Yessiree folks, step right up to the latest display of Councilmember Jen Campbell knifing her community of OB and her District 2 in the back by leading the City Council in a vote of 5 to 1 to dismember OB’s historical district.
After a hearing of not even 2 and a half hours, the Council voted on Jen Campbell’s own motion to approve the controversial Package A. Council President Joe LaCava was the only holdout.
So the vote to approve the staff report and approve Package A included Campbell, Stephen Whitburn — who seconded the motion –, Vivian Moreno and Kent Lee.
Three councilmembers never even made it to the hearing. Raul Campillo, Marni von Wipert, and Sean Elo-Rivera.
The turnout from OB and the preservation community in general was fair to middlin. There were at least 3 dozen folks from Ocean Beach.
Many people from OB did speak to the Council including Eric Duvall, William Riley, Lynne Miller, Kathy Blavatt, Mercy Baron, Kathleen Rhodes – and a few others on audio only, like Kevin Hastings. Most said there needed to be a complete survey of OB to determine other historic cottages and buildings.
Others who spoke included Geoff Huerter of Neighbors for a Better San Diego and Shane Harris, who was very eloquent.
It was painful to watch Campbell give even more time to staff’s arguments and persuasions with her questions. And she kept trying to convince the OBceans in the audience that she was on their side and was their “friend.” Then she made the motion to undercut one of the few protections that OB has to deter Mayor Gloria’s Complete Communities.
City Hall observers and OB activists remember other times when Campbell went against Ocean Beach – her give-in to Airbnbs and policy on short term rentals, plus her support for the different measures to take out the 30 foot height limit in the Midway area, and her support for Midway Rising. (Although a couple of her votes on ADUs, SP10 et al were appreciated.)
I presume Mandy or Dan would have protected OB with their life. As for the others, go ahead and gamble San Diego down the river. I’m telling all of you in no uncertain terms to research all these people running for veracity, character, and a genuine love of OB. Do it for Jim Bell.
Whenever there’s an opportunity to vote against the wishes of OBceans, Jen Campbell gets so eager, her eyes light up.
It is frightening. They did light up. And, words came out of her mouth completely opposite of words spoken to others recently about Package A. Lies. Completely opposite words.
So eager that her eyes light up. You really can see it.
The last line of Starry Starry Nights goes like this:
“They would not listen, they’re not listening still
Perhaps they never will”.
My friends inside and outside of Coastal CareTakers sent letters to the city council and submitted comments for the Feb. 24th meeting. Then they showed up, and filled the chambers, and they had a lot to say. AND WHAT THEY SAID WAS BRILLIANT! Everyone did their homework, and when each person took the mic and spoke for Ocean Beach and all of San Diego, they were SPOT ON!
THE ONLY PROBLEM–THE COUNCIL HAD DECIDED HOW THEY WOULD VOTE BEFORE THE MEETING. If they had entered the chambers with an Open Mind, and really listened they would have voted to put Package A where it belongs, AT THE END OF THE CRUMBLING OB PIER where real sharks could shred it and put it to rest!!!
So, what do we do now? WE FIGHT, legally and with class, but we fight! We are looking into the best lines of offense, and will share with you what we discover. This is not over, not by a long City Block! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who showed up on OB’s behalf. You are awesome. One way we can legally FIGHT is to get involved with elections, and vote for people who will stop the madness of overbuilding without infrastructure. The COUNCIL and their minions are not listening– they are shape shifting us into Los Angeles! THEY have to GO. Some of you brilliant speakers might want a 6 figure job. RUN FOR OFFICE! Did you ever ask: “what are the qualifications to be elected for the City Council where you are guaranteed at least $100,000 a year? I hope some of you who stood up for San Diego will step up and run for office!! Dismantle this lockstep group! I will end this with another great song from Adam Lambert and Queen, “WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS’ MY FRIENDS, AND WE’LL KEEP ON FIGHT TIL THE END!”
I read every word with intensity and an open mind. I agree with you as you, as you pose many questions of social psychology as well as the individual. Voters seldom pick the purest candidate but almost always the perceived winner. Well, how now brown cow. I did my research et voila!!! EUREKA! Some guy not collecting hordes of money and not seeking one endorsement other than his love of OB ought to considered hands down as the most honest, fanatically hard-working person in the history of San Diego. I understand his persona non grata status on these pages and respect OB RAG leadership but for the love of God………….? Here is his web site—–WEEP AND CRY http://www.dannytri.org
Smear cow skis new alias? Why does a D2 candidate use aliases?
Agree 100%, Lynne! What you shared was truly heartfelt and beautifully said. Thank you so much for showing up and speaking from the heart! it really meant a lot to all of us.
This total disregard for the will of the People is antithetical to democracy. This land grab is a strong arm takeover, and it has been brought to you by the shamefully corrupted San Diego Democratic Party.
Perhaps it is time that the OB Rag lighten up on discouraging those of us demanding recalls. Perhaps Mr. Gormlie might want to instead help organize and advocate for the removal of these succubuses through recall and bring the party to where the people are instead of acquiescing to increasingly heinous and harmful political retribution.
Lest we remind you that we should have ended Dr. Gentrification’s political career with her recall in 2021.
I’m not agin recalls per se, just with regards to the history of recalls in San Diego, they’re rarely successful, and can be a drain on resources better spent.
I am 58. There has only been one recall in local politics since I turned 18 and started voting. Another one on the state level, if you count the attempt to recall Newsom.
