Author: Staff

The City continues to charge $10 per hour at downtown parking meters during Padres’ games and other “special events”.

Padres’ fans are definitely not the only ones subject to this outrageous fee, which starts two hours before the event, and continues for four hours from the event’s start time, for a total of six hours.

The area subject to this $60 per event fee extends well beyond any logical boundaries, all the way north to Broadway, and east to 17th Street and the I-5.

Worse, it’s a devastatingly regressive tax, because it penalizes renters who don’t have off-street parking, and can only park at meters. It hurts downtown’s restaurants and small businesses, who lose customers who can’t or won’t pay $10 an hour to buy groceries, mail a package, or eat a meal.

Rag intrepid reporter Geoff Page checked out what was going on at the foot of Narragansett.

The Rag was prompted by a reader who requested we investigate the scene, and “request immediate clarification regarding the apparent staging and anticipated installation of fencing at the western terminus of Narragansett Avenue in Ocean Beach, near the coastal open space and shoreline access points adjacent to the pier area.”

Instead of a written report, Geoff offered these photos.

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.

Monday, April 13: City Council, 2:00 p.m.

Agenda:

Item 200: Performance Audit of the Mission Bay and San Diego Regional Parks Improvement Funds, FY2024.

Why it matters: City audits should be performed in a timely manner. This item was heard at the Audit Committee meeting on November 12, 2025, and the City Auditor reported they “could not confirm that all Mission Bay Lease Revenue payments in FY2024 have been applied appropriately and the correct amount of funds were transferred…” There does not appear to be any updated information since then.

Item 251: Propositions for the November 3, 2026 Ballot Forwarded for 2nd Committee Review

OB’s legendary head shop, The Black, has re-opened. April 6 was their “soft opening” and the place appears to be the same, although by the looks of it, there are more beachy products – paddle boards, towels, etc.

OB Rag Staff Report

Our “Follow the Money” series on the biggest contributors in city elections continues with this review of the latest figures from Campaign Disclosure Reports (Series 400) of two District 6 City Council candidates, incumbent Kent Lee and challenger Mark Powell.

These reports fulfill the Rag’s promise to “scrutinize the candidates in the 2026 primary: who they are, what they’ve done, what they say, and most importantly, where their money comes from.”

District 6 includes Kearny Mesa, Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch, Sorrento Valley, and University City.

Kent Lee

Lee is in first place in D6 fundraising totals with $60,633. That money includes the maximum $1,600 donation from 16 individuals, some of whom are listed below. According to the Voters’ Voice Initiatives, Lee has raised almost 9 times more money from outside D6 than from inside. His contributors include Rep. Scott Peters ($800), Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera ($320), and Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe ($100)

Lee’s $1,600 contributors include:

“The Future of Balboa Park: A Community Conversation”

When: Saturday, March 28, 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Where: Mission Valley Library Community Room

“The Future of Balboa Park: A Community Conversation” will invite members of the San Diego public, who are the real stakeholders of the Park, to begin exploring new strategies for effective park stewardship and responsible park management.

The town hall, organized by the San Diego Community Coalition and Neighbors for a Better San Diego, will be facilitated by two foremost Balboa Park advocates, landscape architect/urban planner Vicki Estrada and former City Architect Michael Stepner.

With increased public interest in San Diego’s “Crown Jewel,” Estrada and Stepner will lead this public discussion of critical issues, including:

• How do we ensure that the park has the resources it needs to provide the services and benefits San Diegans deserve from this regional asset?
• How can we unify Park stakeholders to work together toward common goals?

Editordude: Two Rag writers take aim today at the city’s rollout of the new trash cans. South OB Girl and Abby (who has writes under Csaba) offer their observations.

The New Gray Trash Cans Have Arrived

By South OB Girl

The new City of San Diego Environmental Services gray trash cans have arrived.  The new policies regarding trash have been a topic of much discussion in previous months and there was much discontent expressed by many San Diegans when the ballot measure was voted into action and approved by San Diego voters.  Some residents have filed a lawsuit in response and it is still under way.  For those still deciding about their trash service and trash can options, here are links to contact City of San Diego Environmental Services and calculate your potential trash fee, which would be part of your taxes:

By Csaba “Abby” Petre

This past Thursday, March 19th, a unique spring celebration happened under the brilliant flower-covered arbors of a very special house. Kicking off in the late afternoon sun around 4:30, the OB Historical Society’s bi-annual fundraiser took place at the beloved Wisteria Cottage on Niagara Avenue, drawing a joyous and elegantly dressed crowd of long-time locals, new neighbors, and friends of OB alike.

The Wisteria Cottage has a long history in the community; built in 1907, it is one of the oldest homes in OB. Its namesake vine was planted by John Clarke in 1915. Ned and Shirley Titlow remodeled the cottage extensively, built the patio, and constructed the arbor that supports the vine, provides extensive shade, and adds a beautiful touch of color to this part of OB. The Titlows also began the tradition of opening the house for the OBHS fundraiser in the early 2000s.

By Geoff Page

The farther away a person is from the effort that created the wealth that person is responsible for, the less effort a person will expend in using it wisely. The curse of public works.

In a November 19, 2025 article, The Rag reported that people were stealing copper wire off the OB Pier amounting to several thousand dollars in recycle value. The city was notified but did not seem to care at all. It was only due to my persistence that the city finally filed a police report about the theft. The report just illustrated how little attention the city paid to information about the theft.

The police report, dated 12-8-25, stated “petty theft” with a market value of $500. It was filed a month after I notified the city of the apparent theft of wire and piping on the pier rail.

A thousand feet of copper wire was clearly worth much more than $500. But, as is now known, the cabling was the least of the theft. The thievery could be valued as high as $250,000.

As police officers attempted to handcuff and arrest a man inside his sedan parked in the OB Pier parking lot around 3 a.m. early Monday, he drew a handgun and fatally shot himself.

The unidentified man while sitting in his sedan had been contacted by two officers while “conducting Over-night Vehicle Enforcement.” After the cops approached him, the man “became combative,” sheriff’s Lt. Juan Marquez said.

“As officers attempted to handcuff him, he produced a handgun and shot himself one time,” Marquez said.

Officers immediately rendered medical aid and called for paramedics, but to no avail as he died before he could be taken to a hospital. Marquez also stated: