Month: August 2025

by Noah Goldberg / LA Times / August 20, 2025 

After a tense and sharply divided debate Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to oppose a state bill that aims to vastly expand high-density housing near public transit hubs, arguing that the state should leave important planning decisions to local legislators.

The council voted 8 to 5 to oppose Senate Bill 79, which seeks to mitigate the state’s housing shortage by allowing buildings of up to nine stories near certain train stops and slightly smaller buildings near some bus stops throughout California.

“A one-size-fits-all mandate from Sacramento is not safe, and it’s not responsible,” said City Councilmember Traci Park at a news conference before the vote.

Park, who was joined at the news conference by Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and John Lee, said the bill was an attempt by its sponsor, state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), and other state legislators to “hijack” local planning from the city.

Lee, who authored the resolution opposing the bill, called it “not planning” but “chaos.”

By Tanja Kropf / Explore Clairemont / August 19, 2025

If the City of San Diego has its way, the single-family home landscape that has been a part of the fabric of Clairemont for decades is about to dramatically change.

On August 4, city planners unveiled their proposed 30-year plan for Clairemont at the Clairemont Community Planning Group (CCPG) meeting. The 101-page document was released to the public less than two hours before the meeting.

The new Clairemont Community Plan proposes up to 17,100 additional residences and a more urbanized ‘City of Villages’ neighborhood design where commercial, retail, and residential units will share higher density spaces.

Additionally, the 30-foot height limit the City Council adopted in 1989 for most of Clairemont will go away. This will clear the way for, at a minimum, 65-foot height limits in certain areas.

The elimination of height limits aligns with California Senate Bill 79. SB 79 would override current single-family zoning restrictions in favor of multi-family residential developments (condos, apartments). The bill would allow buildings up to 95 feet high in areas with access to transit within a half mile (as the crow flies).

By Steven Mihailovich / Point Loma-OB Monthly SDU-T / August 20, 2025 

The Ocean Beach Community Foundation is trying to take on the homelessness problem with the formation of an Unsheltered Subcommittee, and it’s seeking support from the community.

In announcing the new committee at OBCF’s public meeting Aug. 14, board member Phil Cenedella categorized homelessness as three types of conditions — mental illness, circumstantial and criminal — and said the committee’s goal is to assist with all three, including incarceration for the latter.

“The elephant in the room in OB has been the unsheltered, security and mental illness issues,” Cenedella said. “That’s why we’re taking it seriously as a board and try to address it. … We know what’s going on. Now we need to find solutions. … We don’t want kids and their moms scared walking to school. That’s unacceptable.”

Tamara Kohler, chief executive of the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, was on hand to offer the support of her nonprofit organization.

See Schedule of ‘Surge Pricing’ Beginning Sept. 1

Editordude: The following is from local grassroots policy advocate Lisa Mortensen’s Wednesday, August 20 email blast, written in response from to Jay Clevenger, Community Representative of Councilmember Stephen Whitburn’s office, to her inquiry about changes to parking fee structures downtown within the Ballpark District. This is what’s referred to as “surge pricing.” Clelvenger’s original email follows Lisa’s questions. The email was edited for brevity purposes. 

By Lisa Mortensen

My first question is, will the pricing go into a specific account that will be audited to make sure the funds are directed at the specific infrastructure and maintenance uses that you mentioned in your message below? Or will the funds be placed in the general fund?

I read the IBA report and it states: “FISCAL AND POLICY DISCUSSION – While many administrative reforms are being presented, some of the changes in the parking reform are anticipated to result in additional revenue for the City, including the General Fund.”

This concerns citizens because we know that funds that are placed in the General fund can be used at the mayor’s (and council’s) discretion and not for the original stated intent. Assertions about intended uses and benefits that have been made in the past have not always been honored,

by Dave Schwab / Times of San Diego / Aug. 20, 2025

Some residents are pushing back at plans by AT&T to install a 30-foot “faux eucalyptus” cell tower with 12 antennas, 9 radio units and a large ground equipment box.

Those opposed to the proposal, at 2315 Soto St. on public land in Collier Park, have requested that the city deny a conditional use permit for it in its fenced-off area. They’re arguing that public land is inappropriate to build a new cell tower on, disguised or not, contending it should be used for another purpose.

Disguising cell towers as trees, often eucalyptus or other types, helps them blend into the landscape, making them less noticeable and reducing the feeling of visual clutter. Faux trees are primarily used to address public concerns about visual pollution and to make towers more acceptable in residential areas.

