News from Ocean Beach and Point Loma – August 2020

OB’s Own Laura Dennison Recognized for Her Library Work

In the Thursday, August 20, issue of the SD Union-Tribune, OB’s own Laura Dennison is recognized for her volunteer work with the Friends of the OB Library. Here’s a telling quote from the article, “Someone San Diego Should Know,”:

For Laura Dennison, it all started when she was a child. Her parents were school teachers. At a young age, she often spent hours in their classrooms engrossed in the various materials around her. “I would always head to the school library and help the librarians with cataloging and exploring all the books for something interesting to read,” Dennison said.

One of the school librarians taught Dennison that a public library was the most democratic American institution because anyone, regardless of age, race, color, income, immigration status or disability, can visit. “That thought has always been with me and made me feel very grateful to volunteer at the library.” Laura Dennison and her husband, Dan, have lived in 11 states but decided to move to San Diego County. (Dan grew up in Chula Vista. They settled in Ocean Beach in 2012.)

Point Loma Lighthouse Commemorates 100th Anniversary of 19th Amendment Ensuring Women’s Right to Vote

Starting today, Friday, Aug. 21, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse at the end of the Peninsula and at the National Monument will be illuminated with purple and gold lights to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Starting at sunset each night from Aug. 21-23, and also on Aug. 26, the park will be open from sunset until 8:30 p.m. for visitors to enjoy the lights and learn about women’s history. A slideshow of historic photos will also be projected on one side of the lighthouse.

Aug. 26 will mark 100 years since the 19th Amendment became law, ensuring that women had the right to vote. “The park’s history covers many centuries, from the Cabrillo expedition in 1542 to WWII coastal defense history. From the 1800s, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse represents a story of equal pay for women in the United States, so we are using it as a backdrop to illuminate other stories of women’s history, including the ratification of the 19th Amendment during the Forward Into Light event,” said Cabrillo National Monument Superintendent Andrea Compton.

Led by the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, Forward Into Light is a nationwide initiative to light up structures in American communities with the suffrage colors of purple and gold the night of Aug. 26, National Park officials said. The National Monument, which has been shut down like many other landmarks and attractions during the coronavirus pandemic, is currently in a phased reopening. Outdoor areas, trails and restrooms are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Until Aug. 30, the monument is open until sunset on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Indoor areas, like exhibits, the visitor center and the interior of the lighthouse, are temporarily closed. Access to the tidepools closes at 4:30 p.m. For the latest on what’s open and what’s closed at Cabrillo National Monument, check the landmark’s website. 7SanDiego

Local Politicos Rally at Midway Post Office

After weeks of mounting concern over mail delays and financial struggles for the U.S. Postal Service, members of San Diego’s congressional delegation gathered with post office employees at the Midway Post Office to show their support for the agency. Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA 53rd) said the role of the post office affects all Americans. “Suddenly blue mailboxes have disappeared, sorting machines have been turned off, postal workers have been told to go home and let mail pile up on tables, and post offices have closed during lunch,” Davis said. “These actions hurt everyone.”

Fellow Congressman Mike Levin (D-CA 49th), who sits on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, said the slowing of mail service directly impacted people’s lives. “Millions of Americans depend on the postal service to deliver prescriptions, social security benefits, paychecks, and yes, absentee ballots,” Levin said. House Democrats have recently proposed $25 billion for the post office, the amount also proposed by the agency’s Board of Governors, who was appointed by President Donald Trump. But the Trump administration and the GOP are hesitant to agree to provide more than $10 billion in relief for USPS. Eddie Cooper Jr., president of San Diego American Postal Workers Union and said there is a dire need for the larger relief proposal. “The main thing that’s looming right now for the United States Postal Service is the $25 billion stimulus that we so desperately need. That’s going to affect the running of the United States Postal service,” he said. “Without that stimulus money, the postal service can literally be out of money here in the next four to five months. That is what is critical and urgent right now. ” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump appointee, announced Tuesday he will suspend controversial changes instituted for the post office until after the November election. Later this week, the House will return to session to vote on legislation that would prohibit implementing any changes to service that had been in place on Jan. 1 of this year. KPBS

