Author: Staff

By Geoff Page

The Peninsula Community Planning Board’s regular monthly meeting, Thursday, July 21, was not an exciting affair, but, as always, there were a couple of interesting moments. The Cañon Street pocket park item was the best and it calls for a review of this park’s weird history.

Before moving on to the park, it is necessary to note, again, that PCPB chair Fred Kosmo, again, opened the Zoom meeting by “warning” people that they were being recorded and “warning” them to be careful what they say. Admonishing people attending a planning board meeting in such a manner has a chilling effect on some people, which is the opposite of what these groups are for. Simply “informing” people that the meeting was being recorded would be sufficient.

After the resignation of the chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party in early May, a former OBcean and former director of the OB Town Council was selected to become the new acting chair — and that was Rebecca Taylor.

Rebecca had been and still is the party’s Metro West Area Vice Chair.

Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, then-chair of the County Dems, took a leave of absence as the San Diego County District Attorney and Democratic party officials reviewed potential criminal allegations against him. Here is how Taylor is described on the County Democratic Party’s

COVID-19 has hit the staff of the OB Rag.

Patty is recovering from falling ill last week, and editordude spent most of Monday in bed.

Rag readers need to prepare themselves for slim-downed issues the entire week.

Comments will be open, as usual, but the moderation process may take longer.

Meanwhile, Family of Missing Teen Feared to Have Drowned at Mission Beach Await Answers

We have some additional information about the body recovered by San Diego lifeguards from the rocks off Sunset Cliffs early Wednesday morning.

The body is male but was so decomposed, authorities cannot “determine race or anything at this point.”

A fisherman looking for bait originally found the body. And then called 911 shortly after 5:35 a.m. to report seeing a body in the water off Sunset Cliffs Boulevard near Adair Street, police said.

Authorities suspect that the high tide washed the body ashore late Tuesday night, and it wedged into the rocks before the water receded with low tide hours later.

The California Coastal Commission is meeting today, Wednesday, July 13, and will be deciding the fate of a new development in Ocean Beach that will demolish two cottages at the very end of Cape May Avenue.

Local OBceans are understandably concerned that coastal access will be negatively impacted and understand that the area does flood.

The problem is the Commission is meeting in Ft. Bragg in Northern California – and they’re meeting today. OB residents want folks, however, to participate in the meeting by remote testimony on Permit #6-20-0375 at 5162 Cape May Ave.

An unidentified body was found on the rocks at Sunset Cliffs Wednesday morning, July 13.

Shortly after 5:30 a.m., lifeguards were notified about the body that was located at 1287 Sunset Cliffs Blvd.

The first call came out as a rescue before it was changed to a body recovery effort. And now the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating.

People at least 18 and avid swimmers can jump off the Ocean Beach – San Diego Pier today, Monday, July 11 – after paying $150, which goes to a good cause.

From 8 am to 3 pm, people can jump 20 to 30 feet into the water off the pier, which was fully reopened to the public on Friday for the first time since 2019. Proceeds from the plunges will go to help raise funds for the Prevent Drowning Foundation

Reporter Rob Vardon at the Pt Loma – OB Monthly, published by the U-T, has some good news for OB and its new library. Vardon reported on July 7 that the OB Library expansion and renovation is just a step closer because of the $4.5 million in the state’s new budget for it.

The library’s plans are estimated to cost $8.5 million.

Plus there’s a $4 million request for federal funding Rep. Scott Peters (D-La Jolla) submitted to the House Appropriations Committee at the end of April. Vardon reports that the Appropriations Committee approved the project last week.

By Geoff Page

The Rag found out the pier is open. Today. Friday, July 8.

At 10:13 this morning, the city informed the OB Pier Replacement Task Force that all repairs are complete and the that City has opened the whole Pier to the public today.

By Geoff Page

The regularly monthly meeting of the Peninsula Community Planning Board on June was pretty routine. There was only one project to review, but it was said that the July meeting would be crowded with projects.

Government Reports

The Government Reports portion of the meeting provided the most interest. Council District 2 representative, Linus Smith, had several things to report starting with the vehicle habitation ordinance.

By Geoff Page

Homeless in the Midway

The main topic of discussion at the Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group’s regular monthly meeting, June 15, was the homeless problem in the Midway area. The amount of frustration and barely repressed anger was palpable.

One speaker, a businessperson in the area, spoke up passionately and angrily about the mess on Hancock and Kurtz Streets from a homeless encampment along the Caltrans fence. It includes vehicle habitations and other things like tents.

More trees have been cut down in Point Loma. First the palm trees on upper Newport Avenue – and now eucalyptus trees at Liberty Station. And some Point Loma residents are upset.

Point Loman Alex Loker spoke to 10News last week and said on Wednesday, June 2m two large eucalyptus trees near the entrance of Liberty Station were taken down:

“These trees have been here easily for 100 years. They’re about 150 feet tall, and there’s no replacing that as kind of our gate guards into the entrance of Liberty Station.”