February 2024

A San Francisco Carve Out Could Wreck California’s Landmark Coastal Protections

February 29, 2024 by Source

By Joel Reynolds and Tom Soto / Los Angeles Times Op-Ed / Feb. 26, 2024

If the coast of California is a state asset worth trillions of dollars — and it is — why is the state agency that has successfully protected that asset for 50 years under assault? The answer — “unnecessary permitting delays” — is unfounded. Yet California’s exceptional history of coastal protection is in greater jeopardy today in the halls of our state Capitol than it has been for generations.

Like water flowing downhill, California’s incomparable coast has always been a magnet for development. In 1972, with this in mind, the voters of California overwhelmingly approved Proposition 20,

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OB Woman’s Club Celebrates 100 Years of Sisterhood

February 29, 2024 by Source

The Ocean Beach Woman’s Club has just celebrated its 100th anniversary — and here are some excerpts from Regina Elling’s touching account of their celebration in a recent Pt Loma – OB Monthly:

For 100 years, the Ocean Beach Woman’s Club has stood for friendship, philanthropy and sisterhood. The club is well-known across OB for its community advocacy, and it was honored recently with an official proclamation from San Diego Mayor

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Pictorial Update on Cañon Street Park

February 29, 2024 by Source

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Reader Rave: ‘Change the California Senate Race into a Real Run-off by Backing Katie Porter’

February 29, 2024 by Source

By Brian Ritter

The California open primary voting for U.S. Senator is upon us and it will send the two top vote-getters to a final showdown in November. The four major candidates are Adam Schiff (63), Steve Garvey (75), Katie Porter (50) and Barbara Lee (77).

Schiff is a pro-corporation Democrat; Garvey is a Trump supporter; and Katie Porter and Barbara Lee are progressive Democrats. Schiff is currently polling the best. Garvey and Porter are neck-and-neck vying for second place, and Lee trails. Second place continues to be uncertain, but it’s possible the Senate runoff in November might be between two older, white males — neither of them progressive. Californians deserve a better choice.

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‘Spill the Beans’ Coming to Former Bank Drive-Thru Kiosk

February 29, 2024 by Frank Gormlie

Apparently delayed at least a year from opening due to the pandemic, the latest coffee house to arrive in OB is still … uh, arriving — it’s still under construction.

Spill the Beans will be opening in the drive-thru kiosk of US Bank near the intersection of Newport Ave and Sunset Cliffs Blvd. Here’s what the Rag reported back

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3 Guys With Connections to Mayor Gloria Are Linked to Lawsuit Challenging Opponent Larry Turner’s Residency

February 27, 2024 by Frank Gormlie

U-T reporter Jeff McDonald disclosed in a piece on Feb. 25 that there are at least three individuals with connections to Mayor Gloria who are “indirectly linked” to the lawsuit challenging Gloria opponent Larry Turner’s campaign for not meeting the residency requirements of running for mayor and which argues that any votes for him should not be counted.

Turner claims he lives in a cottage in Ocean Beach along with his spouse and small boy and has for months.

So who are these three guys?

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Door Dash Deliverer Encounters Woman in Distress in Ocean Beach; He Intervenes and Assailant Crashes Into His Car — Now Needs Help

February 27, 2024 by Source

ABC10News

20-year-old Angelo Montoya is a student at SDSU and works late night shifts delivering food for Door Dash. He was driving in Ocean Beach on Tuesday [Feb.20]  at around 2 a.m., when he says he saw a man and a woman fighting outside a parked Camry in the middle of the road.

“I see a lady coming out of the car, running, and the man has his hands on her,” Montoya said.

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OB’s Azúcar — A Review From Across the Country: ‘As Sweet as a California Surfing Town Can Be’

February 27, 2024 by Source

Passion fruit and cacao nibs give caramels a warm tropical note

By Carol Rizzoli / Provincetown Independent  / Feb 21, 2024

Our annual visits to San Diego always involve tacos of every description. With Mexico less than 20 miles away, our meals here also feature extraordinary fruits and full-flavored vegetables from the farmers market and fresh grilled fish and shrimp. But the standouts we love best can be found at a place in the seaside neighborhood where we go to put our feet up and where internet service is thankfully erratic. It’s an unlikely Cuban café called Azúcar, which means sugar.

