News of Ocean Beach and Point Loma – Mid-March 2021

Black & White by Albert C Elliott

Point Loma Nazarene Takes on Hate vs. Asians and Pacific Islanders

PLNU President Bob Brower has stated the school will not condone or tolerate racism and xenophobia harming those who identify as Asian or Pacific Islander. For PLNU to fight these issues, members of ASU agree that conversing on these topics with those it affects is the best chance to better the community. ASU President Ivy Tran applauded Brower for addressing this issue. The senior nursing student said, “Faculty and students should not let the media influence them and rather educate themselves about the issues and find resources on how they can help support the matters.”Lomabeat

“Superwoman” at 106, Natalie Berndes & Family Settled in Point Loma in 1951

Natalie and Red settled in Point Loma in 1951, where she and Red raised their family. Red was a founder of Loma Portal Little League (now Peninsula) in 1958. In 2012, one of the fields was named in honor of Red Berndes. CBS8

OBceans Continue to Complain to City About Non-Working Street Lights on Abbott

Local residents are raising concerns about a busy road in Ocean Beach they say has been without street lights for nearly three months. “It’s just dark — it’s really unacceptable is what it is,” Ocean Beach resident Rod Conwell said. Conwell has lived in Ocean Beach for nearly two decades and says in that time the old-school style street lights have gone out several times. Repairs don’t always come quick though with the latest outage already lasting months, he said. “They stayed out for about a year, year and a half maybe more in the past,” Conwell said. “I would think one, two lights would be OK, but all of them on a street nine, 10 blocks long — that seems like more of an emergency to me.”

The stretch of Abbott Street between Newport Avenue and West Point Loma Boulevard is a busy area for locals and visitors alike, and the lack of light at sundown brings up concerns for Conwell and his neighbors. “More theft, just a more dangerous environment, especially now during COVID we have more people living in their cars,” he said. The city of San Diego tells FOX 5 it is aware of the outage and not ignoring requests for repair. According to a city spokesperson, the stretch of lights are part of an ongoing capital improvement project to upgrade and install entirely new street lights. The project began in June of 2020 and has a projected finish date of December 2021. However, with no exact time frame for the Ocean Beach lights, locals feel there’s a need for at least a temporary solution. Fox5

Point Loma Westerly Public House to Open in Spring

Westerly Public House, which will open later this spring, is designed to link the seaside community of Point Loma with the laid back vibes of Australia’s coast, connecting San Diego and Sydney by their similar sunny climates and prevailing beach culture. The restaurant’s main bar, made out of surfboard materials, will be showcasing San Diego-made beer as well as Australia’s wine regions while Paul’s menu employs local produce in Aussie-inspired dishes like a mushroom toastie but also celebrates Point Loma’s Portuguese roots and fishing history with a Portuguese fisherman’s stew. In addition to the all-day restaurant, The Monsaraz will also house a coffee bar run in partnership with local roaster Dark Horse Coffee. Eater San Diego

Point Loma Women’s Soccer First Top 10  National Ranking

PLNU:  The Point Loma women’s soccer program earned its first-ever top 10 national ranking as the Sea Lions came in at No. 10 in the first national United Soccer Coaches poll for the spring season. (Mar. 9) The Sea Lions have jumped out to a 3-0-0 start this year, outscoring their opponents 5-1. They have not trailed all season and are now 21-0-3 all-time in PacWest play under head coach Kristi Kiely. Freshman Kourtney Kessler has scored three of the Sea Lions’ five goals this season, with Ashlee Watkins and Courtney Seman providing the others. As in years past, the Sea Lions’ have relied on their defense. Point Loma has allowed just 17 shots in three matches as Jacqui Gerarden, Naomi Elli, Emma Thrapp, and Lauren O’Malley continue to anchor the backline with Emma Hinson in goal. Tribe’s

Point Loma Native Garden Gets a Spotlight

Tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood, the two-plus acre Point Loma Native Plant Garden is a neighborhood prize and a hidden gem. “The neighbors call it their backyard,” said Al Field, a local volunteer who maintains the community garden. “And they’re very possessive about it.” …About 400 volunteers a year are taking care of the garden every other weekend…. The origin of the garden – “It was vacant space from 1972 to 1988 when the Point Loma Garden Club got together with the City’s Parks and Recreation Department and they laid out all the walking paths and had big equipment in here,” said Field. “The river park foundation took over after 2002. They (garden club) just couldn’t handle the maintenance requirements.” “It was set aside as a preserve in 1976,” said Frey. It’s City-owned and part of Colliers Park, but the beautification, enhancement and community engagement is managed by the River Park Foundation and volunteers do all the pruning, planting and watering. The native habitat is also a way to help protect the watershed because they don’t use as many fertilizers and pesticides, etc.” Field noted all of the garden’s plants are native to California including the Catalina Islands. Peninsula Beacon

Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Meet in Point Loma

Twenty minutes into watching Jeff Stetson’s hourlong play “The Meeting,” being presented this week in a streamed production by Point Loma Playhouse, I felt a sense of déjà vu. Its plot about 1960s civil rights leaders Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. meeting in a motel room to debate the merits of aggressive vs. peaceful civil rights protest reminded me strongly of the film “One Night in Miami,” which brought Malcolm X together in a hotel room for a similar debate with singer Sam Cooke. Stetson’s play was written in 1987, while “One Night in Miami” premiered six weeks ago on the Amazon streaming network. … The Point Loma production — which premiered on Feb. 26 and was extended a weekend by popular demand — is directed by Jerry Pilato in a production filmed on a local theater stage with scenery and costumes. It looks lush and has sound and lighting effects that give it a nice filmic quality, despite a couple sound issues. The setting is a Harlem hotel room on Valentine’s Day 1965, one week before Malcolm X was assassinated.

