Month: June 2023

On Friday, June 23, the local state Court of Appeal upheld Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal’s ruling that the city should have studied the environmental impacts of taller buildings more than 30 feet before putting Measure E in front of voters back in 2020.

However, the appeals court decision does not to apply Measure “C” — the so-called “do-over ballot measure” — which passed in November2022 with a bare margin of a 51 percent approval. It is also being contested in court.

By Colleen O’Connor

Often overlooked, under-appreciated and ignored, volunteers in political dustups are what make democracy “great again.”

The fight over implementation of the State Senate bill, SB10, is one such fight pitting long-time residents, neighborhood defenders, and most San Diegans against their Mayor and City Council probably depends on volunteer advocates.

Champion them. Saturday shopping at Jensen’s in Point Loma was a case in point. 

From OB Mainstreet Association

Amateur Division Judge’s Choice

Our panel of judges awarded the following Amateur Chili Cookers

• 1st Place – Ed Haase with OMBAC

Here’s the Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off 2023 – a suburb video of the event on Saturday, June 24 by Charles Landon. “It doesn’t get any better than this!”

Opposition to the city installing traffic diverters – or bollards – on Diamond Street in Pacific Beach has forced a hold on the project that was to begin on Wednesday.

Councilmember Joe LaCava met with opponents on Tuesday, and then asked city staffers to put the project on hold. LaCava’s office told KPBS some opponents threatened to lay down on the street to block the installation from happening.

The city had announced the project in a press release on June 15, saying traffic diverters would be installed on Diamond Street at the intersections with Fanuel Street and Cass Street to ease what the city calls traffic congestion.

On Thursday, June 22, San Diego’s Privacy Advisory Board recommended that the City Council reject a police proposal to buy a new streetlight camera system and pair the technology with automatic license plate readers.

As Voice of San Diego reported:

The board members who were present at the meeting voted unanimously to pass along a 15-page analysis of SDPD’s proposal that challenges the department’s claim that the cameras don’t constitute an invasion of Fourth Amendment rights.

By Marisa Kendall/ KPBS – CalMatters / June 20, 2023

Losing income is the No. 1 reason Californians end up homeless — and the vast majority of them say a subsidy of as little as $300 a month could have kept them off the streets.

That’s according to a new study out of UC San Francisco that provides the most comprehensive look yet at California’s homeless crisis.

CBS8 spoke to some Ocean Beach residents who are concerned over the poison being used to rid local parks of gophers and want signs up to warn people about the poison in the ground.

Ocean Beach residents say there are no signs up to warn them about the poison being used in Dusty Rhodes Park. Mackenzie Gunnels lives in Ocean Beach and visits the park often. “Every single day, every evening around this time,” she said. Her dog always comes with her.

From There San Diego

One of the most stunning business success stories to come out of San Diego in recent years is that of Skrewball Whiskey, one of the fastest-growing alcohol brands in history.

The stunning success of Skrewball Whiskey is an amazing story, but it’s the story of Steven Yeng’s journey that’s even more incredible.

Last week at a meeting of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation Board, it was all supposed to end – all the acrimony between tennis players and pickleball players that’s been going on over the last two years. Or so tennis players thought.

They believed that when Point Loma’s Barnes Tennis Center announced during the June 15 hearing it will soon have 19 pickleball courts, pickleball players would be happy, and everyone could just get along. But they weren’t. Pickleball players view the surprise announcement by Barnes as a “sand-bag,” “underhanded,” and “greedy.”

Activists from ReWild Mission Bay have reached an agreement with recreation proponents on a key element of the redevelopment of northeast Mission Bay.

It’s called the “Rose Creek Buffer Zone” and stretches from the Mike Gotch Memorial Bridge over Rose Creek to Garnet Avenue.

By Ruben Vives, Doug Smith / Los Angeles Times / June 14, 2023

More than 14,000 people experiencing homelessness have been moved off the streets during the first six months of her administration, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reported Tuesday.

About 30%, or 4,332, acquired permanent housing. An additional 10,049 people were placed in interim housing through city and county programs from December through May, Bass said — a 27% increase over the same period the year before.