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San Diego Vigil to Honor American Serviceman Who Took His Own Life in Protest of War in Gaza — Tuesday, Feb.27 — Background on Aaron Bushnell

February 27, 2024 by Source

New Yorker Magazine

On Sunday afternoon [Feb. 25] outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., 25-year-old Air Force service member Aaron Bushnell placed his phone on the ground to set up a livestream.

He then stood before the embassy gates and lit himself on fire while shouting “Free Palestine” in a horrific protest against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Below is everything we know about Bushnell, who died from his wounds on Sunday night.

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FTC Sues to Block Kroger’s $25 Billion Takeover of Albertsons — Merger Would Result in Higher Prices and Hurt Their Workers

February 27, 2024 by Source

From Times of San Diego – Reuters / Feb. 26, 2024

The Federal Trade Commission and eight states said on Monday, February 26, they are suing to block supermarket chain Kroger‘s $24.6 billion deal to buy smaller rival Albertsons, saying it would boost grocery prices for millions of Americans.

The deal, which would include Vons and Pavilions in Southern California and create a grocery empire with more than 4,000 stores, has drawn tough scrutiny from lawmakers and consumer groups worried about higher grocery prices, job losses, store closures and diminishing choice for consumers.

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UFCW Union Tries for State-Wide Agreement for Drivers With Major Pot Delivery Company

February 26, 2024 by Brent Beltran

Eaze Drivers Act as Negotiations Stall: Petition Demands Fair Treatment

By Brent Beltran / UFCW San Diego / Feb . 22, 2024

The workers at Eaze, a leading state-wide cannabis delivery company, are taking a stand as negotiations with UFCW Locals 5, 135, 324, and 770 for a statewide master agreement slow down. When the agreement is ratified by the members, it is poised to be the largest Collective Bargaining Agreement covering cannabis delivery drivers and staff in the country.

Frustrated by the slow progress of negotiations, members of the Eaze bargaining committee have united to collect signatures on a petition. T

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Manchester Company Selected by Navy to Redevelop NAVWAR Sued by San Diego for Dumping Contaminated Soil at Landfill

February 26, 2024 by Frank Gormlie

Here’s one of the latest under-reported San Diego scandals for you.

The very company that the Navy selected to redevelop the 70 plus acres at NAVWAR is right now being sued by the City of San Diego for allowing contaminated soil to being dumped at an inactive city landfill and denying it.

Earlier in 2024, the Navy chose Manchester Financial to replace the agency’s obsolete facilities and remake the rest of the 70.3-acre military campus with private development. Its partners on the endeavor are McLean, Virgina-based Edgemoor Infrastructure and Real Estate. You remember Manchester,

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Katie Porter Is on a Roll — Thanks to Alabama’s IVF Ruling

February 26, 2024 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor

A February 5th column discussed, “Cherchez La Femme,” the old French maxim: “Look for the woman, by God! Look for the woman.”

That original column predicted:

“Women will determine the outcome [of the coming election]. About that, there is little doubt.  A seismic shift has occurred since the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and remove a woman’s right to control her own body.”

That was then: February 5th. This is now: February 25th.  Less than three weeks after the column appeared, that Cherchez La Femme imperative has exploded, thanks to the recent Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling that in-vitro fertilization is illegal.

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OB Town Council Meeting to Be Held at Park Point Loma Clubhouse — Wed., Feb.28

February 26, 2024 by Frank Gormlie

Shelly Parks, the vice president of the OB Town Council, has sent out a meeting announcement for their Wednesday, February 28th public meeting.

It will be held at 7pm and will be both in person and online. Unfortunately, as parking is severely limited, the in-person meeting will be a short walk from Famosa into the Park Point Loma community.

Info on In-Person Meeting

If you are joining the OBTC in person on 2/28 at 7:00 pm, it will be at Park Point Loma Clubhouse at — 2390 Caminito Agrado.

Shelly Parks warns that “parking is limited, consider carpooling.” She advises that “Attendees will need to park along the street (Famosa) and walk into the housing community’s clubhouse.”

