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California’s Largest Landowner – the State Itself – Can Achieve Environmental Justice

December 17, 2018 by Source

By Angela Mooney D’Arcy and Paloma Aguirre / Times of San Diego

Every year, the state Lands Commission makes decisions that impact the lives of millions of Californians and over 150 indigenous nations. This little-known agency manages more than four million acres of the state’s public lands. From managing oil and gas leases along the coast, to overseeing development in the vicinity of the Tijuana River in the south, and Goose Lake in the north, the commission’s decisions have consequences that last for generations.

One of the commission’s core responsibilities is ensuring the people of California can use the public lands and waters under its care. But right here in San Diego County, we have a river that is inaccessible due to pollution, and tribal communities that have been displaced from ancestral homelands.

Microplastics Are Everywhere – In Us Too

December 17, 2018 by Source

By Sarah “Steve” Mosko

What do beer, oysters, table salt, air & tap water have in common? They’re all ways humans are ingesting microplastics, tiny bits of plastic waste ubiquitous in oceans, lakes and rivers and even soil and air.

Wildlife as diverse as whales, seabirds, fish and zooplankton are polluted by ingesting plastic debris. It’s naïve to assume that humans, sharing the same global environment and eating at the top of the food chain, are magically spared contamination from plastics.

Though no one has yet measured how much plastic pollution humans actually carry around, there’s plenty of evidence we’re taking the stuff in, by eating, drinking and just breathing.

Amazon’s Disturbing Plan to Add Face Surveillance to Your Front Door

December 17, 2018 by Source

By Jacob Snow, Technology & Civil Liberties Attorney, ACLU of Northern California / ACLU Speak Freely

Recently, a patent application from Amazon became public that would pair face surveillance — like Rekognition, the product that the company is aggressively marketing to police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — with Ring, a doorbell camera company that Amazon bought earlier this year.

While the details are sketchy,

The Climate Crisis and the Ocean

December 14, 2018 by Source

By David Helvarg / Blue Frontier Campaign / December 10, 2018

Between the devastation of Mexico Beach, Florida and Paradise California plus the 4th National Climate Assessment Report, the year 2018 may become known as the point of no denial, an acknowledgement of what Governor Jerry Brown calls, “the new abnormal.” At this point climate deniers are being recognized as little more than the willing tools of the fossil fuel industry such as the coal lobbyist now running the EPA.

The best available science reflected in the federal report prepared by 13 government agencies including NASA, NOAA and the National Science Foundation, suggests the worst possible scenarios if we continue on our present course (which we appear to be with 16 of the 17 hottest years on record occurring since 2001).

OB Library Friends’ Annual Holiday Gift & Book Sale – Sat., Dec.15

December 14, 2018 by Source

This Saturday, December 15, the Friends of the OB Library will hold their biggest annual book & gift sale ever!

The all-volunteer group has received so many new books as donations from Barnes & Noble —

Surf’s Up in Ocean Beach – Photo Gallery From Wed., Dec.12

December 12, 2018 by Source

Is it storm surf or high tides? Whatever it is -surf was up in Ocean Beach – today, Wednesday, December 12.

And ACE (Albert C Elliott) was there. Check out his pics.

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Memorial for Mel Shapiro – Sat., December 15

December 12, 2018 by Source

The Day of Shadow and Light
By Kathy Blavatt

Monday, November 24, 2018 was an ironic day.
Mel Shapiro San Diego’s longtime civic activist passed away.

Ocean Beach Elementary Is the Heart of a Changing Community

December 11, 2018 by Source

OB Rag Talks to Principal Marco Drapeau

By Brett Warnke

Grades are good. Fundraising numbers are impressive. And OB Elementary is filled with smiling children, many brandishing ukuleles. But as San Diego’s rents soar, how might OBE change, too?

