The Ocean Beach Town Council met under duress last night, Wednesday, Oct. 25th; it was very warm and the baseball series was going on, plus a number of Board members were sick. It was a thin crowd in the audience as well, with about 30 chairs occupied.
Besides the usual politico rep and community reports, the Board made a big push for volunteers needed for the various holiday events the OBTC sponsors later this year. Also explained, was the new schedule for elections to the Board. Finally, the night’s special speaker give a pitch about becoming an advocate for foster children.
OB Holiday Volunteers
The Town Council needs volunteers for the four major events it sponsors during the holidays. They include:
- the OB Christmas Tree arrives November 28th this year;
- the Christmas Auction will be held November 30th at the Sunshine Company; the auction proceeds go towards the annual Food & Toy drive;
- the Holiday Parade on December 2nd; the Parade Theme is “California Dreamin’ in the Season of Love.” It’s the parade where the OBTC needs the most volunteers, particularly for the barricades. Volunteers will get a T-shirt and be invited to an “After Parade” party. (It’s a new T-shirt design and this year’s design is by Ashley Lewis.)
- Food and Toy Drive – December 11th – 16th; the Council organizes a campaign of soliciting food and toys and usually delivers them to 80 needy families in the area;
It was announced last night that the OB Holiday Parade is “the only one hundred per cent volunteer parade in California.”
To sign-up to be a Holiday Parade volunteer, please click here.
On the Food and Toy drive, from the OBTC website:
The OB Food and Toy Drive provides assistance to over 90 local families and seniors in need during the holidays. We partner with community groups and volunteers to package a week’s worth of groceries, care packages and new gifts and toys for those in need of help during the holidays. The Food & Toy Drive will take place the week of Dec. 11 – Dec. 16. Volunteers are needed over the course of the week meeting to sort toys and food and get them all delivered.
To sign-up to be a Food & Toy Drive volunteer, please click here.
OBTC Board Elections
Because the Council voted to change their election schedule last month, the annual election won’t be until January 2018. Residents, property owners and business owners are urged to consider running for the Board. One has to be a member of the OBTC in good standing (dues are paid) and fit one of those categories. Candidate statements will be given at the next Board meeting, January 25, 2018. (The OBTC is dark the last 2 months of the year.) Balloting by members will begin January 26 and will continue for a week.
Other News from the Board
OB Restaurant Walk
Coming up on November 14 will be OB’s Restaurant Walk with 45 restaurants participating – a new local record. Tickets will be $25 (cash or check only) and will be available at the OBMA office beginning Nov. 1. The Walk will be from 5 to 9pm.
Obie Awards
Each year the OBTC hands out its “OBie” Awards to individuals or groups who have contributed to the betterment of the community. Some of the awardees include the OB Woman’s Club, Friends of the OB Library, Virginia Wilson – “OB’s tree lady” with Friends of Peninsula Trees, the Dusty Rhodes Park council, Celeste Byers – the muralist, the OB Sunset Cliffs cleanup crew, and the Lifeguards.
The two highest awards include the “Life Services” award – which went to Pat James – and the Citizen of the Year, which went to Steve Yeng. James, of the original James Gang, led the OB Historical Society for years. Yeng and his family own a number of establishments in OB and have contributed to numerous local organizations, including the OB Woman’s Club.
John Baker and Voices for Children
The main speaker of the night was John Baker, formerly of John Baker’s Framers on Pt Loma Avenue, and now a member of Voices for Children, where he’s been for 4 years now. Baker described the County’s situation with foster children – there’s 5,000 – and the great need for people to volunteer to be Court Appointed Special Advocates, and work one-on-one with kids. “The vast majority of foster kids,” he said, “are not juvenile delinquents” and “most are victimized by grown-ups.”
By being an advocate, a voice, one can play a positive role in the development of a child, Baker said. To become a CASA, one volunteers, is interviewed and goes through 35 hours of training. There’s an 18 month commitment and involves about 15 hours a month.
For more info, call 858-569-2019 or go to speakupnow.org
Other News
Mayor’s Office: When Anthony George from the Mayor’s office got up to speak, he was given a round of applause for being in attendance. People were genuinely glad to see him and his absence over the last 6 months has been noted. George explained how Faulconer had brokered a deal with the Police Officers Association for a 30% raise over the next couple of years, as part of a push to retain officers.
After announcing San Diego is number one in the country for rooftop solar installations, George got into the Hep A crisis. He mentioned OB sidewalks being sanitized along with the stairs at Niagara. He said there are 9 cases of Hep A in the 92107 area. Dusty Rhodes Park has been added to the cleansing schedule, he added, and if anyone knows of an area to clean, contact him or simply dial 2-1-1.
Zapf’s Office: there was a new rep from Councilwoman Zapf’s office Andrew Huelga, who mentioned he was a grad from Point Loma High. Huelga brought up the city’s efforts regarding the controversial project at Ebers and Greene Streets, that a public nuisance notice will soon be posted. They usually come with daily fines if the nuisance is not dealt with by the owner.
No new date for the City Council’s hearing on short term rentals has been set, he said. Finally, he stated the city is interested in putting in more diagonal parking and if anyone knew of a good street for them to contact him – or Conrad Wear, the usual rep.
SDPD Report: Community Relations officer David Surwilo and a sergeant discussed officers’ efforts to work with other agencies and deal with the homeless in the San Diego Riverbed and the Hep A crisis; the veterans’ campsite being set up in the Midway District. The officers did describe the positive attributes of the new raises. “It makes the SDPD competitive,” Surwilo said, as the new raises of 28.3% over 2 years will save money. New San Diego officers won’t have to be trained from scratch, as officers from other agencies will now be attracted to San Diego. For a long time, SDPD officers would be trained at the San Diego academy and then hit salary ceilings causing them to move to other cities for better pay. The new money, also may mean about 6 new officers per shift for the Western Division.
Lifeguard Report: Sgt Lonnie Stephens gave his last report – as he is being reassigned by the department – his replacement will be Sara McDonald.
He gave the statistics for September:
- 140,000 visitors to OB beaches;
- 2,000 preventative measures taken;
- 36 water rescues; and
- 70 medical aids .
OB Elementary Report: Principal Marco Drapeau explained that the School District will be installing air conditioning for all classrooms at the OB school. It should be installed by February, “just in time”, he said with a hint of sarcasm. The school was forced to have minimum-day schedules for this week due to the heat and the lack of ac in many rooms.
Drapeau also announced that the school is holding tours each of the next 2 Wednesdays for parents of prospective students, at 830 am. He also said the school is having its annual Halloween Parade on Tuesday at 8:15am.
OB Elementary has one new teacher as well, due to the increase in student enrollment; she will work as a combo kindergarten and first grade teacher.
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