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‘Town Hall Meeting’ Hosted by Protect Point Loma — Monday, Feb.26

February 26, 2024 by Source

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Two Hells Angels Plead Guilty in Racist Ocean Beach Attack from June 2023

February 23, 2024 by Source

By Paul Krueger

More than eight months after a group of Hells Angels allegedly attacked three Black victims in Ocean Beach, two of the defendants pleaded guilty to violent felonies this week.

Jacob Berghaus was sentenced to four years in custody after pleading to a felony count of “assault by means likely to cause great bodily injury.” But the judge suspended that prison sentence and ordered Berghaus to serve 365 days in custody, plus two years probation.

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Weekly Vigil for Ceasefire in Gaza in Ocean Beach — Next One: Sat. Feb.24

February 23, 2024 by Source

The San Diego Veterans For Peace and Code Pink are hosting a weekly demonstration demanding a ceasefire in the current fighting in Gaza …. every Saturday from Noon to 1 PM at the corner of Sunset Cliffs Blvd and West Point Loma Blvd in Ocean Beach

Like so many Americans, local members of Code Pink, the San Diego Veterans For Peace, and their supporters and friends,

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The Widder Curry Returns to King Crab in the Midway

February 23, 2024 by Source

Restaurant Review

King Crab
3960 W. Point Loma Avenue
San Diego, CA  92110
619-269-0800

By Judi Curry

It has been a while since I have eaten at King Crab – [October 2022] , and as I looked over places I would like to go to celebrate my birthday, I thought that King Crab would be the perfect spot to alleviate my yearning for cold, sweet crab salad.  I don’t get yearnings very often, but when I heard that the crab production in Northern California has dropped so much because of weather and other variables, the yearning for this delicacy has increased.  I do not like hot or warm crab; I truly only like the cold meat that I get out of cracking my crab just as I am getting ready to eat it.  So … King Crab it was for dinner on Wednesday.

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Luxury Townhomes for Sale in Point Loma’s New ‘Voltaire Corridor’

February 23, 2024 by Frank Gormlie

Seventeen luxury townhomes are for sale just outside OB in that transition zone between the beach and the Point – along that stretch of upper Voltaire.

The new Cabri at the corner with San Clemente Street has a website that now calls that stretch the “Voltaire Corridor” to find some descriptive term for the tunnel-like effect from all the construction of housing developments that have been built over the last few years along that stretch.

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Thursday Morning: Fire in Midway Fitness Center Forces Closure of Part of Midway Drive and Evacuation of Hotel

February 22, 2024 by Source

Firefighters were battling a two-alarm fire at a fitness center in the Midway District Thursday morning, and a hotel next door has been evacuated, officials said.

The fire was reported just before 6:20 a.m., and when crews arrived they saw heavy smoke coming from the second floor of the Victory MMA & Fitness gym in a shopping center on Midway Drive near Sports Arena Boulevard, officials said.

All occupants were out of the building when crews arrived, a spokesperson for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said in an online report. More than 80 fire personnel were sent to the fire.

Midway Drive between Kemper and Duke streets is closed in both directions because of the fire.

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The Back Story Behind Beach Volleyball in Ocean Beach

February 22, 2024 by Source

By Geoff Page

At the request of some long-time OB locals, The Rag took a look at the volleyball situation on OB’s beaches. After years of observing volleyball on the sand, it never occurred to this writer that it was all a business. And it actually is a money-making business.

VOLO

A company named VOLO has the current permit for use of the sand to play volleyball.

There was a question about VOLO having changed its name recently from VAVi to VOLO. It is possible more people are familiar with the VAVi name, which was the former company that had the volleyball contract with the city. There was no name change, VOLO simply acquired VAVi.

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With New Leadership, Struggling OB Town Council Plans Public Meeting — Wed., Feb.28

February 22, 2024 by Frank Gormlie

The Board of Directors of the OB Town Council is planning to hold a public meeting on Wednesday, February 28, but the location has still not been nailed down; it will either be in the auditorium of OB Elementary or at Waterfront Church.

In the meantime, the Board  has new leadership, new president, vice-president and secretaries — yet struggles to maintain itself. The new president has already resigned from the Board. The Board itself is now down to about half-strength with only 9 members. This comes on the heels of the revelation of the scandal that has rocked the OBTC since its January public meeting, and the ouster of its former president, Corey Bruins.

