February 2018

Can Compromises Fix San Diego’s Vacation Rental Problems?

February 28, 2018 by Source

By Tom Coat / San Diego Union-Tribune / Feb. 15, 2018

The much-too-long history of short-term vacation rentals in San Diego appears ready to write yet another chapter as early as next month when Mayor Kevin Faulconer joins the fray.

The mayor’s vacation rental point person, Elyse Lowe, is on target when she says Faulconer is seeking to find the “sweet spot” for a balanced solution. But the devil is in the details. What is that sweet spot?

The mayor and the San Diego City Council would do well to take guidance from a growing group of town council presidents who represent more than a quarter of a million San Diegans.

Read the full article → 0 comments

San Diego School Board Urges Vacation Rental Regulations

February 28, 2018 by Source

School board unanimously passes STR resolution; Impacts on school enrollment, housing for teachers, staff cited

From Neighborhoods for Residents:

Citing impacts of short-term vacation rentals on housing that threaten the ability of communities to support their local schools, the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education last night, Feb. 27, unanimously passed a resolution urging the City of San Diego to approve “appropriate regulation” of vacation rentals.

The resolution passed 5-0 at the board’s February meeting

Read the full article → 2 comments

OB Walkabout Returns with No. 6

February 28, 2018 by Source

By Joaquin Antique

In the early 1970s when the OB Rag was an actual printed-on-paper alternative journal, the garage – pictured inside – served as its darkroom or photo lab. The darkroom was set up by our main photographer at the time who lived in one of the apartments up front along with a rag tag group of other commie pinko activists.

Read the full article → 4 comments

General Rain Advisory Issued for All San Diego Coastal Waters, Including All of Ocean Beach

February 28, 2018 by Source

Activities such as swimming, surfing and diving should be avoided for 72 hours following rain.

GENERAL RAIN ADVISORY IN EFFECT

The Department of Environmental Health has issued a GENERAL RAIN ADVISORY for the coastal waters of San Diego County due to contamination by urban runoff following rain.

This advisory applies to ALL of Ocean Beach and all waters around Point Loma.

Swimmers, surfers, and other ocean users are warned that levels of bacteria can rise significantly in ocean waters, especially near storm drains, creeks, rivers, and lagoon outlets that discharge urban runoff.

Read the full article → 1 comment

Why Should I Be A Democrat? – How the Party Works in California and San Diego, Part 2

February 28, 2018 by Doug Porter

Part Two in an Irregular Series.

Part One: The State Democrats Come to San Diego

In the Golden State you really only have one option if electoral politics is your thing: the Democratic Party. Should you choose to be involved, realize that the mass media portrayal of this organization is driven by the need for headlines, controversy, and conflict. The day-to-day reality is another matter altogether.

Understanding how the party functions in California should guide your activism. So today’s column will be primarily a guide to navigating your way through the largest State Democratic Party in the country. (I’ll save internal/external controversies for future columns.)

Read the full article → 0 comments

The OB Vibe – Music and Art in Ocean Beach for the Week of Feb. 27 – March 5

February 27, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

Welcome to “the OB Vibe” – a weekly column highlighting music and art and other happenings for and in Ocean Beach.

We’ve got music and more happening this week at Winston’s, Mother’s Saloon, Culture Brewing, Kilowatt, the OB Playhouse and Theatre …

Winstons

1921 Bacon St., San Diego, CA 92107 • (619) 222-6822

Tuesday, February 27, 2018 – 9:30pm

Frankie “Kash” Waddy’s FUNK HOUSE –
No cover; Door Time: 9:00
Welcome to Frankie “Kash” Waddy’s FUNK HOUSE.

Read the full article → 2 comments

An Email to NewsManager@FoxNews.com

February 27, 2018 by Ernie McCray

Laura Ingraham’s put down of LeBron James on your network was so out of line and unnecessary and ridiculously insulting and dismissive. What does his grammar have to do with anything or his perceived “lack of education”? Why should he, in a country where he has the right to express himself, “Shut up and dribble”?

As a 79-year-old black man, it’s refreshing for me to see young black people like this great athlete speak out on what’s happening in the world — in this case, expressing his views on our president — who really “doesn’t give a fuck about the people” as he pointed out.

