Month: September 2025

By Ben Christopher / CalMatters Times of San Diego / Sept. 13, 2025

California lawmakers just laid the groundwork for a highly targeted building boom.

Senate Bill 79, authored by San Francisco Democrat Sen. Scott Wiener, would “upzone” neighborhoods immediately surrounding train, light rail and subway stations in many of the state’s most populous metro areas. That means apartment developers will be able to construct residential buildings — some as tall as 75 feet — regardless of what local zoning maps, elected officials or density-averse neighbors say.

In a legislative year teeming with controversial housing bills designed to kick-start more construction in California, SB 79 has been among the most controversial. Because it would override the planning decisions of local governments, the bill had to overcome opposition from a host of city governments and their defenders in the Legislature, while fracturing the Capitol’s reigning Democratic Party over questions of affordability, labor standards and who ultimately has the final say over what gets built where.

The bill now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom – supporters expect he will sign it.

By Joni Halpern

It was said of the vitriolic commentator, Charlie Kirk, that he died for his faith, making him a Christian martyr. Having never listened to his performance before, I decided to do so, thinking perhaps his was the voice of Christian heroism. It has been said he was a man who sacrificed his life because he chose to follow in the footsteps of Christ himself, a path seen by many Christians and non-Christians alike as a challenging but inspiring quest to understand the power of love.

What I discovered from Charlie Kirk’s program was a Christian message I did not recognize. It was a forceful commentary spoken by a “preacher,” but bearing no resemblance to the compassionate life of that first and truest martyr of Christianity. Instead, it was an icy, sharply worded voice that cut like a butcher knife into the already inflamed flesh of my countrymen, drawing blood with every strike.

It was the New Christianity, a narrative woven with the dominant themes of fear and vengeance. A “Get them before they get you” message that invites followers to the precipice of taking arms, and then leaves them at the edge, their toes gripping the ledge, their arms flailing for balance, waiting for the signal to leap into the abyss of civil war.

It is not just Mr. Kirk, but many others in the New Christianity who are talking up the hatred and “otherness” of fellow Americans, like a coach giving a pep talk to stir the hearts of a team that conceives of itself as losers to those who have no meritorious right to a level playing field. And whose rebuke must eventually be handed to them in bloody battle — a championship game of civil war among 340 million members of a nation-state that once took pride in our foundational preamble, “We, the people, in order to form a more perfect union…”

The San Diego Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying two persons of interest in the murder of the victim now identified as 22-year-old Joseph Bojorquez Jr. that occurred in Hodad’s parking lot Ocean Beach on September 10, 2025.

On Charlie Kirk’s killing: the Left — condolences and calls for gun reform; the Right — calls for war against the Left

By Patty Ducey-Brooks

This past week, I saw direct comments from a staff member of City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn that shocked and upset me more than I expected. Though I had been reviewing previous emails on various topics, after seeing the comments from this staff person, communicating rather rudely to a member of the community, I had to respond.

What I am observing and learning is that the staff of our elected officials (mayor and down), have a growing tendency to speak in a derogatory manner to their constituents. And if you don’t agree with them, you become the enemy. Unfortunately, this appears to be the direct result of a “movement” being led by many elected officials throughout the state of California.

It appears to be associated with the YIMBY movement that has become very radical. If you don’t agree or side with their philosophy, you are the enemy. There is no middle ground. It’s also counter to providing a civil and neutral environment for quality discussion and outcomes, perhaps outcomes that can benefit most of the public at large.

The 43rd Annual Adams Avenue Street Fair, presented by San Diego Foundation, features 75 musical acts on seven stages and is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. Southern California’s largest free two-day music festival is held on 10 city blocks in the community of Normal Heights.

2025 headlining performers are: Mexican electronic music legends Nortec: Bostich + Fussible, Rockabilly icons Dave & Deke Combo, garage rock favorites The Schizophonics, touring Blues master Chris Cain Band, LA indie punk rockers Strawberry Fuzz, Soul all-stars The Styletones, surf-garage rockers The Creepy Creeps, dynamic female salsa band Sabrosas Latin Orchestra.

An application has been made for a Process 2 Coastal Development Permit for 4611 Newport Avenue, dated September 8.

The application calls:

• to demolish a 1,354 square foot existing single dwelling unit
• to construct two new single dwelling units with attached accessory dwelling units.
• one unit would be 3-story, 2,540-square-foot single-dwelling unit with an attached carport,
• that unit would have an attached 2-story, 639-square-foot accessory dwelling unit.
• a second new unit would be a 2-story 1,859-square-foot single-dwelling unit with (2) attached garages (front and
  back), and
• an attached, 2-story 779-square-foot accessory dwelling unit.

By Paul Krueger

Mayor Todd Gloria has rejected proposed discounts for paid parking in Balboa Park, setting up a contentious debate at the Monday, September 15th, city council meeting. The Mayor and a majority of council members have embraced new parking fees in and around Balboa Park to help close a huge deficit in the city’s 2025-26 general fund.