New leadership was determined and it was:

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‘Shadowy’ PAC and Electrical Union Oppose San Diego Municipal Utility to Replace SDG&E

February 21, 2024 by Frank Gormlie

Should San Diegans have our own municipal utility that would replace SDG&E?

The Power San Diego Campaign believes so.  They’ve launched a signature drive to get the question on the November ballot. On their website, the group claims SDG&E has the highest rates in the nation (although just recently, this has changed), that SDG&E profits are $1 million dollars a day from San Diego City alone, and that 25% of SDGE’s customer are behind on their bills.

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Michael Smolens: San Diego Voters Are Not Happy – Which Could Help Incumbents

February 21, 2024 by Source

By Michael Smolens / San Diego Union-Tribune / Feb. 18, 2024

San Diego’s electorate is not happy with the way things are going in the city.

The recent devastating failure of the city’s flood protection infrastructure is only the latest example of the municipal government’s seeming inability to do its job.

Homelessness continues at crisis levels despite many actions and much talk about reducing it.

Audits conclude the quality of city roads has dropped sharply and there’s no comprehensive funding plan to fix them.

The legal quagmire surrounding the city-owned 101 Ash St. building is not only a reminder of that boondoggle, but other costly city real estate debacles stretching over two mayoral administrations.

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Point Loma Shoreline Closed Due to Sewage Spill From Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant – UPDATED

February 21, 2024 by Source

County officials placed the Point Loma shoreline under a water contact closure after approximately 5,875 gallons of gallons of sewage spilled from the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant on Tuesday, Feb. 20. The spill leaked into the ocean, according to the county’s Beach and Bay Water Quality Program.

The closure to the area surrounding the Point Loma plant was implemented on Tuesday after the spill.

Popular coastal areas like the Point Loma tide pools and the Point Loma Ecological Reserve are impacted by the closure.

No details about what caused the spill or how long the water contact closure may be in place were immediately available.

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The 2024 San Diego Bird Festival Begins at Marina Village Conference Center — Feb 21-25

February 20, 2024 by Source

From San Diego Audobon Society

The 2024 San Diego Bird Festival will take place Feb 21-25, 2024. San Diego Bird Festival is a celebration of the wild birds, habitats and people of San Diego County.

For a listing of programs taking place at Marina Village Conference Center, please click here.

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High Tides Tuesday Morning, Feb.20

February 20, 2024 by Staff

9 a.m. Tuesday morning, February 20 at Ocean Beach. Tide reaches OB seawall.

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Mayoral Candidate Forum — Thursday, Feb. 22 at Kroc Center

February 19, 2024 by Source

One of the most important candidate forums of 2024… Reserve your seat now!

The Mayoral Candidate Forum is this Thursday, February 22nd, at 6:30 PM at the Salvation Army Kroc Center Theater. It’s at 6753 University Avenue, San Diego 92115.

Why does this forum matter? San Diego has a Strong Mayor system of government, which makes it the most powerful office in San Diego.

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U-T Editorial Board Endorses Colleen Cusack for City Council District 3

February 19, 2024 by Source

San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board / Feb.16, 2024

As any student of politics can attest, governing bodies benefit from having at least one member who is skeptical of claims put forward by dominant political factions and realizes that many consultants and staff members tell the politicians who hired them what they want to hear.

This insight drives our view of the race for San Diego City Council District 3, which has Hillcrest at its center and ranges north to include part of Mission Valley, west to Mission Hills, south to Downtown and east to North Park. Incumbent Stephen Whitburn, a former nonprofit executive, is the strong favorite.

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Why Northern California Needs Sea Otters Again

February 19, 2024 by Source

The kelp forest’s keystone species could help restore an ailing ecosystem.

By David Helvarg / Los Angeles Times / Feb. 17, 2024

Sea otters are terminally cute critters and a delight to view rolling and diving in the kelp canopy of Monterey Bay, where some 3,000 endangered southern otters play an essential role in maintaining the marine kelp forest. But to crabs, clams, abalone, urchins and some fishermen, sea otters are voracious marine weasels that can eat 25% of their body weight a day — a perceived threat to life and livelihood.

That’s why some lively debates were launched at 16 open houses put on by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year to get public input on, as the invitation put it, the “potential reintroduction of sea otters to their historic range,” including Oregon and Northern California, a decision that is expected to be made this year.

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