Month: August 2020

As of Friday afternoon, more than 650 demonstrations were planned as part of “Save the Post Office Saturday,” a national day of action in which people across the U.S. will demand that President Donald Trump and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy end their assault on the U.S. Postal Service. Demonstrations will begin at 11:00 am local time.

A protest rally to save the OB Post Office is one of them. It begins also at 11 am. People are asked to wear masks, employ physical distancing – and to bring signs and banners.

The number of planned protests at hundreds of post offices grew as DeJoy testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Friday, telling lawmakers he has “no intention” of returning hundreds of mail sorting machines that have been decommissioned in recent weeks, severely cutting postal workers’ ability to deliver mail quickly. The postmaster general claimed the machines are not needed.

Editordude: Matt Potter over as San Diego Reader reminds us that John Moores, the former Padres owner and super-rich San Diego developer, has a hand in one of the proposals before the city in the redevelopment of the the Sports Arena / Midway area.

By Matt Potter / SD Reader / Aug. 19, 2020

How much would a brand-new Midway sports arena cost San Diego taxpayers?

The answer hasn’t yet been made public, but leaks and news releases emerging from city hall indicate a closed-door deal for a costly new sports palace may be just around the corner.

It comes as no surprise to city insiders that a key covert player in the potential giveaway is John Moores, the ex-Padres owner. The super-rich Rancho Santa Fe denizen got himself a ballpark and millions of dollars in taxpayer-financed downtown development rights after showering then-city councilwoman Valerie Stallings with undisclosed gifts back in the 1990s.

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,”:

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.

By MacKenzie Elmer / Voice of San Diego / August 19, 2020

The city of San Diego is choosing between flashy proposals to redevelop Pechanga Arena area, but has said little about its very real vulnerability to flooding from rising sea levels. Though the city’s planning department recently studied how sea level rise will affect its most precious assets, the threat hasn’t featured prominently in public discussion of the redevelopment plan.

Two developers submitted dueling bids for the right to revamp a 48-acre triangular stretch of land off Sports Arena Boulevard in San Diego’s Midway District.

Save the Post Office Saturday

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, the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, MoveOn, NAACP, RuralOrganizing.org, Service Employees International Union, Vets for the People, Sunrise Movement San Diego and the Working Families Party and promoted locally by San Diego County Indivisible groups.

So far, groups will stand at post offices in University City, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, and Hillcrest.

By Marjorie Cohen / TruthOut / August 19, 2020

A lawsuit that promises to be one of many was filed yesterday to stop Donald Trump’s sabotage of the mail leading up to the presidential election.

Mondaire Jones et al. v. U.S. Postal Service, Postmaster General, and Donald Trump was brought by Democratic candidates for national and state congressional seats, as well as voters who cast mail ballots to protect themselves against the COVID-19 pandemic. Several state attorneys general are expected to file litigation this week.

Charter School Experiment Failure Documented Again

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican / August 17, 2020

Marketing and lack of oversight have obscured the failure of the charter school industry. The latest research reported by Carol Burris and her team at the Network for Public Education (NPE) documents the atrocious going out of business rate among charter schools.

The United States Education Department (USED) has invested more than $4 billion promoting the industry but has not effectively tracked the associated fraud, waste and failures. After 25-years of charter schooling, Broken Promises is the first comprehensive study of their closure rates.

Former American Federation of Teachers (AFT) union President, Albert Shanker,

By Colleen O’Connor

A college professor once remarked, “You can put a police officer on every corner and still not stop crime. It is up to the majority to abide by the rules.”

True with San Diego’s behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic. And the majority of locals have performed admirably.

There may be trouble with the OB drum circle crowds, or the kids at Cleator Park, but the police are now enforcing the 10 o’clock curfew, moving clusters along, and trying to quell the Sunset Cliff’s human waves.

Trouble also remains with the Mission Beach board-walkers and the Pacific Beach college-age, overstuffed house parties.

True there are too many “my rights,” non-mask wearers, everywhere, but most are making an effort— sometimes comically. Some use their highly visible masks to support their double chin, while still looking dutiful. Others wave their empty doggie bags and twirl masks in hand, but fail to comply with basic civic goodness.

Still, look on the bright side. We are off the “BAD” list.

By Rosanna Xia / Los Angeles Times / Aug. 17, 2020

Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, yet a world away from San Francisco, in an unincorporated and oft-overlooked area known as Marin City, sea level rise is rarely the first worry that comes to mind.

Traditional flood maps for this predominantly Black and working-class community suggest that the area is safe until the sea-level rise reaches three feet or more.

But sea level rise is a lot more complicated than just waves breaking over seawalls and beaches disappearing.

Imagine the groundwater beneath your feet. As the ocean moves inland, it will push all this trapped water upward until it breaks the surface. Basements will heave, brackish water could corrode sewer pipes, toxic contaminants buried in the soil could bubble up and spread.

Editordude: Michael Zucchet – a resident of Point Loma – who used to represent Ocean Beach and most of Point Loma in District 2 on the San Diego City Council, and who now is the general manager of the San Diego Municipal Employees Association, has stepped into the debate about the troubled City-owned building at 101 Ash Street, and has made a startling claim. He says compared to the work offices and buildings his union members work in, 101 Ash Street is the “Taj Mahal” of the city’s buildings. Here is his Op-Ed piece from today’s U-T.

By Michael Zucchet / San Diego Union-Tribune / Aug. 17, 2020

These days the most famous address of a city building is 101 Ash Street. Based on all the publicity, you might think it is the crummiest building the city owns or leases — riddled with asbestos and saddled with plumbing, electrical and air systems that are past their useful life. In fact, 101 Ash is the nicest, most modern, functional office space the city controls.

That’s right. Warts and all, 101 Ash is the Taj Mahal compared with the current work environs of city workers.

Sadly, it’s not just wild, irresponsible crowds at OB’s drum circle on Wednesday nights. Breakdowns in employing the standard COVID-19 health advisories happen outside OB and on the playing fields of Point Loma.

On Sunday morning, August 16, kids, parents and adults at Bill Cleator Park / Field played sports and hung out in groups without masks (the vast majority) and no proper physical-distancing. Despite the park posting that gatherings are not allowed.

The OB Planning Board has announced they are postponing two of their sub-committee meetings. The Project Review Committee, originally scheduled for Wed., Aug. 19 has been adjourned, and its next meeting is not until October 21.