June 2021

The Oregon Coast – Escape From the Heat

June 30, 2021 by Frank Gormlie

OBceans and other Southern Californians must have breathed a sigh of relief in not being engulfed by the record-breaking heatwave that hit the Northwest this past weekend. I happened to be in Oregon visiting family and was able to experience it all.

It was 109 in the small town I was in, southwest from Portland. For three days. After spending two days mostly indoors, on the third day of the heat, we bundled everybody into two cars and headed for the Oregon coast.

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Sunset Cliffs Shooting Victim’s Family Wants Answers

June 30, 2021 by Frank Gormlie

Akili Cobbs was fatally shot Sunday night, June 27, in a parking lot at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. Now his family wants answers.

Multiple gun shots and someone yelling for help brought police to the scene close to the 4500 block of Ladera Steret around 11:30. Cobbs was found in a car in the parking lot often used by surfers and park visitors, below Point Loma Nazarene University.

Now there’s a memorial for the 33-year old victim.

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Outdoor Restaurant Spaces Could Become Permanent, According to San Diego Plan

June 29, 2021 by Staff

Outdoor restaurant spaces have become common to many Ocean Beach, Little Italy and other San Diego streets as eateries and other businesses used them to survive the coronavirus pandemic.

Now the outdoor eating areas could become permanent according to a plan the city of San Diego is currently working. Some businesses are rejoicing while others see the host of new restrictions and regulations as making things that much more complicated for business owners.

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San Diego Preparing Green Bins for Game-Changing Recycling Law

June 28, 2021 by Source

By David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune / June 22, 2021

San Diego is spending $15 million to buy 240,000 green recycling bins and kitchen pails so city residents can begin recycling food scraps to comply with a new state law that will fundamentally change recycling in California.

The new organics recycling law, SB 1383, forces residents and businesses to start separating out food waste and food-soiled paper products from their trash so that they can go in green bins for recycling.

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San Diego Plan to Eliminate Parking for Businesses Advances

June 25, 2021 by Source

By David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune / June 23, 2021

San Diego’s proposal to allow many businesses to eliminate their parking spots passed a key test last week when a City Council committee voted 3-1 to support the change after a contentious hearing. The vote, with only Councilmember Marni von Wilpert opposed, makes it likely the proposal will get support from at least five members of the full nine-member council next month.

Many San Diego businesses would no longer have to provide parking under policy proposal

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Want to Improve Police Stop Disparities? Hold the Chief Responsible for Addressing Them.

June 24, 2021 by Source

By Chris Brewster / Voice of San Diego / June 23, 2021

If the mayor and City Council are serious about police reform, they should make clear that the expectation is that the police chief must meaningfully bring police stops into alignment with the makeup of the population, or spell out clearly why doing so isn’t desirable.

The San Diego Police Department’s leadership has been ineffective over many years at ensuring equity in police stops.

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Another New Report Shows San Diego Police Treat People of Color Differently

June 24, 2021 by Source

By Jesse Marx and Sofía Mejías Pascoe / Voice of San Diego / June 17, 2021

A long-awaited analysis of San Diego Police Department data, conducted by an outside think tank, was released Thursday, June 17, and offers a familiar picture of the disparities that people of color face when encountering law enforcement. But the police chief and the report’s authors have said they don’t believe it’s appropriate to attribute such disparities to officer bias.

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‘I’m Off to Portland – See Ya in 6 Days’

June 24, 2021 by Frank Gormlie

The OB Rag will have very limited postings over the next 6 days, as I’m off to the Portland area to visit my daughter and her family.

Leaving behind a rain storm and heading into 90+ heat is quite a turnaround for San Diego and Portland.

Comments will continue to be open –

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Cannabis Workers in Mission Valley Join Union

June 23, 2021 by Staff

Enough workers at the flagship Mission Valley location of cannabis retailer March and Ash signed authorization cards that now they are all part of a union. They joined the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135 which has been organizing cannabis workers all over Southern California lately.

