October 2015

Without Debate, San Diego Police to Install 10 Surveillance Cameras Between OB Pier and San Diego River

October 21, 2015 by Source

Lt Carter Informs OBMA at Crime Prevention Meeting

By Lois Lane

If you want to be a video star, don’t count on the Ocean Beach video cameras for fame, much less fortune.

Soon to be installed in Ocean Beach – at the beach between the OB Pier and the San Diego River (Dog Beach included) – will be ten police surveillance cameras all pointed at the areas deemed most critical by the San Diego Police Department.

As far as the OB Rag can tell, police – with the support of one OB organization – are making a near uni-lateral decision without a community-wide debate – about the installation of police surveillance cameras at OB’s waterfront.

Lt. Bill Carter of the SDPD filled in members of the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association (OBMA) Crime Prevention meeting on Tuesday, October 20 with the details. He will be making similar and updated information available to the regularly scheduled meetings in Ocean Beach.

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Reader Rant: Believe It or Not! STVRs Are Already Illegal in San Diego

October 20, 2015 by Source

By John E. Thickstun

There are only two possibilities here in San Diego: STVRs (short term vacation rentals) are either “Visitor Accommodations” under the Municipal Code, or they’re not a listed use in the Municipal Code.

In either case, STVRs are not permitted in residential zones.

STVRs are Visitor Accommodations –

“Uses that provide lodging, or a combination of lodging, food and entertainment, primarily to visitors and tourists”

Hotels, motels and bed and breakfast establishments are Visitor Accommodations. Visitor Accommodations are unlawful in all residential zones. They are a non-conforming use.

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Finally, Democratic Presidential Candidates Say Good Things about Marijuana Legalization

October 20, 2015 by Source

In years past, candidates totally ignored the failed war on drugs and the harms of marijuana prohibition

By Tony Newman / AlterNet

During the first Democratic debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) became the first major presidential candidate to say that he would support legalizing marijuana if given the chance. Asked whether he would support an upcoming ballot measure on legalization in Nevada, Sanders said:

“I suspect I would vote yes. And I would vote yes because I am seeing in this country too many lives being destroyed for non-violent offenses.

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North Of The Fence: It’s All About The San Diego-Tijuana Border

October 20, 2015 by Source

Editor: We wanted to introduce OB Rag readers to something similar to our online newspaper – the South Bay Compass – edited by Barbara Zaragoza. Barbara covers the South Bay – including the border – like the OB Rag covers OB, the Peninsula and other beaches. Plus she and the SB Compass are increasingly becoming associated with our online associates at the San Diego Free Press – and by extension with the OB Rag.

By Barbara Zaragoza/ SouthBayCompass

Huckabee’s Visit

The Times of San Diego reported that former Arkansas governor and Presidential hopeful, Mike Huckabee, visited Border Field State Park on Saturday, October 10th. Standing alongside former congressman, Duncan Lee Hunter, Huckabee talked about illegal border crossers, saying: “They’re not coming to make beds and pick tomatoes. They’re coming to sell drugs. They’re coming to commit crime and to bring the mayhem that they have in their hearts upon the American people.”

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OBserved #5 – Updated

October 20, 2015 by Source

By Terry Ratner

In a split second, a face makes its first impression on us.

Each photo tells a story, but it probably doesn’t tell the same story to any two people.

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“My Days at the ‘Door ‘ ” – Excerpt From Sunshine Noir II

October 19, 2015 by Doug Porter

By Doug Porter

The San Diego Door and its antecedents were a big part of the alternative media scene in America’s Finest City over a eight year period starting in October,1966 when the Good Morning, Teaspoon published its first edition.

By December, 1971, when I first climbed up the steps of the paper’s Victorian stick mansion at 2445 Albatross Street just north of downtown, the paper had gone through ‘free love’, hippie druggie and counterculture phases and a half-dozen names. It had evolved to become a publication with anti-establishment news and alt-culture reviews, featuring powerful graphics and color.

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Bad News Not Reported: The Drift Toward Global Plutocracy Continues Unabated

October 19, 2015 by Jim Miller

By Jim Miller

Recently Thomas B. Edsall penned an interesting column in the New York Times asking “How Did the Democrats Become the Favorites of the Rich?” where he observed that while the gulf between the two parties is still very wide on many social issues, on economic issues, Democrats have “inched closer to the policy positions of conservatives, stepping back from championing the needs of working men and women, of the unemployed and of the so-called underclass.”

