Month: August 2024

Tragedy struck a neighborhood of Point Loma on Wednesday, August 14, when a toddler was found to have drowned in a backyard pool of a home in the 1600 block of Chatsworth Boulevard.

San Diego police officers responded to a call from a woman who reported that a 2-year-old was drowning in a pool at around 3:15 p.m.  Although officers and medics attempted CPR, the child succumbed to the drowning, SDPD Officer J. Perales said.

The exact address of the home is not known, but there appears to be at least 3 backyard pools on that block of Chatsworth.

A rare bee — the San Clemente Digger Bee — has been spotted out at Cabrillo National Monument’s Bayside Trail. The reason this discovery has some weight is because this type of bee has been rarely seen on the mainland — known to only be on San Clemente Island.

According to the National Parks Service, in early September 2020, a population of Anthophora urbana clementina (San Clemente Digger Bee) was discovered at Cabrillo National Monument.

Community scientists and researchers began gathering data about the island bees to confirm their presence on the mainland, and a scientific note was later published in the journal Apidologie.

By Lynne Miller

Remember when OB residents protested in the 1970s and demanded a building moratorium and won?  WE’RE BACK!

OB locals showed up at OBPB meeting twice, voicing their concerns about 4705 Point Loma Ave (and the ADUs that are essentially apartments being built in single family R1 zones).  OBPB listened and voted to oppose the PL Ave Project.  But San Diego City Planning Board does not have to honor local planning boards, and they didn’t. (go to https://obsandiego92107.com for details about what is next.) EMAIL ME IF YOU WANT TO BE PLACED ON OUR MAILING–email at bottom of page.

You all know our community has been targeted by greedy corporations that have found the perfect village to destroy.  Many of you have fought the battles to maintain the integrity of Ocean Beach, and no that phrase is not an oxymoron! These small beach cottages with large lots are just what the corporate land grabbers are looking for.

Here is the U-T Editorial Board criticizing San Diego Mayor Gloria, again:

The never-ending stories coming out of City Hall that make San Diegans incredulous, angry or both continued this week when details of a 50-page report by City Auditor Andy Hanau went public. It documented how often Mayor Todd Gloria and his staff violated contracting rules by increasing spending limits without City Council approval. The audit found that contract changes totaling $155 million were sent to the council for review later than required, after the funds were spent or not at all.

From SanDiegoVille / August 12, 2024

Erin Brockovich, the renowned environmental activist portrayed by Julia Roberts in the film about her life, recently took to social media to criticize California Governor Gavin Newsom for what she sees as his lack of attention to the ongoing Tijuana/San Diego sewage crisis.

In a Facebook post shared to her profile on Monday, Brockovich highlighted the escalating Tijuana/San Diego sewage crisis, calling out Governor Newsom

By Kelly Hessedal / CBS8 / August 13, 2024

A plan to develop 3,000 homes on land in the northern part of Santee will not go forward after a judge ruled against it Friday.

The Fanita Ranch development project has been in and out of the court system for years.

“There are places where development does not belong, an extreme fire hazard zone is one of them,” said Van Collinsworth, Director for Preserve Wild Santee, one of the environmental groups that sued to stop the project.

Fanita Ranch is 2,600 acres, and the plan was to build 3,000 homes there. The City of Santee approved it in 2022.

by Marisa Kendall /Cal-Matters / August 12, 2024

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s message on homelessness in recent weeks has been clear: The state will no longer tolerate encampments, and cities shouldn’t either.

Californians who live on the streets, as well as the outreach workers who support them, say they’re already feeling the difference. Places where someone used to be able to pitch a tent and sleep in peace have suddenly become inhospitable. Police seem to be clearing camps more often and more aggressively, and are less likely to give advance notice before they come in with bulldozers and trash compactors, according to anecdotal reports in some cities. Even in cities where officials said publicly nothing would change, unhoused people and activists say it’s become harder to be homeless.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bemie Sanders (l-Vt.) on Tuesday released the following statement on former President Donald Trump’s efforts to lay the groundwork to deny the results of the 2024 election:

Donald Trump may be crazy, but he’s not stupid.

When he claims that “nobody” showed up at a 10,000 person Harris-Walz rally in Michigan that was live-streamed and widely covered by the media, that it was all Al, and that Democrats cheat all of the time, there is a method to his madness.

Here is an update on the fundraising efforts by local San Diego candidates vying for success in the November election.

Mayor’s Race: Todd Gloria vs. Larry Turner

During the first half of 2024
Gloria

• Mayor Todd Gloria’s campaign raised $131,000 including $113,000 during the reporting period.
• an independent committee supporting Gloria called Big City San Diego raised $141,000 during the first half of 2024, including $88,000 during the reporting period, but only has $2,000 left to spend.
• Gloria’s campaign has a $377,000 war chest for the runoff

Turner

• Turner’s campaign raised $54,000 during the first half of 2024, including $49,000 during the reporting period.
• Turner has $26,000 war chest for the runoff.

Editordude: Back in the mid-Seventies, San Diego Magazine — known today as a slick mag beset with stories of the flashy high-living pleasures of San Diego’s rich and near-rich — was a local hard-hitting and muck racking journal in a GOP-controlled city with a monopoly press (the San Diego Union). Now, all of a sudden with the following article about Ocean Beach and its distaste for ADUs, the media project appears like it want to take up its former mantle.

We applaud that and we applaud SDM writer Maya Srikrishnan’s attempt to do just that – be relevant again. This metropolis needs all the help it can get.

Back in the mid-Seventies, one writer for the magazine created its reputation of muck-raking: long-time San Diego newscaster and journalist Harold Keen.