Category: Ocean Beach

Measure Would Be on November 2026 Ballot

By Donna Frye

It seems that every 10 years or so, the city comes up with a proposal to charge people to park at the beaches and Mission Bay Park as a potential revenue source. Thankfully, once the public gets involved, the elected officials usually back off this very bad idea.

Most recently, on November 10, 2025, The San Diego Union-Tribune’s David Garrick reported that four members of the city council were proposing entry fees for Mission Bay Park and paid parking at the beaches.

The public rallied against charging anyone to enter/park at Mission Bay Park or our beaches and on November 18, the paid parking proposal was not included as part of the council resolution being sent to the mayor’s office for consideration in preparing the FY 2027 budget.

At that time, the only councilmember who spoke at any length about the issue was Campillo and he made it clear he would not support charging residents or non-residents to park at Mission Bay Park or our beaches.

An OB Rag supporter saw these signs in her neighborhood and wanted to share them with us.

By Tyler Faurot / Point Loma – OB Monthly SDU-T / March 11, 2026

Dozens of road segments on the Point Loma Peninsula have been identified in a city of San Diego analysis as candidates for speed limit reductions. And as city leaders review the study, some members of community planning boards in Point Loma and Ocean Beach are bemoaning what they see as an ineffectual approach for their neighborhoods, despite welcoming the idea of lower speeds.

California Assembly Bill 43, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, allows municipalities to reduce speed limits, provided the reductions are justified by an extensive analysis. The city of San Diego compiled a 135-page speed management plan that was published in February and presented to the City Council’s Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

All four members of the committee voted Feb. 19 to recommend that the full council approve city staff’s proposals for new speed limits on the streets specified in the plan.

By David Garrick / SD Union-Tribune / March 10, 20226

San Diego took a key step Tuesday toward cementing long-term control of the Liberty Station mixed-use complex — despite objections from the company that manages much of the area.

The City Council unanimously approved payouts to the county and some other local agencies — mostly school districts, community college districts and health districts — that have a financial interest in Liberty Station. The council’s approval shifts the power to those agencies, which now must approve the payouts they will receive in exchange for relinquishing to the city their long-term rights over the sprawling property east of Point Loma.

Of the 13 agencies with a financial stake, four have approved their compensation agreements, one was slated to vote Tuesday night, three are scheduled to vote next week and five haven’t taken action. Those approvals are crucial to finalizing the city’s efforts to declare Liberty Station a “future development” site, which will allow the city to continue owning it, instead of a “liquidation” site that the city must sell.

By David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune / March 10, 2026

Seven candidates seeking to represent Clairemont and Point Loma on the City Council clashed at a recent forum over bike lanes, ADUs, Balboa Park parking, the city’s budget deficit and a proposed empty homes tax.

Mike Rickey, a Merchant Marine from Clairemont, was the most vocal critic of new bike lanes being created across San Diego to encourage people to use cycling to commute and get around. “The money that we’re spending on these bike lanes and removing street parking is absurd,” Rickey said.

Jacob Mitchell, a chemist from Point Loma, said the biggest problem with new bike lanes is that they often don’t connect well with other safe areas to cycle.

Mandy Havlik, a Point Loma neighborhood leader, said the need for a safe cycling network should be balanced against the impact on businesses of removing street parking. “A lot of small business owners feel like they’re competing with a bike lane to stay open,” Havlik said.

Nicole Crosby, a deputy city attorney who lives in Clairemont, said bike lanes don’t make a lot of sense in communities like Clairemont where hills and canyons are a major challenge. “It’s putting the cart before the horse,” she said.

Richard Bailey, a former mayor of Coronado who now lives in Point Loma, said the city’s nearly $8 billion backlog of infrastructure projects means bike lanes must be a low priority. “Bike lanes are more of a nice-to-have, not a must-have,” Bailey said.

Ocean Beach Surf & Skate Shop and Ocean Beach Elementary PTA are teaming to hold the 14th annual Skate for the Kids fundraiser on March 15 at Robb Field Skate Park.

All proceeds from the event will go to the school’s PTA to fund programs, materials and campus improvements at the campus on Santa Monica Avenue.

The fundraising event at 2525 Bacon St., held from noon to 3 p.m., is a fun way to bring the community together, foster a love of skating and encourage healthy habits while providing much-needed support to a neighborhood school.

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.

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.

Assemblymember Ward Introduces Legislation to Protect Mission Bay Park and an Update on City Leases for Dana Landing and Sportsmen’s Seafood

By 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.

Wednesday, March 11: Audit Committee, 9:00 a.m.

Agenda:

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.”

Wednesday, March 11: Public Safety Committee, 2:00 p.m.

Agenda: 

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

Submit your Candidate Statement Today! Voting begins on Thursday, April 9th.

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.

Ken Abbott, 61, started his cross-country trip from Ocean Beach Wednesday ten years after receiving a heart transplant.

By Shannon Handy / CBS8 / March 4, 2026  

A man who received a heart transplant a decade ago is embarking on a 3,000-mile bicycle journey from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida, to raise awareness about the critical need for organ donors.
Ken Abbott, 61, started his cross-country trip from Ocean Beach on Wednesday after recovering from a life-threatening cardiac condition that nearly killed him in 2016. The journey commemorates ten years since his transplant and aims to educate people about the importance of organ donation and transplantation.

Abbott was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition years before his heart began to fail. In 2016, he walked into Mount Sinai’s emergency room, where doctors gave him only a 5% chance of survival.