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Here’s Sanders in Your Eyes

October 19, 2015 by Source

By Bob Dorn

Time for another look at politics 2015.

No, no, no, don’t go back to Ultimate Fighting, or The Kardashians, or wondering whatever became of Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake or that kid on Via Amnesia named Justin whose pants keep falling below his crack.

Forget the distractions for a moment and try to focus on wtf is going on.

Let’s look at the S-words, and the J-word.

One S-word is Sanders, short for Bernie Sanders. Another S-word is Socialist, that’s the elephant in the room. …

Oh yeah, there’s a J-word. What’s the J stand for? Just a minute, I gotta check a text coming in.

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News and Notices From Ocean Beach and Point Loma

October 16, 2015 by Staff

Stretch of I-8 From OB One of Top 5 for DUI Deaths

OB Library Hosts Wordsmith Richard Lederer

Special Meeting of OB Planners – ‘Deviations to the FAR?’ – Wed., Oct 21

Surfing and Skateboarding to be Official Olympic Sports in Japan in 2020

Bitcoms come to OB

AND MUCH MORE ……………..

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Sea Wall Construction Under Way at Bermuda and Pescadero in Ocean Beach

October 16, 2015 by Source

By South OB Girl

It has been an active month on the coastline of Ocean Beach. Two sea walls are under construction– one at the end of Bermuda Avenue and a second sea wall at the end of Pescadero Avenue.

The Bermuda project is being done by Soil Engineering Construction, which also did the previous sea wall at Bermuda. The Pescadero project is being done by J.C. Baldwin Construction Company.

During my visit, boulders were piled high on Bermuda Avenue waiting to be hauled away in giant trucks and recycled at Fiesta Island.

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Death and Distress at Sunset Cliffs – 2005 to 2015

October 16, 2015 by Frank Gormlie

Introduction

The beautiful Sunset Cliffs that stretch from the residential southern portions of Ocean Beach to the lower reaches of the uninhabited sections of Point Loma are certainly a world-renown, indescribably gorgeous treasure of nature that line the land’s border with the Pacific. At the right moment when the ocean earns its name and the Cliffs earn theirs, the beauty and serenity cannot be amply replicated by the pen – or keyboard. Yet these same cliffs with their jagged rocks and crashing surf are also very unforgiving in their encounters with unwary humans, where death and distress accompany their collision with this abrupt edge between ocean and peninsula.

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Bikini Cleans Ocean While You Swim

October 15, 2015 by Source

By Seth Augenstein / Laboratory Equipment / Oct. 14, 2015

Style and function don’t always dictate fashion. But being environmentally aware is almost always de rigueur.

A bikini developed by a team at the University of California, Riverside is made of a material that repels water but absorbs harmful contaminants – meaning a day at the beach can also be a public service.

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Planning My Garden for an El Niño Winter

October 15, 2015 by Source

By Jeeni Criscenzo/ San Diego Free Press

Now that the weather is cooling off a bit, my attention is turning back to my garden. The oppressive heat of the past two months pretty much silenced the siren call of my garden.

Resigned that my vegetable garden this summer was a total disaster, I had removed all of the fencing that kept the chickens out of my raised beds.

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“Sunshine/Noir II” Is for Bibliophiles

October 15, 2015 by Anna Daniels

San Diego City Works Press’ distinctive approach to book as object

Editor: Here is Anna Daniels’ intro to an anthology on the underside of the San Diego – Tijuana region, “Sunshine/ Noir II“, which was just published by City Works Press – and includes a work by Anna Daniels herself, plus works by Doug Porter, Brent Beltran and OB Rag editor Frank Gormlie. Daniels, Porter, Beltran and Gormlie are also editors at the San Diego Free Press, where this was originally published.

By Anna Daniels

“Books are now obsolete, so the library bureaucracy has long sought to become a quasi adult education institution or after-school study venue or someplace in between.” – Former California Assemblyman Larry Stirling on the Central Library.

Contrary to former California Assemblyman Larry Stirling’s recent misinformed and exceedingly dull assertion that “books are now obsolete” the book publishing industry is doing quite fine. It is only doing so well because there continues to be people who want to own and read books, whether in hard copy, paperback or electronic form.

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The Democratic Presidential Debate’s Big Winner Was …

October 14, 2015 by Doug Porter

cnn debate set By Doug Porter / San Diego Free Press

The consensus view as expressed in the mainstream media I read this morning was Hillary Clinton as “winner” of the October 13th Democratic Presidential debate, hosted by CNN. Not so fast… There’s more to this story…

Polling, social media, and focus groups told a different story, hailing the performance of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. We’ll take a look at some of the commentary on the events of the evening. I’m happy to report the debate was informative and not boring at all.

