Santa Cruz Pocket Beach Now Protected by Lifeguards
It’s an historic move by San Diego lifeguards – for the first time ever, the beach at the foot of Santa Cruz Avenue now has a lifeguard “station”. Two lifeguards staff the cliff top stand, overlooking a beautiful, yet dangerous pocket beach with waves crashing on a narrow beach and tide waters sweeping through the labyrinth of rocks and tunnels. When this reporter visited the beach on a mid-week July afternoon, I found dozens of people on the beach, hitting the waves, or jumping off rocks into oncoming waves. Because of its inherent dangers, this pocket of OB needs first responders, and now it has them.
Actor James Cromwell Cited for Trespass at Protest inside SeaWorld
Actor James Cromwell was cited for trespassing Monday after he and six other activists interrupted an orca show at SeaWorld in San Diego to stage a protest, police said. Shortly after he was detained at the park, Cromwell was released, according to officer Billy Hernandez, spokesman for the San Diego Police Department. The other activists with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals were also detained, the organization said. A live Facebook video that was recorded by PETA showed the “Babe” and “L.A. Confidential” star yelling into a megaphone in front an audience at the “Orca Encounter” show as other demonstrators gather behind him and hold up “SeaWorld Kills” signs. “Orcas in the wild… swim with their families,” said Cromwell, who wore a “SeaWorld Sucks” T-shirt. “Here they do not swim with their families. They are separated from them.” For more, LA Times.
City mistakenly enforced water bill policy on OB renter
Renters like Larry Braun are stuck. He discovered a leak in the pipes around his Ocean Beach home and saw his family’s water bills rise to a total of more than $2,000. The city told Braun he needed the claim from his landlord’s homeowner’s insurance, and the owner didn’t want to do it because of his rates potentially increasing. More at abc10News
Over 2,000 Signed “Keep Target Out of OB” Petition
By now, over 2,000 people have signed the “Keep Target Out of Ocean Beach” petition. Plus “No Target In OB” T-shirts are still available at the James Gang, at 1931 Bacon Street.
Haw Haw Honky Tonk Country Cabaret at OB Playhouse – Wednesday, July 26
Meet a modern take on Hee-Haw, infusing country singers/musicians with sketch comedy, to create (what will be) the longest running bi-monthly Wednesday night show in San Diego! Produced by Bill Connard, Co-written and Directed by Kristen Fogle; Musical Direction by Kirk Valles; Choreography by Jennie Connard – Remaining Dates/Times for Performance dates: July 26, August 9 & 23 – 8:00pm; OB Playhouse is at 4944 Newport Ave
San Diego CA 92107; Ticket Link: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=74645 ; Pricing: General Admission: $26, VIP front row table: $36; If possible you can add promo code: “castoff” for $6 off tickets.
OB Rag Partners – San Diego Free Press – Reap Awards at Society of Prof’l Journalists
The San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) held its annual award dinner on July 19 at the Kona Kai Resort and Spa. These awards recognize print and online journalism in a variety of categories. San Diego Free Press contributors Mark Hughes and Martha Sullivan received first place recognition and contributor Lawrence Herzog and editors Doug Porter and Barbara Zaragoza garnered second place and honorable mention for their work in 2016. A different kind of journalism This is the fifth year that San Diego Free Press has won awards for its citizen journalism. More. The OB Rag editors are also on the Editorial Board of SDFP.
Mission Beach Gets Another Supermodel With “Fluid” Floorplan
Writing at the San Diego Reader, Dave Rice notes “This one comes with “flexibility relative to maximizing utilization of the ocean frontage”, and continues: “The forthcoming estate at 3701 Ocean Front Walk in north Mission Beach hasn’t even been built yet, but it’s already been adorned with a steep price tag. The residence will consist of a six-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath “tri-level single family residence under construction on a corner lot that will contain approximately 4351 square feet of interior living space.” Yet, the floor plan is a little fluid.
Save Peninsula Trees meeting – July 27th Thursday
Save Peninsula Trees meeting: Please help us green Ocean Beach and contribute to the cities goal of meeting our Climate Action Plan. Learn about how to protect the trees we have and plant more trees in Ocean Beach. More info: savepeninsulatrees@outlook.com – July 27th Thursday 6:00 pm at the Green Center, 4843 B Voltaire.
