Month: October 2020

By Norma Damashek / NumbersRunner / October 13, 2020

Well, what do. you know? The Union Tribune announced that Todd Gloria is their choice for mayor. No surprise here!

San Diego’s growth machine—the entrenched coalition of influential players who profit handsomely from urban growth and development (our banks, hotels, convention center, newspapers, shopping centers, sports stadiums, building trades unions, realtor associations, builders and developers)–continues to exercise outsized control over local political decisions.

The U-T acknowledges that Barbara Bry would be a superior mayor/manager of San Diego at a time when we are in desperate need of professional and ethical management.

But… Barbara Bry is not a member of San Diego’s old-boy network. And Todd Gloria is.

He’s a tried and true pinch hitter, adept at scoring the deals and policies that typically enrich our city’s lobbyists, campaign donors, unions, and business elites–usually at public expense.

Thank you Friends of the OB Library

By Kathy Blavatt

What do you think of when you think of Sunset Cliffs Natural Park: Daisies, Native Plants, and Eucalyptus Trees?

As I was writing San Diego’s Sunset Cliffs: A History, over the last couple of years, I was surprised that the number one thing people were most passionate about was the park’s plants.

Just telling people I was writing a book about Sunset Cliffs Park’s history seemed to be a trigger to many people when it came to the park’s plants. The impassioned comments I received included: “Why are they taking out the daisies?” “Why did they cut down the eucalyptus trees?” and “The park should be native plants!”

Sunset Cliffs Park and the surrounding community have a unique and extraordinary history of horticulture, landscape, the development of food crops, and the propagation of plants that grow in coastal zones.

by Bob Edwards

This month has seen the publication of a wonderful new book, San Diego’s Sunset Cliffs Park, A History. Published by The History Press, the book tells the complex and interesting history of Sunset Cliffs Park.

Written by Kathy Blavatt, local author, historian, photographer and garden columnist for the OB Rag, the book provides a detailed history of the park and includes dozens of photos, many from the author’s private collection, complemented by additional pictures from the OB Historical Society and family photos from local residents.

The book includes a chapter on the park’s animals, marine life, and habitat. Other chapters discuss the prehistory of the Point Loma Peninsula, the changes once Europeans arrived, and the string of events that followed

The folks at Save Our Access have published an online booklet which advocates a “No” on Proposition E – the measure that would eliminate the 30-foot height limit in the Midway District.

We’ve republished some of the pages here.

The saga of OB’s Apple Tree Market has entered a new chapter. After more than 3 decades in Ocean Beach, it will be replaced with Krisp Beverages + Natural Foods.

Owner Saad Hirmez and his family turned over its operations to Krisp managment in mid-August and the new owners are slowly making changes. They plan to rebrand the 9,800 square foot building in the upcoming months. The new owners include Sadeer Mikhail, Evans Salem and Omar Mikhail, and the OB location will be their third for Krisp, which currently has stores in Golden Hill and San Diego’s East Village.

By Colleen O’Connor

Afraid of ghosts and goblins? Can’t take the kids trick or treating? But, you can host a party?

Choose one of Trump’s and friends’ costumes for this Halloween. They are going fast. And more fun than apples or carrots.

Here are some suggestions still in stock.

How about a President, just out of the hospital, recovering from COIVD-19 infection, loaded with an almost combustible mix of drugs; (steroids and antibodies) hosting yet another Rose Garden event while orating from the White House balcony (ala’ Evita Peron)?

This after more than three dozen close White House aides, advisors, generals, and supporters have tested positive.

A completely authentic costume requires a mask that can be torn away quickly and dramatically. And tripod mounted video cameras to catch the salutes and waves.

By Jim Miller

By now you’ve seen them all: the litany of ads and mailers against Proposition 15 featuring worried small business owners, angst-filled barbers, and other advocates for hire trying to scare you that Proposition 15 is aimed at small businesses. You’ve even seen a handful of craven local politicians parroting corporate talking points and throwing their communities under the bus in an effort to court the Chamber of Commerce set during campaign season by opposing a measure that would bring billions of dollars into education and vital social services.

What does Proposition 15 actually do? It will require that commercial property valued at more than $3 million be reassessed at fair market value every three years.

• This closes a loophole that large corporations have used for decades to avoid paying their fair share of property taxes.
• The richest 10% of corporate properties will provide 92% of the revenue.
• Prop 15 specifically exempts all residential properties and agricultural land, maintaining full Prop 13 protections for homeowners, renters, and agriculture.

After more than a 3 hour hearing on Jen Campbell’s proposal for short-term vacation rentals, the San Diego Planning Commission Thursday, Oct. 8, decided to send it back to city staff to address mostly technical issues of how the regulations would be administered and enforced. Another hearing date before the Commission has been set for Thursday, Dec. 3.

But from the comments of the Commissioners, once tweaked, they very well could approve the proposal that Campbell engineered with the billionaire-dollar rental platform, Expedia, along with Unite HERE Local 30, the union that represents hotel workers.

The proposal could very well be approved despite the criticism from community groups in the coastal areas of District 2 – Jen Campbell’s district – that they were not genuinely consulted.

By Geoff Page

The Ocean Beach Planning Board on-line meeting Wednesday, October 7, did not have any OB projects to discuss but did have five interesting action items for the community.

Fencing at Dog Beach

The first one they covered was the following, taken directly from the agenda:

“Action Item #1: Ocean Beach Estuary Enhancement Project – The board will review a proposal from Parks and Rec. to improve the fencing of the estuary at the end of Dog Beach.”

The discussion that followed did not match the agenda description.

Here is the 5 page monthly newsletter from the Ocean Beach Friends of the Library for October 2020.

What was going on in Ocean Beach a decade ago, in October 2010? There was a lot of focus on the upcoming November election and on Halloween. Here is a sampling of local things, people, photos, events and other news of note from October 2010. (Note: some of the first links are 10 years old, so be forewarned.)

OB Bus Routes Detoured Due to Digging Ditches

OB lifeguard part of team honored for dangerous rescue

On Wednesday, October 13, four lifeguards were awarded the Medal of Valor for a dangerous rescue off Mission Bay last November 4th. The San Diego U-T reported: Another honoree, Sgt. Jon Vipond, had reported early to the Ocean Beach station .

Sports Arena bought by San Pasqual Tribe & renamed “Valley View Casino Center”