Month: December 2015

Gretchen Newsom Withdraws from San Diego Mayor Race

 Frank Gormlie  December 12, 2015  3 Comments on Gretchen Newsom Withdraws from San Diego Mayor Race

Newsom and Husband to Divorce

Gretchen Newsom issued the following statement on her blog yesterday on her decision to withdraw from the mayor’s race, December 11th:

“I have decided that I will not run for Mayor. My husband and I have recently decided to divorce on an amicable basis and, therefore, I need to focus on our son. I appreciate everyone’s respect of our privacy.”

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Why Surfrider Is Against the Carlsbad Desalination Plant

 Source  December 11, 2015  5 Comments on Why Surfrider Is Against the Carlsbad Desalination Plant

Editor: The following is a press statement from the San Diego Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation on the opening of the Carlsbad desalination plant.

Carlsbad Desalination Plant Opening: The Wrong Solution at the Wrong Time

San Clemente, CA, December 10, 2015 – Since 2009, the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches, along with its San Diego Chapter, objected to the rationale for, and ultimately the process to establish the Carlsbad desalination plant, in California, by the developer, Poseidon Resources, Inc.

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Ex-SeaWorld Employee Gives Chilling New Details About Orca Mistreatment

 Source  December 11, 2015  3 Comments on Ex-SeaWorld Employee Gives Chilling New Details About Orca Mistreatment

By Ameena Schelling/ The Dodo / December 8, 2015

The past few years have seen a stream of former SeaWorld employees speak out about their time at the company. Now another employee is stepping forward — and revealing even more details about just how poorly the parks’ animals are treated.

Sarah Fischbeck joined SeaWorld San Diego as a water quality diver right after high school in 2007. During six years with the company, she worked jobs across the animal departments, performing maintenance on tanks and cleaning them, and regularly diving with the animals.

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SDG&E: Solar’s Fake Friend

 Source  December 11, 2015  0 Comments on SDG&E: Solar’s Fake Friend

By Hutton Marshall/sandiego350.org

San Diego Gas & Electric, our friendly neighborhood energy provider whether we like it or not, continues to prove that their claims to support clean energy are merely superficial. Especially in regards to solar energy, the most efficient, environmentally friendly energy source available to homes and businesses, SDG&E continues to favor policies that diminish the critical financial incentives that allow San Diegans to generate their own clean energy.

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High Tides But No Flooding in OB Friday Morning

 Frank Gormlie  December 11, 2015  0 Comments on High Tides But No Flooding in OB Friday Morning

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Tides were high, but thank goodness there was no flooding in OB this Friday morning, the 11th of December.

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Opposition to Police Cameras Dominates Packed Public Forum

 Frank Gormlie  December 10, 2015  17 Comments on Opposition to Police Cameras Dominates Packed Public Forum

Police and Councilwoman Zapf Snubbed Meeting

In its first, genuine public display, the opposition to the police surveillance cameras being installed in OB sounded off at last night’s forum. In a packed community room at the OB Rec Center, where over 50 people crowded into the space along with 4 or 5 television cameras and sets of reporters, the group that has led the opposition, Citizens Against Privacy Abuse (CAPA) held its very first community public event.

By all accounts – the forum was very successful, as its structure allowed for nearly an hour and half of public dialogue and discussion of the camera issue, with participants sitting in a wide circle. CAPA organizers had pulled the event off in just over one weeks time – having announced the forum at last week’s Planning Board meeting. Several hundred posters, fliers, human bill-boarding along with petitions and media coverage paid off for the brand new group – which itself was barely one month old.

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“Santa Paws” is Coming to OB

 Matthew Wood  December 10, 2015  2 Comments on “Santa Paws” is Coming to OB

Local Pet Store Throws Holiday Benefit for Cat Rescue Shelter

By Matthew Wood

We all know the good little boys and girls of Ocean Beach will get a visit from Santa Claus in a few weeks.

But did you know that all the good little pets will also get their chance to visit the big guy this weekend?

They do – and it’s all part of Bone Appetit’s annual fundraiser for the store’s cat rescue shelter.

For a $5 donation, owners can bring their pets in this Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. for a picture with “Santa Paws” at the store’s Sunset Cliffs/Narragansett location. The store will also offer specials on pet supplies and 15 percent off all holiday items.

