Author: Kate Callen

By Kate Callen

The OB Rag staff is delighted to learn that the City of San Diego cares so much about listening to constituents that it is publishing an Inclusive Public Engagement Guide to train city employees on how to elicit feedback.

But we’re not sure why city employees would need such training. Weren’t they hired as public servants for their ability to serve the public? Is it really so difficult to hear what constituents have to say, take notes, and use that information to create more community-friendly policies and programs?

Apparently, it is. As the Rag frequently reports, the Gloria Administration has a stunning record for spurning community input and evading public inquiries. Its culture of mendacity earned our Mayor the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2024 “Wall Award” as “the person or public agency that made it difficult for journalists to do their jobs by ignoring information requests or otherwise compromising the public’s right to know.”

By Kate Callen

A proposed ballot initiative to create a San Diego Vacation Home Operation Tax that would fund general services will be put before the City Council’s Rules Committee on October 22 by District 9 Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera.

A fact sheet about the proposal says it “ensures that those who own a vacation home or a STVR [short-term vacation rental] pay their fair share for taking limited housing stock off the rental or for-sale market.”

Revenues from the tax would be earmarked for housing, homelessness prevention, and infrastructure services. The measure would not apply to homes lived in by San Diego residents. Renters or homeowners who use their home as their primary residence or rent to long-term renters also would not be affected.

The Rules Committee will consider Elo-Rivera’s measure at its October 22 meeting. A press conference on the proposal will take place that morning.

Black Rages Against Planned Fort Stockton “Monstrosity” Across the Street from Her Property

By Kate Callen

A scorching Facebook post by Democratic powerbroker Laurie Black has been ricocheting around San Diego this past week. Community activists who oppose rampant upzoning have been reading Black’s missive with a sense of astonishment. Here is a transcript:

“I have no words!!! Or maybe I do!!!

“As the developer 2004-2007 of the property across the street from this eyesore, 1Mission, along with my late husband Bob Lawrence of R.S. Lawrence Development, we worked WITH the Mission Hills community to develop a project that received more than 5 awards for DESIGN, SMART GROWTH, HISTORICAL DESIGNATION, etc. 20 years later [it] is still a wonderful example of smart growth and design. Mark Steele designed a stunning project!

By Kate Callen

Golden Hill is stepping up its fight against a monolith apartment complex by mounting a legal battle to block a construction that is proceeding at a beat-the-clock pace.

Land use attorney Everett Delano is filing the lawsuit on behalf of Preserve Greater Golden Hill against Chicago-based developer CEDARst, which is building a 180-unit, 8-story rental housing complex at 2935-2961 A Street. Upon completion, it will be the largest high-rise structure directly under the final approach into Lindbergh Field.

More than 30 Golden Hill activists gathered for an October 2 news conference to announce the suit. It took place near the Albert Einstein Charter Academy, which is directly across from the development site and will be overshadowed by the tower.

Golden Hill has traditionally been one of San Diego’s most affordable and ethnically diverse neighborhoods. As speakers pointed out, a surge of extensive Golden Hill upzoning is pushing out elderly residents, residents of color, and low-income families. They are being replaced by people who are richer, whiter, younger, and more amenable to living in studios and one-bedroom rentals.

By Kate Callen / September 26, 2025

As expected, the San Diego Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the Midway Rising proposal after in-person public comments were dominated by speakers who will directly benefit from the development.

But there were a few surprises. Five commissioners seemed dubious about transportation issues, especially plans to develop now and upgrade transit later. And an observation from one of the newest commissioners could be the most shockingly honest remark a San Diego public official has ever made.

Jeana Renger questioned future traffic projections for the notoriously congested Midway district and said this: “Transit-oriented development is only successful if there is a whole system of buses and trolleys and also ridership. Just because you build it doesn’t necessarily mean they will ride it.”

(If anyone wants to thank Ms. Renger, an executive vice president at Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects, for having the courage to speak a truth too long denied, her email address is jrenger@fpbarch.com.)

By Kate Callen / August 22, 2025

What is up with Joe La Cava?

The District 1 Councilmember was the skunk at the picnic when he cast the only “No” vote July 29 on a motion to delay classifying part of Mission Bay Park as “surplus land” available for development.

Being the lone holdout was awkward enough. But La Cava, unanimously elected Council President last December, wasn’t just out of sync with his colleagues. He was personally out of sorts, clearly irked with constituents who keep testing his patience.

La Cava opened the Council meeting under a cloud. As President, he was responsible for placing the Mission Bay item on the Consent Agenda. If an anonymous OB Rag tipster hadn’t spotted it and contacted Frank Gormlie, Mission Bay Parkland would have been rubber-stamped as “surplus land” by the Council with no public review or discussion.

When the resulting Rag story by Geoff Page caught the attention of former Councilmember Donna Frye, she mobilized San Diegans as only Donna can. Eight Councilmembers took notice. In varying degrees, they wanted to slow down deliberations and give the public more time to weigh in.

But La Cava was in no mood to wait, and he was openly dismissive of the need for debate: “You either love this or you hate this. There is no middle ground, no refinement that can come out of more public discussion. I am very concerned about us not pursuing new revenue to finance the Mission Bay Park.”

Let’s take a closer look at that.

By Kate Callen 

In 2018, the last election year when San Diego City Council District 2 had an open seat, the winner, Jen Campbell, was best known for being David Axelrod’s cousin. Before her first term was up, Campbell faced a recall effort, and she was replaced as Council President amid charges her staff illegally influenced the redistricting process.

