October 2018

The Old Broad Speaks Her Mind

Airport Noise and the Button

Let’s start this column by saying those of you that will tell me that they are used to the airport noise do not have to read any further. Let’s continue this column by saying to those of you that say that the airport was here before me do not have to read any further either. Those of you that will say there is nothing we can do about the airport can also skip this column. And those of you that will say that I am always bitching about something do not have to read any further either. And those of you that are not bothered by the black soot, or the shaking windows, or the air pollution – well – you can skip reading also. Because I am pissed by all of the above.

Today, Sunday, October 28th, I pushed the airport noise button 7 times; four times within two hours.

The Old Broad Speaks Her Mind

Pittsburgh

I was in Las Vegas when I heard about the shootings in Pittsburgh. It spoiled my entire trip. (Of course not being able to find a Blackjack table for under $10 a hand didn’t help my mood.)

I was raised in a Jewish Neighborhood – the “Borscht” belt in Los Angeles. My high school – Fairfax High – was closed for Jewish holidays. Although I did not go to Sunday School, most of my friends did; most of my friends were either Bar Mitzvahed or, if female, Bas Mitzvahed. I would go to the Synagogue with friends when asked to go with them, and attended many Seder’s on the holidays. I celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas, and have a Menorah and candles ready for this holiday season.

You would think that people would be safe in the “House of God”. The president’s idiotic comment that if there had been armed guards at the “Tree of Life” Synagogue there would not have been so many deaths.

OB Rag Celebrates 11th Birthday Online

On Oct. 26, the OB Rag turned 11 years old, having begun its online run during the massive fires that swept San Diego County in October 2007. And we’ve been going ever since. The original OB People’s Rag began …

McMillin Co. Asks City for Okay to Sell Liberty Station Lease

The Corky McMillin Cos., the San Diego developer that remade the Naval Training Center into a sprawling housing, business and and entertainment hub, has asked city officials to review a plan to sell all or part of its leasehold in what’s now known as Liberty Station. …

‘An Alligator Walks into a Pet Store and Says …’

An alligator was left on the steps of a pet store in Point Loma …

The OB Rag has confirmed the OB Hardware store on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach will be closed by February 2019. Carl Weidetz, the owner, saying he was very proud of “the beach people and our loyal customers”, told this reporter by phone that he is indeed shuttering the doors of his famed storefront. “Fifty years in the business,” he said, “is enough.” He started working in the store in 1969.

The store, formally known as Ocean Beach Paint and Hardware, is one of OBceans’ favorite local “mom-and-pop” businesses.

The OB Town Council is making its annual call for candidates to its Board of Directors. Every year half of its 15-member Board stands for election, so there’s always opportunities for new people to apply to be candidates.

This time around, the week-long election by OBTC members won’t occur until late January and early February, but the Board is now accepting “Letters of Intent”. Plus the usual monthly public meeting of the Board will not be held in November and December (despite what the calendar on their website says!) as those are dark months and the OBTC is busy with holiday events. Here is the official call for candidates:

The OB Rag has been sent an updated roster of the current members of the Ocean Beach Planning Board – which is published below – by newly-elected Chair Andrea Schlageter (she had been interim-chair).

The new roster reflects recent changes: the appointments of six new members to the Board, which brings the Board up to a strength it hasn’t seen in months, and the Board’s new leadership. It also reflects more of a gender balance on the Board, what with now five women members.

It is a rough and tumble race out there between challenger and Democrat Jen Campbell and incumbent and Republican Lorie Zapf in the District 2 show-down.

Even though Zapf is known through-out the district and has an advantage being the incumbent, registered Democrats have the edge with their 32,000 to 22,500 registered Republicans. (There’s also 27,000 ‘no party preference’ voters.)

So, with less than 2 weeks to go to the November 6 election, who’s on first? And who’s on second?

By Geoff Page

A huge topic of interest to the community was discussed at the regular meeting of the Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Board on October 17: it was the beginning of things happening with the massive SPAWAR building on Pacific Highway. The Navy is holding a four hour on-site meeting on November 5 to discuss the future of the facility.

The Navy has issued a Request For Information that can be viewed (COME INSIDE) According to the Navy’s spokesperson, the solicitation is to obtain ideas from the development community on what to do with the property. A.

By Geoff Page

The Peninsula Community Planning Board meeting on Thursday, October 18, was both short and relatively quiet, which is not usually the case.

There was only one Action Item on the agenda:
Review and discussion of the input received regarding the petition for rezoning to open space, the message from Councilmember Zapf, and comments offered during the conversational forum on the Famosa Boulevard Housing Commission site.”
This has been a hot issue for a good part of this year and there was some expectation that there might be a lively discussion of the matter. There was a discussion but it really wasn’t lively.

This issue is that the community wants the PCPB take a position on the Famosa site,