Articles by Source

Source has written 5553 articles for the OB Rag!

Storm Wreaks Havoc on OB’s Shoreline

March 24, 2023 by Source

By Kathy Blavatt / March 23, 2023

All Photos by Kathy Blavatt

This was not a traditional Grunion run, this was storm damage from a high tide and huge waves.

Because of the high tide and waves up to 12 feet, Grunion washed in and were stuck in a new pond at North O.B. almost to the parking lot. A few of us tossed the live
flopping fish on the sand into the pond. None of us had buckets to take them down to the ocean. We were hoping the next high tide would take them out top into ocean.

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Reader Rant: ‘How California Set Up the Licensed Marijuana Industry to Fail’

March 24, 2023 by Source


By Midnight Toker

Very briefly, here is how the State of California set up the licensed marijuana industry to fail.

For context, in June 2021, the California Legislature had to approve a $100-million plan in order to bolster California’s legal marijuana industry, which continues to struggle……

Here is the receipt I received after purchasing an eight of an ounce (3.5 grams) of decent cannabis flower recently at a licensed dispensary (not in the city of San Diego):

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OB Pier Renewal Community Workshop – Liberty Station Sat., April 1

March 24, 2023 by Source

The City of San Diego is holding a community workshop on the OB Pier renewal Saturday, April 1 at the Liberty Station Conference Center.

Presentations will be given at noon and at 2 pm followed by “self-paced interactive workshops” about the condition of the pier and for community input on “its potential renewal.” This workshop will be the first in a series of public meetings about the pier and “options for the structure.”

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From One End of the Rainbow to the Other Over Ocean Beach

March 23, 2023 by Source

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How We Can Stop the Corporate Surveillance State of Vladimir Gloria

March 23, 2023 by Source

By Matthew S. Melin & Brittany M.Pope

Preface

The most profitable mother-load of the $68 Billion mass data collection industry is dragnet surveillance, tracking everyone’s movement 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in perpetuity.

We believe the City has violated the Brown Act and failed to adequately notify the public on the San Diego Police Department “Smart Streetlight Surveillance” presentations between March 3-10th.

To be clear, San Diegans have NOT acquiesced our First and Fourth Amendment rights to the Mayor, City Attorney, City Council, the Council President, SDPD, San Diego County Sheriffs, SANDAG and local governments.

This unconstitutional dragnet surveillance proposal is just that, A PROPOSAL. Educating San Diegans about the reality of unleashing this Orwellian surveillance proposal and the pandora’s box that it opens, is in a word, paramount.

San Diegans must collaborate with activist organizations and attorneys to put a stop to this unconstitutional domestic spying program of unlawfully tracking the movement of every citizen.

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San Diegans Challenge Banks to Stop Funding the Fossil Fuel Industry

March 22, 2023 by Source

From Third Act

Over 50 San Diego climate activists rallied at Chase Bank Plaza at 101 West Broadway and marched to Citibank on Tuesday, March 21 as part of a national day of action across the US to pressure the major banks to stop financing the expansion of the fossil fuel industry.

Organizers included Third Act SoCal, Sierra Club, SanDiego350, SanDiego350 Youth, Climate Action Campaign, ACT, Hammond Climate Solutions, Surfrider, and the Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice.

The rally was among the more than 100 events that took place in over half the United States involving rallies, art installations

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3-Month Effort to Get City to Move Unsafe Fencing in Downtown San Diego

March 22, 2023 by Source

By Geoff Page

Apparently, no one in city government cares if things fall off a downtown building and hit people on the head or care about pedestrians being hit by vehicles in the street. That is despicable enough, from a humanitarian standpoint. It is also a ridiculous financial risk of city money that is already in short supply.

Back in December 2022, a complaint on Twitter about a fence blocking the sidewalk on C Street and 4th Ave. caught this writer’s eye. Having had a long career in construction, it appeared that this was an illegal construction fence. A visit to the downtown location showed fencing around the old California Theater on C St. between 3rd and 4th Avenues. The fence began blocking

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Public Input Needed on Robb Field Improvements in OB — Tuesday, April 4

March 22, 2023 by Source

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‘If You Can Read This, Thank a Teacher’ – L.A. School District Teachers’ and Workers’ Strike Is On

March 22, 2023 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor

More than 1,000 campuses were closed Tuesday and Wednesday, affecting about 420,000 students in the nation’s second largest school district, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Tuesday at 4:30 a.m., more than 60,000 LAUSD workers and teachers began walking picket lines in the rain.

To which I respond, good for them.  It is long overdue.

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University City Residents Pushback Against Community Plan Update that Adds 30,000 Housing Units

March 21, 2023 by Source

Editordue: The following is an open letter to Mayor Gloria and other San Diego officials. 