Rally Saturday at OB Post Office

OBceans are joining residents across San Diego County to stand in support of their neighborhood post office this Saturday, August 22, 2020 from 11:00 a.m. to noon. Join others with like minds at the OB Post Office, 4833 Santa Monica Avenue. We will rally peacefully for one hour, using masks and practicing safe distancing. Bring signs and posters and your spirit. This is part of a national campaign organized by groups including Indivisible, MoveOn, NAACP, Service Employees International Union. So far, groups will stand at post offices in University City, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, and Hillcrest. More groups are expected to come online countywide as word spreads and the week progresses. The purpose of this action is to demonstrate local support for neighborhood postal workers, as well as raise public awareness about the Trump Administration’s appointed Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy’s efforts to slow down postal services nationwide before the November 3rd presidential election.  for more info go here.

Midway Fire Station Is Beautified by Point Loma Assoc. & Mean Green Team

On Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 14, the beautification project at the Midway Fire Station 20 was publicly dedicated. The event marked the completion of new water-wise landscaping at the Fire Station by the Point Loma Association and it’s Mean Green Team. The group had put in one hundred plus hours to the project.

During the ceremony, ironically, both fire engines had to roll out. Fortunately, Colin Stowell, San Diego City Fire Chief was on deck. The Chief acknowledged the hard work of the volunteers and praised the way fire crews, paramedics and community members support one another in many city neighborhoods.

Point Loma Association Chairman, Mike McCurdy thanked members of their Mean Green Team for all the hard labor of love. And Mike thanked the 24 member crew at Station 20 who spent more than 100 hours on paperwork, repairs, ordering supplies and providing muscle power.

Deputy Fire Chief James Gaboury unveiled the plaque officially dedicating the project to First Responders at Station 20 and in memory of former station 20 team member, Engineer Ryan Ferrara, who died in a motorcycle crash exactly one month ago. His parents and brother were on hand for the unveiling.

Here are the key players. Left to right, in the vests are Debbie Hall, Karen Davis & Linda Bienhoff. Holding flowers is Master Gardener Lynlee Austell-Slayter, who donated her skills for design and installation. In the middle is Captain Jason Brackpool whose inspiration and dedication brought us all together to accomplish so very much in just 6 months! Nothing involving government is completed that fast. (All photos and edited text from the Point Loma Assoc. newsletter.)

SeaWorld Allowed Limited Reopening as “Zoo”

SeaWorld San Diego is being allowed to reopen, but certain parts of the park will have to remain closed, a San Diego County spokesman said. A county spokesman told ABC 10News that the park is being allowed to reopen under California’s guidance for zoos. SeaWorld San Diego will be able to open its outdoor areas of the park, but indoor areas — such as its aquariums — and rides will not be open to guests under the specific zoo guidance. Under the zoo guidance, the park will have to post a Safe Reopening Plan like other businesses. It remains unknown when the park will officially reopen; SeaWorld San Diego officials did not immediately respond to ABC 10News’ request for comment. The park has been closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The park’s website states that for season passholders, tickets will be extended as long as the closure lasted. ABC10News

Jefferson Jay Returns to the “Mic”

By the time Jefferson Jay started hosting the Thursday night open-mic at Winstons, he was already an old pro. At that point, Jay already had a long history of running these events at venues that included Tom Foolery’s, O’Connell’s, and Gallagher’s. Out of all the former gigs, it was a mid-to late-2000s run at Portugalia (now a Breakfast Republic in Ocean Beach) that Jay seems to remember most fondly. “The owners had a wild west mentality, and they set me free on the music side of it,” Jay explained. “I like to think that me and the people I got involved with helped save that place. It was totally failing, and then we came in and brought a lot of energy and it built up.” He continued, “I was eventually there three nights a week. I hosted 12 hours and 24 hours of free music there in 2008 and 2009, picking up on those shows I did at Lestat’s in 2003 and Hot Monkey Love Café in 2005. That was pretty cool because you can’t really find a venue anymore, even before the pandemic, that’s willing to do 24 hours of free music at this point.” San Diego Reader

