Category: Health

San Diego chapter of Direct Action Everywhere wants to end cruelty in the name of entertainment in San Diego

A local group is calling on concerned San Diego residents to gather to call for an end to what they term “the barbaric Padres Rodeo at Petco Park” because of the deaths of a pregnant horse and her baby in January of 2025. This will be on Saturday, Dec. 13 at Waterfront Park. The event is organized by the San Diego chapter of Direct Action Everywhere.

They hope to be heard by the San Diego Padres, the city of San Diego, and the C5 Rodeo Company Inc., all of which organizers claim profit from the animal cruelty at the Padres Rodeo. This peaceful event will include speeches, live music, interactive art from local artists, and a collective call to action.

By City News Service – 7SanDiego / Dec. 10, 2025

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution Tuesday opposing oil drilling off the coast of Southern California, following the Trump administration’s plans to expand the practice.

Put forward in a board letter by Supervisors Paloma Aguirre and Terra Lawson-Remer, the resolution states that the board “opposes any new or expanded offshore oil and gas drilling, and deep seabed mining, and urges federal and state decision-makers to permanently prohibit offshore drilling and deep seabed mining in all U.S. waters, including the Pacific Ocean off California.”

The proposal also calls for Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton “to express the county’s support for (United States) House of Representatives Bill 2862, the Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act,” according to a board letter.

Shelton would coordinate with Gov. Gavin Newsom, state Attorney General Rob Bonta and Southern California counties on a “unified, regional response needed to keep new oil drilling out of our coastal waters and protect our San Diego communities and local economy.”

The board voted 4-1 in favor of the resolution, with Supervisor Joel Anderson opposing.

The preliminary hearing for Evan M. Anderson, 24, accused of striking and killing Tracy Condon while she sat on a curb in Ocean Beach has been scheduled for March 25, 2026.

Anderson pleaded not guilty to hit and run to the Nov. 4 traffic fatality at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and Santa Monica Avenue.

Condon suffered from homelessness, was 59 years old, and was sitting on a curb next to her wheelchair around 5 p.m. when she was struck by a Toyota Tundra, allegedly being driven by Anderson.

By Alexis Sterling   / Nation of Change / Dec.5, 2025

A new confrontation between the White House and blue states raises concerns about the political use of food assistance programs

The Trump administration is poised to block key federal funds tied to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as part of an escalating dispute with Democratic-led states over data demands involving millions of low income households.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Dec. 2, that the Department of Agriculture would begin halting federal transfers next week for states that have not turned over detailed information on SNAP recipients. The move has triggered legal challenges, sharp criticism from lawmakers, and questions about whether the administration has the authority to interrupt a program that helps 42 million people afford food.

Rollins said on Tuesday that the administration had requested state data earlier this year to address what she called “rampant” fraud in the program.

San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer held a community meeting in Encinitas Thursday, Dec. 4, to urge the public to take a stand against the Trump administration’s plans to expand Califonia’s offshore drilling. She was joined by Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner. The meeting had been organized by the environmental groups California Coastal Protection Network, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation and Wildcoast.

The Thursday gathering followed the Nov. 20 announcement by the Trump administration that it will reopen ocean waters off the Pacific Coast to oil drilling leases, generating rapid opposition from California officials and environmentalists.

Lawson-Remer said she and others are united in defending the San Diego region, and told President Donald Trump and oil executives to “go pound sand.”

“We are not going to go backwards,” no matter how much Trump calls clean energy “a con job,” Lawson-Remer said during the meeting.

Every Saturday at 10:30 am. San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings December 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th.

Every Saturday 10 am – 12 pm Peace Vigil for Palestine
The San Diego River Park Foundation has volunteer opportunities in Ocean Beach: Point Loma Native Plant Garden Club on the 2nd and 4th Sundays
Every Sunday 2 pm – 4 pm Occupy Otay Sunday Action Otay Mesa Detention Center

December 1st Monday  12 pm – 1 pm Interfaith Vigil For Earth Justice
December 1st Monday 4 pm – 6 pm The Courage to Connect:
December 1st Monday We Ain’t Buying It

December 2nd. Tuesday 6 pm – 9 pm Community Craft & Film Night Fundraiser
December 3rd. Wednesday 5 pm Santa’s Clean Air Workshop:  Holiday Crafts for a Healthy Portside
December 3rd. Wednesday 10 am- 11am Celebrate Without the Waste: Sustainable Holidays Webinar
December 3rd. Wednesday 5 pm – 8 pm Salty Cinema Fall 2025: Tides of Renewal.

