Author: Staff

 By Abby Petre

Last Friday, the Ocean Beach Woman’s Club organized and hosted the 6th Annual Battle for the Paddle charity ping-pong tournament. The event, hosted annually by the Club since 2018 and pausing only for COVID, drew a sizable crowd of spectators and numerous players braving the heat to bring their best game.

The spectator stands and areas surrounding the tables were full and lively. For the organizers, Susan Winkie and OBWC President Arlene Fink, it was all-hands-on-deck as the games got going. The entryways and windows were a constant stream of participants and transfixed watchers of all ages. Excitement was palpable as Susan called names and staff tracked down players for each round.

The event offered food and drinks as well as a raffle with a long list of prizes. Among the many generous local sponsors was the Platinum Sponsor, Skrewball Whiskey; and the Food & Drinks sponsor, Dirty Birds OB.

By LK Bruce

It’s time to talk about veggie sandwiches – which, for the record, are not just for vegetarians. Even my meat-and-potatoes husband loves a good veggie sandwich. The trick is finding a good one – or, better yet, a great one.

I’m not talking about the variety that consists of cucumbers in a cloud of alfalfa sprouts. Those really aren’t worth talking about. And I’m leaving mock-meat sandwiches off the list, too. I realize that those with cardiologists may need to break the meat habit in stages, and mock meat can be a bridge. Or a crutch. While the Sally Ride sandwich at Ike’s (“vegan turkey”) is pretty darn good, I vastly prefer vegetables made great simply by being who they are.

Veggie sandwiches worth talking about:

• The Veggie Cobb at Con Pane  2750 Dewey Rd #105, San Diego, CA 92106
• The Eggplant Parm at Hungry Lu’s 4920 Voltaire St., San Diego CA 92107
• The Roasted Veggie at The Jetty 4934 Voltaire St., San Diego, CA 92107
• The Sweet Chili Crunch Tofu at Urbane Cafe 3954 W. Point Loma Blvd., Suite B, San Diego, CA  92110

Here are the details

The Veggie Cobb at Con Pane

First of all, there’s the bread. It’s from a bakery, so it’s good. I recommend the multigrain for this. But what really makes this sandwich special are the mung bean sprouts

The San Diego Community Coalition publishes this email bulletin to keep our members and the general San Diego public informed about important Council hearings and other city public meetings.

Monday, September 28: Council Closed Session, 10:00 a.m.

Agenda:

Why it matters: Two of three litigation items involve damages associated with lack of city maintenance: a sidewalk trip-and-fall and a leaking water meter. Isn’t it less costly to fix problems than to pay for harm they cause? And these cases date back to 2022, 2023, and 2024. They should have been handled more expeditiously.

By Angelo Haynes

On Thursday evening, Sept.24, challenger Martha Abraham and incumbent Henry Foster III met at a community forum at the St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Paradise Hills to engage in a moderated discussion on the issues affecting voters in District 4. The forum was organized and coordinated by the Paradise Hills Foundation (PHF), a non-profit organization dedicated to the beautification of the Paradise Hills neighborhood and to improving residents’ quality of life.

Projects for PHF include: neighborhood cleanup and hauling efforts, arts funding (e.g. public murals), improvements to the main street of Paradise Hills (Reo Dr.), garbage cans, signage improvements, and home exterior assistance to elderly or indigent neighbors.

Nichelle A. Wentz, the president of the PHF, was on hand and stated that while many other community concerns affecting District 4, such as policing, Foot note 7 and small business development seemed to garner greater attention, issues affecting the Paradise Hills neighborhood were neglected. The Paradise Hills branch library for instance hasn’t had a capital improvement from the city in over 40 years. For Wentz, this forum was an opportunity to bring attention to her neighborhood and give residents a chance to ask candidates questions before the election.

All public questions participants had at the venue were to be written down and submitted to forum organizers in advance; these questions would then be read to the candidates at the end of the session. PHF organizers stated that this method of questioning was intended to screen for repetitive questions and to organize community concerns into topics to ascertain any patterns or themes for voters in the community.

By Michael Angelo Hernandez

“You can’t go home again” is an expression that comes from the famous 1940 novel of the same name, from American author and social commentator Thomas Wolfe.

At its core, the phrase simply means one cannot return to a previous time or place. Even if one did, they would find both themselves and the world around them have changed since, as change is a fundamental law of the universe.

Back in July, I wrote about some changes coming to Ocean Beach by way of five commercial properties listed up for sale. Since then, there have been some updates to the status of these properties, as well as the addition of more properties being put on the market. Here’s a look at three more properties up for sale in Ocean Beach.

4649 Voltaire Street – The Twin Cypress Apartments

The first property up for sale is the Twin Cypress Apartments at 4649 Voltaire Street. The 18-Unit Apartment building is priced at almost $430,000 per unit, for a grand total of $7.7 million.