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Drought 2015: Rich Use Millions of Gallons of Water While Everyone Else Cuts Back

October 14, 2015 by John Lawrence

One San Diego Household Used an Astonishing 4.6 Million Gallons in One Year

By John Lawrence

water dropping Hey, we’re in a drought and people are being encouraged to take shorter showers and only wash their cars sparingly. But that doesn’t apply to the rich. They are using millions of gallons of water and neither the state or local water districts are limiting them in any way.

The water bill for a 11.8 million gallon user in Bel Air for the 12 months ending April 1 was $90,000. This guy was only charged 0.76 cents a gallon! No wonder he consumed water excessively; it was so cheap! California is in the fourth year of a water crisis, but the rich are using water as if there were no tomorrow.

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“Express Yourself”

October 14, 2015 by Ernie McCray

Acknowledging the Playwright Project’s
“Deborah Salzer Excellence in Arts Education Award”

By Ernie McCray

Being recognized
for any contribution
I’ve made to the arts
is like being recognized
for breathing
a breath,
like being identified
for being myself –
as I was raised by a mother
and a grandfather
and a great-aunt
and cousins
and a church
and more than a handful of neighbors …

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OB Historical Society Program: “The Sisters of OB” – Thurs, Oct 15th

October 14, 2015 by Staff

Ocean Beach Historical Society Program
The Sisters of O.B.
Thurs. Oct. 15, at 7 pm

From OBHS:

The OB Historical Society Program this Thursday, October 15th is “The Sisters of O.B” by Sister Marie Louise Flick RSCJ, at the P.L. United Methodist Church, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B. The nuns who live/ lived in O.B. are an important part of the history of Ocean Beach, San Diego and California.

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A Bird’s Eye View

October 13, 2015 by Staff

Long-time OB local and photographer Albert C Elliott captured this moment and labeled it “A Bird’s Eye View”. Thanks ACE.

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Climate Action Demonstration – Downtown Noon – Wed., Oct. 14th

October 13, 2015 by Frank Gormlie

San Diego’s Climate Mobilization Coalition is calling for a “Climate Action Demonstration” at noon in downtown San Diego on Wednesday, October 14th.

It will be held at the Federal Building—Front and Broadway downtown.

San Diego’s coalition will be joining others across the country on this–a People’s Day of Climate Action by calling, once again, for the federal government to implement a national mobilization to get America off fossil fuels and on to renewable energy at wartime speed.

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Two City Meetings on Draft Ordinance for Short Term Rentals – Wed. Oct. 14th

October 13, 2015 by Staff

The City of San Diego is holding 2 meetings on the proposed draft ordinance for short-term vacation rentals, on Wednesday, October 14th.

Both meetings are open to the public, and they’re both in the same place – but there will be limited time for comments. The first meeting is the Code Monitoring Team (CMT) Meeting, which is at 10:00-11:45 a.m. and the second is the Technical Advisory Committee, which meets from 12:00-2:00 p.m.

Critics of the draft proposal being considered feel it is a poorly conceived ordinance that would legitimize mini-hotels in all residential areas in the City.

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Love, laughs, and dancing at the Old Globe

October 13, 2015 by Source

Review of “In Your Arms”

By South OB Girl

Theater and the arts are not the main attraction here in Ocean Beach. The old movie theater (R.I.P. the Strand) is now home to bikinis, t shirts, and beach gear. Perhaps it may be a surprise to some that a number of OBceans are involved in San Diego’s theater scene — a scene which has drawn award winning Broadway performers and Hollywood celebrities.

Currently at the Old Globe there is a show that is causing quite a stir in the theater world with a dance musical production which is the first of it’s kind– “In Your Arms.” And there is talk that the show might head to Broadway. This would not be the first time San Diego has been the starting place of a production that has then headed to New York. Home of many top notch productions over the years, the Old Globe has a long history of putting on excellent performances. And “In Your Arms” is no exception.

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Extreme Weather Watch: September 2015 – Fires Devastate Homes in California

October 13, 2015 by John Lawrence

2,000 Homes and 200 Square Miles Up in Flames

By John Lawrence

On September 13 California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Lake and Napa counties. He also had issued a state of emergency in Calaveras and Amador counties.

Four firefighters were injured in the fire called the Valley fire. Thousands fled as mandatory evacuations were ordered for the communities of Cobb, Middletown, Harbin Hot Springs and Big Canyon Road.