OB Beans Coffee Roasters Hold Grand Opening
Saturday, July 22nd was the grand opening of OB Beans Coffee Roasters on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach. Ben Nease told 10News:
“Where coffee comes from and the farmers that work hard to make coffee quality and all the hands that touch it, and just the cultures that it connects is crazy and I feel like that world hasn’t been fully dissected by the Ocean Beach community so we really just want to bring that awareness on why coffee tastes good.”
A portion of every cup sold goes to charities like YoungLife, Ride4Water, and iThinkBig. Nease says they roast every drop of coffee in Ocean Beach.
SeaWorld’s Last Orca Calf Born in Captivity Dies
The last killer whale born in captivity under SeaWorld’s former orca-breeding program died Monday at the company’s animal theme park in San Antonio, Texas, SeaWorld announced. Veterinarians at the park’s animal hospital treated 3-month-old Kyara for an infection last weekend, but her health continued to decline, the company said in a news release. … SeaWorld announced the end of its breeding program in March 2016 after years of pressure from animal rights protests and declining ticket sales due in part to shifting public opinion about orcas being kept in captivity.
Kyara became the last orca born in captivity at a SeaWorld park when she was born in April in San Antonio. Her mother, 26-year-old Takara, was already pregnant when the Orlando-based company announced that it had stopped breeding its orcas. The gestation period for orcas can last up to 18 months. Although the official cause of death has not yet been determined, SeaWorld’s veterinarians identified that Kyara had an infection, likely pneumonia. Pneumonia is one of the most common causes of morbidity or illness in whales and dolphins, both in aquariums and in the wild, the company said. No other members of the orca pod at the San Antonio park are showing any signs of illness, but they will continued to be monitored, according to SeaWorld. The veterinary team will conduct a postmortem examination to determine the cause of death. It could take several weeks before results are finalized, according to the release. SeaWorld has 22 remaining orcas in the United States on display at its Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego parks. San Diego Patch
Point Loma Summer Concerts – Friday, July 28
Join Point Loma Summer Concerts for their 2017 concert series at Point Loma Park, 1049 Catalina Blvd. The concerts are free with food available for purchase. Free parking & shuttle as well as bike valet. Check out the band listings and get more information at plconcerts.org! Friday, July 28, 2017 – 5:30pm
Why Notoriously Polluted Beaches Don’t Make Dirtiest Beaches List
When Heal the Bay released their annual “Beach Bummer” list of California’s most polluted beaches last month, there was at least one strange exception: Imperial Beach, San Diego, a beach that’s been closed because of dangerous bacteria levels 1,600 times in the past decade alone. Southern California readers saw the list, and wondered, probably aloud, but also in our comments section, “What about IB? How the hell do they compile this list anyway?” Short answer: during dry periods, IB is actually a clean-water beach. In fact, it received a grade of A+ during dry periods last winter. Surfer Magazine.
Hurricane Hilary vs U.S. Open of Surfing
Hurricane Hilary is plowing its way toward Southern California beaches — a system pumping up surfers set to compete in the prestigious U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, but also putting area lifeguards on high alert as warm weather will drive people to the coast. The National Weather Service this week issued a coastal hazard message for Oxnard through San Diego, from Friday morning through Tuesday evening, because of big waves that may top 10 feet in some areas at south-facing beaches. The statement also warns of strong rip currents and potential for flooding. Forecasters, however, are keeping an eye on the hurricane’s direction because such weather systems are unpredictable — sometimes strengthening more than expected, other times fizzling out. OCRegistrar
J!NX Founded in OB, Goes Before 130,000 Culture Fans at Comic-Con
Sean Gailey and a friend founded the company out of his two-bedroom Ocean Beach apartment and it grew into a large firm that was at first based out of Los Angeles. Today, J!NX has become one of the leading gaming apparel companies with 90 employees in its Poway headquarters and plans to expand. J!NX makes T-shirts, jackets, hoodies and hats. A lifelong gamer, Gailey started the company because he saw that skaters and surfers had their own brand of clothing but not gamers. The company makes video-game inspired clothing and accessories and has been around for 18 years. But it used Comic-Con this week to launch a fall catalog that is going to sold around the country in Hot Topic stores. Times of San Diego
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
At Wed OBTC meeting, Sgt Lonnie Stephenson acknowledged the new lifeguard station at the foot of Santa Cruz Avenue, but also spoke of some younger lifeguards being “chased off their station” by local toughguys willing to take on 18-year olds.
the lifeguard chief at the town council meeting said that some guys chased off the 18-year old lifeguards at the new station at santa cruz. wow. in my mind thats worse than grafffitti.
Well, good for the actor James Cromwell. He always plays heavies.