Serving OB, the Peninsula and San Diego Beaches
By Steve Rodriguez
List of operational code names reads
like a best hits collection. Just Cause
and Desert Storm titles evoking
nostalgic memories of victory.
Not so much Iraqi Freedom, begun
with WMD promises and statues
toppled. Surging to a crescendo,
then lingering like a bad relationship.
The San Diego Veterans For Peace, Hugh Thompson Memorial Chapter #91, is very pleased to announce that a billboard reminding Active Duty Troops that they have a duty to disobey illegal orders, has been installed on the NE side of Harbor Drive going north, between 32nd and 28th Streets in San Diego. This billboard is part of a national program by Veterans For Peace, with many similar billboards now being posted across the United States.
The San Diego billboard will be up for one month ending in early April.
Please see the VFP website: https://www.veteransforpeace.org/take-action/service-member-support
Background
Veterans For Peace has launched a campaign to remind our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters and grandchildren, who have joined the military, that they have the right and the responsibility to refuse illegal orders, and that we will support them when they do.
The Black — OB”s legendary headshop — is back.
Apparently, the shop’s longtime owner, Kurt Dornbusch, has partnered with a group of unidentified new owners, who wish to keep the place going. Just weeks ago, Dornbusch announced he was retiring after 57 years and was closing the store. Yet, things changed.
As SanDiegoVille reported:
Both Dornbusch and the incoming ownership group have confirmed that new buyers have secured the naming rights to The Black and are currently finalizing a lease agreement to continue operating the store at its longtime home on Newport Avenue.
Community Planning Group Elections This Week
San Diego’s Community Planning Groups (CPGs) hold annual elections every March.
Here are dates, times, and locations for in-person voting at some of this week’s elections. Be sure to bring your driver’s license or another form of ID showing your home address.
Southeastern San Diego will hold its election starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Mountain View Community Center, 641 South Boundary Street
Eastern Area will hold its election starting at 6:00 p.m. at Teen Challenge, 5450 Lea St.
University will hold its election from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at 9880 Campus Point Drive on the third-floor patio of Alexandria’s GradLabs building.
Kensington-Talmadge is offering four in-person voting opportunities before its meeting on Monday, March 16:
Tessa Balc at the Times of San Diego dropped a stunning article on Sunday the 8th of March, by declaring there soon could be a Walmart at the former RiteAid property in Ocean Beach.
The new owner of the property is seriously considering putting in a Walmart Depot — but it wouldn’t be a “walk-in” store to buy anything but a location for delivery drivers to pick up wares and products to distribute nearby.
An application to install one was submitted to the City of San Diego recently and, as Balc reported:
“describes Walmart Depots as non-branded facilities, stocked with high-demand delivery items. Based on the description, it would not be open to the public, instead serving only authorized delivery “drivers/shoppers.” [Rag emphasis.]
Let’s back-up by returning to Balc’s article.
She reports that Murfey Construction Company is a developer who bought the RiteAid property in January, whom she also describes as “a well-known developer in the beach neighborhoods ….” (See below.) Balc in addition stated the company “is also considering a housing development.”
Balc also maintains the City staff is on board with this idea, having already reviewed the idea and reported back to Murfey that it did not run afoul of any development restrictions.
By Rene Kaprielian / Op-Ed SD Union-Tribune / March 6, 2026
Once again, the city of San Diego faces financial upheaval as it attempts to backfill a huge budget deficit caused by historically poor management and misguided priorities.
Our mayor and City Council remain focused on two predictable but ultimately futile strategies: raising fees and taxes and/or cutting services, including hours at libraries and park and recreation centers.
Regrettably, our elected representatives rarely question the financial giveaways to large entities and industries that contribute to the imbalance. Whether it’s long-term franchise agreements with SDG&E or bad real estate deals, these commitments translate to higher rates and taxes for residents and less money for needed existing infrastructure improvements.
San Diego State University is a major recipient of this misplaced generosity. The city has given SDSU carte blanche in its expansion in the College Area and is silent on the lack of progress in developing the former Qualcomm Stadium site. As a state university, SDSU is not required to adhere to local land use laws on land it owns. When the city deeds land to SDSU it can no longer collect property tax, development impact fees, or control the size and scope of the project, while saddling taxpayers with substantial infrastructure costs. These subsidies include fire protection and major improvements to intersections and streets.
Assemblymember Ward Introduces Legislation to Protect Mission Bay Park and an Update on City Leases for Dana Landing and Sportsmen’s SeafoodBy Donna Frye
It’s a nice change to write about something that is good, respects the public’s concerns, and protects and preserves dedicated public parkland. It’s not a usual occurrence which makes it all the more welcome.
The good news is that Assemblymember Chris Ward introduced legislation (AB 2525) on February 20, 2026 to exempt all of Mission Bay Park from the State Surplus Land Act.
Even though it has to go through various legislative committees and the governor needs to sign it to become law, I am optimistic that Mission Bay Park will be protected and preserved as the voters intended it to be. It will also eliminate any conflicts between the San Diego City Charter and the Surplus Land Act.
For those who may not be aware of why this is such good news, here is some background about how we got here.
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.
Item 2: 2026 High Risk Re-Review: Performance Audit of The Fire-Rescue Department’s Emergency Medical Response Process
Why it matters: The auditor’s report flagged several problems, chiefly “slow turnout times across all stations … crews do not leave the station to respond to an incident for about 4 minutes and 20 seconds after a medical call is received, on average.” Auditors recommend that the department “track all phases of the emergency dispatch process and evaluate and standardize dispatch times to achieve accountability.”
Item 5: Electronic Bicycle Safety Regulations Pursuant to AB 2234
Why it matters: In response to an increase in head trauma and orthopedic injuries related to e-bike use, “many involving children and teenagers,” this ordinance would seek to prevent accidents by “establishing a minimum operating age for younger riders, reinforcing helmet requirements, and clarifying passenger limitations.”
From OBCF
Dear OB Community,
The Ocean Beach Community Foundation is opening nominations for our 2026 Board of Directors election. We have 5+ open seats, and we want to fill them with people who genuinely love this town and want to help keep it running.
Here’s what that actually means:
When the OB Town Council dissolved, OBCF stepped up to carry on its traditions — including events that have been part of this community for over 40 years. The Holiday Parade, the Pancake Breakfast, the Restaurant Walk, the Food & Toy Drive, the Santa Experience at Veteran’s Plaza, the Holiday Auction — these don’t happen without a small group of volunteers who show up and do the work. That’s us. And we need more of us.
By Michael Stepner and Mary Lydon / Op-Ed San Diego U-T / February 27, 2026
Every city has its own DNA. San Diego’s foundational DNA includes the establishment in the early 1920s of what is now Naval Base San Diego and Marine Corps Recruiting Depot. Additional foundational DNA includes the founding of the University of California San Diego, with roots back to 1912, and 1,400 acres that was set aside for a public park in 1868.
Now, San Diego has the largest military concentration in the world, UC San Diego is one of the top public universities in the country, and Balboa Park is our region’s center for art and culture. Over the years, the foundational DNA has spawned a thriving high-tech and biotech business sector, an integrated binational economic and cultural dynamic with Tijuana, and a top-ranking tourism sector. These are not small-minded accomplishments.
In a recent San Diego Union-Tribune Econometer article, 12 economists and executives were asked: “Do San Diego County planners have too much of a ‘small town’ mindset?” While the question targeted the planners in the county as a culprit, that is not the case. Plans and visions for our cities are a product of the community — from the community planning groups and politicians to the business and university leaders. As several members of the Econometer panel noted, the professional planners create plans to carry out the visions of the community.
Only one in four Americans approves of ?U.S. strikes on Iran that have plunged the Middle East into chaos, while about half — including one in four Republicans — believe President Donald Trump is too willing to use military force, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Some 27% of respondents said they approved of the strikes, which were conducted alongside Israeli attacks on Iran, while 43% disapproved and 29% were not sure. About nine in 10 respondents said they had heard at least a little about the strikes, which began early on Saturday with a ?surprise attack that killed Iran’s leader.
The poll, which closed on Sunday, showed that 56% of Americans think Trump, who has also ordered strikes in Venezuela, Syria and Nigeria in recent months, is too willing to use military force to advance U.S. interests. ?The vast majority of Democrats – 87% – held this view, as did 23% of Republicans and 60% of people who don’t identify with either political party.
The poll was conducted amid ongoing attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel, and closed before the U.S. military announced the first American casualties in the operation.
by Roberto Camacho / Times of San Diego • Palabra / March 1, 2026
In a typically cool spring morning in San Diego, muralist Daniel Angeles took a phone call that chilled his soul: His first piece of public art in the city’s Latino-centric Barrio Logan, a large mural called “Birth of the Hummingbird,” was being erased. He clicked on a live video and was horrified that his masterwork was being painted over — the vibrant colors of his mural gradually covered by mundane, muddy browns.
Angeles called the property’s owner, who, years before, had allowed him to paint the building’s street-facing wall and fence. Angeles thought of invoking the California Art Preservation Act and the federal Visual Artist Rights Act of 1990, written to help artists preserve public works. Damaging or modifying works without an artist’s consent can be unlawful. Property owners are supposed to send notice three months before demolition or repainting, giving artists time to remove, document or relocate their murals.
“I was shocked. I couldn’t do anything since I was at a music performance for my oldest daughter,” Angeles said. “She was performing when this youngster FaceTimed me as he was running toward the wall to show me a couple of guys were going over the art with rollers and dark paint. I couldn’t believe that it was going away.”
Angeles, who paints under the name Dentlok, is a celebrated muralist, tattoo artist and long-time resident of the neighborhood. He said he received no warning before his prized mural was erased.
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