News and Notices for Ocean Beach and Point Loma – Mid-August 2019

New Activity at the Ebers-Greene Monstrosity

Wednesday morning, August 14, workers were seen upstairs at the ol’ Ebers-Greene monstrosity. They told neighbors they will tear down the entire structure and even work on the closed-up house next door – full of asbestos. This is of course the infamous 3-story monster built without the proper permits and has been an eye-sore even since the City forced the owner to close down. It’s a long story and to gain insight into the whole mess, read this.

Bill Walton Joins Electric Waste Band

The towering Bill Walton, who was born and raised in La Mesa and still resides in San Diego, is a frequent guest percussionist in the Electric Waste Band (comprised of drummer Danny Campbell, keyboardist Dave Chesavage, guitarist Mark Fisher, drummer Ed Fletcher, guitarist Robert Harvey and bassist Bob Rosencrans) and often spotted at their weekly Ocean Beach Monday night residency shows — which they’ve been playing for nearly three decades. 7SanDiego

Fire Damages Nimitiz Pointe Apts at End of Seaside

An Ocean Beach apartment complex was damaged by fire late afternoon on Aug. 12. Passersby observed smoke coming from the Nimitz Pointe Apartments at 2401 Seaside St. and notified San Diego Fire-Rescue. Responding fire units were dispatched at 6:07 p.m. As the first fire engine approached the site, firefighters reported to other units they could observe smoke and flames coming from the units. While those first firefighters prepared to fight the fire, other arriving Fire-Rescue units were directed to begin a precautionary evacuation of the apartments.

The fire was discovered to be coming from the top (third) floor of the complex and located in the ceiling of one apartment. After using hoses to douse the flames, other firefighters gathered on the roof using an axe and chain saw to cut away portions of the roof and vent the fire looking for hot spots. Fire damage was confined and prevented from spreading. However water could be observed cascading from the balconies of apartments below the affected unit. While rolls of roofing materials could be seen on top of the complex, the origin of the fire was apparently electrical and not related to roofing work. Fire units were on scene for 90 minutes. San Diego Community News Group

OB Lovers at Target Every Sunday

Come join a group of local OBceans and OB lovers EVERY SUNDAY noon-1 pm in front of target OB to show support for local OB businesses! We have extra signs for you to use or you can make and bring your own! Let’s encourage others to attend and grow our crowd size each week! SHOP LOCAL – KEEP OB, OB!    More info .

Meeting at OB Green Center August 20th Tuesday

OB Locals and OB Lovers!! Come together at the OB Green Center (4862 Voltaire) every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month to brainstorm what needs to be improved in OB and discuss actionable steps that we as a community can take! These meetings were born out of the “No Target in OB” campaign and are now taking a more broad perspective on community issues. Supporting/promoting local businesses is still very much at the heart of these meetings. We use a “community circle” model to facilitate the conversations so that everyone can speak and be heard! Come one, come all!! More info

New Venetian Owner Makes Promises

Everybody on the Peninsula has probably heard by now that the The Venetian Restaurant has been sold. The new owner of the Point Loma mainstay at 3663 Voltaire St. is John Rudolph, son of Harry Rudolph Jr. who founded La Jolla’s Harry’s Coffee Shop. Rudolph told the press:

“We’re currently waiting for the close of escrow and if all goes well, we should take over operations in a seamless transition on Jan. 1, 2020. The Venetian has been serving the community for nearly 55 years and our goal is to continue the legacy of serving delicious food, warm hospitality and community engagement for another 55 years or more.” 

The Venetian is Rudolph’s fourth restaurant. He purchased Cass Street Bar & Grill at 4612 Cass St. three years ago. He also owns Mike’s Taco Club at 5060 Newport Ave. in Ocean Beach. Rudolph’s not planning any major changes to his new eatery and intends to rehire as many of its current employees as possible. Vince and Carmella Giacalone opened The Venetian in 1965 and operated it until it was taken over by their sons, Frank and Joey. Originally, it was at 2910 Canon St. It relocated to 3663 Voltaire St. in 1973. The restaurant underwent a full interior makeover in 2013. Peninsula Beacon

OB Pier Jump Raises Prevention Money

August 12: Hundreds of children and adults jumped off the Ocean Beach pier as part of an annual fundraising event. It’s the only time the public is ever allowed to jump off the pier. Emotions ran high as there were hundreds of San Diego Junior Lifeguards who jumped off the iconic Ocean Beach pier Monday. The public was also given the opportunity to jump, if they donated at least $100 to the Prevent Drowning Foundation of San Diego. “We are a local nonprofit trying to help local kids learn how to swim in local pools. This is what San Diego County should be doing,” said Buc Buchanan, President, Prevent Drowning Foundation of San Diego. For many of the kids and the adults, it wasn’t the nearly 20-foot jump that was the most nerve-wracking. It was the thought of swimming back to the shore once they hit the water they have to swim out to the buoy then to the shore and that’s approximately 700 meters. KUSI

