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Articles by Source

Source has written 4397 articles for the OB Rag!

Selling ‘Personalized Learning’ Disguised as Philanthropy

December 1, 2020 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Ultican / Nov. 27, 2020

“Personalized learning” is being driven by foundations derived from companies that stand to profit by its implementation. Last year, George Mason’s Priscilla Regan and the University of Ottawa’s Valerie Steeves wrote the peer reviewed paper “Education, privacy, and big data algorithms: Taking the persons out of personalized learning” in which they state, “Other than the Carnegie Corporation, the private foundations who have been most supportive of personalized learning are those supported by the technology companies, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Google Foundation.”

In the case of the Carnegie Corporation, the authors note that the philanthropy has been supporting education causes since its founding in 1911. Recently, Carnegie has given monetary support to “personalized learning” but “typically in partnership with one of the tech foundations.”

Based on a listing of the fifteen largest education spending philanthropies in the first decade of the millennium,

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December 2020 Events from the Ocean Beach Green Center

December 1, 2020 by Source

December Events All events are online and free unless stated otherwise.

December 1st Tuesday 6 pm The California Innocence Project Virtual XONR8 Gala

December 1st Tuesday 7 pm Invisible to Invincible: Homeless Youth Success Stories

December 2nd Wednesday 12 pm – 1 pm Recycling Organics into Resources

December 3rd Thursday ReGenerative Community Development
… AND MUCH MORE INSIDE

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Finally Passing the Equal Rights Amendment Would Be a Brilliant Bookend for Women’s History

December 1, 2020 by Source

Champagne, Champagne: to Toast a Brilliant Bookend for Women’s History

By Colleen O’Connor

It only took 100 years from securing women’s right to vote to winning the Vice-Presidency.

Grandmothers; Great Grandmothers; and their ghostly presences are cheering.

My own grandmother was a suffragette who held strategy sessions in her farmhouse in North Dakota.

Could she have imagined a woman becoming the Vice-President of the United States; Speaker of the House of Representatives; Justices on the Supreme Court; Head of the U.S. Treasury; Secretary of State; Ambassador to the U.N.; Presidents of Colleges; Senior Counsel to the President; Director of Intergovernmental Affairs; Manager of Major League men’s sport team?

Probably not, but she would be cheering for all of them; astronauts; doctors, lawyers, aviators, professionals in sports, academia, fintech, bio-tech research, environmental justice; and so much more.

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Pt. Loma and OB Democratic Club Endorses Monica Montgomery Steppe for Council President

November 30, 2020 by Source

Influential Democratic Club Comes Out for Steppe for San Diego City Council President

By Kip Eischen – Secretary, Point Loma/OB Democratic Club

Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe showed us the very best of what a City Council President could be. She has exported the values of her district to the city at large. Thanks to Montgomery Steppe the privacy of San Diegans in all council districts is more respected and the city rests assured that the San Diego Police Department will operate with oversight from their communities.

Montgomery Steppe is ambitious and inclusive in pursuit of solutions to constituents’ needs. When the smart streetlight program infringed on all San Diegans’ privacy rights in yet another lopsided contract that drained taxpayers, Montgomery Steppe effectively worked to defund it. As the community awoke to a reckoning over police practices, Montgomery Steppe turned action into administration; she helped to pass Measure B that coupled effective policing together with an independent community review board.

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The OB Holiday Pandemic Parade 2020 – ‘You Are the Parade’ – Floats Will Be Set Up in Dog Beach Parking Lot for ‘Drive-Through’ View

November 30, 2020 by Source

For the first time in OB history – “you are the parade!” says the Ocean Beach Town Council. The village will have a totally unusual pandemic “parade”. The holiday theme this year is, appropriately, “Home for the Holidays.”

Here’s what the OBTC says:

Your favorite “floats” from the classic OB Holiday Parade will be setup in the Dog Beach Parking Lot for you and your family to drive through and view from the comfort (and safety) of your vehicle. Plus – you are welcome to decorate your vehicle to get in on the action!

DETAILS INSIDE

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The Autumn Colors of Ocean Beach and Point Loma

November 30, 2020 by Source

By Kathy Blavatt

Autumn is the season when deciduous trees burst into rich hues from red to yellows. We don’t have the full fall colors that the East Coast is known for, but Ocean Beach and Point Loma have many lovely trees such as Sweetgum Tree, Liquid Amber Tree, Decorative Crabapple Tree, and others throughout the committees.