Ocean Beach Elementary is one of those schools you wished you’d attended. It’s one of the cliches of the community that we are filled with yogis, hippies and surfers. While (mildly) true, it is also true that OBE is one of California’s Distinguished Schools and has had 3 years of consecutive gains on its SBAC testing. Beside its grounds is a flourishing school garden. On the crest behind it are the broadly windowed Point Loma homes. And in front of its bright ceramic tiles, is the deep blue horizon of the Pacific Ocean.

What does OBE look like?

30 Arrested at Border for Nonviolent Action in Support of Migrant Caravans

December 11, 2018 by Source

Border Patrol agents in riot gear stop faith leaders in Border Field State Park

By American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)

On the afternoon of December 10th, dozens of faith leaders were arrested in an act of nonviolent civil disobedience at the U.S.-Mexico border. More than 400 people of faith and supporters gathered in Border Field State Park in San Diego in support of migrants seeking refuge in the U.S. Faith leaders guided the group in a solemn procession to the border. When they reached the enforcement zone, they were stopped by a line of Border Patrol agents in riot gear. Leaders moved forward to offer a ceremonial blessing. Thirty people were taken into custody.

Writer’s Rant: ‘Beacon’ Article on Peninsula Planners Does a Disservice to Readers

December 10, 2018 by Source

By Geoff Page

There are many, many ways to get the news today. There was a time when there were only a few: basicically three network TV news programs, radio where the news was a part of music programming, and print, mainly newspapers. And, people had faith in the news, misplaced perhaps at times but not always.

Now, the news comes at us from everywhere and we don’t know what to trust. But the importance of small, local news disseminators like the OB Rag and the Peninsula Beacon has never changed. We want to know about the world but, really, our own world around us matters most.

The Guys Who Named the Sunset Cliffs Surf Breaks

December 10, 2018 by Source

If you ever wondered about the names of the Sunset Cliffs surf breaks – these are the guys who named them.

Bob “lizard” Chapman, John Holly, Jim “Mouse’ Robb, Billy Chapman and Marsh Malcom.

If you’ve been surfing the Cliffs for a few years – like decades maybe –

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Kelp! Kelp! We’re in Trouble!

December 7, 2018 by Source

By Brett Warnke

The ocean water is getting warmer. But our kelp like the cold. So what, right? The fly-blown smelly kelp ruins the beaches, anyway! Well, the precious kelp is a temporary ecosystem. Our species in Southern California, the Giant Kelp, needs to live or else an entire ecosystem will be disrupted. This “foundational species” then needs less heating, not more and if nothing is done their numbers will degrade with terrible results for life beneath the sea.

Lais Lima is a doctoral student at SDSU’s Dinsdale Lab. She has spent time diving in the waters around Point Loma, down in the cool waters our kelp love so much. But Scripp’s recently recorded the highest-ever seawater temperature of 78.6 degress, following a series of individual daily records of sea-surface and seafloor temperatures. In Lima’s beautiful dives around LaJolla and Point Loma she has seen a change in the temperature of the water, the thermocline.

The Old Man and the City

December 6, 2018 by Source

Editor’s Note: Bob wrote this article on October 30 and intended to finish it while in Sant Joan, Mallorca, where he unexpectedly died. We are publishing it posthumously.

By Bob Dorn

The old man used to ride his wobbly old bike every day up to the market on Park Boulevard where he preferred to shop. On his way north he would dismount as he approached the Georgia Street overpass of University Avenue because the climb was steep enough to make him uncomfortable.

In fact, he not very stable on the machine under any conditions, and it looked nearly as old as him and seemed to weigh half as much as he did.

Ode to California and the San Diego Free Press

December 6, 2018 by Source

By Colleen Cochran

It was 1975. My parents got the bright idea to escape the Philadelphia winter by taking the kids on a two-week California trip. This vacation wasn’t well-planned and cushy like the times we stayed at the Greenbriar, the Waldorf, or those hotels in Italy. The California vacation was an impromptu, free-wheeling, down-and-dirty road trip. Maybe that’s why I liked it so much.

It was an ambitious, almost insane, venture. Parents and five kids, ages toddler through pre-teen, crammed ourselves into a rented station wagon and winged a sight-seeing tour in which we drove from San Francisco all the way down into Tijuana. We stayed at whatever cheap hotel would have us.

