Month: December 2016

Editor: The following Letter to Electors promulgated by Daniel Brezenoff and signed by electors, law professors and many others, is being published in newspapers across the country.

San Diego event on December 19 listed at end of article.
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Esteemed Electors:

We, a bipartisan coalition of Americans including Electors, scholars, officials, and concerned citizens write to you in the spirit of fellowship, out of our sense of patriotism, and with great urgency.

A developer and political insider – a former chairman of the San Diego Planning Commission – appears to have benefited big-time from a City of San Diego affordable and sustainability housing program – that he was ineligible for – by being allowed to construct single-family McMansions at the coast.

Tim Golba of Golba Architecture was given the green light by the City’s Development Services Department to obtain the permits for his single family home projects through the city’s “Affordable/In-Fill Housing and Sustainable Buildings Expedite Program.” We know this, thanks to the diligence of the Voice of San Diego.

The program is supposed to allow for building permits to be processed in half of the normal time, for a $500 fee, …

The founder of a yoga empire was found dead inside his Point Loma home on Monday, December 12th, and police are investigating his death as a possible homicide.

Trevor Tice, 48, the founder of CorePower Yoga, was identified as the deceased man inside the multi-million dollar home on the 900 block of Cornish Drive in the Sunset Cliffs area.

Initially police officers went to Tice’s home as part of a welfare check around 12:30 p.m. and now, due to suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, homicide detectives are currently investigating the incident.

By Ernie McCray

As I more and more awaken from the shock to my body and soul as a result of Donald Trump being my president, I keep thinking back to my Sunday School days in the 40’s singing a song our teacher, Mr. Chandler, taught us:

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine…

Mr. Chandler, a beautiful man, with a voice like Paul Robeson’s, would tell us:

Over the past few years, I have done a number of restaurant reviews that have met with, to say the least, mixed reactions. Some of those restaurants that I thought left a lot to be desired are someone else’s favorite, and, thanks to the First Amendment, people have told me how wrong I have been in no uncertain terms.

In talking to my friend Mary this morning, she offered to go with me to any restaurant and “help” me review it. I pointed out to her that she was “too nice” to do a restaurant review. She finds good in everyone; in everything; to the point that I sometimes wonder how she can be such a good friend. … So Mary and I did a “mock” review – over the phone – that I would like to share with you –

Michael Mills Buys Complex of Studios on Voltaire – Immediately Notifies Tenants of 20% Rent Raise

The largest landowner – landlord in Ocean Beach, Michael Mills, just purchased a complex of 10 studios on Voltaire Street – and immediately notified the tenants of a rent raise.

Mills can now add this property to his OB empire – an empire that the OB Rag has been chronicling – which we calculate at 241 units within Ocean Beach – not including this most recent purchase.

The 2-story, cream-colored older complex at 4876 Voltaire, has 10 units – all studios. All the tenants were notified of a rent raise by fliers – a rent raise that is a 20% increase. The studios were being rented for $870, and the new rent will be $1,050.

Seems the Village of Ocean Beach has been swamped lately – between someone dumping gallons of paint near the tide pools and a homeless woman named “Mama Bear” covering lots of surfaces with a black marker pen.

10News did a pair of news stories Tuesday, one about the paint dump and the other about “Mama Bear”.

One of the members of the OB Graffiti Task Force, Kevin Hastings, was asked about the mess so close to the ocean and precious pools of life:

As a continuing public service, we publish the latest in the 2016 National Presidential Popular Vote.

As of Monday, Dec. 12th, Hillary Clinton leads Trump by over 2.8 million votes – 2,844,030.

These continuing series of public service announcements would not be necessary except for the fact that Trump continues to proclaim that he won in a “landslide”.

By Will Falk / San Diego Free Press

Recently walking up Main Street in Park City, Utah, I saw in the Visitor’s Center doorway what looked like a man holding a great-horned owl surrounded by children. As his voice carried across the street, I heard the man explain that this owl had been found with an injured wing after being struck by a car.

I love owls. I love the haunting sound of their hoots in the darkest hours before dawn. I love the joy that accompanies the lucky sight of a splash of brown feathers against newly-fallen snow when an owl makes the rare decision to reveal herself in winter daylight. I love how owls’ mysterious nature have made them omens in so many cultures’ imaginations. So, when I saw what I thought was a great-horned owl, I automatically crossed the street with a feeling of anticipation.

It’s that week of the holidays where the Ocean Beach Town Council has geared up is Annual Food & Toy Drive – and they need you to volunteer. It all begins Monday night – the 12th of December.

The Town Council has a big goal this year to feed and provide presents for over 90 local families and seniors. And they need your help to get the job done! Stop by and lend a hand sorting food and wrapping gifts.

They hope that you will join them us on one or more of the following dates – and it all takes place at the Masonic Center, 1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd.

Here is the schedule:

Christopher Perez was walking along Sunset Cliffs around 10:45 p.m. Friday night, Dec. 9th, and when he came to Ladera Street – the end of the boulevard -he noticed a figure down on the beach below.

“I yelled and no one answered. It looked like a figure so I went down there to check things out and he wasn’t moving,” Perez told 10News. 10News

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) was called, and discovered that an man died on the beach after tumbling at least 50 feet down the cliffs. Emergency crews tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead on the beach. His name has not been released.

By Jim Miller

The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and the heroic struggle against it have ignited a big battle inside of American labor. Earlier this fall an excellent article in Common Dreams outlined the split over DAPL at the national level with key trades unions and AFL-CIO leader Richard Trumka backing the pipeline and criticizing the protests while other large national unions were issuing statements supporting the Standing Rock resistance.

Here in California and elsewhere, Trumka’s letter in support of the pipeline received strong condemnation.

For instance, a response to it that I penned as chair of the California Federation of Teachers Climate Justice Task Force challenges the AFL-CIO leader in the strongest possible terms: