Month: January 2025

Our friend in Mission Beach, Gary Wonocutt, sent us this ancient article from the New York Times, entitled, “SAN DIEGO IMPOSES NIGHT FLIGHT CURB” by Everett R. Holles as a “special to The New York Times” from December 7, 1975. (Please excuse the use of the old name for the airport.)

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 6—A curfew prohibiting aircraft takeoffs from San Diego’s Lindbergh Field between midnight and 6 A.M. has been ordered in what the city’s Port Commission called the most restrictive noise-abatement action by any metropolitan airport in the country.

Already facing “noise pollution”claims and damage suits totaling nearly $125 million brought by more than 1,000 citizens as well as the city’s school administration, the port commissioners were warned by several airline officials that the ruling this week would “inevitably” be challenged in the courts.

Six scheduled airlines using Lindbergh Field and the National Air Transport Association called the order an encroachment on the Federal Government’s regulatory authority. The Federal Aviation Administration also joined in opposing the action.

In 3 years since trolley’s Blue Line extension, why hasn’t more housing been developed along it?

by David Garrick / The San Diego Union-Tribune – MSN / Dec.29, 2024

Ridership continues to rise on the 3-year-old trolley line extension connecting Old Town and UC San Diego, but virtually none of the high-rise housing expected to sprout up along the line has been built — or even proposed.

Developers haven’t shown much interest in special zoning rules the City Council created to encourage high-rises and dense urban villages along the line in Linda Vista, Clairemont and eastern Pacific Beach.

Even though 2023 was a banner year for new housing in San Diego, with permits for nearly 9,700 new units issued — the most since 2005 — only one apartment complex was approved near that trolley line extension, and it has just four units.

By Paul Krugman / Substack / Dec. 29, 2024

Like many observers, I expected severe buyers’ regret fairly early in the second Trump administration. After all, many Americans who voted for Trump did so because they believed he would bring down grocery prices. He was never going to be able to deliver on that promise and stopped talking about the subject as soon as the election was over; sooner or later, voters were going to notice.

I did not, however, expect a MAGA civil war weeks before Trump had even taken office. But in retrospect I should have seen it coming.

Background: Every political movement is a coalition made up of factions with different goals and priorities. Normally what holds these factions together is realism and a willingness to compromise: Each faction is willing to give the other factions part of what they want in return for part of what it wants.

By Kate Callen

2025 begins the enforcement of California’s “Daylighting Law” that reduces parking near street corners. The new rule will improve public safety. It also will shrink the availability of curbside space.

The City of San Diego could use this as an opening to help neighborhoods with severe parking shortages. Stronger enforcement of existing rules would ease the pressure on jammed communities. Citations of obvious infractions would generate revenue and send a message that resonates.

The “Daylighting” measure aims to improve visibility at intersections by prohibiting parking “within 20 feet of the vehicle approach of any marked or unmarked crosswalk, even if a red curb is not present.”

The wording leaves room for interpretation. “Unmarked crosswalk” seems to cover intersections where people might cross the street. That would include every intersection. The absence of a red curb to indicate where you can’t park means, in essence, you’re on your own.

The Point Loma High School PA Baseball Booster is collecting Christmas trees to fundraise for the high school’s baseball program. Each $30 donation goes straight to the program to benefit the players.

If you are interested in having the players pick up your tree, please Venmo $30 to @PLHS-BaseballBooster or leave a check for $30 written to the PLHS-PA Baseball with your tree.

Lisa Mortensen was sent a holiday greeting recently from Congressmember Scott Peters. Here’s her holiday greeting back and response.

By Lisa Mortensen

Hello Congressman Peters:

Happy New Year and thank you for your kind email of holiday wishes and appreciation of my community activism and dialogue with your office.  Your email was timely since I was going to reach out to your office regarding the NAVWAR project.

A brief recap on the background of this project which became known to the citizens of San Diego was in 2021.  At that time the Navy did a public engagement campaign asking for feedback and a selection of one of 4 different project designs.  The community overwhelmingly chose the least detrimental plan which was plan 1.  The reason why I say ‘least detrimental’ was because countywide, citizens spoke out in opposition to this high-density, high-rise megalopolis project which would wall-off access for those coming westbound on highway 8 or northbound/southbound on highway 5 to the airport and beaches.

During the spring and summer of 2021, the Navy orchestrated public outreach and feedback with virtual meetings that were well-attended.  There were many cogent suggestions such as this government land be set aside for military housing and public park with ‘non-profit’ oriented retail.  We expected the Navy to provide affordable military housing for its active-duty personnel.  We also questioned the Navy’s reasoning of having private high-rise residential and hotel use surrounding a top security building which seemed to be a major breach to secure such a highly sensitive facility.  Which is why we believed the Navy should have considered our options to rebuild a state-of-the-art top-security building to house the SPAWAR systems and secure the surrounding area of the building with government housing.

by Ernie McCray

2024
was a year
unlike any I’ve ever undergone before,
one in which I feel as though I barely survived.

The year did, however, provide me
with a few lovely upsides
such as some really good times
with family and friends,
moments where I cheerfully
rooted for our country’s Olympians
and watched a masterful basketball player whose
artistic wizardry in the gym
made millions of people
women’s roundball fans,

A permanent barricade is being installed this week on a small section of the bluffs on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in Point Loma because of continuing coastal erosion.

San Diego city crews are working to install the barrier to replace a temporary one intended to prevent people from accessing the cliffs. Cracks that developed in rocks along the cliff face, at the water line and away from the road have worsened recently, presenting a potential risk to people standing on the bluff or the sand below, authorities said.

Construction of the permanent cliff barrier is expected to be completed within the next week. Meanwhile, the area is blocked off with caution tape and signs warning visitors to avoid the bluffs.

By Donna Frye / San Diego Union-Tribune Op-Ed / January 1, 2025

I was thinking about the coming new year and feeling overwhelmed by the bad stuff going on in the world. If only I had a magic wand to fix some of what ails us, I would be waving it all over the place like a whirling dervish. But I don’t, so all I could do was fret and worry about things I couldn’t do much about anyway.

I thought some music would help so I turned on San Diego’s Jazz 88.3. The Saturday show “Sing! Sing! Sing!” was being hosted by the esteemed jazz writer and author Will Friedwald. He was playing classic Frank Sinatra songs and I liked them all. But the one that magically cheered up my heart was “High Hopes,” not just because of the lyrics but because it reminded me of my parents who always played music in the house and loved Sinatra.

By Jim Kempton / Surfer.com / December 31, 2024

Wading into the Pacific Ocean on a clear cold New Year’s Eve in 1926, Faye Baird was more than a little nervous. For starters, she was carrying a ten-foot, 110-pound redwood surfboard on her back as she entered the shoreline. There was no wetsuit to seal out the 59-degree temperature on both land and sea—only a scratchy wool bathing suit. The winter sky had darkened early and was now turning a shade of blue-black.

Joining her—and already neck deep in the surf—was her partner Charlie Wright, a lifeguard from Ocean Beach just a few miles south. He was carrying two lit waterproof flares above his head, trying to get as far past the shorebreak as possible to prevent the torches from getting soaked before they reached the outside lineup. In the moonlight, Faye could see head-high waves rolling through on her right. But what gave her the most pause were the hundreds of people packing the Promenade, crowding the dunes. Hundreds more were following her to the water’s edge.