As Winter approaches, these colorful trees drop their colorful frock of leaves and stand bare and dormant through the Winter.

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This Thanksgiving – Look to the Stars

November 25, 2020 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor

Want a graceful prayer for this Thanksgiving? One that will help alleviate all the chaos, the fear, the divisions and the frustration gripping the country? Or just change the topic?

Try quoting the great, Bette Davis’ best lines, in “Now Voyager.”

“Oh, don’t let’s ask for the moon. We’ve already got the stars.”

And do we have them.

Not just the zillions that twinkle the night skies; or the millions of frontline responders lighting up countless hearts in the midst of a pandemic; or the thousands of our neighbors behaving like grown ups, or the hundreds of of our family and friends that keep us optimistic, but also other standout candidates in a chaotic year.

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Peninsula Planners: Presentations on ‘Central Mobility Hub’ at Old SPAWAR and Residential Displacement at Marina’s Cove Redevelopment

November 24, 2020 by Source

By Geoff Page

The two main items of interest at the November 19 regular Thursday monthly meeting of the Peninsula Community Planning Board were two presentations. One presentation was by SANDAG titled the “Central Mobility Hub Project Update.” The other presentation was by the company redeveloping the Mariner’s Cove apartment complex on West Point Loma next to the Barnes Tennis Center.

“Central Mobility Hub Project Update.”

SANDAG was up first and Gia Ballash gave a very polished PowerPoint presentation. One thing that seems very clear is that the idea of large central mobility building on part of the old SPAWAR facility on Pacific Highway has moved far beyond the idea stage. Notice it was “Project” update. Ballash’s presentation was about something that is steamrolling along, with SANDAG leading the charge.

That the process is moving along was evidenced by the $50 million SANDAG has already authorized to pay for preliminary engineering and environmental work. And, this before an actual decision where the hub will go. The clear favorite is at the SPAWAR site but a second, less favorable possible location is just south of Washington Street.

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Midway Planners: Proposed Land Use Changes Going to San Diego City Council

November 20, 2020 by Source

By Geoff Page

The main take-aways from the Midway Pacific Highway Community Planning Group’s regular monthly meeting Wednesday, November 18, were from the government reports. The planning boards and some town councils have an agenda section titled something like “Government Reports.”

During that part of the meetings, representatives of various government agencies provide up to date information from whoever they are representing such as Jennifer Campbell for District 2. (See list from the MPHCPG below.) The Ocean Beach Town Council list includes the city Lifeguards and the Fire Department.

These reports are often a snooze and mostly consist of nothing more than campaign ads for the politicians as their reps recount all the wonderful things they have done. But, some good information does come out. Usually, only a few of the reps show up.

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Will Trump’s Attempted Electoral Coup Succeed?

November 20, 2020 by Source

By Marjorie Cohn / Jurist / November 18, 2020

Joe Biden has won states worth 306 Electoral College votes, 36 more than the 270 needed to win, and received in excess of 5 million more popular votes than Donald Trump. Yet Trump insists the election was stolen from him and he is the victor.

Trump started attacking the election months before it happened. He leveled unsupported charges of massive voter fraud from mail-in ballots to create doubt about the integrity of the election. Knowing that Democrats would cast mail ballots in the midst of the pandemic, Trump told his supporters to vote in person on Election Day to prematurely inflate his vote totals.

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California Curfew Comes Saturday Amidst Highest Daily Coronavirus Case Rate Ever – Applies to Purple-Tiered San Diego County

November 19, 2020 by Source

Starting this Saturday, November 21, most Californians will be under a curfew from 10 pm to 5 am outside the home, unless activity is essential. It will apply to those counties in the strictest tier – the Purple Tier. San Diego County is in the Purple, so the curfew will apply to San Diegans.

California is right now in the highest daily case count ever, even higher than last summer’s surge. The coronaviris is spreading so fast that health officials say the next few days and weeks are critical to stop the current surge. There have been more than 10,000 new daily cases on four days since last Thursday.

The curfew restrictions will be similar to those imposed state-wide in mid-March, a part from the limited nigh hours.

From LA Times

Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a mandatory overnight stay-at-home order that will be instituted throughout most of California to combat a surge in new coronavirus cases, a measure that comes just days after the governor enacted a dramatic rollback of reopening in much of the state.

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Prez of OB Historical Society Shares Memories of the Strand – and Snags Its Old Projector

November 19, 2020 by Source

Editordude: Eric DuVall – the president of the Ocean Beach Historical Society – recently shared some of his memories of OB’s old Strand Theatre, plus gave an account of obtaining its last motion picture projector – which we repost below. In addition, we share more memories of the Strand below Eric’s piece. Hey – add some of your own in the comments.