Matthew Whitaker Was Illegally Appointed Attorney General and Should Be Removed

December 5, 2018 by Source

By Marjorie Cohn / Marjorie Cohn Blog

After forcing Jeff Sessions to resign as attorney general on November 7, President Trump appointed Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general, even though Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was next in line for the job. As a result, Whitaker assumed the functions of attorney general.

Whitaker’s appointment was an illegal and blatant end run around the Attorney General Succession Act and the Appointments Clause of the Constitution. Whitaker must be removed and Rosenstein should be appointed acting attorney general.

Midway Planners Field Complaints from Businesses on Closures of Left Turn Lanes

December 4, 2018 by Source

Owners Claim Businesses Hurt by City’s Closures and Lack of Notice

By Geoff Page

The Midway Pacific Community Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, November 28, was a perfect example of “damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” It also illustrated what happens when the community does not pay attention to its local planning board.

By all accounts, the Midway group did a good thing when it asked the city look at left turn pockets on Camino Del Rio West at Moore Street. … That all sounds very good on the face of it but judging by the angry collection of business owners that crowded the Midway meeting, the solution was not agreeable to all.

10th Grade Students Giving Tours of Ocean Beach – Sunday, Dec.9

December 3, 2018 by Source

Six tenth grade students from High Tech High are giving tours of Ocean Beach.

We are hoping to answer the question, “What makes OB unique?” and our answers will talk about the culture and environment in OB.

We start at Dog Beach, then will passing by popular sites like The Black, Hodad’s, and Nico’s Mexican Food, and the pier.

On this tour of Ocean Beach we will also be exploring the science and history of OB.

An Early Morning Wet Windy Walk on Ocean Beach

November 30, 2018 by Source

ACE took an early morning walk along the beach Friday, the last of the month, and captured this.

Students With Autism at Ocean Beach School Assaulted by Teens

November 30, 2018 by Source

By Brett Warnke

Students at Pioneer Day School are being assaulted by local teens. The school – across Santa Monica Avenue from OB Elementary – has many students with severe autism and other special needs. And now the school – also known as the Community School of San Diego – is asking the community for help in identifying the teens.

One autistic student was assaulted on Thursday, Nov. 29, by teens throwing limes as hard as rocks at him while he was on the trampoline.

‘It’s a Wonderful Life, in Ocean Beach’ Theme of OB’s Annual Holiday Parade – Sat., Dec.1st

November 30, 2018 by Source

FRIDAY: LAST DAY TO SIGN UP AS A PARADE VOLUNTEER
From the OBTC facebook:

The Ocean Beach Town Council is proud to bring you the 39th Annual OB Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 1st, 2018 at 5:05 pm!

Our 2018 Parade Theme is “It’s a Wonderful Life, in Ocean Beach.”

Asylum-Seeking Families Should Not Be Abandoned to Suffer on San Diego Streets

November 29, 2018 by Source

By Edward Sifuentes / ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties

One night in late October, volunteers with the San Diego Rapid Response Network received the first of many reports of asylum-seeking migrant families being released on the streets of San Diego by immigration authorities.

Many of the families, which included women and small children, were disoriented, hungry and penniless. Most knew no one in our region. They were literally strangers in a strange land. These new arrivals – primarily from Central America and from as far away as Africa – are being abandoned on our streets

Peninsula Planners Demonstrate the Effects of New ‘Granny Flat’ Law

November 27, 2018 by Source

By Geoff Page

The continuing effects of Senate Bill 1069 were seen once again at the Peninsula Community Planning Board’s regular monthly meeting Thursday, November 15 at the Point Loma Library. SB 1069 is the bill familiarly known as the “granny flat” bill that became effective on January 1, 2017.

It essentially removed almost all rules governing what are called “accessory dwelling units,” second units that can be placed on a property in any type of zoning. The bill has de facto rezoned all single-family neighborhoods into multi-family neighborhoods.