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It’s Time that Ordinary People Get a Break – Instead of the Banks

 John Lawrence  December 9, 2015  1 Comment on It’s Time that Ordinary People Get a Break – Instead of the Banks

graph avg inc by grp 2007

Income Inequality is Getting Worse

By John Lawrence

Income and wealth inequality is only getting worse. It’s not hard to understand why. Certain corporations have a lock on economic activity throughout the world.

Mom and Pop operations have been forced out of business or have merged with the Big Guys.

Artificial intelligence, automation, robots, and computers have taken over many menial but used-to-be-better-than-minimum-wage jobs like check-out clerks, bank tellers and customer service operators. Other jobs have been offshored to cheaper labor jurisdictions.

The rest of us, college graduates included, have been reduced to being expendable appendages of the large corporate machines to be sucked in and spit out at their pleasure. When our skill sets are outmoded, we will be laid off and fresh talent will be acquired.

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Response to “War of Words” at OB Planning Board Meeting

 Source  December 9, 2015  2 Comments on Response to “War of Words” at OB Planning Board Meeting

Editor: In the interests of continuing community debate about the installation of police surveillance cameras, the opposition and the reasons to oppose the cameras, the OB Rag publishes a response by Dan Dennison to our report of the most recent OB Planning Board meeting. Dennison is a member of the OB Planning Board.

By Dan Dennison

It is regrettable that the “forum” for presentation and comments about the anticipated OB beach surveillance cameras at last weeks’ OB Planning Board meeting became so contentious.

I believe that expression of the strongly held feelings of our residents is an enduring tradition of Ocean Beach and has to be respected and acknowledged. I personally appreciate the strong advocacy of opposition to the whole issue of surveillance from mounted cameras. However, I recognize that the world is not like it used to be when I was younger. The virtual digital ‘“vice grip” affecting all of us today very significantly eliminates both private and public privacy.

I believe a bit of perspective about last weeks’ meeting is helpful in understanding why the conflicts arouse so much emotion.

The OB Planning Board has no jurisdiction or approval capacity for what are generally called Public Safety issues.

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Widder Curry Predicts “Fall” of OB Sushi

 Judi Curry  December 8, 2015  21 Comments on Widder Curry Predicts “Fall” of OB Sushi

Editor: A local OB restaurant is in the news, but not for good reasons. The operator of OB Sushi was just convicted of seafood fraud for serving fake “lobster rolls” – along with 7 other operators of sushi restaurants across San Diego.
Well, our own Widder Curry predicted all of this – not necessarily the fraudulent lobster – but the poor quality of the food – and service – in her most recent review – before the news broke. Here it is:

Restaurant Review – OB SUSHI SUSHI – Gets a “C” From the Widder Curry

Recently, my friend David and I decided we were hungry and ventured down Newport Avenue to grab a bite to eat. The first sushi restaurant we passed was crowded and noisy so we decided to walk a few stores down to the “OB Sushi Sushi” house. I noticed as we were greeted by a friendly person at the door, that the restaurant was in the process of changing hands but it was open, was clean, and we were hungry.

The first thing I felt was the extreme cold of the environment.

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Winners of the 36th Annual OB Holiday Parade

 Source  December 8, 2015  0 Comments on Winners of the 36th Annual OB Holiday Parade

From Gretchen Newsom

Please accept our sincere appreciation for your participation in the 36th Annual Ocean Beach Holiday Parade. We hope you enjoyed the parade as much as we did!!
____________________________
____________________________

We want to extend our Congratulations to each of this year’s Parade Winners:

Category Winner

Family: Whale Riders: mOBy dick

COME INSIDE FOR THE REST OF THE WINNERS …

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Reader Rant: “My Arguments Against OB Police Cameras”

 Source  December 8, 2015  8 Comments on Reader Rant: “My Arguments Against OB Police Cameras”

Arguments By OB Rag and Others Opposed to Cameras Are Misguided

By Kevin Hastings

I strongly object to the installation of surveillance cameras along the beachfront.

With that said, I think the arguments by the OB Rag and others opposed to it are a bit misguided.

Appealing for liberty to sheep … you may as well try and teach a dog how to fly. In order to win over anyone on this, you have to consider their perspective.

It appears to me that a majority of OBcians currently support the cameras in the name of safety. Your newsletter poll said otherwise, but perhaps because they are birds of a feather, to an extent.

Police do not care about the privacy of anyone else. … Here’s my arguments: …

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