Category: History

by Lynne Miller 

Don’t be disheartened.  We are on the path that will win, it will just take awhile, and a commitment from all of you.

The last lines of Starry Starry Nights go like this:

“They would not listen, they’re not listening still
Perhaps they never will”.

My friends inside and outside of Coastal CareTakers sent letters to the city council and submitted comments for the Feb. 24th meeting. Then they showed up, and filled the chambers, and they had a lot to say. And what they said was brilliant! Everyone did their homework, and when each person took the mic and spoke for Ocean Beach and all of San Diego, they were spot on!

The only problem — the Council had decided how they would vote before the meeting. If they had entered the chambers with an open mind, and “really listened” they would have voted to put Package A where it belongs, at the end of the crumbling OB Pier where real sharks could shred it and put it to rest!!!

From OB Planning Board website

Board Elections / Running for a Seat
Four (4) of our 12 seats are up for election each year. Board members are elected to 3-year terms. Board members are volunteers and receive no compensation.

Voting in the 2026 election

You are eligible to vote if you are at least 18 years of age and reside or own property, or own/operate a business within the Ocean Beach Planning Area (see map below). It is NOT necessary to be a registered voter with the state or county government.

All voters must complete a registration form and a ballot. This includes providing a photo identification and proof of a valid Ocean Beach address. There are 4 options for registration and voting:

By Keith Fink 

Yesterday’s City Council meeting was at best disheartening.

What with the complete absences of some council members and the lack of interest/ attention of others, the cat was out of the bag early that the fix was in – the decision already made. It was disappointing to not see the council chambers full or to hear additional relevant arguments perhaps not emphasized enough but, alas, the results would likely have been the same had the room been silent and empty.

There does seem to be a few points raised, however, that seem to need addressing.

First, though perhaps least importantly, was the comments of the only speaker (whose name I do not recall) in favor of the Package who did not appear to be associated with a developer. He complained about the lack of development in OB and how it was needed to support business on Newport, citing all of the boarded up businesses there. As I made my way up Newport yesterday evening after drowning out my sorrows at South Beach, I endeavored to count them – finishing with the same number with which I started – zero!

by Todd Walters / Times of San Diego / Feb. 24, 2026

Public office demands more than ambition. It demands principles. It demands courage. And above all, it demands accountability.

That is why I cannot stay silent about San Diego Unified Board President Richard Barrera and his bid for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Leadership is not defined by titles held or campaigns launched. It is defined in moments of crisis, when speaking up carries risk, when loyalty to power conflicts with loyalty to people, and when silence becomes a choice.

During one of the most painful chapters in our union’s history, Barrera made that choice.

For years, former United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 135 President Mickey Kasparian faced multiple public allegations and lawsuits involving sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation. These were not whispers. They were reported, litigated, protested and deeply felt by labor and the broader community.

At that time, Barrera served as secretary-treasurer of the union. He was widely regarded as Kasparian’s right-hand man, a senior officer with influence, access and authority. If there was ever a moment that called for moral clarity, this was it.

And yet, he remained silent.

by Debbie L. Sklar / Times of San Diego / Feb. 20, 2026

In 1916, the sands of Mission Beach were dotted with striped canvas tents and cabana-style shelters, forming a temporary seaside neighborhood known as Tent City. Visitors and a handful of longer-term residents pitched their lives on the shoreline, enjoying the Pacific breezes, the surf, and a rare chance to live directly on the sand.

Tent City was located in:

• Old Mission Beach, generally west of present-day Mission Boulevard.
• Near Redondo Court, site of the former bathhouse.
• Beachfront parcels that later became permanent residential lots.

Promoted as an affordable coastal retreat, Tent City offered rental sites and small lots for sale, appealing to families and vacationers who wanted more than a day trip to the beach. The settlement reflected a broader early-20th-century trend in Southern California: transforming open beachfront into planned, accessible recreational communities.

The following photos were submitted by Cory Miller and taken at the Tuesday, Feb. 24 City Council hearing on OB’s historical district in City Council Chambers. Text was submitted by South OB Girl, an irregular Rag columnist.

A full half hour early, approximately 30 OBceans had already arrived. Council Chambers wasn’t open yet and we waited in the lobby. Security opened the Chambers up since so many people were waiting . Everyone began submitting their speaker slips right away. 20 people in this photo with at least 10 to a dozen people not in the photo.

Yessiree folks, step right up to the latest display of Councilmember Jen Campbell kniving her community of OB and her District 2 in the back by leading the City Council in a vote of 5 to 1 to dismember OB’s historical district.

After a hearing of not even 2 and a half hours, the Council voted on Jen Campbell’s own motion to approve the controversial Package A. Council President Joe LaCava was the only holdout.

So the vote to approve the staff report and approve Package A included Campbell, Whitburn — who seconded the motion –, Moreno and Lee.

Three councilmembers never even made it to the hearing. Campillo, von Wipert, and Elo-Rivera.

See Talking Points for Today’s Hearing Below

It’s true, the community of Ocean Beach was specifically and intentionally targeted by city planners for over-development. How they did this was by including a specific reference to OB’s historic district in a so-called package of “reforms” that would eliminate any historical protections against over-development the district provides for Ocean Beach.

This reference to undermine OB’s Emerging Cottage Historic District is included in an awkward bungling of proposals under the rubric of Preservation Reforms Package A that is headed to the City Council today, Feb. 24th.

The threats of over-development would come from Mayor Gloria’s “Complete Communities” which allows for higher density and a loosening of requirements, such as the 30-foot height limit, parking, set-backs and other restrictions on project developments. If OB’s Historic District is undermined, then OB is susceptible to the ravages of  Complete Communities.

Here’s some background as to how we got here.

The OB’s Historic District was the reason a project called The Point and consisting of 24 units slated for Point Loma Avenue in south OB was unanimously rejected in August of 2024 by the San Diego Planning Commission. The developers were using Complete Communities to obtain exemptions from long-held restrictions if they met certain requirements.

By Erwin Chemerinsky / Los Angeles Times Op-Ed / Feb. 20, 2026

The Supreme Court’s decision invalidating President Trump’s tariffs sends a clear and crucial message: The justices will not be a simple rubber stamp approving presidential actions. In the first year of Trump’s new term, 24 challenges to presidential actions came to the court, almost all on its emergency docket. In 22, the justices ruled in favor of the president. But Friday’s 6-3 decision striking down his tariffs is a huge victory for separation of powers and the rule of law.

The importance of tariffs to Trump, and their consequences for the world, cannot be overstated. The president said that their invalidation “would be a total disaster for the country” and “would literally destroy the United States of America.” In its petition to the Supreme Court, Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer said “the tariffs are promoting peace and unprecedented economic prosperity” and “pulling America back from the precipice of disaster, restoring respect and standing in the world.”

Trump has treated tariffs as something he can impose or rescind at will. But not anymore.

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 23: City Council, 10:00 a.m.

Agenda:

Items 201, 202: Convention Center Expenditures

Why it matters: After a court ruling cleared the way for the City to start collecting higher transient-occupancy taxes under Measure C, a spigot of money is opening to fund Convention Center upgrades. Given the City’s recent history of financial mismanagement, these new allocations deserve scrutiny.

Tuesday, February 24: City Council, 10:00 a.m.

By Scott Case

The City’s Developmental Services Department has confirmed that the proposed Columbia Street high-rise preliminary review findings (PRJ-1126254) have expired since there has been no further submittals in the past year, as governed by the Information Bulletin 513.

Any new project proposal will need to be re-evaluated against the current city code and conditions.