In our efforts to report on all things OB, we found a reference to the Post Office in Ocean Beach in today’s Los Angeles Times. In an article about how the takeover by the new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has resulted in empty mail trucks, falsified records and chaos at the Postal Service, an OB mail carrier discovered a snafu.

In the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego, a mail carrier arrived at work the morning of Aug. 18 to find tubs of mail sitting outside an office. The mail had been collected the day before but never made it to the plant because it had missed the last truck.

The carrier, a 22-year veteran of the Postal Service who was not authorized to speak publicly, said that would not have happened in the past; a post office manager would have authorized overtime for an employee to make an extra trip to the distribution facility.

“Some way or another, we always got the mail out every day,” the carrier said.

August 18 was just 4 days before the protest / support rally at the OB Post Office attended by 50 OBceans.

There will be a debate on Measure “E” at the next Peninsula Community Planning Board meeting, Thursday, September 17, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Measure “E” is the controversial ballot initiative to demolish the 30 foot height limit in the Midway area, placed on November’s ballot by District 2 Councilmember Jen Campbell.

Cathy Kenton, chair of the Midway planning committee will present the “Yes” side, and Tom Mullaney, of Safe Our Access, will give the “No” side.

Proponents of the measure – who now include Mayor Kevin Faulconer – claim the Midway area should never have been included in the 1972 measure that established San Diego’s thirty footer limit of development west of I-5. There’s no ocean views, and the area is so run-down, it is desperate need of redevelopment. Besides, they say, it’s such a small area, only 1300 acres. Ocean Beach, by the way, is half that.

Opponents see this as a cynical move in the time of the pandemic

An unidentified man in his 50s found in the sand in Ocean Beach has died of gunshot wounds early Tuesday morning.

Police received a call of an assault with a deadly weapon around 1 a.m. and responded to the area near Saratoga Park and the lifeguard station.

The Ocean Beach Planning Board will hear a one-sided presentation about Measure E to remove the 30-foot height limit from the Midway area. It will be from “Yes on E” campaign co-chairs.

The Board will also “re-review” San Diego’s Street Vending Ordinance to either reaffirm their prior recommendations or make new ones in light of the pandemic.

Also, there is a project at 4838 Pescadero Avenue coming before the panel of volunteer community planners.

Join the Ocean Beach Town Council monthly meeting tonight, Wednesday, Aug. 26 and hear from current San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott and candidate for San Diego City Attorney Cory Briggs.

The public meeting will be held on Facebook Live, at 7:00 pm, and will be an interactive Q&A. Participants will have the opportunity to leave comments and suggestions. If you have a specific question for the Mara Elliott or Cory Briggs please share it with the OB Town Council before the meeting at info@obtowncouncil.org.

City and County officials are holding a press conference today, Tuesday, August 11, in Ocean Beach to “unveil future enforcement efforts to deter large crowds gatherings on Wednesday nights at Veteran’s Plaza.” They will be joined by OBceans Mark Winkie and Corey Bruins from the OB Town Council and Denny Knox of the OB Mainstreet Association.

The presser will be at 1 pm at the OB Veteran’s Plaza. Officials will include Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, Dr. Joel Day, Senior Advisor for COVID-19 Response and Recovery, and Dr. Ankita Kadakia M.D., Chief/ Medical Director, County Public Health.

Sparked by large, irresponsible crowds at the Drum Circle after Wednesday’s Farmers Market

The Board Will Also Review “Improvements” to Spray Street Park and Proposed Round-About on W. Pt. Loma

This Wednesday, August 5, the Ocean Beach Planning Board will hold its online meeting at 6 pm via WebEx and requires pre-registration (see below).

First up on its agenda is an informational item where the Board will hear about the upcoming round-about on West Point Loma Blvd and other ADA improvements. Also the volunteer panel will review recommendations from a Park Ad Hoc sub-committee on improved amenities at Spray Street Park or the grassy area next to Dog Beach parking lot.

The big ticket item on its agenda is a review of the Board sub-committee’s recommendations on short term vacation rentals (STVRs). In response to Councilwoman Campbell’s recent “compromise” proposal on STVRs, the Planning Board formed an Ad Hoc sub-committee which has come up with a number of recommendations for the full Board to consider.

The motion that passed in the subcommittee is as follows – note that this was not a recommendation to vote for or against the proposal – :

By Geoff Page

It would not be a stretch to say that our District 2 city council member Dr. Jennifer Campbell would have preferred to be almost anywhere other than where she was Wednesday evening. She was sitting in front of a computer having a meeting arranged by the Ocean Beach Town Council in front of the council and audience members, on-line.

These Obceans all did Ocean Beach proud. They asked tough questions and refused to let Campbell slide away with political answers. It was not an easy hour-long session and when Campbell signed off at the end, she was clearly irritated.

Campbell came into the meeting smiling and happy and the reaction seemed to surprise her. It was like the almost confused, angry disappointment you see when someone thinks they are being benevolent and, instead of love and respect, they are scorned and do not understand why.