Author: Staff

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

Monday, February 9: City Council, 10:00 a.m.

Agenda:

Non-Agenda Public Comment:  The Mayor and the Council just cut a ragtag deal to “reform” paid parking at Balboa Park (but still charge for the closest lots). So the topic won’t be on this week’s Council docket. But San Diegans can still express their views on the issue in person or virtually during non-agenda public comment. On Monday, non-agenda comment is scheduled early in the meeting at about 10:15 a.m. On Tuesday, the comment period is near the end at about 12 noon.

OB Rag Staff Report

This follow-up to our December 2 “D2 Candidates: Follow the Money” report has the latest figures from Campaign Disclosure Reports (Series 400). Our continued review of these public records fulfills 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 2 includes Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Pt. Loma, the Midway, and Clairemont.  Councilmember Jen Campbell is “termed out,” so the district will have a new Councilmember next year.

Josh Coyne

Coyne is in first place in D2 fundraising totals with $93,002. That money includes a $30,000 loan he made to his campaign. According to the Voters’ Voice Initiatives, Coyne raised 6 times more money from outside D2 than from inside. Many of his contributors are business leaders and lobbyists. They include:

One of the most recognizable OB establishments, an icon of the counter-culture — The Black — is set to close after 57 years.

If you were a hippie or a hippie-wannabe in the late Sixties or the 1970s, The Black was the place to visit — as long as you asked for “water pipes” and not “bongs.” For a very long time, it was the only “head shop” in OB, as it sold pipes, rolling papers, records, jewelry, hippy and black light posters – and for a while it was the only hip book store in town.

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

Monday, February 2: City Council, 2:00 p.m.

Agenda

Item CS-1: Ordinance Approving Contract with NEOGOV for Applicant Recruitment, Tracking, and Hiring

Why it matters: NEOGOV would be paid nearly $4.2 million over 10 years for HR software systems. That seems like a lot for a city that 1) has a personnel department responsible for recruitment, tracking, and hiring; 2) is supposed to be in the middle of a hiring freeze; and 3) is nearly insolvent.

Wednesday, February 4: Budget and Government Efficiency Committee, 9:00 a.m.

Agenda

This past weekend, the Point Loma and Ocean Beach Democratic Club endorsed local candidate Mandy Havlik for the City Council race in District 2.

In their emailed announcement, the Club reported:

Both Nicole Crosby and Mandy Havlik attended and answered a wide arrange of questions moderated by Dave Fisher, President.

They also noted:

The morning of our endorsement consideration Josh Coyne’s campaign notified us that he would not be attending our meeting, they also failed to complete our candidate questionnaire that had been sent to all our Democratic candidates.

San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer Sunday ordered all County and U.S. flags to be lowered to half- staff on County property in recognition of the lives lost in Minnesota at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

The San Diego Police Department confirmed that a car crashed into a tattoo shop in northeast Ocean Beach on Wednesday afternoon, January 21, around 4:52 p.m.

By Jillian Butler

On the evening of Thursday January 15, 2026, the Peninsula Community Planning Board (PCPB) hosted its first meeting of the new year. While the meeting followed a standard agenda, public concern over a proposed coastal development quickly emerged as the dominant issue of the night.

Hosted in the usual meeting location of the Point Loma Hervey Library, the meeting was small with less than 50 in attendance. Chairperson Eric Law was away traveling on business, so vice-chair Mandy Havlik presided. Additionally, several government, agency, and community representatives were not present.

The meeting began with its general call to order, agenda approval, approval of minutes, and board officer reports. Following this introduction the board heard non-agenda comments.

Ronald Duran started with the first comment, asking the PCPB to aid in opposing a coastal development project on Guizot street. Mr. Duran voiced his concerns about the developer using provisions from California Senate Bill 9 to purchase and demolish a single family home, split a .16 acre lot, and build two houses each with attached ADUs. Where one home previously stood, now four units would exist.  At the moment, tenants live in the single family home, rendering the property ineligible for SB 9. Duran’s son requested the city get involved. The city has reached out to the developer.

OB Rag Staff Report

When the Rag began our 2026 San Diego City Council election coverage, we promised to “scrutinize the candidates in the June primary: who they are, what they’ve done, what they say, and most importantly, where their money comes from.”

Our first post reviewed Campaign Disclosure Reports (Series 400) for three District 2 candidates and listed their top contributors. This post focuses on three candidates in the District 8 primary.

By Csaba Petre

Following up on a thorough coffee tour of OB last year, I’m back to give a rundown and review of some local markets. I’ve chosen local stores (not huge chains, and not liquor-only stores) which can realistically qualify for at least a quick, missing-item type grocery trip. A couple of liquor-and-deli places have been added, if they met this criteria. Please feel free to add your favorite small store in the comments if I missed one you like.

Sunset Mini Mart

4799 Voltaire St, San Diego, CA 92107

Sunset Mini Mart is a convenience store and liquor store on the corner of Voltaire Street and Sunset Cliffs Blvd. They carry a wide assortment of snacks, as well as non-alcoholic drinks and sodas. As far as groceries they stock some basics: canned goods, cereals, coffee, and cleaning supplies. The store is clean and conveniently accessible for North OB.

Best for: snacks and drinks; a quick canned/boxed meal; liquor and beer