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The OB Christmas Tree Takes ‘Root’

November 27, 2018 by Source

The OB Christmas Tree was put up this morning. Came from somewhere on Froude Street, according to social media.

Bob Edwards was there to witness the annual event and took these photos.

The Fallen Nest: A Border Story

November 27, 2018 by Source

by Brett Warnke

The park’s gates had been ripped down and rebuilt, higher and fiercer than he had seen in the year he had lived near the coast. Barbed wire had been looped in a crown around the fence’s top and iron doors installed at either entrance. The nest had fallen and lay in the park beneath a tree thirty feet from the new fence.

On his daily morning walks he looked inside the park, before and after the fence’s reconstruction. The flat green grass of the park appeared so different than the faded winter brown of trees in a California city.

In the evenings, walking by the fence, he looked in the park out of habit after completing his part-time shift at the library near the border-crossing. However, the nest, a ratty gathering of dead grass, straw, and tangled stems and fibers, had fallen.

The Resister Sisters of OB Haven’t Gone Away – ‘Lock Her Up – Ivanka’

November 27, 2018 by Source

The Resister Sisters of Ocean Beach haven’t faded away now that the Mid-terms are over.

Nope. Donald Trump is still president, isn’t he?

The sisters were active late last week

Ocean Beach Town Council Needs You to Volunteer for the Holiday Parade – Sat., Dec.1

November 26, 2018 by Source

From the OBTC:

2018 Holiday Parade Volunteers

The Ocean Beach Town Council (OBTC) is seeking the help of 100 responsible persons who would like to volunteer and help ensure that the 39th Annual Ocean Beach Holiday Parade is a successful and wonderful event for our community. \

The Holiday Parade occurs on Saturday, December 1, 2018, and it cannot occur without the dedicated support of our volunteers.

All Day Activities During Small Business Saturday – Nov. 24

November 24, 2018 by Source

All Day Activities: 10am-4pm

Greetings from Ocean Beach Giant Postcard: Veterans Plaza Lawn
(Newport Ave. & Abbott St.)

Take a holiday photo that’s larger than life with a giant postcard from local muralist Celeste Byers on the Veteran’s Park lawn. A professional photographer will be taking free portraits throughout the day. Don’t forget to stop by the Small Business Saturday booth on the lawn and pick up a goodie bag and your “Passport to OB” card for a chance to win great prizes from local businesses!*

Local Musicians
(Throughout the Community)

Stop by Tiki Port (2201 Cable St.), Jungle Java (5047 Newport St.) and Noodle House 1502 (4993 Niagara Ave.) to hear local musicians playing music from around the globe.

Clean Oceans Art Installation
OB Surf Lodge Patio (Abbott St. & Santa Monica Ave.)

Here is Councilwoman Bry’s Memo to City Attorney Requesting Investigation Into McMillin’s Lease and North Chapel

November 21, 2018 by Source

Here is San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry’s memo to City Attorney Mara Elliott requesting an investigation into McMillin’s compliance with its lease of Liberty Station and its management of the North Chapel. The memo is dated November 15, 2018. (See here for background.)

Letter to City Arborist From Ocean Beach Biologist About the Long Branch Torrey Pine

November 20, 2018 by Source

Editordude: The following letter was sent to the San Diego City-paid arborist Brian Widener by Kris Schlech, a retired biologist.

Mr. Widener:

My name is Kristen Schlech. I am a former long-standing resident of OB, a retired biologist (Botany), and spent over 20 years in San Diego working to protect and preserve the unique flora of San Diego County. While I have not been privy (yet) to the City’s 11th hour arborist’s report regarding the Torrey pine tree on Long Branch Ave., I have been previously deeply involved in the preservation efforts for all of OB’s Torry pine trees.

With the help of Save Penninsula Trees, and in collaboration with Anne Fege, a forester and member of the City Forestry Advisory Board, we collectively produced a handbook in 2016, for free and for use by the City, on stewardship for San Diego’s trees. In addition, we successfully identified numerous Torrey pine trees within the OB