Author: Staff

A person of interest in the death of a man who was assaulted in the Midway District last October has been arrested in Mohave County, Arizona. 60-year-old Noel Frischknecht remains in jail for an outstanding San Diego County Superior Court arrest warrant connected to the death of a 68-year-old Brian Salatino. He was arrested by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department.

Frischknecht is alleged to have assaulted Salatino around 5:40 p.m. on Oct. 26, 2025 in the 3300 block of Midway Drive in San Diego. Salatino was transported to a hospital, where he remained in a coma. After being hospitalized for approximately 100 days, he succumbed to his injuries and died on Feb. 3, 2026.

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

Editor’s note: Last Wednesday’s Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee agenda included an item on the impact of paid parking on Balboa Park. The item was pulled before the meeting at the request of city staff.

Monday, May 18: City Council, 2:00 p.m.

Agenda:

Item 200: FY2026 Third Quarter Budget Monitoring Report

Why it matters: FY2026 revenues are expected to be down $10.5 million versus the budget. Fortunately, expenditures will likely be $1.7 million less than the decreased $2.1 billion revenue. But here’s the fine print: If revenues don’t exceed expenditures, “authority is requested, as a contingency, to draw from the General Fund Stability Reserve as needed to ensure the General Fund ends the fiscal year balanced.”

Monday, May 18: City Council, 6:00 p.m.

Agenda:

Item 202: May Revision to the FY2027 Draft Budget and Public Hearing on the 2027 Draft Budget

A Point Loma man pleaded guilty earlier this week to attempted murder and domestic violence charges. When police responded to the residence of William Stephens, 66, after his wife had called 911, on Jan. 23, 2025, Stephens intentionally drove his Jeep at an officer and struck him, seriously injuring him.

Stephens is expected to be sentenced to 12 years to state prison in June.

Prosecutors allege that as Officer Matthew Salisbury approached the home’s driveway, Stephens sped toward the officer, who attempted to evade the vehicle by moving behind a bush located near the driveway’s entrance.

Grandson Steaks 
2690 Historic Decatur Rd Ste 102
Liberty Station
San Diego, CA 92106
www.grandsonsteaks.com

By LK Bruce

Grandson Steaks just opened in Liberty Station across from Con Pane where the Banyan Café and Wildflour used to be. Two weeks ago they had a steak dinner for four for $69. Not $69 per person, $69 for ALL FOUR diners. It was amazing. Yes, “was” is the key word because the same fabulous dinner has since gone up to $95 for four. Still not too bad but that’s how things are going now during the war.

So what does this feast look like? You get a pound and a half of sliced choice ribeye steak, along with a cup of fresh guacamole, a cup of their homemade birria, a cup of Adobada, a cup of refried beans, six tortillas, eight quesadillas, grilled onions and peppers and a couple of spicy sauces. Oh yes, and some bone marrow. It was awesome. You can even order an upgrade to “prime” beef for $20 more. (For $5 more per person it could be worth it. Our “choice” grade steak was fine by me but my husband thought the upgrade might be a little more tender.)

By Rag Staff

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

Monday, May 11: City Council, 10:00 a.m.

Closed Session Agenda:

Item CS-7: Mary Brown, et al. v. Joe LaCava, et al.

Why it matters: The Council will discuss a settlement offer in a citizens’ lawsuit challenging the legality of the City’s bait-and-switch trash fees. If the settlement isn’t approved, opening statements in the trial are scheduled for Tuesday, and Mayor Gloria, Council President LaCava, and other City officials will be called as witnesses.

Monday, May 11: City Council, 2:00 p.m.

Agenda:

Item 204: Update to the Land Development Code and Local Coastal Program, Minor Amendments to the Downtown Community Plan and General Plan

OB Rag Staff Report

Rag stories about Balboa Park have what reporters call “legs” — they get lots of views and comments. This has been especially true since City Hall imposed parking fees that have threatened the Park’s solvency by driving away visitors.

So we weren’t surprised when our April 27 story on a $1.8 million reduction in the 2027 Park budget became a “top post.” Commenters generally agreed that the city has utterly failed the park and must turn over its management to an independent nonprofit.

But one comment piqued our interest. Don said the city hadn’t actually cut $1.8 million from the park. He contended that the city was simply going to shift $1.8 million from a “Developed Regional Parks” fund over to pay for Balboa Park operating expenses.