In 2022, Campbell ran for re-election as a tarnished incumbent. Then a funny thing happened. A dark money group linked to Mayor Todd Gloria blanketed District 2 with hit pieces smearing Lori Saldana, Campbell’s formidable Democratic challenger. Saldana finished third behind obscure Republican Linda Lukacs, and Campbell kept her seat.

The 2026 open seat election will be consequential for a district hard hit by City Hall’s subservience to developers. From a 10-unit complex on a small Clairemont cul-de-sac to a 56-unit mid-rise at a major Point Loma intersection, giant housing projects are hammering D2 neighborhoods.

By Kate Callen / August 1, 2025

A year ago, after hearing countless stories about monstrous accessory dwelling units (ADUs), OB Rag staff wanted to find out how bad things were. So we launched a “Worst ADU in San Diego” contest on August 9. And we sat back and waited for entries.

By the August 23 contest deadline, the Rag received over 50 submissions from 20 communities across the city. Our panel of five judges drove around town looking at one eyesore after another. It was depressing work.

The three top prizewinners were announced September 12: Gold at 4578 Jicarillo Avenue in Bay Ho, Silver at 4974 54th Street in College, and Bronze at 5732-36 Dorothy Drive, also in College.

The combined awfulness of the projects prompted us to add 12 “Dishonorable Mentions.”

The 15 contest “winners” fell into two categories of greed. In the first, predatory developers crammed multiple units onto a single lot for maximum profit. In the second, selfish property owners built gigantic structures onto small lots for maximum living space.

The second category included the Bronze recipient. The judges commented, “This demonstrates how a single ADU can have an overwhelming neighborhood impact. Our first thought was: Could this be any uglier? Our second thought was: Is this an architectural middle finger to the surrounding neighborhood?”

By Kate Callen / July 28, 2025

This Thursday, July 31, YIMBY Democrats of San Diego are holding a “Summer Soiree” fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. at the Town and Country Resort. YIMBY politicians like Congressman Scott Peters and Assemblymember Chris Ward will be there, along with developers, lobbyists, law firms, and … representatives of Airbnb.

The event flyer gives a big shout-out to the vacation rental conglomerate: “We would like to extend a special thank you to Airbnb, our presenting sponsor this year.”

Come again? Why would a local group dedicated to boosting the housing supply embrace a global conglomerate that shrinks that supply by converting residential units into vacation units?

Airbnb may rightly believe that more housing production will deliver more opportunities for future vacation rentals. And YIMBYs are understandably happy to take the corporate money.

The short-term rental behemoth has been courting density advocates since at least January 2024, when it launched the Airbnb Housing Council. Like its new YIMBY allies, Airbnb expressed concern about the shortage of affordable housing.

By Kate Callen / July 22, 2025

An extraordinary case of seller’s remorse surfaced last weekend when French Gourmet owner Michel Malecot posted an anguished statement about a boycott of his Pacific Beach businesses.

Malecot did not seem sorry that he sold his property to Los Angeles developer Kalonymous for $6.5 million. He claims he was taken by surprise when the buyer announced plans to build a 23-story tower on the site. But he offered no apology to the Pacific Beach community for the blight the project could cause.

The restaurateur expressed one regret. Loyal customers who are furious about the sale no longer walk through the doors of his French Gourmet Restaurant and his Froggy’s Bar next door. That is costing him a ton of money.

In a July 19 social media post, “A Letter from Michel to our French Gourmet Community,” Malecot said he had planned to close the restaurant early this year, but “due to the love for my profession and responsibility to my longtime faithful employees, I chose to keep the French Gourmet open for another year.”

It never occurred to him that his devoted French Gourmet Community wouldn’t be on board with that.

By Kate Callen / July 14, 2025

Tomorrow — July 15 — should have been the day the San Diego City Council ended four years of predatory development by enacting reforms of the destructive Bonus ADU program.

But the vote, rescheduled from July 1 by Council President Joe La Cava, did not appear on tomorrow’s meeting agenda when it was posted last Wednesday. Then the item was added to the agenda on Thursday. Then it was removed on Friday.

La Cava had said he postponed the July 1 vote at the last minute because Councilmember Jen Campbell was absent. But Campbell has been attending meetings remotely while wearing a neck brace.

Perhaps he will explain the new last-minute postponement when the Council meets. Perhaps his explanation will be plausible. Agenda items are moved all the time for all sorts of reasons.

But the Council President is facing a public that has run out of patience and faith. There have been too many bad deals, too many botched estimates, too many bait-and-switches.

The stakes in the battle for Bonus ADU reform are still high. Right now, across the city, people living near modest homes listed for sale have to wonder: Will that property turn into a multi-story apartment building?

By Kate Callen / July 10, 2025

You would think that before the City of San Diego endorsed a contentious state housing measure like Senate Bill 79, which aims to turbocharge urban density, the Mayor and the City Council would deliberate the issue in full public view.

You would be wrong.

Assemblymember Chris Ward’s July 2 announcement that the City of San Diego `has formally endorsed SB 79 caught San Diegans by surprise. The Mayor never announced any endorsement, and the City Council never discussed the bill or sought public input. What happened?

The mystery was solved by the release of a baffling two-page letter sent on June 3 to State Senator Scott Weiner, author of SB79. The letter was signed by Sacramento lobbyist Moira Topp of Topp Strategies. The first page is on official City of San Diego letterhead. The second page is on Topp Strategies corporate letterhead. [See letter below.]

Topp begins the letter by stating, “On behalf of my client, the City of San Diego, I am writing in support of your measure, SB 79.” She ends with, “The City of San Diego applauds Senator Wiener’s leadership in advancing this forward-thinking legislation and urges the Legislature to support SB 79. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.”

Well, we at the Rag have several questions.