Month: June 2024

Local 135 Members Act for Better Wages, Staffing, Security, and Benefits

By Brent E. Beltrán

Local 135 union members of the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) at Food4Less gathered for a contract rally on Wednesday, June 5, at the Mission Valley Food4Less. With their current collective bargaining agreement set to expire on Saturday, June 8,the rally was an important step in highlighting the workers’ fight for a new contract.

In another campaign swing this morning, Thursday, June 6, Mayor Todd Gloria held a news conference at the site of the now-demolished H-Barracks on Harbor Drive. The subject of his message at this “conference” was budgeting to address the homeless crisis in our city.

Gloria is holding a series of these events, called news conferences, but they’re not really. There’s no press — and no public attending. They’re his staged platforms to spout the latest PR on his key campaign issues.

Bleached coral in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Galveston, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico, in September 2023.

By David Helvarg / Los Angeles Times Op-Ed / June 5, 2024

On May 21, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruled that greenhouse gases are marine pollutants and nations must take action to “reduce, control and prevent” their effects.

The group that wants to oust San Diego Gas & Electric within the city limits of San Diego and replace it with a municipal utility has submitted a sufficient number of signatures to pose the question of establishing a municipal utility to the San Diego City Council.

The San Diego City Clerk has confirmed the Power San Diego Campaign collected enough valid signatures to pose the question to the San Diego City Council.

Bill Powers, a representative from Power San Diego, claimed responsibility for gathering over 31,000 signatures,

Eighty years ago today, in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, the largest invasion fleet in human history crossed the English Channel and launched an unprecedented, world-turning assault on Nazi-occupied France. Remembering the enormity of that moment is as critical for America now as it has ever been.

Eighty years ago exactly, on June 6, 1944, some 160,000 troops from the United States, Canada, Great Britain and other allies descended upon these shores in Normandy by air, land and seat to liberate Nazi-occupied France.

Callen Reports

By Kate Callen

You only need to look at the picture.

This photograph shows Cathie and Marc Umemoto in the backyard of their Crown Point home in Pacific Beach. The stark yellow wall behind them is part of an unfinished accessory dwelling unit (ADU) that backs onto their property.

By Byron Morton aka Groucho Marx

The Rock n Roll half marathon ran past my house on Adams Avenue Sunday.

Not too many costumes this year.

Selva Coffee House recently opened at Terra Bella Nursery

We just picked up a story by Kate Murphy at MSN who claimed “San Diego’s best iced honey lavender latte is hiding inside a plant store.”

We looked into it (briefly) and found that Selva Coffee House just recently opened at a Midway District nursery, the Terra Bella Nursery at 3535 Camino Del Rio W. San Diego, CA 92110.

By Danna Givot / June 4, 2024

Both the University Community Plan Update and the Hillcrest Focused Plan Amendment were approved based on Blueprint San Diego being green-lighted at the same meeting. It is appalling that Blueprint SD was approved at all given that the EIR was only in draft form and the Planning Department has yet to respond to 1207 pages of comments, questions and criticisms from all facets of the public.

By Geoff Page

At the May 21 City Council meeting, councilmembers passed a motion that replaced the Uptown Planning Group with another group of unelected people friendly to the mayor and his donors. The vote was 8 to 1 with Marni von Wilpert being the only one voting against the change.

The OB Rag detailed what transpired in several stories recently. But, taking a closer look at what actually occurred at the May 21 council meeting results in the conclusion that this vote was not valid,

By Lynne Miller

As a local Obcean I have watched in ignorance and silence as a slow virus spread in our cottage community.  This virus is carried in the minds of humans.  The ideas that create and propagate the virus can begin anywhere. ‘This’ mind virus is a designer virus.  Its origins are not easily identified.  The symptoms are not easy to connect. John Denver’s line, ‘more people, more scars upon the land’ defines a symptom.

Hey, it is inevitable, it is just progress.  Come on OBceans, accept the new ideas packed into SB9 and SB10. What kind of people are you?

By Arturo Castañares / La Prensa / May 27, 2024

A new poll released this week shows incumbents San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer are both vulnerable to losing their respective re-elections, and voters are evenly split over City Attorney candidates in the November elections.

The survey, conducted by San Diego pollster Competitive Edge Research, surveyed likely voters about three of the top political campaigns in San Diego, including the race for Mayor, County Supervisor, and City Attorney.