Category: Economy

by Frank Gormlie

It was a hot Monday night in the gym of the Ocean Beach Rec Center. It was time for Mayor Jerry Sanders presentation of his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2010. Patty and I had wanted to attend. Not that we’re accountants or really understand the City Budget, but we wanted to witness the event and see OB in action. We walked in just a few minutes late, and it had already started. No “OB Time” here.

There will be Town Hall Meeting in Ocean Beach tomorrow – April 20th – on the FY10 budget. This is your opportunity to get an overview by the Mayor’s staff on his proposed budget and ask questions!

In a well attended raucous meeting on April 13, 2009, of the San Francisco Labor Council – representing nearly all the unions in San Francisco – the Council unanimously endorsed a resolution condemning the raid by the president of SEIU International Andy Stern on Unite-Here throughout the country. (SEIU stands for Service Employees International Union – and is one of the most influential unions in the country.)

by Rhythm Rancher

I was reading the “Letters to the Editor” in the latest issue of City Beat this morning when I came across this letter from a fellow OBcean. While I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, the fact that he’s a City of San Diego employee who “deals” with the homeless was sad to me to say the least.

by Frank Gormlie

I’m getting fed-up with hearing about these right-wing tea-baggers (for lack of a better word). I know, today – Tax Day – was the day they held protests involving tea bags.

As expected, Mayor Jerry Sanders held a press conference this morning in front of the Ocean Beach library. And as expected, Mayor Sanders announced that in his new city budget proposal, no libraries or library services will be cut for this year’s budget.

“We heard you, Ocean Beach,” the Mayor said. “There will be no library cuts.” The crowd applauded.

by Judi Italiano

In another shameless effort to pit the public against City employees and their Unions based on lies, the Union Tribune editorialized this morning that “to no one’s surprise, organized labor rebuffed the mayor’s bid to negotiate $32 million in employee benefit concessions to help close a $60 million deficit in the budget year that will begin on July 1.”

by Frank Gormlie

Tomorrow, April 14th, your mayor Jerry Sanders will stand in front of the Ocean Beach branch library and announce to the world that his proposed FY10 City budget will include no Library cuts. The Mayor’s budget will have no reductions in library branches, hours or staff.

Okay, by now we’re all pretty familiar with the Troubled Asset Relief Program, right? Can you watch a newscast without some mention of what bank is receiving TARP funds, what they are (or, rather, aren’t) doing with them, who’s criticizing who got them, and who has a better idea about how to end the ‘recession’ whilst dancing around the taboo ‘D’ word decribing our current situation? How about a different look at what’s going on with the banks, namely the ones that fail?

My apologies in advance for any perceived crudeness of language in the e-mail. That’s just how I roll, yo.

Hi, Please allow me to preface this letter by identifying myself as an infrequent user yet ardent supporter of public transit in our county.

by Frank Gormlie

Remember the old Children’s Energy Center? it sat directly across from the OB Elementary playing fields. It was usually full of kids as it was a child care center itself, serving kids from 2 to 10 years of age. Well, the kids were all kicked out three years ago – and it appears all for greed. …

by Anna Daniels

This past Friday morning (April 10) the SANDAG Board of Director’s meeting had an agenda item for a special Transit Operations Funding workshop. Thirty public speakers presented testimony for and against additional fiscal support for MTS. (SANDAG is the San Diego Association of Governments – a coordinating policy body for the area.)