By Eric DuVall / Pt. Loma OB Monthly / Nov. 18, 2020

The last motion picture projector from the old Strand Theatre in Ocean Beach sat abandoned and forlorn in the Wings Beachwear store for 20 years. Maybe 21. A store employee posted a few lines on Vintage San Diego early last year, mentioning the existence of the old projector and suggesting the store might be interested in its relocation.

Would the Ocean Beach Historical Society be interested in such a thing? We sure would!

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My Breakfast with Tom Metzger

November 18, 2020 by Source

By K-B Gressitt / Excuse Me, I’m Writing

Tom Metzger is dead, and I am relieved.

But memories of Tom rumble through the orderly rows of avocado and citrus trees in my Southern California town, stirring up the dirt of our racist history.

When Fallbrook became my home thirty years ago, I dutifully learned its two monikers: Avocado Capital of the World and Fallbrook the Friendly Village. Both were debatable, given the persistent transformation of groves to tract housing, and Tom Metzger’s presence in town.

Back then, Tom was a Fallbrook fixture. A short and stout strutter, he was known for his TV repair skills, his toupee, and a black Stetson and cowboy boots that gave him an extra few inches. He was also known for identifying as a racial separatist, which, according to him, was not at all hateful. “I don’t hate anyone,” he’d say.

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SurfRider San Diego Asks Public to Tell Water Authority to Reject Study at Board Meeting Thursday, Nov.19

November 18, 2020 by Source

From SurfRider San Diego

Action Alert: Stop the San Diego Water Pipeline – Again

The San Diego County Water Authority is considering a Regional Conveyance System (RCS) AGAIN as a way to bring San Diego more water. Such a system would cost more than $5 billion dollars, and would dig, tunnel, and pump water over 100 miles through San Diego state parks, a national forest, several active earthquake fault lines, and some of our region’s most prized wildlands. While only in the study phase, this pipe dream is the stuff of nightmares.

According to an independent analysis, such a system would increase regional energy demands by 40% over our current conveyance, significantly increasing greenhouse gas emissions while bringing minimal long-term economic or community benefits to San Diego.

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Trump Rushes To Sell Oil Rights in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

November 17, 2020 by Source

By Tegan Hanlon/ NPR / November 16, 2020

Starting Tuesday, oil and gas companies can pick which parts of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge they’re interested in drilling. It’s the latest push by the Trump administration to auction off development rights in the pristine landscape before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

The official “call for nominations” launches a 30-day comment period. It will also allow the Bureau of Land Management to move forward with a lease sale, which it must announce 30 days in advance. The exact timing is not clear, but it raises the possibility that a lease sale might happen just days before Biden’s inauguration.

“It’s been quite a lot of work to get to this point,” said Kevin Pendergast, deputy state director for resources with the bureau in Alaska. In a separate statement, the agency said the lease sale will be a historic move “advancing this administration’s policy of energy independence.” In a dramatic shift after nearly four decades of protections, a Republican-led Congress in 2017 approved legislation that opened up part of the refuge to oil development.

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Unprecedented Surge In Coronavirus Cases in San Diego

November 17, 2020 by Source

Reposted from KPBS as a public service.

San Diego County health officials reported another huge jump in COVID-19 cases — 833 — but no additional deaths Monday, marking an alarming surge in the disease’s spread less than two weeks before Thanksgiving.

The county’s three largest daily case counts since the pandemic began have all come in the past three days. The 833 cases reported Monday are the second most the county has announced in a day, following a record high of 1,087 reported Sunday and a then-record 736 on Saturday.

On Wednesday, a then-record 661 cases were reported in the county — surpassing the 652 cases reported Aug. 7. Another 620 cases were reported Thursday.

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School Board Elections 2020: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

November 17, 2020 by Source

School Board Results From Los Angeles, Oakland and Indianapolis

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican

Los Angeles, Oakland and Indianapolis are routinely targeted by pro-public school privatization billionaires. Local school board races that a decade ago required less than $10,000 in order to mount a credible campaign now require ten times that amount. Billionaires again spent lavishly to take control of school boards in these three cities.

The Good

For two decades Oakland has been California’s petri dish for school privatization. Eli Broad has placed four superintendents in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). Mayor Jerry Brown between terms in the Governor’s mansion helped establish the first charter schools in Oakland.

