News from Ocean Beach and Point Loma – Mid-February 2016

Grey Whale Spotted Near Shelter Island

A grey whale took a quick detour from it’s southern migration and entered San Diego Bay Monday morning.  The whale was first noticed off Ballast Point in the ocean near the entrance to the bay by reporter Phil Konstantin of Total Traffic Networks. He was airborne for a midday news report around 11 a.m. and saw it near Shelter Island.  By 11:30 a.m., the whale had made its way out of the bay and was heading south. This is the typical migration pattern for whales to head to Mexico from the north for the winter for breeding season. Fox5

Prop 15 Celebration Party – Feb. 15th

Celebration of 18 Years of Safe Access in California – the San Diego Chapter of Americans for Safe Access brings you San Diego’s premier Prop 215 Party on Saturday, February 15th! Join us for a jammin’ night of live Music, Food, Raffles, Prizes and Safe Access.  Tickets will not be sold at the door so, hurry up and purchase your tickets today! $20 Pre-Sale Only Patients Only. 21+; Must have valid physicians recommendation.  WHEN – February 15, 2014 at 2:15pm – 10:15pm; WHERE – The SeedleSs Compound at 2229 Bacon St in OB

Flood at Green Store

There was a flood in the Green Store on Friday, Feb. 12th. A broken line in to the bathroom (clean water, thank goodness) occurred and within 20 minutes it flooded almost all of the back rooms. Center staff had to move a lot of stuff into the front. So, the Green Store may not be up to snuff for the next couple of days. The OB Rag also has an office there, but nothing was damaged (not even of our large poster of Karl Rove being arrested by Capitol police.  The Green Store / Center is located at 4843 B Voltaire in OB.

Searches for Missing Swimmer Off OB Come Up Empty

At least twice over the last 24 hours, police and lifeguards have searched local waters in and around Ocean Beach for a swimmer who may be missing. Helicopters have been patrolling as well. But at the time of this posting at least, no one has been found and no evidence of a drowning. Police actually are not even certain there is a missing swimmer.

A 911 call was made around 2 a.m. by a woman reporting that she had found clothing near a seawall in OB and thought the clothes belonged to a missing swimmer – as she had seen someone in the area between midnight and 1 a.m. enter the water but not come out. She waiting an hour before calling for help.  After not finding anyone during the two sweeps, the search has been called off.  The last patrol by copters was around 7:30 a.m. Monday morning.

10News and NBCSanDiego

Vacationing Soldiers Rescue Passengers of Car that Went into Mission Bay

Three U.S. military service members sprang to action and rescued a group of men from Mission Bay overnight after a car plunged into the water in Fiesta Island. The soldiers, in San Diego on vacation from Texas, were relaxing bayside around a bonfire just after 12:30 a.m. when, suddenly, they witnessed an SUV veer off the road and plunge into Mission Bay, about 200 feet away from them.
The service members rushed over to the water.

One man in the SUV had managed to make his way to the shore, but the soldiers soon released two more young men were still in the water, screaming for help.  The soldiers jumped into the bay and pulled the men out. All of the crash victims were unharmed. The crash is under investigation.  Police say there were reports of a driver speeding and honking in the area about 30 minutes prior to the crash, though it is unclear if those reports are related to the driver of the SUV that crashed into the water. At this point, it is unknown if alcohol played a factor in the crash. NBCSanDiego

Navy, Water Department Wary of Massive Fish Farm Project Off Point Loma

The backers of a massive fish farm off the coast of San Diego are starting to get a sense of all the hurdles they’ll need to overcome to pull the project off.  The city’s water department is afraid pollution from the fish farm could trigger a regulatory chain reaction that could cost city water customers $2 billion.  The Navy worries that cages of fish five miles off the coast could interfere with its operations. Those operations or debris from them could accidentally drift into the cages, the Navy warned in a recent letter.

The agencies’ concerns challenge the project’s backers, the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, a nonprofit, and Cuna del Mar, a private equity firm. Their plan to raise 11 million pounds of fish offshore is the most ambitious aquaculture project of its kind in the United States. To Voice of San Diego

Another Version of the Cutting Down of Saratoga’s Torrey Pines

Julie Stalmer wrote this for the SD Reader:

On February 5, signs were posted on the 4600 block of Saratoga Avenue to alert residents of upcoming tree trimming. On February 8, Atlas Tree Service, under contract with the city, severed the large branches of two 75-foot-tall Torrey pines in preparation of cutting them down entirely the next day. One of these trees is in front of Phillip Gordon’s house. It was planted in the 1930s, decades before Gordon’s parents bought the house in 1979. Gordon now owns and lives in the home. More at SD Reader.

