Month: May 2025

Our friends at Peninsula News have devoted their entire (just about) May 1 issue to an often humorous and witty look back at the Point Loma Village.

*Every Saturday at 10:30 am. San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings May 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st.

*Every Saturday 10 am – 12 pm Peace Vigil for Palestine:

*May 3rd Saturday 10 am – 2 pm  Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Summit  

*May 3rd Saturday  Walk for the Animals

*May 3rd. Saturday 11 am – 2 pm Unite for Climate: Fight for our Future! Fight for Justice!

*May 3rd Saturday 3 pm Nationwide Trader Joe’s Protest:

* May 3rd Saturday 5pm – 8 pm Roots of Resilience – Charity Gala

* May 4th Sunday 9 am – 3 pm Border BioBlitz Community Day Event by San Diego Natural History Museum 

Upwards of a thousand San Diegans rallied and marched on Thursday, May 1, for International Workers Day, shining light on a number of local unions involved in fights with management and on the contributions by immigrants to the nation. They rallied in Hillcrest, Balboa Park, at Chicano Park and at the Waterfront Park at the bay.

Nearly a 1,000 demonstrators marched in the morning through the streets from UC San Diego Hillcrest Medical Center to Balboa Park. Later in the day at Waterfront Park, dozens protested and then at night, hundreds rallied at Chicano Park.

Demonstrations occurred across the country — and the world in honor of workers.

The U-T reported:

At the hospital in Hillcrest, hundreds of UC San Diego Health system employees — including tech support specialists, pharmacists and patient ambassadors — gathered around 10 a.m. near the hospital’s entrance to demand better pay and work conditions during a one-day strike.

Editordude: We repost David Garrick’s account of yesterday’s important Planning Commission hearing on reforms to San Diego’s ADU program because it accurately reflects the response by the commissioners, although it totally downplays the role that citizens and community groups played in getting the Commission to consider the reforms. Stay tuned for more on this from the Rag.

By David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune / May 1-2, 2025

The San Diego Planning Commission harshly criticized a controversial city incentive for backyard apartments Thursday and said reforms were needed to stop the incentive from damaging neighborhood character.

The commission voted unanimously to recommend a two-story cap for all new backyard apartments — also called accessory dwelling units, or ADUs — and directed city officials to explore three other specific options in an effort to shrink the homes’ impact on neighborhoods.

Those options are capping the number of backyard apartments allowed per property, setting a minimum square footage per unit and changing city development rules to limit the bulk and scale of such apartments.

By Paul Krueger / Special to the OB Rag

Court and jail records confirm Jane Halaska is charged with three felonies: attempted murder of Gabriel Millan, and assault with a deadly weapon on Christopher Abrahamsen. She is also charged with felony possession of a controlled substance.

Court records reveal that victim Gabrial Millan told police he had been arguing with a different woman, whom he described as “a heavy-set Hispanic female” in the alley behind Hodad’s on Newport Ave when another woman “stabbed him without warning.”

According to the the SDPD investigator’s declaration, “Millan (later) admitted that he had kicked the heavy-set Hispanic woman, and the other woman (suspect Halaska) had yelled at him, ‘That’s not how you treat a lady.'”

Evidence in the case against Halaska includes a black folding knife with blood on the blade found near a dumpster behind Hodad’s.

It’s the day of the showdown at the San Diego Planning Commission at city hall over the city’s ADU policies — and the Rag will attempt a “live blog” of the event.

This means we’ll try to bring a contemporaneous account of the happenings right here.

For a live view of the meeting, go here.

It is a showdown,  however, between residents of neighborhoods across the city that have been negatively affected by Mayor Gloria’s so-called “Bonus ADU Program.” On the agenda of the Commission are proposed “reforms” both by Gloria and by the numerous groups that are arguing for a slowdown in enacting any reforms until the residents of the city have had a chance to make their voices and opinions known.
Some of the groups that have members in the audience include Neighbors for a Better San Diego, the Community Coalition, UC Peeps, Neighbors for Encanto, Neighbors for a Better California, and Community Planners Committee.

1:36 pm the Commission passed a motion unanimously to accept staff’s recommendations with a 2-story cap for ADUs and a request that staff return with options of limiting the number of ADUs on one lot. (Unfortunately I don’t list the staff’s recommendations here.)

12:32 Commissioner comments.

10:29 Encanto resident Lisa Becerra asks, “Are we a tyranny?” She represents 857 of her neighbors who don’t want more than one ADU in a singlefamily lot. “The city is not listening to us.”

“Don’t you dare allow ADUs using Footnote 7”

10:19 An African American speaker from Encanto speaks (didn’t get his name) complaining of the lack of infrastructure in Southeast and Encanto. “Get in line with the state, San Diego.”

9:05 a.m. — Kate Callen of the Rag just spoke during non-agenda comments and asked the Commission to refrain from calling opponents of the ADU policies “anti-housing” and received a good round of applause.

People involved in the drive to make La Jolla its own city scored a win just recently when the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) announced the Association for the City of La Jolla (ACLJ) had collected sufficient valid signatures to start the process of forming a city.

LAFCO is the county office that oversees the creation of new cities and it has determined that the secession movement had collected more than the 6,750 signatures.

In doing so, LAFCO reversed the Registrar of Voter’s decision that some of the ACLJ’s petition signatures were invalid.

San Diego Mayor Gloria is not having it and called LAFCo’s decision “outrageous.” He has vowed to explore legal action against the county agency.

By Todd Walters

May Day is a global day of action to recognize and uplift working people. Here in San Diego, it’s a moment to reflect on our progress and renew our fight for fairness, respect, and dignity on the job. At UFCW Local 135, our members are standing strong and united— whether they work in grocery stores, healthcare, cannabis, or anywhere else.

They’re ready for the fight. And they’re rising together.

Our grocery members—more than 7,000 strong—are currently in contract negotiations with Vons/Pavilions, Albertsons, Ralphs and Stater Bros. These workers kept our communities fed through the pandemic and beyond. Now, they’re demanding a contract that reflects their hard work and the rising cost of living. Alongside our sister locals across the region, we are part of a powerful 65,000-member strong Southern California grocery bargaining unit. Together, we are demanding real raises, improved staffing, and better benefits. We’re not backing down—Grocery Workers Are Rising.

Unfortunately, we’re also facing major roadblocks at the bargaining table with one of the grocery companies: Stater Bros.