Month: August 2018

By Colleen Cochran

The Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed the lower court’s ruling that Lorie Zapf, incumbent and winner of the San Diego City Council District 2 primary, is eligible to seek reelection in the November 2018 general election. The court made its decision last Friday, August 17.

Attorney Bryan Pease, third place finisher in that primary, appealed the Superior Court’s ruling in hopes of being declared the next eligible candidate for nomination to the general election.

Surf’s really up in California. On Monday, August 20, 2018, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill making surfing the official state sport.

Acknowledging that surfing originated with the Polynesian peoples and that surfing was brought to California from Hawaii, the bill signed by Brown declares surfing “an iconic California sport”.

The law also states the people of California have made the sport their own – and that important developments and contributions have been made by Californians. For instance,

Judge Polly Shamoon set a preliminary hearing for Michael Alexander Barringer, accused of setting 10 fires that damaged six cars in Ocean Beach late at night on in mid July.

The prelim for Barringer, 26, was set for August 29. (All felony-charged suspects have preliminary hearings.)

He had earlier pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him, which include 2 counts of attempted arson, for a total of eleven felonies and one misdemeanor count of recklessly causing a fire. Back on the night on July 12

By Geoff Page

We can’t be positive, but it looked as if the OB Rag had some influence on the presentation of a project that came before the Ocean Beach Planning Board’s Project Review subcommittee August 15 at the OB Rec Center.

An August 13 Rag story expressed a concern about a unique collection of palm trees on the property. It appeared as if the presenters had heard this concern and they immediately explained that all of the existing vegetation would remain. The project under review was 1750 Froude Street

The Ocean Beach Town Council is 50 years old this year. It began in 1968 – and is celebrating the anniversary at their monthly meeting, this Wednesday, August 22.

The Board meets from 7:00pm – 8:30pm at the Masonic Center, 1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, San Diego, CA 92107

Regular speakers include local leaders, political, business and law enforcement representatives , as well as members from all corners of the Ocean Beach community.

Whether you’re a long-time OBcean or just want to learn more about OB, all are welcome!

The world just keeps getting hotter, and California burns ever-more-furiously as one epic blaze after another strain not just our resources, but our ability to cognitively adjust to the fact that this is the new normal. As I wrote in response to the huge fires in Los Angeles last December, “Reality is exceeding the capacity of our dystopian imaginations.”

Wow! The Resister Sisters of OB have certainly been busy of late.

Looks like they just couldn’t resist Giuliani’s latest bulletin and hung their response over the northbound I-5 in downtown San Diego.

Then, last Thursday, August 16 – in honor of the Freedom of the Press –

Save San Diego Neighborhoods, one of the main city-wide organizations opposed to short term vacation rentals, has released a report stating they are receiving reports from throughout the city that Airbnb’s paid signature gatherers are tricking voters into signing their petition with outright lies.

The group advises San Diegans, “Don’t let them get away with it!”

Here is most of their statement:

The City of San Diego wants armed private security guards at the branch libraries in Ocean Beach and Point Loma, as well as the Robb Field Skate Park – and at a whole list of other locations around town.

San Diego is now officially seeking proposals from security firms, according to 10News, “that would authorize armed or enhanced safety personnel outside more than 50 places, including community parks, skate parks, and library branches. The guards could either carry guns or non-lethal weapons, such as mace or hand restraints, depending on the arrangement.”

This is based on a post originally published July 5, 2014.

July 4, 2014 was the night the Marshmallow Wars in Ocean Beach ended. The wars had lasted 3 decades – since it began in 1985 with competing parties of neighbors at the beach at a couple of bonfires. Then years later – full pitched battles involving hundreds if not thousands of participants joining the virtual free-for-all. (Go here for the beginnings.)

Then its last few seasons – the wars cycloned off the sand and onto the streets, vehicles, local businesses and landmarks of the neighborhood. Many became disgusted at the gooey results clearly messing with harmony of the village the day after.

The first calls to end or at least restrict this particular brand of totally-local OB shenanigans began surfacing in 2009.

By the Staffs of the OB Rag and San Diego Free Press

Today – August 16 – in over three hundred editorials in newspapers and media platforms large and small across the country, the American press is standing up and renouncing president Trump’s declarations that the media is “the enemy of the people.”

The San Diego Free Press and the OB Rag join these denunciations, in the call to confront Trump first put out by The Boston Globe, which began its call with:

A central pillar of President Trump’s politics is a sustained assault on the free press. Journalists are not classified as fellow Americans, but rather “the enemy of the people.” This relentless assault on the free press has dangerous consequences. We asked editorial boards from around the country – liberal and conservative, large and small – to join us today to address this fundamental threat in their own words.

Originally posted Aug. 15, 2018

Downtown Ocean Beach during these times on any summer day or night is extraordinarily packed with people, as locals and visitors mingle on the beach, on the Greens, and in the numerous noisy restaurants and pubs that line the commercial streets.

OB’s reputation as being San Diego’s “laid-back” beach community precedes it as tourists flock to our liberal seaside village of tolerance, peace and hipness all in search of being part of it – even for just a moment – in their search for happiness. Little do they know there actually is a rough and sordid underbelly to OB’s traditions and history.