Well Known Mission Beach Activist Struck by Car While Painting Over Graffiti

A well-known Mission Beach community activist was painting over graffiti Friday evening – Feb. 12th – when she was struck by a driver involved in a road-rage incident and suspected of intoxication, officials said.  Maruta Gardner, 69, suffered massive head injuries and died Saturday after being taken off life support. Her death stunned friends and supporters.

The San Diego City Council had recently honored Gardner by declaring Nov. 3 “Maruta Gardner Day.” Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilwoman Lorie Zapf were among many posting condolences on social media.  “She was a great friend and neighbor, and worked hard in the community to make it better,” said neighbor Karen Mitchell, who had known her 30 years ago.

At 5:45 p.m. on Friday, Gardner was at the entrance to the jetty on San Diego Place and Mission Boulevard. At that moment, a black Toyota Corolla passed a white Ford Mustang on the right, went onto the shoulder and struck Gardner.  The drivers were engaged in a road-rage altercation, San Diego police said. The Toyota driver then pulled into a nearby parking lot and sped out a few minutes later. Officers stopped the Toyota a short distance away and arrested Jonathan Domingo Garcia, 23. He is booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, DUI and hit and run, with bail set at $550,300.  Police did not know the Mustang driver’s identity.  LA Times

OB Pier Closed Over Weekend

Yup, it was true. Once again.

Marty McDermott and image of his tattoo.

Body of Man Found Floating Off OB Identified as Martin Paul McDermott

The name of the dead man found floating in the ocean off Sunset Cliffs last weekend was identified by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office as Martin Paul McDermott, 38. Cause of death has still not been determine. McDermott’s body had been in the water for at least two days when it was spotted by a helicopter crew last Sunday, about 3/4 of a mile west of Osprey Street. His sister Maggie McDermott said:

“He was an artist, a musician, a genius. He was in Mensa. He was one of the smartest people I’ve ever met in my entire life.”

Despite the partially decomposed body, a forensic artist was able to recreate sketches of two distinctive tattoos on McDermott, which after being released to the news media, a family friend  recognized the images and called them to confirm it was Marty. Maggie recounted:

“He works in the tattoo industry and he was friends with my brother and sought out the artist. He was familiar with the guys work and he was like, ‘Who did you do these tattoos on’ and he’s like, ‘Oh I did them on Marty.’ “

Family members will be holding a memorial on February 21 at 2 p.m. at Care Center Cremation & Burial.

Thursday, February 18, 7 pm, Ocean Beach Historical Society Presents: “Centennial of the Devastating 1916 Flood and the Rainmaker” at St. Peter’s by the Sea Lutheran Church 1371 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, Ocean Beach; In words and pictures this presentation will re-visit the famed Rainmaker Flood and look at the strange story of an itinerant sewing machine salesman-turned rainmaker, who claimed the historic rainfall as “an act of Hatfield.” Rick Crawford is the supervisor of Special Collections at the San Diego Public Library and former archives director at the San Diego Historical Society.  This is a free event.

Photo by Adam Ewing.

Drunk Kid Rams Several Cars, Ends at Van

Around 10 pm, on Feb. 12th, an intoxicated kid several vehicles, and then tried to run. It all came to an end when he rammed into a van at Cable and Muir, reports Adam Ewing, who runs the Ocean Beach!!! facebook page. Adam also reported that the young man, Jacob, tried to leave, but onlookers pulled him from the car and detained until police arrived.

Winners at Pt Loma Nazarene’ National Debate

Two Georgia Mercer University sophomores proved themselves among the top debaters in the country by winning the 19th Annual Point Loma Round Robin, held this past Friday at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. The invitation-only tournament annually pits the top 10 National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) schools against one another. Along with Mercer, the field included Biola University; Cal State University of Long Beach; Concordia, Irvine; El Camino College; Grand Canyon University; Northern Arizona University; Point Loma Nazarene University; the University of the Pacific; and the University of Utah. … One of the primary reasons the Point Loma Round Robin was begun in 1998 was to gather the top teams across the country for a warm-up of sorts prior to nationals. Mercer

Crooked Coast Gets Encore From Winston’s Audience

From on the road with Crooked Coast: “One More Song. Winston’s in Ocean Beach was our last show. We had only a half-hour set, but we put everything we had into that 30 minutes. At the end we got an encore, which is pretty unusual for an opening band. As the room chanted for “one more song,” I thought, “Don’t worry, California. We will be back for a few more songs.”

February 24th Wednesday  7:00 p.m.  Women Occupy Film Night presenting “Why War Is Not Inevitable”  Women’s Museum, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Liberty Station.  This film captures Paul Chappell’s , a West Point graduate and Iraq War veteran, view of war and peace.  Join us as we discuss alternative to war and the militarism of our society…from our schools to our police to our civic centers.  How can we resist war and build peace in San Diego. Free  More Info:  619-233-7963