News and Notices for Ocean Beach and Point Loma – Mid May 2019

Trial Begins for Man Accused of Knifing Walter “Ras” Riley

Attorneys in a San Diego court on Tuesday showed jurors images of a man in a light gray hoodie, dark pants and white-soled shoes. According to a prosecutor, the stills, taken from an Ocean Beach ATM camera, captured Noah Jackson moments after he fatally knifed a popular homeless man nicknamed “The Incense Man” in 2017. The photos, Jackson’s lawyer agreed, “show the face of the killer.” But attorney Eugene Iredale added, “That is not the face of Noah Jackson. Not even close.” The two attorneys staked out their positions as they gave opening statements in Jackson’s trial on one count of murder and an allegation he used a knife in the death of 65-year-old Walter “Ras” Riley. He earned his nickname by selling fragrant burning sticks at farmers markets. San Diego Union-Tribune

Point Loma Comedian at San Diego Comedy Festival

Comic Adam Connie is a Point Loma resident involved in the San Diego Comedy Festival. He has been performing for nine years and can be seen at venues like Comedy Heights in University Heights and Valentin’s Bar & Grill in Jamul. Connie describes his style as anecdotal. “I’m a bit off-putting, whether it’s being a single dad, divorced and dating, or just trying to understand what everyone’s so upset about,” Connie said. “It’s my attempts at trying to pass as normal that influence my comedy.” Connie is no stranger to the festival — he participated last year and won 2018’s Best of General Comedy showcase award. Despite the victory, which yielded him a $250 price, Connie said he was discouraged that he didn’t advance past the first round for the main contest, so he decided to return to the mic. Pacifics

Ban on Sleeping in Cars Comes Back

On Tuesday, May 14, the San Diego City Council voted 6-3 in favor of re-establishing a ban that restricts people from living in their vehicles on city streets, with the exception of certain designated lots. The new ban on vehicle habitation prevents people from staying in their vehicle where overnight parking is not allowed, including outside businesses, near the beach and on city streets. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer proposed the ordinance just over a month after city council voted to repeal its first ban on vehicle habitation — a 1983 law that was found by a federal court to be “vague” and overreaching. …

The mayor’s proposal was meant to address the federal court’s concerns but some opponents say the new version is not different enough from the old law it would replace. The ordinance has also been criticized by people who, while technically homeless, are financially secure but choose to save money by living in a vehicle. “It’s a balance between being compassionate for people who really need help and need a place to be and that is why the city is setting up lots that have sanitary conditions,” said Ocean Beach Town Council President Mark Winkie.

A rally was planned ahead of the meeting by those who criticize the ordinance for criminalizing homelessness. The grassroots opposition group, San Diego Housing Emergency Alliance (HEMA), said the law would lead to fines for people who can’t afford them and arrests. … Part of the plan includes a “safe parking program” that would designate certain lots in the city that car-dwellers could stay at overnight. The lots would link homeless San Diegans with resources to help get them into more stable, long-term housing through partnerships with other organizations. 7SanDiego

Point Loma High Student Tackles Gun Violence

Tim Fraher is a Point Loma High School junior is trying to make change through one of his passions. He participated in Public Service Announcement contest, a collaboration between San Diego Crime Stoppers and the San Diego Unified School District Police Department. Students were required to create a PSA about an issue schools deal with, like bullying or substance abuse. His 40-second PSA addressed school shootings, raising awareness about the ways it’s easier to get a gun than a driver’s license. He also wants people to take notice if a friend or classmate is getting bullied or seems depressed. Fraher says he wants people to take school shootings seriously. KGTV

Suspect in Brutal Midway Road Rage Beating Still at Large

A driver who cut off another driver in the parking lot of a San Diego Arby’s restaurant was punched eight times when the pair came face-to-face inside the fast food location. The parking lot squabble, followed by the assault, happened on April 6 at around 7 p.m. at an Arby’s restaurant at 3777 Midway Dr. in San Diego’s Midway District. Police said the victim inadvertently cut off another driver as he parked his car along the side of the fast food restaurant. When the victim went inside the restaurant, he spotted the driver that he had cut off in the parking lot. The men got into an argument which police said turned violent.

The other driver – who is now considered the suspect in this case – allegedly punched the victim eight times on his head. Police said the victim fell to the ground and the suspect then stomped on his head. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for an orbital fracture. He is expected to survive. The suspect fled the restaurant in an unknown car. More than a month later, he remains at large. He faces a charge of felony battery in this case. Suspect is described by police as being around 30 years old, with a muscular build. He had short hair; the sides and back of his head were shaved. The suspect wore a long-sleeved black Nike shirt, black shorts and black tennis shoes with white soles. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can reach out to SDPD’s Western Division at (619) 692-4854 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. 7SanDiego

Beach Residents Wonder If New Assembly Bill Will Solve the Short-Term Rental Problem

Will Horvath assembly bill solve Mission Beach airbnb problem?  At her dining room table in South Mission Beach, Stevie Wheeler is wondering aloud about how reducing the number of already existing short term rentals in Mission Beach could possibly work. “How would you choose those to be eliminated?” she asks, jabbing her index finger in the air to her left, then to her right, as though pointing to the unlucky ones. “A lot of people have made a lot of money here on short term rentals,” says Mission Beach resident Mary Swenson. “But the residental community should have something too.” Two years ago, Wheeler and her friend Mary Swenson served on a Mission Beach Town Council committee (a second committee is now at work) devoted to achieving consensus in the community on what to do about the growing short term rental crisis. SD Reader

Briggs Drops Out of Mayor’s Race

Cory Briggs confirmed lTuesday, May 14 that he is ending his campaign for mayor of San Diego. “Four months of campaigning reminds me how much better I am at practicing law than politics,” he said in a written statement that he indicated will be his only statement. SD Reader

Embassy Cleaners on Voltaire Closes – Ends an Era that Began in 1046

Steve and Shan Jacobs locked the doors of Embassy Cleaners for the final time on Friday, April 26, ending an era that began in 1946 when Jacobs’ father Glenn, with a business partner, opened the shop, also on Voltaire Street but close to Point Loma High School. … Steve Jacobs, who “had been around the business all my life,” became partners with his father in 1969 following two years at Mesa College. Since his father’s passing in 1981, “it’s just Shan and me,” he said with a laugh. Over the years, Steve has worked the front and Shan stays in back where she calls herself “the assembler.” …The Jacobs noted they had the same landlord since the early 1960s but that family finally sold the small strip mall in 2017. After it became apparent the new owner had other plans for the space, the Jacobs’ contracted with a company from Los Angeles that dismantled the machinery for sale. Peninsula Beacon

Safe Parking Program Lot Opens in Mission Valley

In mid-April, the city of San Diego opened a new parking lot to homeless people living in their vehicles in an effort to provide resources to car dwellers while keeping them off of city streets. The parking lot, SDCCU Stadium’s overflow parking lot in Mission Valley, is able to accomodate up to 80 recreational vehicles or 200 standard cars. Those living on the lot will also be linked with resources to help get them into more stable, long-term housing through a partnership with Jewish Family Service of San Diego, according to the city. This is the third lot to open with the organization. An additional two lots are run by private, non-profit organizations.

“The cost for this expansion will come from the city’s $14 million allocation from the state homeless emergency aid program which we fought so hard for last year,” Faulconer said. … The safe parking program has been around since 2010. The nonprofit organization Dreams for Change opened the first lot along State Route 94 at 28th Street and a second location on Balboa Avenue, according to the information service 211 San Diego. 7SanDiego

Local Businesses in the News

• Blue Water OB
• Ocean Beach Hardware
• 3rd Corner
• Gianni Buonomo Vintners
• Wonderland Ocean Pub
• OB Brewery

Baking Cookies as a Business at OB Farmers Market

Reyanne Mustafa spent five months baking nonstop in the small kitchen of her student apartment, perfecting her recipes. She used ingredients like beet pulp and coffee grounds to create the most delicious upcycled cookies possible. The confections became the cornerstone product of Soul Much, the business she and Kristian Krugman began as undergraduates at SDSU. Soul Much takes discarded grain from local restaurants, grinds it into flour and uses that flour to bake healthy and environmentally friendly cookies. … Mustafa and Krugman say SDSU’s entrepreneurship ecosystem was critical in making Soul Much into what it is today: a burgeoning cookie company with its own commercial bakery and a high-volume business in venues like the popular Ocean Beach farmers market. SDSU Newscenter

OB Kite Festival to Soar at Robb Field – Sat. May 18

The famous OB Kite Festival is coming right up – it’s this Saturday, May 19 at Robb Field rom 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is the 71st annual festival,  the oldest kite festival for children in the United States. It’s free – and is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach, with generous support from the California Credit Union and the Ocean Beach Woman’s Club. The event includes spectacular demonstrations by professional kite fliers, with kite making ending at 3 p.m. Music will be provided by OB’s own Beer Feat band, and prizes are supplied by Lighthouse Ice Cream. Food, games, and a craft fair are also part of the festivities. For more information visit oceanbeachkiwanis.org , or email oceanbeachkiwanis@gmail.com.

‘The Fantasticks’ at Point Loma Playhouse – May 18

From the event description: Try to remember a time when this romantic charmer wasn’t enchanting audiences around the world. ‘The Fantasticks’ is the longest-running musical in the world and with good reason: at the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers. The result is a timeless fable of love that manages to be nostalgic and universal at the same time. When: Saturday, May 18, 8 p.m. Where: Point Loma Playhouse, 3035 Talbot St. Price: $12.50; Click here for more details, and to get your tickets.

River Trail Group Bike Ride From Dog Beach – Sunday, May 19

When and where: 9 to 11 a.m., meet at the Dog Beach Dog Paw on the River Trail in Ocean Beach, 5156 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego.

Point Loma Native Plant Garden Work Party – May 19

When and where: 9 to 11 a.m., Point Loma Native Plant Garden, 4444 Greene St., San Diego.

The Hydros Are Coming

Hydroplanes are returning to Mission Bay on September 13-15, 2019 in the H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Series. “H1 Unlimited hydroplanes are the fastest racing boats in the world and the American Power Boat Association, doing business as H1 Unlimited, sanctions races. With deep history, the 116-year-old sport ‘s majority of hydroplanes are powered by turbine engines that produce 3,000 horsepower, allowing the powerboats to reach speeds of nearly 200 mph, producing a massive 60-foot tall, 300-foot long wall of water behind them called a roostertail.” NBC