These disguises help mitigate the aesthetic impact of cell towers, which can be perceived as eyesores, especially in areas where they might clash with the surrounding environment.

Eric Law, chair of the Peninsula Community Planning Board, speaking for himself, said residents oppose the cell tower project for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that some view Collier Park as a sacrosanct recreational community resource.

Law noted AT&T, a publicly traded company, not a public utility, is seeking to upgrade its 5G telecommunications system in the area.

Washington DC, America’s bluest city, is building more homes per capita than Houston—not with bottom-up zoning reform but with top-down government action.

by Brian Shearer / Washington Monthly / August 14, 2025

Since Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s book Abundance was published, the policy world has debated the causes of our current housing supply drought. Abundance argued that zoning laws are the culprit, as part of its broader thesis calling for liberals to embrace a policy vision oriented around building more of what we need (i.e., “abundance”) primarily through targeted deregulation of private industry and de-proceduralization of government.

Other analysts believe that it is consolidation in the housing market that slows development. But both camps aim to expand housing supply, and solutions are not always derived from the causes of the problem. Cancer isn’t caused by the absence of chemo drugs or radiation, but that is often the treatment. Instead of debating causes, focusing on what policy solutions work best might be a better approach.

The controversial Harmony Grove Village South (HGVS) project is front and center again, because the San Diego County Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the project during their August 22nd monthly hearing, starting at 9:00a.m.

Opposition to the project has only grown in recent months, stemming mainly from its lack of a secondary wildfire evacuation route. The housing development, as currently designed, would only have one viable evacuation route for 453 new homes and 70 legacy homes, in violation of current state fire code. The previous Board of Supervisors allowed the developer to bypass this crucial fire code requirement by identifying an unimproved dirt path that might serve as a backup evacuation if the main exit were blocked. That vegetation-choked path, which winds through numerous properties, is impassable by passenger vehicles and cannot reasonably be used for evacuation in an emergency.

by Ernie McCray

I met with some good folks
on a beautiful warm and sunny day
to just unify
with people of like minds.
And it was well worth my time
as we sang a few songs
and opened a mic
to prose and rhymes
after taking a little time
to burn sage
to purify our bodies and our minds,
giving reverence to the
ideals of the indigenous cultures,

By Andrew Keatts / Axios San Diego / August 20, 2025

Ocean Beach is about to have its own sitcom.

The big picture: Daniel M. Dyer, a writer and videographer, has nearly wrapped the pilot episode of “End of the 8,” a show about a group of bandmembers and their social circle in OB.

[Please go to the original here for all the links]

The fictional band includes members of real-life OB bands Half Hour Late and Band of Gringos, and the show stars local musicians Kat Hall and Crispy J.
Between the lines: The genesis of the show was a three-minute skit created after Dyer and his friends noticed they kept saying “that would be a funny skit idea” about life in OB.

They decided to build the premise into a full pilot, with a dry tone that Dyer compared to “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” turned toward targets like OB’s weekly post-farmers market drum circle.

Please join Ocean Beach Historical Society as we present The Mystique of Lomaland, with Eric DuVall, Thursday, August 21,  at 7:00 pm, Water’s Edge Community Center – 1984  Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B.

In 1897 some mysterious East Coast “crusaders” purchased more than 100 acres of property on the top of the Peninsula.  The property was hard to get to. There was no community known as Point Loma at the time, and nobody knew who those out-of-towners were. The crusaders, known as The International Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, led by Katherine Tingley,

By Samantha Mason

If there’s one thing we all love about the lovely village of Ocean Beach, it’s the diversity and uniqueness. A little coastal town made up of interesting characters, beach culture, amazing food, and even better drinks. I think the diversity of OB is best showcased through all of the types of stores and businesses you find on every corner. From thrift shops to jewelry shops to hole-in-the-wall eateries, there truly is something for everyone.

I decided to head down to Newport Avenue to check out some of the businesses and see what I could find. My sister recently relocated to San Diego from the central coast, and I figured showing her around OB would be the perfect start to her San Diego tenure. I was correct!

Scoops (4994 Newport Ave)

Our first stop was Scoops, where you can enjoy a myriad of delicious ice creams, coffees, crepes, and more. Your standard ice cream parlor, the decor made for an overall beachy vibe. I was immediately welcomed by the smell of fresh waffle cones. This location has only been open for a few months; they have two other storefronts in La Jolla.