News from Ocean Beach and Point Loma – Mid-May 2022

Former “new” design for the OB Library, presented by city in 2021. It did not sit well with the community.

Reward Offered in OB Hit-and-Run Against Bicyclist

San Diego police are asking the public to help them locate a hit-and-run driver who ran into a bicyclist in Ocean Beach Monday, seriously injuring the 45-year-old rider, authorities said. The crash was reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard near Cape May Avenue. Police said the bicyclist was crossing Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, heading west, when he was hit by the white four-door crossover-style SUV, which was heading north, police said.

The driver briefly stopped after the impact, then fled north on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and east on Brighton Avenue. “Investigators were able to locate surveillance images of the suspect’s vehicle,” Crime Stoppers said in a news release. The first vehicle’s license plate may start with “8YN,” and the SUV likely will have damage to its right front corner, officials said. Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest. Tipsters can call San Diego police traffic division at (858) 573-5002 or Crime Stoppers’ anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. They also can visit sdcrimestopper.org  San Diego U-T

Presentation on New OB Library Design – Tuesday, May 31 – Place Unknown

The OB Library should be open at the beginning of the fiscal year, June 30. On Tuesday evening, May 31, there will be a presentation by the city on the new library design. Where the presentation will be and the time are not known at the time of this posting. The Friends of the Library will notify folks when they know.

OB / San Diego Pier on Agenda of OB Planning Board – June 1

The OB Pier is on the agenda for a discussion by the full OB Planning Board at their June 1 OBPB meeting. The Board has returned to in-person meetings and meet at the OB Rec Center.

First Beer Solely Brewed on Tribal Land Opens in OB: Rincon Reservation Road Brewery

San Diego is arguably the craft beer capitol of the world. More than a hundred local breweries crank out millions of gallons of lagers, IPAs, and ales every year. The list of local San Diego breweries just grew to one that’s the first and only one to brew solely on tribal land. “We are special because we are the only one on native land,” said Zeth Devore, brew master for the Rincon Reservation Road Brewery; 3R Brewery for short. Devore’s boss, Rik Mazzetti is happy because the brewery is doing things no Southern California tribe has ever done. Mazzetti is with the Rincon Economic Development Corporation (REDCO), but his Rincon tribe is better known for Harrah’s Southern California Resort. It’s advertised in commercials as Funner, California. “We want to branch out. We want to start talking to other people. We want to be parts of other communities,” smiled Devore. That’s why the first brewery on tribal land opened the first tribal-owned tasting room off tribal land. In March, the Rincon Reservation Road Brewery opened in Ocean Beach. “We’re the only tribal entity to do so outside of tribal property,” Mazzetti beamed. “It sets us apart in a way that allows us to diversify a lot of what we do and make it unique,” added Devore.

Coastal District C School Board Race Heating Up

This year’s race for the San Diego Unified School Board has a competitive in District C, which covers San Diego’s coastline, at least when it comes to money, the Voice of San Diego reports. San Diego Unified hasn’t had a hotly-contested school board race since 2016. The latest campaign filings show Becca Williams, the sole Republican in the race, has seriously outraised and outspent her opponents. Williams has raised nearly $50,000 and spent nearly $30,000. Most campaign spending goes toward advertising and political consultants. Cody Petterson, the teachers’ union-backed candidate, has raised about $20,000 but only spent roughly $3,000. The other Democrat in the race, Lily Higman, has spent significantly more. Higman has raised $10,000 (loaned herself another $10,000) and spent roughly $16,000. Perhaps in recognition of Petterson’s lackluster spending, union officials stepped in this week. On May 3, they spent $18,500 on political mailers supporting Petterson.

Point Loma Office Building Sold for Nearly $3.6 Million

A Point Loma office building has been sold for nearly $3.6 million. Travis J. Likert and Briana M. Likert bought the building at 1075 Rosecrans St. The seller was BHK Rosecrans Ltd Partnership. Don Moser and Connor Stevens of Retail Insite brokered the transaction. The 4,209 square-foot building has been under same ownership for nearly 25 years, according to Retail Insite. Currently occupied by Pacific Sotheby’s Realty, the new owners will be remodeling the property at the expiration of the term and will be using it for their own personal office, Retail Insite reported. San Diego Business Journal

Will OBceans Be Able to See Blood Red Moon Sunday Night?

The first of two total lunar eclipses visible this year to Southern California residents takes place Sunday night and will turn May’s full flower moon blood red. It’s also a supermoon, some officials say. Like all celestial events, whether you’ll be able to see the stellar lunar event, of course, depends on the weather. The National Weather Service currently forecasts mostly clear skies Sunday night, with patchy fog along the coastline. Not everyone will see all three stages of the eclipse. Go here for more.

Point Loma Troubadour Recognized

Acoustic troubadour Israel Maldonado has been performing professionally for over three decades. … After relocating to Point Loma, Maldonado played in a series of Latin-influenced local bands, including Agua Dulce, Sambrasil, Sol E Mar, Puente and a trio called Tres con Todo. He also performs around town solo, hosts open mics, and teaches guitar, bass, and Latin, including Brazilian and AfroCuban percussion, having established his Israel Maldonado Music organization in 1996 when he booked his first club gig at Café Sevilla. SD Reader

Freeway Pursuit Ends in Crash in Point Loma

A police pursuit of a driver who refused to pull over on the freeway near downtown early Tuesday ended with a crash in Point Loma [U-T reported, “a parking lot in Ocean Beach”], San Diego police said. The driver was heading north on Interstate 5 near Sixth Avenue just after 2:25 a.m. when a San Diego police officer tried to pull the car over, said San Diego police Sgt. David Yu. Instead of stopping, the driver kept going and led officers on a pursuit that led into Ocean Beach.

About 12 minutes after the chase began, the driver crashed into a parked car [U-T reported “in a parking lot on Newport Avenue near Catalina Boulevard” — but we’re not aware of any parking lot on Newport, in fact Newport ends in a deadend; perhaps it’s just a generic area for any references to OB or PL.]”near, Yu said. The driver then got out of his car and ran, but officers chased him down and caught him. Yu said the suspect was taken to a hospital to be checked out. Yu did not have any information about injuries or his condition. The man could face felony evading charges, he said. SDU-T

Want a Laugh? Try Point Loma’s GoodBar

With a new month comes new talent! Point Loma’s neighborhood bar, GoodBar, has a new lineup of hilarious comedians for its popular comedy show, Good Jokes. Sit back…relax…drink a craft beer…eat a signature cheesesteak and enjoy the show! Located at 1872 Rosecrans St., Point Loma, CA 92106. The current lineup includes: Mal Hall and Mike Mulloy on Wednesday, May 11; Keith Johnson on Wednesday, May 18; and Drew Morgan on Wednesday, May 25. Tickets are priced at $10 per person for general admission and can be purchased online at www.GoodBarSD.com.

Carlsbad Kicks Plastic to the Curb!

Carlsbad City Council voted unanimously to pass three separate single-use plastic reduction ordinances at last night’s city council meeting. This vote will ban the distribution of single-use plastic bags from all retail stores, expanding the statewide ban from only grocery stores. Separately passed was the distribution of plastic beverage bottles at all city-affiliated events or city facilities and a ban on all intentional balloon releases. California’s statewide single-use plastic bag law has effectively reduced plastic bag pollution in our waterways and coastline, but the State law includes too many exemptions. We are proud to see Carlsbad add additional restrictions on single-use plastic bags to help close some loopholes. Pollution from plastic bottles and caps is rampant; in 2019, Surfrider volunteers removed 15,511 plastic bottles and caps from San Diego County beaches. This comes as a second plastic reduction victory in Carlsbad this year, with the city having passed an EPS foodware ban and “Skip the Stuff” ordinance in April. SurfRider

19th Century Engineer at Ballast Point Built a House in Little Italy – Now It’s Being Moved

“Andrew Cassidy arrived in San Diego in 1853. He was part of a team of engineers who were tasked with building a self-recording tidal gauge station at La Playa near Ballast Point in Point Loma that served as San Diego’s main harbor for close to a century. Cassidy’s team departed San Diego after their work had been completed and left him behind to monitor the gauge. It would record a very early local earthquake in July 1854.” Cassidy built a house in Little Italy that will now be moved to Barrio Logan.

“Bruce Coons [of Point Loma], executive director of Save Our Heritage Organisation, a local non-profit that works on preservation issues throughout San Diego County, seems to share the opinion that the Newton location is now a better fit for the Cassidy house. “We would always rather see a historic site in its original location because the location is an important part of its history. In this case, its current context has changed so much and the new location will be similar to the way it was originally with other historic houses of a similar age and in a neighborhood,” he says. San Diego Reader

Point Loma High Students Make Docs on Covid

The class assignment was straightforward: Create a mini-documentary about COVID. How some Point Loma High School students in Anthony Palmiotto’s cinematic arts program articulated that theme was captivating and enlightening. Titled “All of the Above,” this PLHS web series created in Palmiotto’s theater arts class was the essence of “project-based learning,” which provides students with real-world experience in an authentic and purposeful manner. Noting his students got college credit for their three- to five-minute mini-docs, Palmiotto felt many of them went above and beyond in creating material that was truly insightful. SDNews.com

Interestingly, it was one of Palmiotto’s classes that 7 years ago, appealed to the San Diego school board to pressure SeaWorld into creating animal sanctuaries instead of exploiting them.

Victims Identified in Fatal Midway Crash

Authorities on Monday released the names of the man and woman killed when a pickup truck hit a Midway District median, went airborne then landed atop the victims’ family minivan. Ahmed Mazin Salah Alrawi, 23, and Suad Alsamarai, 81, died at the scene of the crash, just after 9 p.m. Saturday at Sports Arena Boulevard and Rosecrans Street, the Medical Examiner’s Office said. Alrawi and Alsamarai were in the back seat of their family’s 2015 Toyota Sierra when it was hit while stopped at a red light, the Medical Examiner’s Office said. Authorities were not immediately able to say if the two El Cajon residents were related.

Three others were injured in the crash — two people in the minivan, and the driver of the Toyota Tacoma that slammed into it. According to San Diego police, the Tacoma was driving at a high rate of speed as it headed west on Sports Arena and hit a median. The pickup went airborne and landed on top of the stopped minivan, which had been headed north on Rosecrans. The pickup driver sustained broken bones and other injuries, police said. They did not say how badly hurt the two survivors in the minivan were. SDU-T

Point Loma-OB Dems Have Endorsement Meeting – May 22

On Sunday, May 22, the PL-OB Democratic Club will hold its “Endorsement Meeting” on the following local races: County Sheriff, Assessor-Recorder-Clerk, and Treasurer, Tax Collector. 3:30PM Social time and check-in; 4:00OM Meeting on Zoom. There is Zoom registration [go here ]and Club meetings will remain on Zoom for the foreseeable future. As ballots start to arrive in our mailboxes we’ll have our last endorsement meeting for the June 7 Primary mediated by Deval Zaveri-Tabb. We’ll also have guides for all of races on the ballot.

OB Street Fair Returns! – Sat., June 25

The 42nd Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off returns Saturday, June 25 with an array of food, merchandise vendors, 3 stages of continuous music, the Community Mural Project, the Artist Alley featuring local artisans and crafters, and more. More than 50,000 visitors are expected to attend this exciting event from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the 4800 – 5000 blocks of Newport Avenue for tasty festival nosh, art, beachfront entertainment and shopping. Entry to the Street Fair is free. The Chili Competition features Chili tasting from amateur entrants competing for the titles of Hottest Chili, Judges’ Award, and the Grand Prize: People’s Choice Award.

Featuring 20 tasting booths in both amateur and restaurant divisions, the Chili Cook-Off tastings begin at 11 a.m. and end when contestants run out of samples. Tasting can be purchased for $2 per chili entry, with a bowl of Committee Chili for $4. If you want to try every recipe and vote for the best, you can buy a Master Ticket for $20. If you’re interested in competing in the 2022 OB Chili Cook-Off, applications are online at OceanBeachSanDiego.com.