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‘Recall Jen Campbell’ Effort Gets Off the Ground

November 16, 2020 by Source

The movement to recall District 2 Councilwoman Jen Campbell is just getting off the ground – now that the November election is over. They have a website – here, and this is what they are saying:

“Campbell’s complete betrayal of her voters is unforgivably cruel.”

Housing Crisis/Illegal Short-Term Rentals

In secret, Campbell cut a deal with Expedia and UniteHere to sacrifice thousands of homes to criminal short-term rental operators. Campbell had vowed to eliminate all illegal short-term rentals if elected.

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Battle Over Famosa Open Space Continues

November 16, 2020 by Source

By “Just a Bike Mom”

Ah, Friday the 13th. As we all sat down to work that morning, so did the San Diego Housing Commission (aka SDHC) to discuss the “exclusive” agreement for Bridge to develop Famosa Open Space.

Short story: They voted to proceed with their exclusive agreement. The exclusive agreement to develop the last plot of natural, urban, open space on the Point.

We last heard from the SDHC in spring/summer of 2019 at the Peninsula Community Planning Board meetings. They had no plans to develop the land at that time they said. Yet, their PCPB presentation included a set of “visionary” plans.

Our community spoke out. Apparently they did listen to some points,

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Open Letter to Governor Newsom: Pick Two New Senators, Not One

November 16, 2020 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor

Dear Governor Newsom:

You are wading through a recall signature collection petition. Also, a difficult COVID-19 escalation in California infections, hospitalizations and deaths; with more to come.

Add to this, the huge financial strains on the state’s revenues, due to the catastrophic fire season; the strain on the state’s health care systems; huge tourism declines; massive job losses; school shutdowns; and an iffy stimulus rescue package that could rescue states and cities.

So, here is a diversion that might help you in the interim.

California needs you and the best two Senators you can choose to take office on January 21st.

Not just one. Not just the one replacement for Vice-President elect, Kamala Harris, but a second Senator. A Senator to replace Diane Feinstein. At 87, she is ready to retire. She deserves to retire. And she needs to retire.

Feinstein and Barbara Boxer came to the Senate at the same time.

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San Diego County Posts Single-Day Coronavirus Case Record

November 13, 2020 by Source

The following is reposted as a public service.

By Paul Sisson / San Diego Union-Tribune / Nov. 12, 2020
[9:34 AM, Nov. 13, 2020: This story was updated to explain that the county’s new tier map does not remove the countywide purple restrictions in areas not colored purple.]

As COVID-19 continued to threaten nationwide hospital capacity, San Diego County reported a single-day coronavirus case record Thursday.

The record actually occurred on Tuesday when the county health department was notified of 661 new positive cases, though nobody heard the news until Thursday because there was no county COVID-19 report Wednesday in observance of Veterans Day. But a day late did not change the math. Tuesday’s total bested the previous single-day record of 652 set on Aug. 7.

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California Calls for 14-Day Quarantine After Out-of-State Recreational Travel – As State Hits 1 Million Covid Cases

November 13, 2020 by Source

The state is taking aim at non-essential travel amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the country.

By Courtney Teague / Patch Staff / Nov 13, 2020 8:53 am PT|Updated Nov 13, 2020 9:12 am PT

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state public health officials issued a travel advisory Friday morning, November 13, asking anyone arriving in the Golden State after recreational travel to self-quarantine for 14 days. This comes after California just reported a “sobering threshold” of 1 million coronavirus cases.

This advisory includes Californians returning home after traveling outside of their home state and visitors from elsewhere who are arriving in California. Travelers are asked to interact only with their immediate household. The advisory does not apply to those who are traveling for work, school, medical care, health, safety and security, and economic services and supply chains, state officials said in the advisory.

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Public Comments Due Thursday by 4 pm on Housing Commission Selling Famosa Property

November 12, 2020 by Source

The Agenda for the November 13, 2020, meeting of the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) Board of Commissioners includes actions for consideration regarding the Housing Authority-owned property at the corner of Famosa and Nimitz Boulevards.

The Agenda was posted publicly on Friday afternoon, November 6, on SDHC’s website, www.sdhc.org, in the “Governance & Legislative Affairs section.

Fred Kosmo, Acting Chair of the Peninsula Community Planning Board shares more details:

“I reviewed the Agenda, and in particular the SDHC is considering selling the Famosa property to Bridge Housing Corporation for $800,000 aby 4:00 pm on Thursday, November 12, 2020.”

