Month: February 2025

By Member of Community Hub

On the First United Methodist Church (FUMC) website, the About page still features a section discussing Affordable Housing for Ocean Beach — but the reality has changed.

The video on their site talks about replacing existing cottages at 4823-25 Saratoga Ave with a scaled, community-aligned affordable housing project. However, FUMC has abandoned this reasonable initiative and is now exploring plans to sell the entire church property to developers.

By Kate Callen

After decades of City Hall neglect, Encanto residents are savoring their stunning victory over predatory development at the January 28 City Council hearing. And it looks like they’re just getting started.

At a jubilant February 2 gathering, leaders of Neighbors for Encanto said they are ready to double down in the battles ahead. And they are confident neighborhoods across the city will stand with them.

“This isn’t just Encanto’s fight,” Lisa Becerra told the crowd at the Encanto Recreation Center. “We’re hearing from people all over San Diego who are already pissed off and already fighting this.”

By Joni Halpern

On January 17, 2025, I sat next to an elderly African-American woman, both of us waiting for the San Diego Housing Commission to start the board meeting. The woman was clothed in simple, attractive garb, her gray hair combed neatly.  She sat with dignity, her chin lifted, her shoulders squared.  She smiled and nodded when she caught my gaze.

The business of the meeting began with public comment. She was the first one to speak.

“Good morning, Honorable Members of the San Diego Housing Commission,” she began.   “I live in City Heights with my husband.”

She struggled to find her notes, then added, “and we are both disabled.  We had applied for Section 8 [federally subsidized housing] on November 2012, and on November 2021, we were told we were on a waiting list for ‘mod rehab’ for the elderly and disabled.  Up to this point, we are still on the waiting list.  I am here to request…uh…the Board to grant us a priority, based on our situation…uh…my husband is diabetic…”

By JW August / Special to the OB Rag

In the Trenches–

The term “fog of war” is an apt description of what’s going on now in Washington.

Confusion, fear and paranoia stalk the halls of the federal bureaucracy, often maligned and rarely appreciated these days.  So says a long time source whom I’ll name “S” who holds a senior leadership position with a large federal agency.

“It’s important that Americans know what is going on” says “S” and says he/she is not motivated by belonging to any political party; the skin in the game for “S” is having served this country for more than 25 years of federal and military service. “S” worked in San Diego in the past but has been in D.C. now for over ten years.

A large protest against Trump immigration policies was held in National City Friday afternoon. Hundreds of people jammed National Avenue — and an eventual street take-over resulted in teargas being used by police after it was called an “illegal protest.”

Starting out as a peaceful protest, the demonstration quickly grew in size, as Highland Avenue was swarmed with people.

“I see a lot of youth which I’m happy to see here that are out here supporting. I see a lot of families with kids. I see a lot of older people as well,” said Violet, an immigration activist.