Month: July 2020

By Michael Steinberg / Black Rain Press

On June 30 the San Diego Union-Tribune reported, “Worker At San Onofre Nuclear Plant Tests Positive For Covid 19.” Plant owner Southern California Edison admitted the infected person was a contract worker at the plant until June 23, but refused to reveal the person’s name or position at the plant. There was no explanation of how the worker acquired the virus or what measures were being taken to protect others in the workplace or surrounding communities.

Seven years after San Onofre closed permanently on June 7, 2013,

By Jim Miller

You already are where you want to be. Forget the story in your head and the world of screens. Wake up at dawn and hit the street early before the masses crowd the sidewalks and go. Anywhere, everywhere, just walk. This is the ritual of the moment.

In my neighborhood, it means learning the landscape of yards — lush green garden boxes, forests of sunflowers, clusters of cacti on the edge of a canyon. Relearn how to look and listen, see the things you never see. What is most important is what happens to be there at the dead end of the unpaved alley.

The public’s help is being sought in finding the driver in an Ocean Beach hit-and-run that killed skateboarder Cameron “Cam” Loren. Loren was struck from behind as he skateboarded down Voltaire Street.

This was June 4 and he was hit in the 4500 block of Voltaire around 10:30 pm. His body was found by a passerby.

San Diego police said the driver fled the scene, leaving the 25-year-old Loren on the street with injuries. Emergency crews responded to the incident, but Loren was declared dead at the scene, according to police.

July 4th is America’s day to celebrate our independence and show our patriotism – and usually is a day for Americans to party as hard as we can, with fireworks, with friends, with nature, out on the beach, in the parks.

Until July 4, 2020. This Independence Day is different. It has to be different. This year, to show our patriotism, we’ve got to stay home, away from friends, from fireworks, from beaches and parks – and hang only with household members.

That’s right; to be a real patriot this July 4th, we’ve got to stay home.

No Repeat of What Happened on Memorial Day

Editordude: We offer the following without comment as a FYI for our Point Loma and Midway readers.

by Elisha Gamboa / Defense Visual Information Distribution Services / July 1, 2020

To keep Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) ready to meet its critical, high-tech, cybersecurity mission, the Navy is working alongside advocates throughout the San Diego region to create a state-of-the-art facility in support the command’s diverse, high-priority mission and rapidly growing cyber requirements.

Known as the Navy Old Town Campus (OTC) Revitalization Project, this effort centers around NAVWAR Headquarters, which is currently located on 70.5 acres of Navy-owned land, in the Midway-Pacific Highway Community.

Here is the response released Wednesday to Councilwoman Jen Campbell’s proposal on regulating short term vacation rentals in San Diego by the main organization that has opposed STVRs for the past half-decade, Save San Diego Neighborhoods:

Driven By Expedia D2 Councilmember Jennifer Campbell Throws Her Constituents and San Diego Residents Under the Short Term Rental Bus

July 1, 2020 – It appears Councilmember Campbell has learned the political ropes in San Diego fairly quickly. She was elected less than two years ago. She told voters in District 2 that she was adamantly opposed to short term vacation rentals in San Diego residential zones – her constituent’s neighborhoods. And she said, she would work with her fellow councilmembers to enforce the existing Municipal Code, which prohibits short term rentals.

On Monday, Councilwoman Jen Campbell announced that she had coordinated a new proposal for short term vacation rentals along with UNITE HERE Local 30 – a hospitality union – and Expedia Group – the parent company for travel platforms Vrbo and Homeaway.

Campbell claims the new regulatory framework could potentially cut the number of whole-home vacation rentals within the city limits by 70 percent. Based on the City Auditor’s estimation that 16,000 STRs exist today in San Diego, 70 percent equates to 3,750 permits, which would reduce the overall number of whole-home STRs.

By Thomas Ultican / Tulican / July 1, 2020

For the past week, local San Diego TV and Print media have been filled with damning headlines like the NBC affiliate’s, “Audit of Sweetwater Union High School District Finds Evidence of Fraud” or the online publication Voice of San Diego’s “Audit Finds Sweetwater Officials Deliberately Manipulated Finances.” Every local news outlet published the story with some version of these headlines.

The following calendar for progressives and greens showing July events was put together by our friends at the OB Green Center.

Every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Climate Mobilization Coalition Zoom Meeting. July 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th. Keep up-to-date on climate issues and Climate Action events. To register email Jon Findley at jon@climatemobsd.org. More info: https://www.facebook.com/SDClimateMobilization

July 9th Thursday 4 pm – 6 pm Interview with Dr. Michael E. Mann Hosted by North County Climate Change Alliance Join us to hear from renowned award-winning scientist and climate activist Dr. Michael E. Mann during a one-hour interview and Q&A session moderated by journalist Steve Horn.

July 10th Friday 11:15 am – 1:30 pm Protest Del Mar Race Track – Opening day Opening day protest.

July 10th Friday Protest Sea World San Diego Hosted by Ellen Ericksen Since we have all had a “taste” of what captivity feels like the last three months it is important for us to protest the opening of Sea World. The animals once again will be forced to perform stupid tricks to entertain the humans

July 19th Sunday 2 pm 4 pm Police Repression, Police Unions, and the Role of the Labor Movement. Hosted by San Diego Labor Democratic Club

By Judi Curry

It’s been a little over a week since I wrote about the problem that “Mr. X” was having with the crows in his backyard. They followed him everyplace he went; dive-bombing him unexpectedly at different intervals. It did not matter if he was in his own backyard; in my backyard; walking on Sunset Cliffs, etc. For the most part they missed him, but I noticed that even the neighbors were staying away from him in fear that they too might be injured by these crows.

Since that article appeared, someone suggested that Mr. X have some peanuts available for the crows to eat. Maybe they were hungry.

By Beth Accomando / KPBS / June 30, 2020

San Diego Black Panther Party chairman Henry Lee Wallace V looks to the 1960s to provide context for today’s protests.

If you grew up in the 1960s like I did, then the image of young Black men in black leather jackets and berets, and carrying guns and chanting “Power to the People” was a powerful image that you don’t forget. It was also an image that scared a lot of mainstream white America and immediately got the attention of those in power who wanted to maintain the status quo.

But what was even scarier to someone like the FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover was the way the Black Panther Party focused on providing free meals to kids and education that could help people in the Black community become self-reliant.

By Melissa Mecija / 10News / June 30, 2020

A Paradise Hills nursing home sees a surge in COVID-19 cases, worrying the families of those who live in the facility.

According to the administrator of Reo Vista Healthcare Center, 71 residents and 28 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. One resident passed away. State data from Monday shows Reo Vista Healthcare Center with the highest one-day positive patient total in the county.