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Foreign Interventions in the Middle East: More Havoc, Nuclear Weapons, Less Order

October 13, 2015 by Source

By Frank Thomas

Map of the Middle East Middle Eastern states are breaking down in an endless escalation of civil wars where Syria, Libya, Yemen, Iraq are collapsing. The resulting power vacuums exploited by rebel factions and demonic jihadist Islamic state are threatening the Middle East. The ancient, ongoing Sunni-Shiite mutual hatreds are afire.

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Airbnb-Funded Study Finds Many More Short Term Rentals at the Beach Than Realized

October 12, 2015 by Frank Gormlie

Over Half of San Diego’s Near 4800 Short Term Rentals Between OB and La Jolla

A new study out is trumpeting the contributions that the short term rental market is making to the San Diego economy. Millions in hotel and sales taxes – wow! And hundreds of jobs! Yea!

But wait! Would it surprise you that the new study was commissioned by Airbnb and two vacation rental marketing firms? It was.

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OB CDC Continues Its Focus on Ocean Beach Park Projects

October 12, 2015 by Source

A Report of the OB CDC Meeting – October 8, 2015,

by Lois Lane

Ocean Beach has the smallest of the city’s northern beach parks, just one mile long. Both Mission Beach and La Jolla greatly exceed it in size. We sometimes take it for granted, but in our hearts we agree with OB Rag commenter “mjt’s” words for a recent article:

“The natural beauty and harmony of the beach…The beach represents freedom and beauty…”

But for all of us who believe the beach represents freedom and harmony, there is an opposing force that the beach represents opportunity for change.

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Down With Columbus Day! It’s Time to Abolish It!

October 12, 2015 by Source

Junco69

Once again this year many schools will pause to commemorate Christopher Columbus. Given everything we know about who Columbus was and what he launched in the Americas, this needs to stop.

Columbus initiated the trans-Atlantic slave trade, in early February 1494, first sending several dozen enslaved Taínos to Spain. Columbus described those he enslaved as “well made and of very good intelligence,” and recommended to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella that taxing slave shipments could help pay for supplies needed in the Indies.

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Sunshine/Noir II: A Continuing Exploration of Literary San Diego and Tijuana

October 12, 2015 by Jim Miller

San Diego City Works Press Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Anthology:
“Sunshine/Noir II: Writing From San Diego and Tijuana”

Friday, October 16th at the Glashaus Mainspace
1815 Main Street in Barrio Logan
By Jim Miller

This fall, San Diego City Works Press marks its 10th anniversary with the release of Sunshine/Noir II: Writing from San Diego and Tijuana, an anthology of local writing about San Diego edited by Kelly Mayhew and myself.

As we note in the introduction to the anthology:

It’s been ten years since San Diego City Works Press published its first book, Sunshine/Noir: Writing from San Diego and Tijuana and, much to our surprise in many ways, we are still here.

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Effective Altruism: Is It Up To Rich People To Save the World?

October 9, 2015 by John Lawrence

By John Lawrence

Peter Singer has written a book The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism Is Changing Ideas About Living Ethically (Yale University Press, 2015). Singer has been called “the world’s greatest living philosopher” and is currently a Professor at Princeton so we must take his work seriously. Yet I’m bothered by the implications of his work as condensed in an essay: How You Can Do the Most Good: It’s Not as Simple as You Think.

He tells about one of his students who, though caring to extreme about the plight of poor people in the world, nevertheless, chose to go to work on Wall Street when he graduated. His reasoning was that he could help the most poverty stricken by dedicating a large amount of his considerable salary to helping them rather than going to work as a volunteer working directly with them in Africa, for instance.

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Coastal Commission Bans Orca Breeding But Approves Tank Expansion

October 9, 2015 by Source

By Sneha Shankar/ International Business Times

The California Coastal Commission Thursday approved the bid by SeaWorld to expand the tanks the company uses to hold killer whales in San Diego, but banned the breeding of the captive orcas that would live in them. The decision came through a vote, which followed a daylong hearing with several speakers, who spoke for and against the proposed expansion.

While the decision was lauded by animal rights activists, it would only ban the breeding of captive orcas, including through artificial insemination, in the company’s California park but not in its facilities in other states. SeaWorld also operates parks in San Antonio, Texas, and Orlando, Florida. The amendment would also ban the sale, trade or transfer of the orcas, and provided an exemption for some of the whales that were caught in the wild, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

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