The “people” being those who don’t support his hateful, racist, mysogynist, sexist, xenophobic, abusive, disgraceful, dictator-loving, ill-informed, unintelligent, illogical, jingoistic, bewildering, divisive, predatory, blow-harded, clownish, non-Christian,

Read the full article → 4 comments

Keeping the Stupid in Politics, San Diego Style

February 27, 2018 by Doug Porter

Ernest Dronenburg, Sheriff Bill Gore and Bonnie Dumanis Are Still Running

The ‘stupid’ in San Diego politics is mighty intense for this time of year. It’s February, right? People can still file to run in the primaries for another week or so.

Three of San Diego County’s keepers of the ‘same old, same old, flame’ are apparently running for ‘who can be the most outrageous and still get votes.’

These are people who expect to get elected or re-elected on June 5 because they think their name recognition is enough to win. Or because they ‘deserve’ the position.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Royale: The Best Burger in Ocean Beach?

February 26, 2018 by Source

OBites Restaurant Review

Royale!
4204 Voltaire Street
San Diego, CA 92107.

Author’s note: Editordude has asked me to write some restaurant reviews for the OB Rag as our previous food writer, Judi Curry, has resigned after years of penning detailed and helpful reviews about local restaurants. Thanks for your years of devotion and the provocative and interesting articles you provided, Judi! … My column will be entitled, “OBites.”

by Bob Edwards

If I told you that Royale, the new restaurant on Voltaire near Catalina, has the best hamburger in the Ocean Beach area, would you believe me? Should you believe me?

Probably not, even though I loved it and think that most people will find it and the other food served at Royale delicious.

The reason I say “probably not” has to do with the subjective nature of food writing and the ridiculous concept of “best” of anything when it comes to food.

Read the full article → 18 comments

‘We Stand With the Parkland Kids’

February 26, 2018 by Source

Read the full article → 1 comment

San Diego Police Raided, Damaged Cannabis Church, Says $1.1 Million Claim

February 26, 2018 by Source

The following story by Ken Stone originally was published at Times of San Diego. It is reposted here with permission.

By Ken Stone / Times of San Diego / Feb. 21, 2018

According to a $1.1 million claim filed Wednesday — a precursor to a possible lawsuit — the police targeted a “nature minded” religious organization.

It calls itself Sacred Source Sanctuary.

“The police are not raiding other churches that regularly provide wine to their members without state permits to do so,” said Alanna Reeves, president of an El Toro-based church association with 15 Southern California locations.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Teachers, Guns, and Money

February 26, 2018 by Jim Miller

The generalized rage and indiscriminate, spectacular violence that characterized the first year of the Trump era shows no sign of abating. In the wake of yet another horrifying mass murder at a school in Florida, the President’s response is to meet senseless violence with the threat of more violence.

Speaking to justify his breathtakingly stupid proposal to arm teachers as a defense against school shootings, Trump opined that if the educators at Stoneman Douglas High School had weapons they would have stopped the attack, “A teacher would have shot the hell out of him before he knew what happened.”

The logic of Trump’s cartoon Western version of the world is chilling.

Read the full article → 0 comments

OB Skatepark by Joe Ewing

February 26, 2018 by Source

Read the full article → 3 comments

OBceans Pissed Off about LimeBikes Taking Over

February 23, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

There’s some heated (but civil) debate these days on at least one Ocean Beach facebook about the company LimeBikes spreading their bicycles around OB.

One person commented that when he came home from work, he found 20 green and white bikes on the sidewalk in front of his apartment.

Another person stated that they’re over at Dog Beach too, blocking access.

Was there any debate about LimeBikes bringing their privately-owned rental bike-sharing thing to Ocean Beach? I don’t think so. This reporter has been to the vast majority of OB Town Council and OB Planning Board meetings, and never heard any mention that the green and white bikes were coming.

People in Imperial Beach, where a similar program began in early September last year, haven’t been too pleased either.

Read the full article → 32 comments

‘Straws Suck’ Campaign Hits Local Restaurants

February 23, 2018 by Source

by Andie Naugler/ Lomabeat.com / February 22, 2018

Restaurants have the ability to influence their customers with what they serve and how they serve it. Restaurants near the ocean have the added ability to support and aid the waters they reside above.

Jacqueline Coulon unlocks the door to Little Lion Café on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard before it opens to the public at 8 a.m. A giant wave mural greets guests as they walk up to the French bistro style café. Small and quaint, little lion fits the atmosphere and a healthy menu including breakfast and lunch options is available. “My sisters and I come from an Ocean Beach restaurant family so …”

Read the full article → 3 comments

Arm the Teachers, Blame the Liberals Says Rep. Hunter, Plus Progressive Activist Calendar for Feb. 23 – Mar. 5, 2018

February 23, 2018 by Doug Porter

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Not Indicted Yet) needs a new nickname. Mr. AR15 sounds right, cause they’re both available for (relatively) cheap.

