposed projects are for empty lots in north Ocean Beach, including the very last large vacant lot at the intersection of Muir and Abbott.