Woman Pulled Off OB Street in Possible Domestic Violence Incident, Man Arrested

San Diego police arrested a man on suspicion of kidnapping in what they believe was a domestic violence incident Thursday. Police began receiving calls about a male driver who had grabbed a female pedestrian on a sidewalk and pulled her into his white Ford pickup in the area of Nimitz Boulevard and West Point Loma Boulevard in Ocean Beach about 8:40 a.m. Other 911 callers reported seeing a confrontation between a driver and a female occupant in a truck that matched the description of the pickup involved in the apparent kidnapping, police said. At least one caller said the driver had tattoos on his face. Somehow the victim later showed up at a San Diego County sheriff’s station in Spring Valley. It was unclear whether she was hurt. Going off of the pickup’s license plate number, officers went to check the suspect’s home. They found him nearby on Quail Street near F Street in San Diego’s Mount Hope neighborhood, pulled over the truck and arrested him. Police said the case was being investigated as kidnapping and domestic violence. “We’re talking with both of them to determine exactly what happened,” Lt. David Bautista told OnScene TV. SD Union-Tribune

Road Rage Incident Ends in OB

Police are looking into an apparent road rage-related chase and collision involving two women that spanned the length of Interstate 8 between Mission Valley and Ocean Beach. Officers said the women were traveling more than 100 mph on westbound I-8 in Mission Valley before they exited in the Ocean Beach area. When both women got to Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, police said the driver of a silver car rammed the other driver’s white SUV several times. The SUV then forced the other car to collide with a center divide. The SUV’s driver got out of her vehicle and confronted the other driver; she reportedly told police she pepper-sprayed the silver car’s driver because she became aggressive. ABC 10News learned the pepper sprayed driver told police that she and the other woman were dating the same man. However, the SUV’s driver claimed she did not know the silver car’s driver. 10News

Two OB surfers are helping to grow new friendships in San Diego and across America.

One of the founder’s loves plants and created a free app called Blossm, without the second “o,” where neighbors can swap plants and produce from gardens without spending a dime. “I wanted to make more plant friends and swap with people,” said Brian Feretic, Blossm co-founder. The idea sprouted after a neighbor’s yard sale when he swapped a Rubber plant for Spanish Moss and a succulent, Crassula. “I wanted to make more plant friends and swap with people,” said Feretic. Five weeks after launching the app, he and his surfer-tech buddy grew Blossm which has grown to 800 users sprouting across the U.S. “Turns out there are a lot of plant people out there,” said Feretic.

The app allows you to search by location, such as your neighborhood, and you can scroll through pictures available for swap. “It became more addicting than Instagram and Facebook for me,” said Spencer Higgs, Blossm user. You can like and message for swaps where users can also see what plants, clippings or garden produce you have for swap. “You don’t have to Google and go around down this rabbit hole and read,” said Corinna Dörrenbächer, Blossm user. You can get help identifying plants and help with plant care. “You have a network of plant people at your disposal,” said Feretic. Taylor Clynne brought an N Joy Pothos clippings to swap for garden vegetables with Higgs. “I love that plants teach you patience and they add a beautiful touch to any living home,” said Clynne. CBS8

Liberty Station Office District Fully Leased 

Los Angeles-based IDS Real Estate Group signed three new office leases at Liberty Station in San Diego’s Point Loma neighborhood, bringing the four-building office district to full capacity. The mixed-use development sits on the site of the former Naval Training Center. The 361-acre project is comprised of a retail and commercial district, a promenade focused on nonprofit activities, an educational district, a residential district, a hotel district, an office district, and a park/open space area. The U.S. General Services Administration leased 11,396 square feet at 2468 Historic Decatur Rd. Health & Wellness Partners leased 4,475 square feet at 2488 Historic Decatur Rd. An unnamed research institute focused on solutions for national security expanded into the last vacancy at 2750 Womble Rd. for roughly 11,500 square-feet. CBRE’s Jeff Oesterblad, Ryan Grant, Matt Carlson and Camille Doan represented the landlord, a JV between IDS and a leading national real estate investment firm, in the lease deal. ConnectCalifornia