A Free Press Isn’t ‘Free’ – Help Keep the OB Rag Alive

The Rag is in the beginning of our annual summer fundraising campaign. And we have to express that keeping the Rag alive does take donations from our readers and supporters, for afterall, a free press is not “free.”

We do have expenses — our annual server bill is $900 alone; plus subscriptions, utilities — and we actually pay many of our writers and reporters for reporting on community meetings and on issues that no one else covers.

Here are 17 Reasons to Support the OB Rag:

1. Our Progressive Politics: we stand for the Constitution, liberty and democracy and for a woman’s right to choose. We are diametrically opposed to Trump’s banana republic and against his authoritarianism — which include plans for the end the Rule of Law. We’re for racial and gender equality.
2. We Oppose the Direction that San Diego Has Been Going: the current city leadership has been taking us down the wrong road in its imposition of un-democratically-forced rules that threaten our neighborhoods, like the Bonus ADU program and Complete Communities.
3. We have been at the forefront of forcing reforms to the ADU policies along with neighborhood groups and networks like the San Diego Community Coalition and Neighbors for a Better San Diego.
4. We stand for more affordable housing, renters’ rights and an end to the corporate ownership of our housing stock. We also find it unacceptable that large campaign donors can reap the award of public land and development projects.
5. We also focus on maintaining parks and the public common — such as Mission Bay Park. We broke the story of how the Mayor wants to break off sections of Mission Bay and make them “surplus lands” in order to lease them to commercial and private interests in order to bring a cash-strapped city with a few bucks.
6. Short Term Vacation Rentals: The OB Rag for years has been at the forefront of this issue, with reports and analysis of the devastating effects of short term vacation rentals on Ocean Beach and other beach and coastal neighborhoods; we have highlighted efforts by the OB Planning Board to lobby against them; we have helped educate and mobilize local residents to oppose the short term rentals taking over sections of the village.
7. We Support the 30-Foot Coastal Height Limit and are against efforts to undermine the will of the people; we were instrumental in creating the group “Keep the Coast 30” aligning with like-minded individuals and groups in the beach communities. We’re faced with the constant pressure of developments that try to skirt this citizen-imposed rule.
8. Reports on Local Planning Committees: We provide reports on the meetings (and controversies) of the local planning committees in the Peninsula and also advertise, advocate for and report on their elections. No other media outlet provides this kind of local coverage.
9. Discussion Platform for San Diego residents: the OB Rag provides a platform for residents and neighbors not just in OB and Point Loma, but all over San Diego, from Encanto to University City, from Linda Vista and Clairemont to Hillcrest  to discuss local issues and problems.
10. Our comments are second to none among San Diego media platforms.
11. History of Ocean Beach: OB Rag archives and staff are resources for the history of OB and the area, and help to provide not only historical context but also a source for a community-collective memory. Members of our staff worked on the original OB Rag back in the 1970s and so some of us have been around for a long time. And of course we highlight and support the OB Historical Society.
12. Conscience of the Community: Michael Turko, formerly of the well-known “Turko Files” once said that the OB Rag “is the conscience of OB.” We’ve earned this moniker due to our efforts to hold government’s feet to the fire, to question authority, to ask questions no one else asks.
13. Keep Track of Development Projects: It’s been our task over the years to keep track of the development projects that come into OB and Point Loma; we help ensure the projects live up to their designs and the law.
14. Business and Merchant News: we are a source of news from the business and merchant community, the comings and goings of businesses, big and small. The OB Rag welcomes new storefronts with props para gratis. We also offer merchants inexpensive online advertising.
15. Restaurant Reviews: we have a fine tradition of publishing reviews of local restaurants and eateries, unequaled anywhere on the Point.
16. Community Calendar: the OB Rag is a source for meeting and event notices, from presentations by the OB Historical Society to forums held by other organizations like the OB Green Center and Friends of the OB Library. Plus our “Links” page has connections to all OB groups, organizations, and all the OB-oriented facebook pages and many Point Loma groups.
17. OB Rag Is Active in the Village; the OB Rag has not just been a media platform, we’ve also been advocates and active in improving the community. The OB Rag suggested the bench in front of the OB Library; we convinced the new owners of the hostel not to repaint the exterior; we’ve lobbied for new infrastructure, like a new lifeguard stations and restrooms; we’ve helped to save Torrey Pines, the OB Library, the OB firepits – just for starters.

If you need more reasons, see this.

So, help us keep it going.

How to Support Us

Send us a one-time donation via our PayPal button on the homepage; or

Become a regular monthly contributor; via PayPal on the homepage; or

Send us a check made out to “OB Rag” to:

OB Rag
PO Box 7012
Ocean Beach, CA 92167

Help us keep the OB Rag alive and well – send us a donation.