Respectfully, I beg to differ with you Frank, as there seems to be no empirical evidence to back up the theory that recalls are “rarely” successful. Especially considering that both the Campbell and Newsom recall attempts were made during social distancing, during a global pandemic, replete with a Governor mandated statewide shutdown. And now we have reached the desperation of “smash and grab” corruption.
The Rag would certainly give space to any recall effort, no matter how quixotic it would be.
The fix was in. There will be no other outcome from this City Council. Our only salvation is to ONLY elect people who are passionate about protecting their communities. It’s an absolute wonder to me, how people like Elo-Rivera get reelected to office, when their only interest seems to be in adding fees, taxes, parking meters, massive utility cost increases, & endless bonus ADUs without limits. All the while, he spouts class warfare nonsense as if he cares a whit about people struggling to get by or trying to keep their communities recognizable at a reasonable density. These current members of the Council will send flyers by the bushel saying how any other alternative is Donald Trump, the only politician hated more than they are. Providing community protection from a rapacious Mayor and Council has to be the litmus test for 2026 and beyond.
Mandy Havlik and I were at City Council yesterday , standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow Ocean Beach residents fighting to protect our community’s historic designation. The speakers were thoughtful, heartfelt, and compelling! They spoke with facts, history, and deep love for OB.
And once again, we were ignored, especially by our own district’s city council member.
Instead of listening, several council members stared down at their desks, disengaged while residents poured their hearts out. The message was clear: developers’ interests seem to carry more weight than the voices of the very people who live here.
This is exactly why we need leaders like Mandy Havlik on City Council. She wasn’t just watching, she was there with us, standing up, speaking out, and fighting for OB!
Thanks very much for posting this, Frank. Jen Campbell’s comments and presentation were one of the most insulting and mind-boggling of all the presentations made yesterday. I don’t know if she’s delusional or actually thinks Ishe can fool people who live in OB by giving the planning department a platform to present its one-sided analysis of the negativeimpacts of historic site changes on Ocean Beach. And to call herself a “friend of the community” is beyond insulting.Maybe it’s a foundational definition of the word “gaslighting,” or maybe she genuinely thinks she can say what she said then voted she didand still be a “friend” of Ocean Beach.
We’ll have to endure two more years of her upside- down world view, but it’s super important that District 2 residents elect the candidatewho really speaks and voteds for their interest. For my money, that’s Mandy Havlik who I am walking precinct for and contributing to, even though I don’t live in the district.
Jen: “I love you OB, but let me help you understand why you’re wrong.” Followed by her very inaccurate breakdown of the historic process.
And Paul don’t scare me like that.. Jen will be gone this November. Will some other outsider patsy for the mayor take her place? Or will D2 voters do their homework and look past the well-funded shiny mailers for someone who actually represents them, and answers to them?
You are on to something Paul. There’s some truth to that. Derangement and delusion.
Big D2 event next week at Clairemont forum. Word on the street is that the boy Coyne and his sidekick Miss Nicole will be arriving via Brinks Armored Truck and Dick by parachute from North Island. Man, these cats know how to live large! Meanwhile, the self-avowed idiot Dan “Da Little Man” will be walking by foot. Crazy Dan has been walking in OB since 1967. I decided not to support this kook after looking at his web site. Weird!! http://www.dannytri.org
District 2 has a history of electing immoral, self=centered people to to city council. Campbell falls right in there by never doing the job she was elected to do, represent D2. She is drawing a large salary and will have a pension when her terms are up for doing the opposite, always, of what the people in D2 wanted. One our past idiots proposed a motion that actually endangered lives in Pt. Loma
Some years ago, the city and a company wanted to make a deal to capture methane gas at the Pt. Loma treatment plant, liquify it, and truck it out of Pt. Loma on long, cylindrical tanker trucks, at night. This, of course, roused the public who lived along the truck route.
There was a possible alternative, capture the gas and pump it into an existing SDG&E gas main right at the plant but the city was not eager to change the plan. Against all opposition, Faulconer sat up at City Council and made the motion to approve the permit and it passed easily. He approved a permit for trucks in Pt. Loma that, when they do blow up, blow a lot of shit up, at night.
The opposition became so fierce that the city had to backtrack and go with the option of pumping the gas into the pipeline. Faulconer stood up before the Peninsula Community Planning Board and triumphantly announced the change and took credit for the change in the interest of public safety.
There is just no shame at all. Campbell should be ashamed. And everyone should be ashamed that the recall never came off. There was a chance to dump her ass.
I mentioned this before in another article. My wife and I were at Inside Out in Hillcrest and Jen was there for some kind of political event. Not sure if it was a fundraiser or meet and greet or a mixture of the two. We talked to a couple people who knew her personally and they acknowledged she was (or is) pretty much out for personal political ambitions. This was a roughly a year or two pre-pandemic. Unfortunately this makes of the majority of people who choose this line of work. This is why so many people end up either voting for the lesser of two evils (LOTE) or even knowingly vote for someone who won’t be good for the community but they (said voters) hope to get some kind of personal benefit. Plenty of voters can be just as self serving as the candidates they vote for. When we say “vote the bums out”, we have to understand those bums might simply be replaced by new bums. I’m not sure what the answer is but we need a better pool of ethical people choosing elected political office as a career choice.
Giles Quinan= Dan Smear cow ski