Month: May 2017

By Brett Warnke

“I talk. I mean, I speak … but she doesn’t hear me,” a tall man in Newbreak told his bearded friend, writing something to himself who didn’t look up.

For a moment there was a breathless silence. The espresso popped, the door creaked and the drawer jingled coins. The bearded friend, feeling he should respond finally spoke.

“Look, she’s going through some problems…”

His voice trailed into nothing.

“But she thinks I do things. I tell her that it’s all in her head. But she doesn’t listen. She doesn’t listen.”

Perhaps I shouldn’t have listened either. I felt I’d intruded, so I stood and left.

But the sadness in the tall man’s voice sat on me like an alp as I walked down Abbott Street through the cool morning.

Editor’s Note: The following was printed in the Op-Ed section of the Monday, May 1 LA Times. We repost it with the author’s permission. David Helvarg, btw, used to be an OB resident who worked on the original OB Rag in the 1970s.

By David Helvarg

President Trump signed an executive order Friday aimed at expanding offshore oil drilling in U.S. waters, including areas in the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean made off-limits by President Obama. For good measure, and no doubt as a poke in the eye to a state that voted overwhelmingly against him, his directive includes the possibility of new drilling leases off the California coast.

The idea, clearly, is to open up U.S. seas not yet tapped like the Gulf of Mexico — America’s energy sacrifice zone — as if the nation were a junkie searching for uncollapsed veins.

A private investigator hired by the family of 27-year-old Kevin Chilson-Moyers, who drowned after allegedly jumping off the Ocean Beach Pier, says that there is a reason to suspect possible foul play in his death.

“There are very few witnesses, no camera footage retrieved by police, and a lot of questions left as to what unfolded that evening. We think there is more to the story,” stated Investigator Josh Chandler.

Chilson-Moyers died tragically in what many have described as a freak accident, when according to witnesses he jumped off the Ocean Beach Pier March 31st at 9:30 at night in heavy surf, just to retrieve a backpack or hat that had been thrown off the pier by an unknown group of men he had allegedly been in an argument with.

The Ocean Beach Planning Board meets this Wednesday, May 3rd, and the Board has two projects to review on is agenda, a demolition on Voltaire Street and a project on Saratoga Avenue that appears to be a short-term rental. The Board meets at the OB Recreation Center, 4726 Santa Monica Avenue, at 6pm sharp.

Also on the agenda is a discussion by the Board members of the results from an April meeting with ABC (Alcohol, Beverage Control), plus the Board will receive a short presentation about Community Choice Energy.

Editor’s Note: On April 26th, Trump signed an executive order that covers a review of national monument designations going back 21 years. It was an executive order that is monumental—and not in a good way.

By Mark Sumner / Daily Kos

In the spirit of patriotic occupiers of wildlife habitat who don’t believe any place is so beautiful, historic, or ecologically significant that it couldn’t be improved by a Walmart and/or a strip mine, Trump wants to do in a few national monuments.

By Brett Warnke

Everyday Chad Tye, a Teaching Assistant at Community High School of San Diego, a Pioneer vocational transition program, takes his six students to volunteer around Ocean Beach. It is a program Pioneer hopes to expand that helps students with special needs gain independence, skills and trades for potential employment.

“Many of our students have communication issues so even being able to say ‘I’m here’ and complete jobs—to have a some place to go when they wake up in the morning and someone to talk to—has improved their quality of life,” Tye said.

The OB Rag has heard a report via a reader that a large, “champion” Torrey Pine is being cut down today – Monday, May 1st – in the area of the 3600 block of Amaryllis and Lotus near Plumosa Park.

We have not been able to confirm this.

A concerned citizen made a posting on Network alerting the local community in Point Loma. Here is an excerpt:

Clothes Racks Not Allowed Outside Newport Avenue Storefronts

By South OB Girl

For many years there have been racks of clothing for sale outside the shops on Newport Avenue. I have memories of outdoor racks at Lola Luna, Miss Match, The Closet, Wahines, Dream Girls, Temptress, $2 Thrill, OB Surf & Skate, Wings, the souvenir shops, and the shell shop.

I recently learned that these racks of clothes outside stores are not allowed in the Public Right of Way (PROW). Shops can purchase a permit for $45 from the OB MainStreet Association to be able to use a designated area of sidewalk (for a distance of no more than 4′-0″ from the property line) in front of their stores as part of the PROW Enhancement Program. The PROW cannot be used for clothes racks but can be used for other things.

Restaurant Review

The Gourmet Bagger
3357 Rosecrans
San Diego, CA
Midway in Loma Square
619-523-0590
Thegourmetbagger.com

Time to have lunch with the widows again, except that this time there were only two of us. Irene and me. We started out the day going to garage and estate sales, and then went to the Police Department to drop off some very old prescriptions. As we were driving to the police department we noticed that traffic on Highway 8 going west was backed up all the way to Hotel Circle. That changed where we were going to eat lunch, and decided to try “The Gourmet Bagger” instead of our original plans.

Parking at Loma Square is difficult at any time, but Saturday is the worst. Luckily we found a place relatively easy and were pleasantly surprised to see that tables outside and inside had diners, but there were still a few tables left.

9:00 AM to 2:00 PM Teach-in, Rally and March at San Diego City College
3:00 PM Rally at the Federal Building
4:00 PM March to Chicano Park followed by Rally in Chicano Park

By Jim Miller

Usually May Day comes and goes with a small march that most people barely notice. Indeed, most Americans don’t know much about May Day and if they do, they associate it with the state sponsored holiday in the former Soviet Union.

The truth of the matter is, however, that May Day has deep American roots. It started in 1866 as part of the movement pushing for the 8-hour day.