Month: August 2018

By Jake Johnson / Common Dreams

Amid a news cycle dominated by the day-to-day chaos, antics, and scandals of the Trump presidency, new government numbers released on Thursday offered a grim reminder that the humanitarian travesty sparked by President Donald Trump’s inhumane family separation policy is still ongoing, despite the fact that it has faded into the background of corporate news coverage.

By Gilbert Field / Veterans for Peace

Local veterans, friends and supporters from the San Diego Veterans For Peace are in their third year of a five year educational outreach encouraging the public to stay home and not attend the annual Miramar Air Show.

Veterans believe that the Miramar Air Show glorifies war with an exciting show of speed, power and noise. It celebrates the skills and machinery that exist to kill, maim and destroy. The show is very dangerous …. 10% of all Blue Angel pilots have been killed in shows or accidents.

By Annie Lane / San Diego Free Press

In a reassuring victory for assault victims everywhere, convicted rapist Brock Turner lost his appeal for another trial recently after his attorney, Eric S. Multhaup, argued that his client only sought to have “outercourse” with the former Stanford student he is convicted of assaulting — not intercourse.

For anyone wondering what that means, you’re not alone. The three-panel judges were at a loss as well.

“I absolutely don’t understand what you are talking about,” Justice Franklin D. Elia told Multhaup on August 8, according to Mercury News.

It’s already being called “Terrible Tuesday” – August 21, 2018 – the day the Trump presidency was body slammed with the simultaneous guilty plea to 8 felony counts by Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, and the jury finding Paul Manafort, the Trump campaign manager, guilty of 8 felony counts – and then the indictment of Representative Duncan Hunter – the second congressman to endorse Trump, on campaign crimes.

It was a bad day for Trump.

Yet, it was a good day for the country.

Seen this morning on the OB Pier – Wednesday, August 22 – another sign from the Resister Sisters of Ocean Beach.

Their motto is:

Airbnb hired firm under investigation for signature fraud to run its San Diego petition drive

A coalition of coastal town councils and community groups is warning residents of Ocean Beach, Point Loma and other neighborhoods to be leery of pro-Airbnb petition gatherers who are trying to overturn the recently-enacted ordinance on short term vacation rentals.

The aggressive signature-gatherers are using deception, outright misrepresentations and other tactics in order to woo people to sign their petition.

This is the warning from the San Diego Community Working Group, an umbrella organization that includes the San Diego Coalition of Town Councils

Two things are happening in south Ocean Beach in the Sunset Cliffs neighborhood.

First, local businesses and a few residents have just formed the Sunset Cliffs Merchants Association. On its facebook page, the group states:

The Mission of the Sunset Cliffs Merchants Association is to promote and support the Sunset Cliffs Business District, and bring economic prosperity to the local Sunset Cliffs businesses.

And second, the Association is holding a street fair on Saturday, Sept. 1.

Everyone’s invited to the Ocean Beach Town Council’s public meeting – tonight, Wednesday, August 22. They meet at the Masonic Center – 1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. at 7pm.

The theme: What’s New in the Neighborhood. The OBTC has made the meeting a time to hear from different OB organizations and what’s new around ther community.

Updates will be from:

During the early-morning hours of August 6, two men were seen arguing on the sidewalk near the Ocean Beach Pier. It was 1:30 a.m. At one point, one of them grabbed an aluminum beach chair and threw at the other guy. That force knocked him backwards – and he fell on the concrete and fractured his skull.

Apparently the assailant and his two companions took off. But there were witnesses.

Police found the victim unconscious and bleeding from his head – but breathing. He was quickly taken to a local hospital and treated for the fracture.

Now the assailant and his companions are being sought by police. Witnesses described

Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, R-Alpine, and his wife, Margaret, were indicted Tuesday for allegedly misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds and filing false campaign finance records.

Hunter and his wife were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that they allegedly used more than $250,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses, including multiple family vacations, school tuition, dental bills, theater tickets, and domestic and international travel for almost a dozen relatives. The indictment also accuses them of filing false campaign finance records with the Federal Election Commission.

The Ladera Street stairs have been officially closed since February when portions of the bluff collapsed onto the stairs. From our report of Feb. 14:

At first a major crack appeared along side of the bluff – and then a portion of the cliff gave way by Tuesday, Feb. 13th. Lifeguards closed the stairs off – and city staff met to discuss and study the situation and figure out what to do.

And this was the pat response from the City for months. Every time a city rep was asked at a public meeting about the stairs and erosion problems, that was the answer: “city staff is studying the situation.”

City staff has been studying it and studying it – until just recently.