Drowning a Leading Cause of Injury and Death Among children ages 1 to 14,

Drowning is a leading cause of injury and death Among children ages 1 to 14 –  of unintentional injury and death, according to the Prevent Drowning Foundation of San Diego. Formal swimming lessons reduce the likelihood of childhood drowning by 88 percent. Yet some children face barriers to learning to swim, officials said:

• 79 percent of children in households with incomes less than $50,000 have little-to-no swimming ability.
• 64 percent of African-American, 45 percent of Latino, and 40 percent of Caucasian children have little to no swimming ability.
• In 2018, the foundation spent $150,000 on programs that aided more than 10,500 kids. Their services included 6,000 swim lessons and visits to the beach, and 4,500 safety lectures. Every $100 donation funds swim lessons for one child in the region. Times of San Diego

OBcean Gives Support to Entrepreneurial Moms

What started out as a one-on-one personal training business took only two years to become a nation-wide movement.

“I couldn’t keep showing up to my clients as just this fitness person when so much other stuff was happening in my life,” said Luci Lampe, entrepreneur and founder of the Sexy Mama Movement. “So, I started to let people in on my journey. What I’ve been focusing on is building an event experience where, when women show up, they don’t just throw out business cards, but they can be personal and share real stuff about what’s going on in their lives.

Lampe is a singer, actor, model, author, fitness coach, wife, and mother of four. While Lampe had been a long-time “mom-preneur” with her own personal training business — helping new moms wanting to get fit again — Lampe’s business took on a new focus in 2015 after her husband Ryan injured his back and was diagnosed with a genetic nerve disease.
San Diego Community News Group

OB Man Seriously Injured in Home Invasion

A 34-year-old man was hospitalized Saturday morning Aug. 10 with serious wounds he suffered in a violent home invasion robbery in Ocean Beach and the suspects were at-large. The victim was with a woman at his home in the 4900 block of Cape May Avenue at 10 p.m. Friday when the woman answered a knock at the door and two men, one carrying an expandable baton and the other armed with a knife, forced their way inside and ordered the victim to the floor, according to Sgt. Michael Tansey of the San Diego Police Department. The victim began to fight with the two suspects and was beaten several times with the metal baton.  The suspects ordered the victim to open a safe, but he was unable to do so. The suspects rummaged through the home and took several items including credit cards. The suspects and the woman ran from the home, he said. The victim was taken to a hospital with serious, but nonlife threatening injuries to his face. The woman was described as black, 20 to 21 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall with a thin build. The suspect with the baton was white, 20 to 25 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build and black coloring on his face, wearing dark clothing. The suspect with the knife was Latino, 25 to 30 years old, 6 feet tall and weighs 220 pounds wearing a black sweatshirt and jeans. SDPD Robbery Division detectives investigated the incident. Anyone with information about this home invasion was asked to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477. Patch

Nazarene Prof Teaches How to Look at Art

To start his interactive art-viewing lecture at Little Bench Art Center, critic, author, historian and Point Loma Nazarene University art professor James Daichendt turned the audience’s attention to a sculpture of a dog. Specifically, a gold-plated French bulldog with a suspended can of black paint over it, pouring its contents onto the dog, by Los Angeles-based artist Joe Suzuki. Daichendt’s intent was to guide the participants through the Mittler Method for looking at art, to teach those in attendance to approach a piece as an art critic would. La Jolla Light

Woodstock 50 at Winston’s Sunday Aug. 18

Woodstock 50th Anniversary Celebration at Winston’s Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019 – 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. It’s at 1921 Bacon Street in OB, 92107. “The Woodstock 50th Anniversary Celebration. Peace, love & music from OB’s own Fish & the Seaweeds, Calamity, Strange Days and others tba. Featuring songs from Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, The Doors, Joan Baez and many more. “Original artwork for sale, Woodstock trivia contest & much more! “Woodstock50th.brownpapertickets.com.”

Suicide Victim Found Behind Midway Store

The body of a man who shot himself was found Sunday May 11 behind a liquor store in the Midway District, police said. The unidentified man, thought to be his 50s, was found behind the store in the 4100 block of West Point Loma Boulevard at about 7:50 a.m. The San Diego Police Department said a gun was found at the scene. Times of San Diego

Mission Bay HS Football Coach Found Dead in His Ocean Beach Home

Mission Bay High School’s football coach died this week just before the start of his second year as head coach, the school confirmed to NBC 7. Mission Bay High School administrators sent a letter to students and parents informing them of the death of Dane Roman, a seven-year coach with the San Diego Unified School District. The letter said Roman, “was a great coach, who truly believed in his students and who made an irreplaceable difference in the lives of our students and their young minds.” The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Roman was found dead in his Ocean Beach home on Tuesday, when the first football practice of the season was scheduled. NBC7

Local Businesses in the “News”

• Wonderland One of San Diego’s “best bars”?
• The Holding Company – a mention; and another;
• Cesarina
• Natural Style Chicken