Dear Mayor Gloria, Ms. Vonblum, and Ms. Graham:

This letter is to provide collective comments from a large group of University City (UC) residents substantiating reasons why the City of San Diego needs to further reduce the proposed number of housing units in Land Use Scenarios A and B of the proposed University Community Plan Update.

Adding between 30,000 and 33,000 housing units,

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Osprey Wrapped in Fishing Line in Ocean Beach Rescued

March 21, 2023 by Source

From 7SanDiego

The San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife team Monday assisted in the rescue of an osprey who was wrapped in fishing line, tethering her to her nest high on a light pole in Ocean Beach.

The bird had first been spotted stuck in the nest Sunday afternoon, according to a San Diego Humane Society statement. “The osprey made several desperate attempts to free herself so she could feed her three nestlings,” the statement read.

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Ocean Beach Pier Renewal Project Timeline — First Public Workshop Planned for April 1

March 20, 2023 by Source

From the City of San Diego:

Ocean Beach Pier Background

The Ocean Beach (OB) Pier first opened in 1966. Conceived as a sportfishing pier, the facility enables the public to access and interact with the ocean. There is no fee for walking out onto the pier and fishing licenses are not required.

During the first 25 years of service, the structure received normal ongoing maintenance required by exposure to the harsh marine environment, where it is subjected to wind, waves and the salt-laden marine atmosphere. In 1991, the pier underwent major structural rehabilitation. Since the early 2000s, exposure to large waves and ongoing degradation has required structural repairs with increasing frequency. The pier is currently closed to the public after being damaged by storms and high surf in January, which has happened several times in recent years. 

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National Day of Action Against Banks that Finance Fossil Fuels — Tuesday, March 21

March 20, 2023 by Source

Activists in downtown San Diego and around the country will demand that the world biggest banks stop funding fossil fuel projects on Tuesday, March 21.

The national day of action against banks over climate change comes ahead of investor resolutions at their annual general meetings next month to pressure them to stop funding climate chaos.

The top four fossil fuel financing banks are:

  • JP Morgan Chase,
  • Citi,
  • Bank of America and
  • Wells Fargo

These banks are pumping over one quarter of the $4.6 trillion total financing for fossil fuels by the top 60 global banks between 2016 and 2021.

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Relief for Lifers Is an Imperfect Road to Freedom

March 20, 2023 by Source

By Terrie Best

The inhumane “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” philosophy is being reevaluated in the state of California and it sometimes has startling results. It’s the “throw away” part that has always been crushing to those who watched the harm of mass incarceration over the tough-on-crime decades. But lawmakers are offering hope and it’s working.

California plans to close a whole schedule of prison yards over the course of 3 years and there will be tears of joy and significant fear.  The effects are staggering to some. A lot of prison guards will be out of jobs. Clearly folks’ spirits are better off without a job warehousing others.

Prison cops who get laid off, if they even do, will land on their feet because the California Correctional and Peace Officers Association, a union that protects them, will do their job and the union is powerful.

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Experience Native Plants in Bloom at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park – Sat., March 17

March 17, 2023 by Source

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St. Paddy’s O’Beach Party — OB Pier Parking Lot – Friday & Saturday, March 17-18

March 17, 2023 by Source

St. Paddy’s O’Beach Party – Friday & Saturday, March 17-18, 2023 – 1 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Ocean Beach Pier Parking Lot, Newport Avenue

From St. Paddy’s O’Beach Party:

“The organizers behind the legendary OB Oktoberfest, announced their beachside event, ‘St. Paddy’s O’Beach Party’ is returning for its second year March 17-18.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day

March 17, 2023 by Source

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Lake Oroville March 14 – A Picture Is Worth a 1,000 Words

March 16, 2023 by Source

California’s second largest reservoir was down to its lowest levels ever recorded in September 2021 (628’).

Incessant parades of atmospheric rivers have almost refilled the 3.5 million acre-foot reservoir by March 2023 (845’).

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Elizabeth Warren: ‘We Know Who’s Responsible for the Bank Failures’

March 16, 2023 by Source

By Senator Elizabeth Warren / NY Times – Reader Supported News / March 13, 2023

No one should be mistaken about what unfolded over the past few days in the U.S. banking system: These recent bank failures are the direct result of leaders in Washington weakening the financial rules.

In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act to protect consumers and ensure that big banks could never again take down the economy and destroy millions of lives. Wall Street chief executives and their armies of lawyers and lobbyists hated this law. They spent millions trying to defeat it, and,

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San Diego’s Trees are Going…Going…

March 15, 2023 by Source

By Anne S. Fege / SOHO Newsletter March – April 2023

Considering the history of shade and ornamental trees in San Diego neighborhoods, it’s clear the numbers are going down—just as we need thousands more in every part of the city.

In older “privileged” neighborhoods (Kensington, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla, for example) that were developed in the 1920s and 1930s, there were large lots for trees. Some developers planted street trees, which were likely watered by tree roots reaching soil water in irrigated front lawns.