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

Budget Review May 4 — May 8

The Council will spend all five days this week (May 4–May 8) in one continuous meeting to review the proposed FY2027 budget. Here’s the link to the week-long agenda of city department budget presentations

A quick review shows that Mayor Gloria is making good on his threat that the defeat of the 2024 Measure E sales tax increase would result in cuts to community services.

The “Community Services Branch Expenditures Summary” lists a reduction of 38 positions or 8.8% ($3.4M) out of 434 in the Library Department; 94 positions or 8% ($8.8M) out of 1,168 in Parks and Recreation; and 33 positions or 4.3% ($2.8M) out of 760 in Engineering and Capital Projects.

The Ocean Beach Planning Board meets Tuesday night, May 5 at 6 p.m. at the OB Rec Center for their monthly meeting. \

The major item on the Board’s agenda is part 2 of the District 2 Candidate Forum. Candidates Josh Coyne, Richard Bailey, Nicole Crosby and Mike Rickey will be in attendance and each will be given 15 minutes to make introductory statements and answer questions from the board and the audience.

By Jillian Butler

On April 27, 2026, more than 200 residents gathered at the Liberty Station Conference Center, shared with Point Loma Nazarene University, for a wide-ranging forum featuring candidates vying to represent San Diego’s District 2. Hosted by the League of Women Voters, the event gave Peninsula residents a chance to hear directly from those hoping to replace termed-out Councilmember Jennifer Campbell.

OBceans and Point Loma residents hope that the next councilperson will take the concerns of Peninsula residents seriously. Currently, there are six individuals vying for Ms. Campbell’s position.

Mr. Josh Coyne is a former Campbell aide who has a professional background in Student Affairs at the University of San Diego. He has a robust background in providing aid to LBGTQ+ youth. Ms. Nicole Crosby is a former City Attorney and a mother. She is extremely involved with Parent-Teacher Association meetings, and her experience as a devoted parent drives her desire to better her community.

Ms. Mandy Havlik is the wife of a disabled veteran– a group of Point Loma voters that is often overlooked. Mr. Jacob Mitchell is a younger man with no political background who is hoping to make this region more affordable. Mr. Paul Suppa is an attorney and fellow alumni of the University of San Diego. Finally, Mr. Richard Bailey the former mayor of Coronado is throwing his hat in the ring for a District Two seat.

OB Rag Staff Report

At the same time City Hall claims new parking fees are increasing support for Balboa Park, the city’s proposed FY2027 budget will actually decrease Park funding by more than $1.8 million, a 12-percent reduction.

General fund expenditures for Balboa Park will fall from $15.5 million in 2026 to $13.6 million in 2027. This is happening concurrently with the elimination of $11.8 million in city funding to local arts organizations, including a number of Park institutions.

A new item in the 2027 budget, “Developed Regional Parks,” accounts for a first-time allocation of $10.8 million. Balboa Park is considered a “developed regional park,” but it isn’t clear if it will receive any money from that allocation.

And it still isn’t clear what, if anything, the Park is receiving from the new parking fees, which were imposed to help fill the City’s budget gap.

A Report of the Ocean Beach Historical Society Meeting

By Jillian Butler

On April 17th, 2026, the Ocean Beach Historical Society held a presentation about the history of the “Dutch Flats”. Hosted in OB Joyfull (formerly known as Water’s Edge Community Center and OB’s Methodist church), with 30-50 present, this gathering delved into what few know is home of the roots of air travel in America.

The Ocean Beach Historical Society is a grassroots organization that “helps preserve local history through programs, postcards, the Sea Scrolls, articles, local events, and history conferences”. Their general meetings are held every third Thursday at OB Joyfull at seven PM. They are free and open to the public.

Before delving into the history of Dutch Flats, the meeting began with a general recap including the rebrand of Water’s Edge to OB Joyfull and the Wisteria Patio Party. It was also announced that the Ocean Beach Historical Society has branched out on social media, including both Instagram and Facebook.

Representatives from other local advocacy organizations were present as well. Lynn Miller from Coastal Caretakers, an organization centered around fighting against overdevelopment in San Diego took to the floor. She announced that Coastal Caretakers has paired with Save Our Heritage Organization to file a lawsuit against the city for failing to protect historical communities from developers. She is confident they will win, but requested donations from attendees.