Brent E. Beltrán, Communications Director for Local 135, sent out the following statement:

SAN DIEGO – On the heels of last month’s announcement that employees at cannabis retailer March and Ash in Vista, City Heights, and Imperial chose to join United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135 and voted on their first ever union contract, enough workers at the flagship Mission Valley location signed authorization cards to bring themselves into the bargaining unit.

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Drive-Through Citizenship: As American as It Gets

June 23, 2021 by Source

Happenings in the “hood”

By Colleen O’Connor

Immigrants and explorers have been coming to San Diego for centuries. One of the earliest was Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who led the first European expedition to the west coast of the United States.

Historians believe he anchored his flagship, the San Salvador, on Point Loma’s east shore near the land that becomes Cabrillo National Monument.

It was the first contact between the coastal California Indigenous tribes, like the Kumeyaay, and men from Europe.

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Edtech Is Business First

June 23, 2021 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican / June 17,2021

Not all edtech is negative but it is important to remember that private companies are in it for the money. Giant corporations and private equity firms require return on investment. Improving education comes in second to making profits and everyone in the business knows that the real edtech gold comes from data mining.

Dr Velislava Hillman is a visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In a post on the LSE blog she writes,

“It is hard, perhaps impossible, to go to school and not be registered by a digital technology. Cameras wire the premises; homework is completed using one business’s software application (eg Microsoft Word) that may be embedded onto another business’s platform (shared via Google);

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OB Vibe Is This Weekend, and Volunteers Are Needed – for Sat., June 26

June 23, 2021 by Frank Gormlie

OB Vibe is this weekend, and the people putting it on need volunteers!

OB Vibe will be in lieu of the traditional Ocean Beach Street Fair and will be held on June 26th from 10am – 6pm.

The OB Mainstreet Association and the OB Town Council need lots of volunteers for various areas, such as, but not limited to:

  • Vendor Check-in
  • OBMA Information Booth & Merchandise
  • Canvas Painting Class Coordinators
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A Tragedy of Sight Averted – Hopefully

June 23, 2021 by Judi Curry

By Judi Curry

Seldom do I actually speak about myself. I have never liked to be the center of attention and even though I may write about my opinions, my personal experiences are kept at bay when possible. Having Covid in January changed some of that and the continuing saga is still in the forefront of a lot of my thoughts and experiences.

When I am asked how my recovery has gone I tell people I am about 95% recovered. The extreme fatigue is still there; the muscle tone in my legs is noticeably worse; but I still am able to get around with a minimum amount of difficulty. Except that the diagnosis I received from my Ophthalmologist last week scared the hell out of me.

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Peninsula Planners Take on Navy’s Redevelopment Plans, Riverwalk SD, and a ‘Bicycle Boulevard’

June 22, 2021 by Staff

By Geoff Page

The Navy’s plans for the old SPAWAR site, a developer’s plan to add 4,300 residential units and a 93-acre park in Mission Valley, and a “Bicycle Boulevard” were the highlights of the Peninsula Community Planning Board’s regular monthly meeting, Thursday, July 17.

The Navy

The Navy has been shopping its Environmental Impact Statement for the plans to redevelop the old SPAWAR site- renamed NAVWAR – for weeks. The first public presentation was at the Midway-Pacific Community Planning Group’s meeting in May and it was described in detail in The OB Rag’s May 24 account of that meeting.

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Ghosted Again, Naturally

June 22, 2021 by Source

Straight Up With a Twist

By Edwin Decker

Dear SWAT, I recently went out with a woman I met online. We had been flirting heavily by text for about two weeks until we finally went on a date which was a home run in my mind. We went for a hike, had lunch and margaritas and made out a little in the back of a Lyft. But when I texted her the next day she didn’t respond. Over the course of the next few days I texted some more, not to stalk, but because the date was such a success, I figured she must not be seeing my texts. Anyway, she never responded and now I’m just angry. Should I text her one last time to call her out on her rudeness?

Sincerely,

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy

No, OGTS, you should not text her again;

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Why Can’t Humans Be More Like Elephants or Trees?

June 22, 2021 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor

Historians often use memorable contemporary events to better tell stories that define an age.

For example; to better explain the 1950s, a catchy tune from the popular musical, My Fair Lady, suffices. Sung by Rex Harrison, “Why Can’t a Woman Be More Like a Man?” says it all.

The lyrics illicit some disbelief in this century, but many still recall that catchy tune. The stage play, recordings, musical and multiple Oscar wins, generated massive box office numbers.

This century, however, the song is often described simply as a “Hymn to Him.” Different times. Different takes. Abundant examples of war, propaganda, feel-good dances, political and dystopian movies, and individual acts of bravery, also exist

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‘Save San Diego’s Character’ Mobilizes to Downsize Navy Redevelopment Project

June 22, 2021 by Source

By Dave Schwab / San Diego Community News Group / June 16, 2021

An environmental analysis is out on the NAVWAR redevelopment proposal to turn it into a transit hub with housing and airport connections, while pressure is building to downsize the project by a local group calling itself Save San Diego’s Character.

“Recently, the Navy initiated a direct mail campaign to notify residents and business owners of the impending renovation of the NAVWAR facility in Old Town offering five ‘alternatives’ to review and select a viable option,”

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Ocean Beach Garden Tour – Sat., June 26

June 21, 2021 by Source

Enjoy ocean views and sea breezes on this garden tour in the beautiful Ocean Beach community. Known best for its pier, sandy shores and colorful history, Ocean Beach is also a gardener’s paradise. Stately palms and araucaria trees rise into blue skies while hillside home gardens abound in a wide array of plants that flourish in the microclimate of this coastal area.

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Affordable Housing Proponents Pleased With Restart of Sports Arena Redevelopment

June 21, 2021 by Source

By Andrew Bowen / KPBS / June 18, 2021

San Diego affordable housing advocates are applauding Mayor Todd Gloria’s decision this week to restart the process of redeveloping the Pechanga Arena in the Midway District. Gloria announced that decision Thursday after state officials determined the process initiated by his predecessor, Kevin Faulconer, had violated the state’s Surplus Land Act. That law, amended in 2019, requires cities to give affordable housing developers first right of refusal to build on public land that the government doesn’t need.

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Fight Over Ocean Beach Firepit Results in Broken Jaw

June 21, 2021 by Source

By Lauren Coronado / SanDiego7 / June 20, 2021

San Diego police are investigating a violent attack that happened in Ocean Beach. A pair of local college students told NBC 7 that an argument over a fire pit spiraled out of control. One of the students captured the tail-end of the fight on video as a last-minute attempt to identify the accused aggressors.

“I got your (expletive) faces!” The person who took the video could be heard yelling in the background. The accused aggressors were captured lunging at the camera and yelling expletives to the young man who was recording.

Before the day turned violent, Kobe La and his girlfriend, Kristina Castillo, said their trip to Ocean Beach on June 15 started like any other. “Grill some hamburgers, hot dogs, we had some music going,” said Castillo.

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Remembering Marv

June 21, 2021 by Ernie McCray

by Ernie McCray

Lost my favorite teammate
of all time:
Marv Dutt.
We haven’t, over the years,
kept in touch
but I have fond memories
of how he could,
no matter what,
get the ball to me
with that instinct
great passers have
of rewarding you
as long as you keep
moving to a great
spot on the floor to be.

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Father, Sir

June 21, 2021 by Source

By Kit-Bacon Gressitt / Blog / June 20, 2021

A sign declaring him a sesquipedalianist adorned his office door. How like him, the lover of one-and-a-half foot long words, to proclaim his eccentricity so proudly and chuckle at it with the same enthusiasm. He ushered me in, showed me his computer, the Mobius strip I’d sculpted for him proudly displayed on a shelf, a mounted segment of sharkproof fiber-optics cable—his latest delight. It was my first visit as an adult to the place that consumed my father’s focus, second only to his church. I looked for clues to reveal his character, to teach me who was this man I’d known only as a father.

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State Says San Diego Broke Law in How Sports Arena Redevelopment Was Proposed, Orders Redo

June 18, 2021 by Frank Gormlie

On Wednesday, June 16, the State of California formally notified the City of San Diego that the proposed redevelopment of the Sports Arena was not legal and that the city ran afoul of the Surplus Land Act in how it proposed the redevelopment.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) informed San Diego’s Director of Real Estate Assets, Penny Maus, that the redevelopment plan for the Midway District area did not comply with the the Surplus Land Act. The Act was amended by the state legislature in 2019 to make any excess government-owned land available for affordable housing.

The city is now forced to begin the process over again, or face fines in the millions. This means that the deal the city made with Brookfield Properties to lead the redevelopment is null and void.

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Troubled OB Man Taken Into Custody After He Banged on Fire Station Windows, Attacked Palm Tree – Then Firefighters Put Out Fire at His House on Ebers

June 17, 2021 by Frank Gormlie

Karen Kucher from the U-T reported on a weird scene in Ocean Beach Thursday morning on Voltaire Street.

A troubled man awoke the firefighters at OB’s fire station by banging on their windows and yelling around 6:15 am. Kucher reported the man tried to break into the station. He also attacked a palm tree, yelled obscenities and was taken into custody by police charged with felony vandalism.

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Coastal Commission Agrees With FIDO and Cancels Proposed Changes for Fiesta Island Off-Leash Area

June 17, 2021 by Frank Gormlie

On Thursday, June 10, the California Coastal Commission agreed with the dog-owners’ group, FIDO, and cancelled proposed changes to what’s called San Diego’s largest dog park, the off-leash area on Fiesta Island in Mission Bay.

Staff at the Coastal Commission had apparently attempted to revive a proposal for what they termed broader public access and have the 90-acre off-leash waterfront area opened up. Staff argued that the state’s Coastal Act encouraged opening waterfront areas to as many people and activities as possible.

Yet, the proposal ran smack tab into the lobbying power of the 16,000-member Fiesta Island Dog Owners (FIDO)

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Time to Question the Militarization of Our Children

June 17, 2021 by Ernie McCray

by Ernie McCray

When we say to a veteran or to someone active in the military, “Thank you for your service” what are we thanking them for?

I ask this question for the children’s sake, for the many teenage warriors, fresh out of high school, who find themselves off somewhere in a land, that was never mentioned in their schooling, “making a difference.”

I mean after World War II came to an end, has there been any real reason for our country to be involved in war?

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OB Historical Society Presents: Point Loma’s 1891 Lower Lighthouse – Thursday, June 17

June 17, 2021 by Source

Please join Ocean Beach Historical Society and Lighthouse volunteer and San Diego Historian Karen Scanlon, for a lavishly illustrated discussion of San Diego’s Operational Lighthouse, and the Six Lights that have watched over San Diego Bay over the years.

JOIN ZOOM MEETING, THURS. June 17, 2021 at 7 PM

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Vintage Car Artists in the ‘Hood’ of Point Loma

June 16, 2021 by Source

Happenings in the “Hood”

By Colleen O’Connor

What could be better?

Free music, a pancake breakfast, and gorgeous cars; with all proceeds going to charity?

When, What, and Where was it? Sunday, the 10th annual San Diego Civic Club #16 Pancake breakfast and Car Show in Point Loma.

Anyone could stroll around. Talk to the car owners/artists who collected, renovated, innovated, and proudly shared their handiwork; from tail lights, and engines to paint jobs and histories.

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Are Fursuits at Point Loma Nazarene Gallery ‘Art’?

June 16, 2021 by Source

By Noah Harrel / The Point – LomaBeat / June 15, 2021

Presenting one’s work in the Keller Art Gallery is the culmination of a Point Loma Nazarene University art student’s educational career. Lael Corbin, professor of art at PLNU, described it as a journey with students taking classes to learn who they are and what’s important to them, all while watching their work evolve, leading up to the senior exhibition. For one glorious week, the student’s work will be on display. They will host a reception, talk about their work and answer questions from their professors and peers.

Visual arts major Laura Sladich knew her work would spark more questions than usual, in fact, her first plan was to make sculptures.

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Ocean Beach Library Newsletter : June – August 2021

June 16, 2021 by Source

Here is the June-August 2021 summer newsletter from the OB Library:

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