In older “redlined” and lower-income neighborhoods (south of the 94 freeway, now the Promise Zone) that were developed in those same decades, the lots were small, the streets were unpaved, and there were no sidewalks or street trees. Today, there are few places to plant trees, as paved parking areas cover many front yards and business districts.

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Do You Know What District You Live In?

March 15, 2023 by Source

Know Your District?

[Slightly edited from Peninsula News]

If you live in Point Loma or Ocean Beach, you probably know which City Council District you’re in. (2)

You might know what County District we’re in. But that’s been tricky.

For a long time the northern part of Point Loma and OB was in District 4, and the southern Peninsula was in District 1.

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Point Loma House Newly Designated as ‘Historic’

March 15, 2023 by Source

At its January 2023 meeting, the City of San Diego Historical Resources Board designated six historic buildings — five houses and one commercial building — including one two-story house in Point Loma.

This was highlighted in the March/ April newsletter of Save Our Heritage Organization and here is what they reported about the Point Loma house:

3425 Xenophon Street in the Peninsula Community is a two-story home built in 1937 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style with a Monterey style cantilevered second-floor balcony covered by the primary roof.

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Open Letter to City Officials Re: Smart Streetlights and License Plate Readers – Personal Privacy and Civil Liberties Are at Stake

March 15, 2023 by Source

By Lance Murphy/ Peninsula Newsletter / March 9, 2023

Dear City Officials,

I am writing to express my concerns about the rapid deployment of Smart Streetlight Surveillance Systems in the City of San Diego. I request that appropriate safeguards and protections be put in place to ensure the privacy and civil liberties of all San Diego residents.

While I understand and support the benefits of these systems to improve public safety, reduce crime and improve the productivity of law enforcement officers, I also strongly believe that the risks associated with the use of this technology must be carefully considered and sufficiently managed.

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Mexican President Lopez Obrador Insists Mexico Is Safer than the US

March 14, 2023 by Source

By Mexico News Daily Staff / March 13, 2023

Mexico is safer than the United States, President López Obrador said Monday [March 13] without citing any hard data to back up his claim.

His assertion came in response to a question from a United States-based reporter at his morning press conference.

“Is traveling to Mexico safe at the moment with everything we’re seeing, with all these [travel] alerts and these very regrettable events?” asked Octavio Valdez of Los Angeles-based television station Univisión 34.

“Mexico is safer than the United States,” López Obrador responded.

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Jury Sides With Former News Anchor Sandra Maas on Gender Equity Pay Over KUSI

March 14, 2023 by Source

By CBS8 Staff / March 9, 2023

It took less than two days for the jury to come to a decision in the civil trial of former news anchor Sandra Maas against KUSI.

The jury was split on the claims but did award Sandra Maas more than $1.5 million for the difference in pay attributed to gender, past and future lost wages, and past and future emotional distress.

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Night of the Living Woke Mind Virus

March 14, 2023 by Source

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Wisteria Garden Party Hosted by OB Historical Society — Sunday, March 19

March 14, 2023 by Source


Come inside for details

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A Better Idea: Start Reading – Part 2

March 13, 2023 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor

If your attention has shifted fatigue mode with an inability to comprehend the Silicon Valley Bank financial crisis, the reality of California flooding, global terrorism, climate change, environmental disasters, poverty, homelessness, crime and a litany of other maladies, amid government paralysis — here is a better idea.

Indeed, you may be channeling Dante’s Vestibule of Hell, which bears the inscription: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

Rather than despair or abandoning any chance of comprehending a world that is moving faster than the slower evolutionary brain can comprehend, here is a suggestion.
Start Reading any one of these three books. Each very well written. One like a mystery novel. Other two as simple primers into what ails the planet in 2023 and beyond.

Each worth a rainy-day reading binge.

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Well-Known Point Loma Doctor Succumbs to Injuries

March 13, 2023 by Source

A well-known Point Loma doctor succumbed to injuries days after a fall during a pickleball game. In early March during a game, Dr. Ned Chambers fell against a pole, but suffered what he perceived as only a minor cut.

His wife, Annie told NBC10 News that her husband “came back from a pickleball game with a cut on his head. “He said, ‘I have these new shoes. I tripped, fell backwards, and I launched into this pole,’” said Annie.

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Hit-and-Run Driver Sought Who Badly Injured Teenage E-Bicyclist in Point Loma

March 9, 2023 by Source

Authorities reached out to the public Tuesday for help in identifying a motorist who fled the scene of a traffic crash that left a bicyclist badly hurt last week in Point Loma.

The 17-year-old victim was riding an electric bicycle and yielding for a left turn from Catalina Boulevard to eastbound Narragansett Avenue when a black Jeep Grand Cherokee hit him. This was shortly before 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 3.

Following the collision, the motorist continued driving and left the area. Paramedics took the bicyclist to a trauma center for treatment of serious injuries.

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