Changing Demographics in OB and Now More Competition in Night Clubs Forces Changes

George Varga at the U-T is reporting that Winstons, the historic live-music club in Ocean Beach, will be closing this upcoming weekend — only to rebrand under new ownership and then re-open sometime in the near future.

There will be a “Last Call” party, open to the public and all past and current employees of Winstons, this Saturday, Sept. 26. Winstons has been around for nearly 40 years on Bacon Street in OB. But it will reopen the next day for business as usual, Slaga said.

“It’s a misconception that we’re closing,” he stressed. “We’re going to keep the good stuff from Winstons and enhance it.”

Winstons’ co-owner Scott Slaga told the U-T:

“The live-music world in general is just a struggle now, and that’s kind of the impetus behind the changes.”

Varga reported:

OB Rag Staff Report

The controversial Midway Rising project will move one step closer to being a done deal on Tuesday, September 22, when the City Council receives a closed session briefing “regarding the price and payment terms for potential long-term ground leases.”

As the Union-Tribune reported August 20, “Although not formally docketed, the proposed real estate deal between the city and the development team is expected to be taken up by San Diego’s Land Use & Housing Committee on Oct. 8, Councilmember Kent Lee, who chairs the committee, told the [newspaper].”

City Hall wants to fast-track the project, but the public must still be heard. Tuesday’s closed session agenda notes that “public testimony … will be taken during the 10:00 a.m. Council meeting.”

For San Diegans who fear that the Midway project will result in overcrowding, traffic congestion, air pollution, loss of naturally occurring affordable housing, and flood risks from a rising water table,

By Staff

The San Diego Community Coalition publishes this email bulletin to keep our members and the general San Diego public informed about important Council hearings and other city public meetings.

Monday, September 21: The City Council is in legislative recess in observance of Indian Elders Day.

Tuesday, September 22: City Council, 10:00 a.m./2:00 p.m.

Agenda:

Closed Session: Conference with Negotiator Regarding Price and Payment Terms for Leases with Midway Rising

Why it matters: From an OB Rag post: “City Hall wants to fast-track this project, but the public must still be heard. Tuesday’s closed session agenda notes that ‘public testimony will be taken during the 10:00 a.m. Council meeting.’” Severe impacts and risks make Midway Rising a potential 101 Ash St. Background:

Challenger Martha Abraham in Attendance; Henry Foster a No-Show

By Angelo Haynes

On September 20, community members gathered at a forum to hold a discussion about community development in San Diego City council district 4. It was hosted by the Christian Fellowship Congregational Church UCC (United Church of Christ) in collaboration with the Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego, and held at the historic church location on Kelton Road just off the 94 east in the Emerald Hills neighborhood of southeast San Diego. Clovis Honore and Darwin Fishman of the Racial Justice Coalition facilitated the meeting and the ensuing group discussion.

The forum’s overall objective appeared to focus on bringing together current councilman Henry Foster III and challenger Martha Abraham to discuss their goals for District 4 and the controversial footnote 7, an illegal zoning ordinance change made under the tenure of then councilwoman Monica Montgomery-Steppe.

Many in the Southeastern San Diego community have decried the footnote after its widespread discovery, lamenting the implications of high-density housing and its impact on the Emerald hills community. Chief concerns appear to be potential impacts to fire evacuation safety of the area as increases in traffic on 60th Street, a two-lane road connecting to Federal Blvd, may be easily congested during an emergency. Not to mention, the daily traffic load increase from commuters making their way to the 94 freeway each day.

A 23-year-old man died at the hospital after his motorcycle crashed into an SUV in the Sunset Cliffs area of Point Loma Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 16.

Shortly after noon, the unidentified young man was riding a 2003 Harley motorcycle northbound on 1000 Catalina Blvd. toward the intersection with Varona Street, San Diego police said.

However, at the same time, a 58-year-old man driving a 2016 Jeep Patriot drove into his path as he headed east on Varona Street toward Catalina Boulevard.

This apparent fatal error caused the motorcyclist to slam into the SUV. It was the motorcycle rider’s right of way, and the SUV was attempting to cross Catalina Boulevard.

By Angelo Haynes

An emergency ICE Out rally was held at the corner of Fairmount and University Avenues in City Heights in response to a recent surge in ICE raids at various K-12 schools and across the city. The event appears to have been coordinated within 24 hours among some city officials and activist groups, resulting in several hundred people appearing at the busy intersection.

The rally’s purpose appears to be an effort to bring together elected officials, faith leaders, community groups and concerned citizens to highlight the stories of recent civilians abducted by ICE. A recent spike in ICE activity and attempted arrests of minors and parents at streets near schools in the past week prompted this rally. Incidents include a young man who was chased onto City College campus and arrested by ICE, and arrests at city schools Edison Elementary, Marshall Elementary, and Hoover High School.

According to deportationdata.org, since January 2025, there have been 18,000 ICE arrests in San Diego and Imperial Counties,