Rhys Greene plays Malcolm X as a man who is haunted, dispirited and exhausted, but no less committed to his ideals for non-passive protest. As King, who Malcolm has invited to his hotel for a discussion, J. Kay Weldon has the dignified bearing of a Southern preacher, who never raises his voice or speaks in anger, despite Malcolm X’s repeated provocations. Julian King Monroe co-stars in the play as Malcolm’s wary bodyguard Rashad. In the play, Malcolm X is the aggressor, challenging King’s nonviolent tactics as ineffective and dangerous for protestors, while King defends the slow, but effective, progress that had been made through peaceful means since the 1950s. Both make good and clear points, and both fear they won’t live to see the change they’ve worked so hard to foster. The play’s flaw is the use of over-obvious metaphors like a chess game and arm-wrestling to simulate the pros and cons of differing protest strategies. Some of the lines in the script are also too on the nose, like Malcolm X telling King “we’ll probably be killed by those we tried so hard to teach.” Of course, that proved to be true, but the script could be subtler. Thanks to strong performances and a realistic filmed production, “The Meeting” is entertaining and a good companion piece after viewing “One Night in Miami.” “The Meeting” will be available for streaming Friday and Saturday only, for $10 a ticket at showtix4u.com/events/17491.   SDU-T

Groups Lobby to Make More San Diego Beaches Accessible

People travel to San Diego from all over the world for its natural allure. It’s one of a few places where the beach, mountains and desert are all within reach. But San Diego’s outdoor spaces actually aren’t easily accessible for many communities in the county, a problem extends across California. A new bill proposed by Sen. Ben Hueso aims to start making environmental equity and equitable outdoor access a priority for the state agencies that govern California’s natural resources. Voice of San Diego

Army Vet Pedals from OB Across America for Injured Veterans

Experienced cyclist and army veteran Dave Parramore left Ocean Beach last week kicking off  his Ride Across America tour to raise support and awareness for injured veterans and their families through the Wounded Warrior Project. Parramore’s goal is to raise $100,000 and thus far he has raised more than $12,000. The retired army colonel is on his way to his home in St. Augustine Beach on the east coast of Florida. Parramore has served 26 years in the U.S. Army and completed a nearly 500-mile journey last February from St. Augustine Beach to Key West in honor of the Wounded Warrior Project. KUSI

Fast-Food Company Making Sustainable Cutlery and Straws

Starting this week at its locations in West Hollywood and Long Beach and later this spring at a location opening in Santa Monica, the New York chain is serving its burgers, fries, and drinks with a new type of sustainable cutlery and straws. Manufactured locally by the Southern California startup Restore Foodware, they use a natural material called AirCarbon that feels like plastic but naturally degrades if it ends up on the ground or in the ocean.  Shake Shack said it is the first major restaurant and the first chain to use AirCarbon cutlery and straws, which are billed as the “world’s first natural and regenerative foodware.” Made from a biomaterial that does not require food crops for its production and also reduces carbon in the air, AirCarbon is certified carbon negative by the Carbon Trust. It also won the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. CarbonAir cutlery and straws can be used for hot and cold foods. They don’t get soggy, are dishwasher safe, and can also be reused. Shake Shack says the straws and cutlery will be used for orders at its walk-up window, drive-up window, curbside pickup, and in-store pickup, as well as for delivery. “Our mission is to help end the flow of plastics into the ocean for this generation by replacing them with materials that work for both people and the planet,” said Mark Herrema, chief executive of Newlight Technologies, the parent company of Restore Foodware. Spectrum News

New Neotradtional OB Tattoo Artist

Las Vegas, NV, based Teitan Tattoo has announced the opening of its new shop at Ocean Beach in San Diego, CA. The company aims to provide a convenient and accessible spot for beachgoers and tourists to get high-quality tattoos done. More information is available at http://teitantattoo.com  The newly opened Teitan Tattoo shop is located in the heart of Ocean Beach’s downtown, ensuring clients can easily access their favorite tattoo shop. Teitan Tattoo is a top-rated tattoo shop that is known for its high-quality and unique Neotraditional style tattoos. Interested parties can see their recent works on their Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/teitan_tattoo The shop’s offerings are reasonably priced and provided in a welcoming, neat, and friendly environment. The Las Vegas-transplant tattoo shop works only with professional artists who understand what it means to create great art. The artists are also trained in customer service to provide a world-class experience for clients. Patrick DeMarco, founder, and chief artist at Teitan Tattoo, explains that opening the new shop at Ocean Beach, San Diego is the best logical step in their expansion, following their widely successful flagship shop in Las Vegas. Newswire

San Diego Marathoner Grew Up in OB

A San Diego man is preparing to run ten half marathons in ten cities in seven weeks while driving from place to place in an RV. In this Zevely Zone, I went to Balboa Park to preview a “Road trip of Running” that honors the survivors of suicide loss. 34-year-old Shane Brown shares a typical San Diego story, until 2019 when his mother took her own life.  “I grew up in OB, like elementary school and then we moved out to Clairemont right when I started middle school,” said Shane. CBS8