Month: July 2019

By Joni Halpern

Since 1896, Ohio voters have picked the winning candidate in all but two presidential elections – 1944 and 1960 – giving rise to the state’s renown as a “bellwether” to which candidates cannot afford to turn a deaf ear. If Ohioans are going to be so influential, maybe we could help inform their future choices by sharing some concerns from the Golden State

Dear Ohio,

It has occurred to me to ask you to take a second look at the abortion controversy. It seems to be splitting us apart as a nation. Apparently, it is not enough for some groups of Christians to refrain from abortion in their own lives. They seem to believe they can save their souls only if they ban abortion for every woman of every belief, under every circumstance. They contend that a full-fledged human life with all rights to maximum protection begins at the moment sperm and egg join. They believe government must protect the fetus.

In the old days, long before modern techniques of abortion were available, women of every culture and religion knew how to encourage miscarriage. Mothers and grandmothers taught daughters and granddaughters. There were potions and teas before there were coat hangers and curettes.

Farewell to a Staple

Editordude: On Tuesday, July 9th, 2019 Judi Curry visited OB’s Village Kitchen, probably for her last time – under the current management – as it is up for lease.

By Judi Curry

Thirty-two years ago my husband Bob and my three daughters and I had our first meal at the Village Kitchen. Lopez was the owner cook; Esther was the cashier – she later became my beautician – and Liz and Eleana were waiting tables. It turned out that they were the children of Lopez and Esther.

We had so many delightful times there. We had our first taste of “menudo”; our first taste of “albondigas”; some of the best Machaca we have ever had. Bob loved their breakfasts – so much for so little money. The recipes were extraordinary and I even asked Lopez for several of them.

No More Speeding on OB Pier

The City of San Diego is trying to stop people from driving onto the Ocean Beach Pier, recently installing plastic pylons. The city recently installed the pylons at the foot of the pier after a car sped onto the structure, hitting two people and a police cruiser in June. The pylons are the first step, but the city says it’s still considering additional options to discourage people from driving onto the pier.

The Plunge in Mission Beach Finally Re-Opens

The Plunge at Fit marked the official return of the iconic beachfront pool in Belmont Park on July 4. The completion of its $12 million restoration and construction of the 400,000 gallon swimming pool and building, include:

Social Syndicate Signs $2.4 Million Lease for Former Nati’s Site

Location Matters has arranged a $2.4 million, 10-year lease for Social Syndicate, a

BB Gun Used to Shoot Out Windows in Midway District and Lyft Car in OB

THERE’S MUCH MORE INSIDE

Scanning where San Diego County Congressional Representatives stand on impeachment, Congressmen Scott Peters and Juan Vargas both support the impeachment of Donald Trump.

Back in April, Rep. Juan Vargas was addressing the Mueller Report at a meeting of the San Diego County Chamber of Commerce when he stated:

“We should impeach him”

Vargas was the first San Diego Congressperson to join the growing list of more than 80 House members on board the impeach train. He told The Hill:

“We should start the impeachment process. I think it gets us to a place where we can get this information, and then frankly be able to make a determination.”

“By the time the courts decide, I think I’ll have grandchildren and my daughters aren’t married.”

Then in late June, Rep. Scott Peters, called for Trump’s impeachment, saying the current president has committed “more significant wrongdoing than even the Watergate break-in.”

The San Diego Housing Commission has just sent a memo to Mayor Kevin Faulconer and the City Council informing them that the study of the Famosa property at the center of much recent dispute has determined that the land at the corner of Famosa and Nimitz Boulevards is suitable for 78 affordable rental units.

The memo from Richard Gentry, CEO of the SDHC, dated July 2, 2019, stated his agency hired a consultant “to perform a study to evaluate whether or not the potential development of affordable housing is feasible on this property,…” which has determined “affordable housing development at Site 428 is feasible.” Site 428 is another name for the property.

By Jim Miller

Summer is here and for many that means it’s time to hit the road and see the country. Perhaps no other American writer is as synonymous with the road trip as Jack Kerouac, for whom San Diego was little more than a dull place to ride through.