But Park users, volunteers, and employees harshly criticized a proposed fee system that would generate $10.3 million annually to help close the budget gap. At a raucous July 28 council meeting, residents urged the council to abandon the plan or significantly reduce the Mayor’s proposed fee schedule.

In response, council members discussed the following concessions:

• Reducing from $12 to $10 the daily rate for the Organ Pavilion and other lots in the park’s core, with a 50 percent discount for “verified” city residents.
• Reducing to $5 a day the cost of parking in outlying lots, with four hours of free parking at Inspiration Point.
• Additional free parking on the park’s “West Mesa” (west of the Cabrillo Bridge, bordering 6th Avenue)
• Free parking everywhere after 6 pm

Every Saturday at 10:30 am. San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings September 13th, 20th, and 27th. Keep up to date on climate issues and Climate Action events. To register email Jon Findley at jon@climatemobsd.org.  More info: https://www.facebook.com/SDClimateMobilization/

Every Saturday 10 am – 12 pm Peace Vigil for Palestine: Advocate for Peace and Justice in Gaza and Everywhere Join CODEPINK SD, San Diego Veterans for Peace, and Palestine Pals every Saturday at 10:00 am at Ocean Beach Gateway Plaza, on the corner of Sunset Cliffs Blvd. and W. Point Loma Blvd.  Wear pink and bring a peace-related poster if you have one!  Contact: Nathanael sandiego@codepink.org  More info:  https://www.instagram.com/codepinksd/

The San Diego River Park Foundation has volunteer opportunities in Ocean Beach: Point Loma Native Plant Garden Club on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. For details and many other volunteer opportunities go to https://sandiegoriver.org/

September 13th  Saturday 10:30 pm – 12:30 pm Picnic For Our Solar Future: Sun Day 2025  Event by Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice Co-sponsors include GreenFaith, a global interfaith organization to protect the planet and create a compassionate, loving, and just world; SanDiego350, a volunteer-led non-profit working to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and climate injustice; and Third Act, an elder-led movement for climate action and democracy protection.

The San Diego Police Department is investigating a shooting that killed a man late Wednesday night in Ocean Beach.

SDPD reported that at about 11:29 p.m., police received a report of a shooting in the area of 5000 Newport Ave. in Ocean Beach. Officers arrived on scene and located an adult male suffering from at least one gunshot wound to his upper body. Officers and medics rendered aid at the scene, but unfortunately, the man did not survive.

7SanDiego reported that the shooting took place in the parking lot next to the popular Hodad’s restaurant on Newport Avenue near Bacon Street.

Homicide detectives were called to the scene to investigate. Investigators have learned the decedent was involved in a confrontation with two men in a parking lot. The victim punched one of the men, at which time the second man produced a handgun and shot the decedent.

By Ezra Klein / New York Times – Democratic Underground / September 7, 2025

In about three weeks, the government’s funding will run out. Democrats will face a choice: Join Republicans to fund a government that President Trump is turning into a tool of authoritarian takeover and vengeance or shut the government down.

Democrats faced a version of this choice back in March. DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, was chain-sawing its way through the government. Civil servants were being fired left and right. Government grants and payments were being choked off and reworked into tools of political power and punishment. Trump was signing executive orders demanding the investigation — I would say, the persecution — of his enemies. He had announced shocking tariffs on Mexico and Canada. We were in the muzzle velocity stage of this presidency. And Democrats seemed completely overwhelmed and outmatched.

I often heard people complain that Democrats lacked a message. What Democrats really lacked was power. They didn’t have the House or the Senate, but they did have one sliver of leverage: To fund the government, Senate Republicans needed Democratic votes. And not just one or two. They needed at least seven Democrats to reach that magic 60-vote threshold. House Democrats wanted a shutdown. But Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Senate Democrats, didn’t. He voted for the funding bill and encouraged a crucial number of his colleagues to do the same. The bill passed.

To many Democrats, this seemed insane. Some began openly calling for Schumer to resign or face a primary challenge. This was Democrats’ first real opportunity to fight back against Trump, and they had folded. What were they good for?

By Ed Kilgore / New York Magazine- Readers Supported News / September 8, 2025

The ability to retaliate against Donald Trump’s power grabs and other outrages is a rare pleasure for Democrats, which is why Gavin Newsom’s counter-gerrymandering effort in California is so wildly popular among Democrats. If Democrats can’t stop Trump’s egregious policies in Congress (and they really can’t) and the U.S. Supreme Court is either enabling him or slow-walking efforts to rein him in (which it clearly is), then they need different arenas in which to contest his authoritarian ways.

Since Trump chose to intervene in state-government prerogatives by ordering the Texas legislature to grab the GOP some new U.S. House districts, it made perfect sense for California to respond, even though it would require a constitutional amendment enacted via an insanely expensive ballot-initiative fight.

But Democrats shouldn’t reflexively ape Trump’s every excess, particularly in formulating an agenda for their eventual return to power. They currently have the high ground with a small but strategically critical share of voters who dislike partisan power grabs no matter who is carrying them out. These voters may not want to restore Democrats to power in 2026 or 2028 if they believe that when it comes to lawless conduct, “both sides do it.”