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This Electoral Map of the Presidential Election Is Far More Accurate than Traditional Ones

November 10, 2020 by Source

Did you realize traditional electoral maps are very misleading? They look a lot redder than blue, even though Democrat Joe Biden won the White House.

That’s because those maps generally assign one of those colors per state, based on the total vote, according to the New York Post – which makes a lot of sense.

But huge swaths of the country have little population, making it appear that the vast majority of the US votes Republican, when in fact, the nation was nearly evenly divided this year — with Biden sitting at around 74.5 million votes and President Trump at 70.3 million as of Saturday evening.

A different map of the 2020 election shows that when you visualize the vote by population, you get a completely different picture.

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November 2020 Events from the Ocean Beach Green Center

November 5, 2020 by Source

November Events All events are online and free unless stated otherwise.

Every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Climate Mobilization Coalition Zoom Meeting.

Mondays and Saturdays 9:30 pm – 12:30 pm Volunteering at Wild Willow Farm

Help support the TKF – Tariq Khamisa Foundation as they celebrate 25 years

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As US Hits 100,000+ COVID Cases in One Day, San Diego County on Brink of Going Purple

November 5, 2020 by Source

Surging caseloads in nearly every state have pushed the daily COVID-19 tally to a record 104,004 new infections Wednesday, November 4.

Eighteen — including Kansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Oklahoma, Montana, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin and West Virginia — reported record numbers of patients hospitalized with COVID.

The new numbers have pushed the total number of coronavirus deaths reported since February past 233,000, according to data tracked by The Washington Post.

As the national record daily tally is shocking, the County of San Diego COVID-19 case rate rose to 7.4 pushing the county closer to the most restrictive purple tier, according to the California Department of Public Health.

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Best Advice Election Night: Watch Pelosi Deliver the Future

November 3, 2020 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor

Always underestimated. Often belittled. Yet, amazingly powerful.

Tuesday night, Speaker Pelosi will win two election cycles and probably insure an entire decade of Democratic House majorities. Such a victory will seal her place in the History books as the greatest Speaker of the House.

How did she do it?

How did she beat back an ill-fated challenge in 2016 and not only deliver an historical 41- net gain of seats for the Democrats that year, but is now on pace to add to that remarkable feat Tuesday night.

Experience. Massive fundraising. Discipline. And always being underestimated.

According to the Cook Political Report, Pelosi is on track to add anywhere from 5-10 additional seats to her existing hefty majority.

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Last Minute Appeals in the Bry-Gloria Race for San Diego Mayor

November 2, 2020 by Source

Here are some last minute appeals on the Barbara Bry vs Todd Gloria race for San Diego mayor. Geoff Page, Jim Miller and Paul Kruegar are weighing in.

Pro-Bry

By Geoff Page

What can a person say to anyone who has not yet voted and who has not fully decided on who to vote for as the new mayor? What can be said that hasn’t already been said to the point that no one wants to hear anything more?

That’s a tough one but I’d like to make one last plea for folks to vote for Barbara Bry. Let’s not elect another politician to run our city.

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Santee Citizens Halt Fanita Ranch — Public Vote Expected

October 31, 2020 by Source

By Colleen Cochran

A few weeks ago, despite the fact that many Santee citizens and citizens throughout San Diego County cried out in opposition to development in Santee’s pristine Fanita Hills, four Santee City Council members voted to approve an obscenely large testament to urban sprawl, a development called Fanita Ranch.

Those city council members, whose elections have been heavily funded by developer HomeFed, used a series of deceptive maneuvers in order to preclude citizens from having a say in whether Fanita Ranch would be built. Only Santee City Councilman Stephen Houlahan voted against Fanita Ranch, and he is the only council member who never accepts developer dollars.

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‘Todd Gloria Educated Me on What YIMBY Means’

October 30, 2020 by Source

By Roy McMakin

My husband and I were fortunate to able to put down roots in Bankers Hill when we returned to San Diego 8 years ago. The charms of the neighborhood are clear, but a key reason we have felt so comfortable is that the community clearly wasn’t locked in time.

While I personally mourn the absence of the Irving Gill masterpieces that were lost for growth, I also celebrate the enthusiasm with which the current residents accepted progress. During my time here the Bankers Hill community supported new luxury condo mid rises, affordable housing, new SROs, bike lanes, traffic calming/ slowing improvements and more. Essentially Bankers Hill said yes to all things in their front and back yards. My education on what YIMBY means (Yes In My Back Yard)

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