Kerouac wrote in his journal in 1950:

“San Diego rich, dull, full of old men, traffic, the sea smell — Up the bus goes thru gorgeous seaside wealthy homes of all colors of the rainbow on the blue sea — cream clouds —red flower — dry sweet atmosphere—very rich, new cars, 50 miles of it incredibly, an American Monte Carlo.”

More impressive to Kerouac, cultural critic David Reid notes, was Jacumba, of which the king of the Beats wrote: “birds at misty and a man walking out of the trees of Mexico into the American sleepy border street of shacks and trees and backyard dumps–(Future place for me).”

There are some stories out there that we try to follow-up on. One of them is about the courtyard cottages at 4938-4948 1/2 Niagara Avenue.

The cottages and the well-known “landscaping” out in front – with bathroom fixtures filled with plants – are psuedo-landmarks. They’ve been there for decades and somebody created a small corner of delight with their landscaping technique.

Owned by Ken and Maggie Harvey – who have passed away (Ken in 2017 and Maggie in 2012), the cottages are now in the hands of a family trust or trustee Doug Harvey, one of their sons. The cottages sit on a 5,179 square foot lot.

Neighbors and local observers fear the worst.

I am so proud to be an American this July 4th! So proud that el Presidente is making us so safe by forcing migrants into overcrowded and squalid cages and rooms and camps.

I am so proud to have our government treat these people this way. So very proud. Fly those stars and stripes – but make sure they’re not the bars and stripes.

So verrry American. But the world may think different. They may think, ‘We treat dogs better than the way Americans are treating migrants at the border.’

Join Surfrider Foundation San Diego for the Annual Morning After Mess!

Meet at Ocean Beach Veterans’ Plaza, just south of the lifeguard station where Abbot St. meets Newport Ave, 9 to Noon.

We all know that on July 4th, everyone flocks to the beaches to celebrate and enjoy the fireworks … but do we ever think about what’s left the morning after?

Someone sent us this photo – it was seen on Social OB facebook. More bird droppings on Newport Avenue in OB or a sad waste of technology?

Is this OB’s answer to Mayor Faulconer’s new scooter regulations – which do not limit the number of scooters dumped on our sidewalks and streets? Or is it a display of ignorance in the way of progress to new forms of transportation?

The mystery has been solved about which restaurant will be going in to the former Nati’s in Ocean Beach.

The restaurant group, Social Syndicate, has just announced they are opening a Mexican restaurant – called La Doña – in the prime corner lot at Bacon and Niagara. Social Syndicate runs OB Surf Lodge and Wonderland Ocean Pub, and are partners with the brothers who opened Blue Water Seafood in their OB enterprise.

The Pop Pie Co. had been slated for the location until they pulled out – as the OB Rag was the first to publish – in late May. The building and its patio – all currently in a state of remodel – “is still owned by Nati’s Inc. but is managed by Foley Development, which intends to build a large apartment complex behind the restaurant,” as was just reported by Candice Woo at Eater.

There’s at least a couple of new businesses at what can be called, “Upper-upper Voltaire” – the string of storefronts near Point Loma High School along Voltaire. And they deserve to be highlighted, so meet Tea’s Moment” and Kakawa Coffee. We also have a pictorial update on the large construction project on Voltaire. (Yes, the term “upper-upper Voltaire” is definitely OB-centric.)

Tea’s Moment Specializes in Milk Tea

Angela – who runs Tea’s Moment – is holding a grand opening right now. She opened her place 2 weeks ago and it specializes in “milk tea”. Growing up near Beijing, she learned how to make in while living in Taiwan.

Kakawa Coffee

Just west of the tea place is a coffee place, Kakawa Coffee (“kakawa” means chocolate in Olmec and Mayan). Managing the year-old coffee house just a breeze from the high school are Gladys Moubayed and Maria Aparicio. The moment I walked in they were enjoying the last moments of the women’s soccer game between the US and England – and we all celebrated, me over an almond croissant and a cappuccino.