The Center for Responsive Politics, says as of the end of 2017, Hunter has accepted $41,087 from the National Rifle Association. That puts him next to last among California’s Republican Congressman who have been supported by the NRA.

None-the-less, Hunter’s been front and center pushing the NRA’s line. Teachers who have served in the armed forces need to be armed: “Nobody is getting shot in these school shootings after an armed presence arrives.”

Read the full article → 1 comment

Thanks to SDPD Key Arrests Made in Local Murders – 44 Years Ago Today It Was a Different Story in Ocean Beach

February 22, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

Thanks to the diligence of San Diego Police Department detectives, law enforcement agents have arrested key suspects in the 2 unsolved murders that have shadowed Ocean Beach and Point Loma for too long. The communities of Ocean Beach and Point Loma are breathing a collective sigh of relief.

But 44 years ago today – February 22nd – it was a different story in OB, a day when the community became an armed police camp; more of that later.

When praise is deserved – like today – we are first in line in thanking the detectives who kept on these cases.

Read the full article → 2 comments

History of the Midway District Area of Point Loma

February 22, 2018 by Source

Editordude: The following is from the “Background – Community History” introduction to the Midway – Pacific Highway Corridor Community Plan adopted by the San Diego City Council in May of 1991.

_________________

Early maps of the Pueblo lands around the original town (Old Town) location show the San Diego River emptying from Mission Valley into the San Diego Bay over land which now comprises the Midway area. In the mid-1800s, George Derby, army land surveyor, engineered the construction of a dike

Read the full article → 2 comments

Survey: Flipping the 49th Congressional District Won’t Be Easy

February 22, 2018 by Doug Porter

By Doug Porter

A just-released poll, conducted February 12-15 by FM3 Research for Flip the 49th! Neighbors in Action has a cautionary tale for Democrats seeking to replace retiring Congressman Darrell Issa in the 49th Congressional District.

The good news is the Republicans’ brand is so tarnished that a generic Democrat could win over a generic Republican by 7 points or more.

The bad news is that the current line-up of Democratic candidates is likely to split primary voters in such a way that two Republicans will face each other in the general election.

Read the full article → 1 comment

The Struggle for Black Sitcoms : Black History Month

February 22, 2018 by Annie Lane

By Annie Lane

In the early 20th Century, African Americans were primarily featured in stereotypical and unflattering roles, such as comic clowns or in black minstrelsy — shows performed primarily by whites which mocked and demeaned black people as inferior. The first all-black sitcom to appear on television in the 1950s, Amos ‘n’ Andy, is demonstrative of this racist trend, and was taken off the air after roughly 70 episodes due to protests by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other groups.

It would be 20 years before black sitcoms would officially take root in American television.

Read the full article → 0 comments

‘Teresa Gets a Boyfriend’ at Saville Theatre

February 22, 2018 by Anna Daniels

By Anna Daniels/ San Diego Free Press

When Teresa Gunn performs her one woman show Teresa Gets a Boyfriend at City College’s Saville Theatre on Saturday, February 24, she will take on the universal and oftentimes worn themes of looking for love, finding love and trying to keep love.

Creative storytelling makes old stories new and Teresa Gunn is a consummate storyteller.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Millions Made From Medicaid by San Diego Couple Who Run Managed-Care Plan

February 21, 2018 by Source

By Retired OBcean

I belong to a Medicaid managed-care plan called Community Health Group. It covers me when I go to a local nonprofit clinic in my neighborhood. I really don’t have any complaints about the clinic’s service or of the plan.

The Plan – which has annual revenues of $1.2 billion – serves nearly 300,000 poor and disabled patients in San Diego County – all under a state contract funded entirely by taxpayers. Reportedly, Community Health Group has earned above-average ratings for patient care. But I just found out .

Read the full article → 3 comments

Why Should I Be a Democrat? – Part One: The 2018 State Convention Comes to San Diego

February 21, 2018 by Doug Porter

By Doug Porter / San Diego Free Press

The California Democrats State Convention is slated for the San Diego Convention Center this coming weekend (February 23-25), so it seems like a good time to explore what’s going on with the party these days.

I know in my heart of hearts the two-party system is not likely to change in my lifetime. I know I’m drawn to what the Democratic party says it represents. But I also know its history of backroom dealings and the often-outrageous actions of the county party. Both are all-too-often more bound to money than principles. And right now I feel the principles of democracy itself are under attack.

Read the full article → 1 comment

Another Republican Enters District 2 Race for San Diego City Council – Kevin Melton

February 21, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

Another Republican has just jumped into the race for City Council District 2. Kevin Melton announced today, Feb. 21, that he is a candidate. He will join a large list of candidates heading for the June Primary, most of whom are Democrats. Up to now, there was only one other Republican running against incumbent Republican Lorie Zapf.

Melton claims in his announcement that he “will fix a broken council, solve the homeless problem once and for all, bring in more high paying jobs and solve the vacation rental issues in his district.”

A native of Los Angeles, Melton moved to San Diego in 2008 and apparently has been campaigned for numerous offices for the last 17 years or so. Most recently he ran from San Diego for the District 78 Assembly Race in 2016.

Read the full article → 2 comments

Man Arrested in Stabbing Death of Walter ‘Ras’ Riley Last June in Ocean Beach

February 21, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

A young man has been arrested in the stabbing death of Walter “Ras” Riley last June 22nd in Ocean Beach.

Noah Mitchell Jackson, 19, is being held in the San Diego Central Jail after his arrest in Hunting Beach in Orange County on Tuesday, Feb. 20, on suspicion of first-degree murder. With his bail currently set at $2 million, he is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

Jackson was arrested by San Diego Police detectives along with local police and the U.S. Marshals Service. So far, no motive for the deadly attack has been publicly released, and police declined to report what evidence led them to the suspect. San Diego police obtained an arrest warrant for Jackson after identifying him as the lone suspect.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Would You Like to Be on the Airport’s New Citizen Advisory Committee for Noise Study? Applications Due Feb. 28

February 20, 2018 by Staff

Are you through just complaining about the San Diego airport noise (“the OB Pause”) and want to be on a new citizens’ advisory committee as part of a noise study?

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is creating a Citizen Advisory Committee as part of their Noise Compatibility Study Update and they’re looking for residents from the surrounding communities. Interested? Applications – found here – are due by February 28th.

Read the full article → 7 comments

Peninsula Planners Take Up Recycling Center, 30-Foot Height Measurements, Upcoming Election

February 20, 2018 by Source

By Geoff Page

The Peninsula Community Planning Board had a lean agenda for its regular monthly meeting February 15 at the Pt. Loma Library but it still allowed for controversy anyway. One issue was the Prince Recycling Center next to the Stumps Market. The other issue was a request for support of a letter asking the city attorney for an opinion on how the Development Service Department is measuring the 30-foot height limit. The second attempt to get PCPB support for this letter stalled.

Prince Recycling Center

The Prince Recycling Center has been the focus of a quickly organized and contentious move by some people to get rid of the facility. The three leaders of this push are members of the Peninsula Community Planning Board,

Read the full article → 1 comment

End the NRA and Its Reign of Hate and Greed

February 20, 2018 by Doug Porter

By Doug Porter / San Diego Free Press

The National Rifle Association needs to be put out of its misery. Despite all the talk about mental health, thoughts and prayers, a national conversation, and sensible gun laws, the solution to our gun madness is obvious.

The gunman in Parkland, Florida did not act alone as he carried out the 18th school shooting of 2108.

Read the full article → 5 comments

The Irony of Pastor’s Day at Point Loma Nazarene University

February 20, 2018 by Source

by Alexis Szoke / lomabeat.com / February 19, 2018

“Because of all you do” was the premise of PLNU’s Pastor’s Day 2018, as worded under the Events tab on Point Loma’s official website.

I couldn’t help smelling the staunch irony that hung in the air last Friday as PLNU hosted its annual Pastor’s Day here on campus. An event that is likely intended to be a reverent nod towards our community’s pastors far and wide, it read to me more like a public statement in allegiance with one pastor currently at the forefront of all our minds.

In complete honesty, I didn’t know we celebrated Pastor’s Day here at Loma.

Read the full article → 0 comments

News from Ocean Beach and Point Loma – mid-February 2018

February 19, 2018 by Frank Gormlie

Are There More Parrots in OB Now?

Parrots migrate to Ocean Beach every year around this time for their mating season. But Ocean Beach residents are noticing more now than in prior years.

Biggest Increase in Median Resale Home Price in San Diego County Last Year Was in Ocean Beach

Recycling Center Next to Stump’s Evicted

Irish Snowboarder Lives With Parents in Point Loma

and Much More – Come Inside

Read the full article → 4 comments

← Older Articles