December 4th Thursday 6 pm – 8 pm Protecting Southern California from Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling
December 5th Friday 6 pm Film Night “The Great Debaters”  Event by Black Panther Party of San Diego
December 6th Saturday 1 pm – 3:30 pm Party for the Planet

December 6th 12 pm – 3 pm Active Duty Coffee Talk
December 6th Saturday 11 am – 2 pm Friends and Neighbors Holiday River Celebration & Art Market
December 6th Saturday 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Mission Beach Community Climate Conversation

December 7th Sunday 12:30 pm- 3 pm South Bay Community Climate Conversation
December 7th Sunday 9:30 am  – 10:30 am Ramona Wildlife Center Tour

From CBS8 / Nov. 25, 2025

Brandon Valdez and Alexis Barcellos held their 5-year-old black lab mix a little tighter after a harrowing rescue Sunday at Dog Beach in Ocean Beach. “You don’t want to overwhelm her, but you just want to hug her, squeeze her,” Valdez said.

Sadie is still recovering after she bolted from the couple’s Point Loma Airbnb near the Barnes Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon. An AirTag on her collar led the family straight to Dog Beach.

“Her sister ran out the door too. Remy came right back. Sadie just kept going. She was on a mission,” Barcellos said. By the time they arrived, Sadie had been swept into the channel where the current was strong.

“I just had a surfer run up to the truck. He’s saying there’s a dog on the jetty,” a lifeguard said over the radio. San Diego lifeguards and the Coast Guard swarmed the area. Lifeguards Garrett Smerdon and Jack Alldredge searched by jet ski in difficult conditions.

“There was a little bit of swell, and the sun was at our backs, so we faced east to have the best chance of spotting something,” Smerdon said.

Two women were seriously injured when their vehicle crashed into a concrete wall in Point Loma, Thursday night, November 20.

San Diego Police Officers responded around 10:10 p.m. that night where apparently a 39-year-old woman traveling west in a 2025 Mercedes GLC SUV drove into the wall at Womble Road and Rosecrans Street.

By Rob Nikolewski / San Diego Union-Tribune / November 20, 2025

The pathway for robotaxis in San Diego may have hit a pothole.

[Please see original for all the great links.]

Just weeks after officials at the autonomous vehicle company Waymo announced early steps to bring its ride-hailing services to San Diego in 2026, the Taxi Advisory Committee at the Metropolitan Transit System came out in opposition to driverless vehicles.

“My chief concern is what this means for people who are keeping a roof over their head and feeding their families by being drivers,” said San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who is also chair of the Taxi Advisory Committee.

By Csaba Petre

Last week, I embarked on a journey here in Ocean Beach; an expedition of discovery to a place many have been before, and might not imagine life without: the humble coffee shop. Specifically, all the coffee shops in OB.

While a good number of us drink coffee daily, few of us do so at a different establishment every morning. A bit over a week ago, I took it upon myself to do just that: to visit a different local coffee shop each day, until I have visited all of them (17 total). At the end of my travels (in the upcoming part two), in addition to general impressions of each place, I will compile a more structured comparison. I will rank the top three shops in each of the categories:

• tastiest cappuccino;
• biggest kick (strongest);
• best social/hangout spot;
• best place to work; and
• most unique vibe.

I’ll also comment on each place’s specialty, non-coffee offerings and anything unique about them.

Why cappuccino? This is partially a personal bias, but as a “standard” espresso drink, every shop can make one, giving me a baseline for a point of comparison. I believe I am qualified for this weighty task as a daily coffee drinker of twenty+ years; I have often asked why we don’t have a word like “hungry”, but to refer specifically to how one feels before the first coffee of the day.

With that established, I bid a two-week farewell to my trusty Breville, and embarked. See you on the other side, friend.

In this part one, one week in, I have visited eight shops so far. Most were around the more Southern and Eastern sides of OB.

On Tuesday this week, the Rag reported on yet another pedestrian death in the Midway District.

An unidentified male pedestrian was killed late Friday night, Nov. 14, when he ran across a street in the Midway District and was struck by a SUV. …The man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Yes, the unfortunate pedestrian had run across the street against his light just before he was struck. He dearly paid for his mistake.

When we reported on the story, I cynically added:

So many pedestrians have been injured or killed in the Midway District over the last few years, there ought to be a chapter in the Book of Dead just on the Midway.

After publishing this, I got to thinking, that ‘yes, it does seem like there’s been a rash of pedestrian deaths and injuries from cars in the Midway of late.’ So I set out to investigate and rifled through OB Rag files and postings. The tragic following is what I found:

By Mandy Havlik

Electric bicycles are transforming transportation but without clear rules and a strong safety framework, they are also making our streets more dangerous, especially for children. It’s common to see young riders without helmets, e-bikes speeding down sidewalks, and parents startled by close calls at intersections, school zones, and neighborhood walkways. The increasing frequency of these incidents is not just alarming, it is unacceptable.

Other cities in our region have taken decisive action. Poway, Chula Vista, Encinitas and Santee have all adopted e-bike regulations that establish clearer guidelines and elevate safety expectations. These cities recognize what San Diego has not yet acted upon; that e-bikes operated by untrained or underage riders pose real risks. As the largest city in the region, San Diego should not be trailing behind its neighbors in safeguarding its residents. It is time for our city to adopt the commonsense approaches outlined in California State Assembly Bill 2234 and implement them locally.