Month: February 2021

This year, the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association’s Annual Awards Celebration went virtual – but it still went. Here is what OBMA said:

Just like everything else this year our awards celebration looks much different. But in the spirit of making Lemonade out of Lemons we decided the show must go on. We are presenting awards to some of the businesses in Ocean Beach who made Lemonade out of Lemons in 2020 and showcased their OB Spirit.

OBMA Annual Award Celebration Winners

Clean & Safe Committee Awards go to:

• Lighthouse Ice Cream for consistently keeping their storefront clean.
• Mallorys Furniture for consistently keeping their storefront clean.
• Vili’s Health Bar for consistently keeping their storefront clean.

and the online voting winner is Lighthouse Ice Cream!

EditorDude: Today, six years after his untimely demise, we remember Hodad’s Mike Hardin.

Originally posted May 9, 2009

By Frank Gormlie

OCEAN BEACH, CA. It’s readily apparent that at least in one little corner of Ocean Beach, the recession hasn’t really hit – the corner of Newport Ave and Bacon Street, where you see the lines of people waiting to get into Hodad’s – OB’s famous hamburger joint. It’s 12:30 lunch time, and the crowd waits patiently to sit down and chomp into the delicious drippy, beef and bun wonder named by CNN as one of the top five burgers in the nation.

Inside, the place was packed, every table filled, every stool taken, every booth claimed, as the staff smartly bustled for hungry mouths. No “OB Time” here at lunch time. This is a typical scene these days. It was a noisy but friendly atmosphere. I spoke to a few people waiting in line outside.

By Julie Gallant / Ramona Sentinel / Feb. 3, 2021

The next mural to be showcased in Ramona will be a tribute to the Kumeyaay Native Americans. And if artist Simon Melnyk stays true to his ambitions, it will be an historically accurate rendition that celebrates how the tribe lived in harmony with nature for so many years.

Melnyk is just getting started on the 1,200-square-foot mural that will take up about two-thirds of the blank canvas on the Verizon building at 1530 Main St.

A preliminary investigation into the shooting death of OB resident, Ashli Babbitt, during the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol has found insufficient evidence to criminally charge the U.S. Capitol Police lieutenant who fatally shot her. Babbitt, a pro-Trump insurrectionist and Qanon supporter, was shot as she tried to enter the Speaker’s Lobby via a broken window taken out by her and her fellow rioters. Video captured the moment.

Minutes earlier Babbitt and others were hammering the doors between them and the House chamber while lawmakers were being evacuated. Apparently, the unidentified lieutenant was alone to confront the mob as they were breaking into the chamber.

However, the preliminary report is just that – it’s preliminary.

By Colleen O’Connor, U.S. and G.L. Goggin, Mexico

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” Helen Keller

United States:

1. Don’t cry for Liz Cheney.
the stalwart Republican who stood up to Trump on mask mandates and voted to impeach him, is now beating back calls to “resign” her post as the #3 in House GOP leadership position. Her response “I’m not going anywhere.

Prediction: Liz Cheney is going to be the first Republican female minority leader after Kevin McCarthy is ditched. She sees the future and it isn’t Trumpism. And McCarthy’s quote that “Everybody in the U.S. has some responsibility” for the capital riot has greased his skids. Plus, Mitch McConnell is now calling Cheney “courageous.”

2.The impeachment of Trump is a win-win for Democrats.
Trump’s conviction would be a win for the rule of law. His acquittal at Republican hands guarantees the Democrats will picked up more seats in 2022.

3. Trump-ism is radioactive. Economic boycotts, internal GOP strife, and more damaging court cases and investigations will infect all things Trump.

The GOP Just Might Be Our Country’s Number One Enemy

by Ernie McCray

Much to my chagrin
I saw the ex-president
in a picture
wearing a
sickening grin,
standing
next to
the House Minority Leader
sporting the same
devious smile
above his chin,
signifying
that, in spite
of his friend’s
terrifying insurrection
against our nation,
the GOP
was still behind

By Kathy Blavatt

The question on everyone’s mind is, “Did the Pickleweed commit murder?”

A gang of suspects covered in green waited until just the right moment to tumble the cliff on three innocent people below.

The January 2020 San Diego Reader cover read “Beach Erosion, Can it Be Stopped?” and laid out the case of possible perps that lead investigators to the culprit being Pickleweed!

Is Pickleweed getting a bum rap, or are they a dangerous plant? The court will soon decide.

Excerpt: January 13, 2020, San Diego Reader – “Will sand save San Diego North County’s bluffs?”: On August 2, 2019, a 30-foot-wide chunk of sandstone came loose at Grandview Surf Beach in Encinitas, beneath a condo development. It fell onto three women, two of them locals, whose children and spouses sat nearby. The three women died. A lawsuit filed by the surviving families calls the poorly maintained bluff “an unnatural, unstable, and unsafe urbanized cliff.”

Editordude: Here is a nice, detached paean to Mike Hardin and Hodad’s of Ocean Beach in an entertainment online platform. Mike passed exactly 6 years ago. For links, please go to the original. )

One of ‘Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives’ Most Popular Burger Joints Has an Incredibly Tragic Story

By Perry Carpenter / Showbiz CheatSheet / January 23, 2021

Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives host Guy Fieri has visited Hodad’s in San Diego numerous times throughout the show’s history. The restaurant has also been part of other Food Network specials, and it’s become a destination for fans.

The Ocean Beach staple is a classic American diner with walls covered in classic license plates and a menu that features a famous assortment of burgers. But despite its massive popularity, the burger joint actually has an incredibly tragic story.

There’s been a spate of crimes and misdemeanors of late on the Peninsula – in Ocean Beach and the Midway District. Stabbings … thefts … Here’s a brief outline of the recent incidents.

Two Stabbed in OB Saturday Night

A 32-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man suffered non-life threatening stab wounds during a fight with two suspects in OB. The two suspects were arguing with the 25-year-old man a little after 11:20 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, in the 1900 block of Bacon Street, when he was stabbed by one of the suspects.

The 32-year-old woman suffered a stab wound while trying to break up the fight. Paramedics transported her to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police said, “The suspects got into a car and fled the scene. A short time later there was a male with a stab wound contacted by police at Logan Avenue and Beardsley Street. It was later determined this stabbing was related to the 1900 Bacon Street incident.” Paramedics transported the 25-year-old man in stable condition to an area hospital.

San Diego police urged anyone with any information regarding the stabbings to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477. Point Loma – OB Monthly

Police Dog Stabbed in Midway

All events are online and free unless stated otherwise.

Every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Climate Mobilization Coalition Zoom Meeting. February 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th.

February 21st Sunday 12 pm Close Guantanamo Now: A Call to Action Event

February 23 – City Council to review Jen Campbell’s “compromise” on short-term vacation rentals.

February 23rd. Tuesday 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm Jobs in a Green Economy Event by Climate Hub, Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Green New Deal Alliance and Hammond Solutions

February 23rd Tuesday 6:30 pm -7:30 pm Earth Justice

February 24th Wednesday 11 am LIVE with The League | POWER STRUGGLE Event by League of Women Voters of San Diego The franchise agreement with SDG&E is ending and San Diego must decide its energy future. Who should own and operate our municipal power? Join us for a riveting discussion of the different arguments for and against privatization of the city’s gas and electric utilities. More importantly, learn how the different outcomes could impact you and your family for years to come. We are pleased to host science, Environment and Energy Writer MacKenzie Elmer of the Voice of San Diego, Community Organizer and Activist Derek Casady and San Diego City Councilmember Chris Cate. More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/915732552336873

February 25th Thursday 5 pm – 6:30 pm A Democracy for All of U.S. – Democracy in America’s Finest City hosted by Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies J

February 26th Friday1 pm – 2:30 pm All About Ebikes Event by San Diego Bike Coalition What are electric bicycles? How do the rules of the road apply to ebikers? Why are these things so popular all the sudden? More info: https://sdbikecoalition.org/event/all-about-ebikes/

And Much More …

The OB Planning Board continues its monthly meetings via Cisco WebEx this Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 6 pm.

There’s a number of issues and projects on the agenda, but because most are under the controversial “consent agenda” (4 of 6) there’s only 2 so-called “action items”. Items on the consent agenda do not need to be discussed or detailed and there’s usually just a vote by the full Board. Any board member or member of the audience, however, in this process can request to have any consent item “pulled” from the consent agenda and placed on the “regular” agenda.

So, for example, there’s a project at 5064 Lotus Street – but because it’s on the consent agenda, there are no details to the project on the agenda; usually there is some description of the project. Okay, the subcommittee, the Project Review Committee, voted 8 to 0 to recommend approval to the full Board. But the full Board at least needs to bring it up for some level of discussion.

In addition, there’s at least one issue deserving of discussion embedded in the consent agenda, called “Froude St. Traffic Calming.”

The effort to recall Councilwoman Jen Campbell is becoming official this week. The Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition is being published and Campbell will likely be served over the next few days. Once these procedural elements have been accomplished, the recall effort can begin to officially collect signatures.

The Petition outlines a host of reasons for the recall effort (see below) and ends with, “Councilmember Campbell has betrayed the voters and is unfit for office. Having no other recourse, we the residents of District 2, together with concerned residents throughout the city, have come together to take this action.”

Five fairly prominent and active residents of District 2 have stepped up during this crucial moment and have signed their names to the Petition. They represent every neighborhood of District 2 and include:

1. Kevin Hastings – Vice Chair, Ocean Beach Planning Board
2. Cathie (Jolley) Umemoto – presently a director on the PB Town Council Board of Directors. Cathie is two-time past President of PBTC and 2019-2020 Honorary Mayor of PB.
3. Mandy Havlik – Board Member & Secretary, Peninsula Community Planning Board
4. Erin Cullen – Board Member, Clairemont Community Planning Group
5. Gary Wonacott – Past President, Mission Beach Town Council

Here is the Notice statement: