Support the OB Rag: Pro-Choice, Pro 30-Foot Height Limit and Pro-Democracy

Graphic by Ray Blavatt. (House in background was original OB Rag “office” on Etiwanda in 1970.)

Our Third Summer Appeal for Donations During the Pandemic

Today begins the OB Rag‘s third Pandemic Annual Summer Fundraiser!

We hold one fundraiser a year these days, usually in August. This week our goal is to reach $2,000 in donations and contributions from our readers and supporters.

While we do provide local OB and Point Loma news and a discussion platform that is unrivaled among local news websites, we also do stand for something.

We stand in support of a woman’s right to choose, we stand in support the 30-foot height limit in the beach and coastal neighborhoods of San Diego and we stand in support of democracy in all its forms, whether locally or nationally, and against attacks against our Constitution and democratic processes.

But because we are not funded by advertisements, we look to our readers and supporters to help us through the year.  The online OB Rag is currently in our 16th year of publishing an online newspaper for Ocean Beach. Please ensure that we can keep going.

Why do we need money to operate? We do pay some of our regular columnists and reporters; we have other bills, like the server bill, the feed-burner bill, utilities, and the post office, subscriptions and other minor costs to keep up with the always changing, always unique, always dynamic Ocean Beach village.

How to Support Us

Send us a one-time donation via our PayPal button on the homepage;
Become a regular monthly contributor; via PayPal on the homepage;
Send us a check made out to “OB Rag” to:

OB Rag
PO Box 7012
Ocean Beach, CA 92167

So, help us keep the OB Rag alive and well – send us a donation during this week of our Third Second Pandemic Summer campaign.

Here’s Ten Local Reasons to Support the OB Rag:

1. Keeping track of the OB / San Diego Pier, Sports Arena redevelopment, saving local trees, Navy redevelopment of NAVWAR, Short Term Vacation Rentals: The OB Rag has for over the last half decade been at the forefront of these issues, with reports and analysis of their effects on Ocean Beach, Point Loma, the Midway District and other beach and coastal neighborhoods;
2. Reports on and Support for the 3 Local Planning Committees: We provide reports on the meetings (and controversies) of the three local planning committees in the Peninsula area – the OB Planning Board, the Peninsula Community Planning Board and the Midway / Pacific Planning Board. We also support the existence of local planning committees and recognize they are under attack from certain corners of the city. We do advertise, advocate for and report on their elections. No other media outlet provides this kind of local coverage.
3. Discussion Platform for local residents: the OB Rag provides an unrivaled platform for residents, neighbors and even former OBceans to discuss local issues and problems, everything from the pickle ball vs tennis conflict, to public space issues, development boondoggles, controversies over “bike lanes,” lapses by government, etc.
4. History of Ocean Beach and Support to OB Historical Society: OB Rag archives and staff are resources for the history of OB and the area, and help to provide not only historical context but also a source for a community-collective memory. We also give support to the invaluable OB Historical Society and help get the word out about their events. Members of our staff worked on the original OB Rag back in the 1970s and so some of us have been around for a long time.
5. Conscience of the Community: Michael Turko, formerly of the well-known “Turko Files” once said that the OB Rag “is the conscience of OB.” We’ve earned this moniker due to our efforts to hold government’s feet to the fire, to question authority, to ask questions no one else asks. The OB Rag was the news platform that broke the devastating news about the end of the OB Pier’s service life, thanks to our reporter Geoff Page.
6. Keep Track of Development Projects: It’s been our task over the years to keep track of the development projects that come into OB and Point Loma; we help ensure the projects live up to their designs and the law.
7. Business and Merchant News: we are a source of news from the business and merchant community, the comings and goings of businesses, big and small. The OB Rag broke the news about the possible closure and sale of OB Hardware, about Target’s move to the Newport Avenue, and we welcome new storefronts with props para gratis.
8. Restaurant Reviews: we have a fine tradition of publishing reviews of local restaurants and eateries, unequaled anywhere on the Point.
9. Community Calendar: the OB Rag is a source for meeting and event notices, from presentations by the OB Historical Society to forums held by the OBTC or the Planning Board to free film nights at the OB Green Center to book sales by Friends of the OB Library. Plus our “Links” page has connections to all OB groups, organizations, and all the OB-oriented facebook pages and many Point Loma groups.
10. OB Rag Is Active in the Village; the OB Rag has not just been a media platform, we’ve also been advocates and active in improving the community. The OB Rag broke the news about the pier, suggested the bench in front of the OB Library and the “OB Shelf” inside; we convinced the new owners of the hostel not to repaint the exterior; we’ve lobbied for new infrastructure, like improvements to the OB Library, for a new lifeguard stations and restrooms; we’ve helped to save Torrey Pines, the OB Library, the OB firepits – just for starters.

If you need more reasons, see this.