Ocean Beach

By Geoff Page

The Peninsula Community Planning Board meeting on Thursday, May 16, experienced something that was probably a first in its history when one of its members distributed his legal complaint against the PCPB and the City of San Diego. What he handed out was a draft but he actually filed the suit the following day on May 17.

The whole PCPB meeting was devoted to hearing two complaints against board members Margaret Virissimo and Donald Sevrens filed by community members, including this reporter. Briefly, this is what happened.

The way the complaint process works is that the complaint is reviewed by board officers and they decide whether to dismiss it or to pass it along to the full board. In the case of the two complaints, the officers decided to bring them both before the full board but they did not recommend an action, leaving that decision to the board.

The Virissimo complaint was discussed first. Suffice to say, it was a scene man.

The Ocean Beach Pier will re-open this week, with an official ceremony on Thursday, May 23 at 8 am.

The symbol of OB has been closed since it was heavily damaged during storms in January. It was so damaged that many pieces of the railings washed up on shore – only to be carted off as souvenirs by locals and tourists alike.

More than 2,200 feet of guard rail, electric, water and sewer lines had to be substantially repaired or replace. Repairs estimated at $430,000 were made to the pier, which has definitely become the icon image of the seaside village. Many OBceans and other San Diegans have expressed their sadness and frustration over the pier’s closure.

By Geoff Page

For the past two years, Point Loma resident Michael Winn has been working on creating something Point Loma does not have, a town council. OB, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, and many other communities have town councils – but not Point Loma.

It has been a tough road because the reception by existing community groups has been chilly, to say the least. Some of this was made apparent by a special event Winn organized on Tuesday, May 14 at a private home in Point Loma.

The invitation-only event was attended by a collection or people from Point Loma, Clairemont, La Jolla, and downtown. This was an immediate indication that the event was not solely about the Point Loma Town Council Winn has been working to create.

On Thursday, May 16, fliers were found on cars in the Dog Beach parking lot in OB that give false warning about police enforcement of a new law that bars people from living in cars. The flyers were found on windshields 2 days after the City Council returned the ban on people living in vehicles on public streets.

The new ordinance bans people from parking a vehicle used for habitation within 500 feet of a school or home.

The flier states:

“You have received this notice because you are on a list of vehicles that has been reported as living in this lot continuously or frequently. Please park elsewhere. Enforcement will begin without further notice.”

In addition, the leaflet claims the entire Dog Beach parking lot is a no-parking area at all times for people who live in their vehicles because of the restriction against parking within 500 feet of any home.

By Mark Nero/ San Diego Patch / May 16, 2019

A man who hit a popular local surfer in the head with a carbon fiber paddle in the water at Sunset Cliffs has been sentenced to five years in state prison.

Although the sentence was issued Thursday, May 16, it was last month that Paul Taylor Konen, 34, was convicted of assault, with a great bodily injury allegation, for the June 26, 2018, assault on Kevin Eslinger, 56.

Eslinger sustained a gash to the back of his head that fractured his skull and caused brain damage, rendering him unable to speak until days after the injury, Deputy District Attorney Matthew Greco said. An emergency room physician said the injury looked “like a hammer blow,” the prosecutor said.

Point Lomans Anne Jackson Hefti and Amy Ryan have started a campaign to get the City of San Diego to stop using herbicides and toxic chemicals at city parks, playgrounds and beaches. It’s called Campaign for a Non Toxic San Diego and they are lobbying Mayor Faulconer using an online petition and other traditional tactics.

It all started when Anne and Amy were walking their dogs at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park earlier this year. The women believe they exposed to wind-drift toxic herbicide sprayed by workers there and began doing research on Round-Up. The OB Rag picked up the story with Judi Curry writing about it. Other media have followed suit.

Anne and Amy are mobilizing their supporters to the May 22 meeting of the OB Town Council to present their concerns

A Response to Nicole Burgess’ Post on “Wonderful transformation for West Point Loma Blvd”

By Geoff Page

The subject of reducing West Point Loma Blvd. from four lanes to two lanes between Nimitz and Midway has been covered in several OB Rag pieces recently. One such article was written by cycling advocate Nicole Burgess titled “A Wonderful Transformation for West Point Loma Blvd.” Mrs. Burgess is a one-issue person if ever there was one. I will say at the outset that I admire her energy and commitment to her cause. Her constant promotion of cycling, at the expense of automobile traffic, is understandable because Mrs. Burgess does not drive.

I have witnessed her pushing cycling at planning board and town council meetings for several years. Last year, she came before the Midway planning board promoting a plan to remove parking on the south side of Sports Arena from Midway to Kemper.

The Old Broad Is Left to Ponder After Hitting Her Head on the Garage Door – Twice

By Judi Curry

The mind is so creative. It can imagine all sorts of things, some that are based on fact, and many that are based on fiction. The old adage that “if you say it enough times it will be believed” is certainly true, if one looks at the political situation today.

But this is not about the politics facing the nation today. No, rather this is about me and my mind, and the scare that I caused just by thinking.

I frequently blame my decisions – whether right or wrong ones – on being blond. I actually have always been a blond – even a “towhead” until the age of 15. I figure that I am allowed to make one wrong decision a year, and if you total up my number of years you will see that I made my fair share of bad ones. Of course, I made a whole lot of good ones to offset the others.

On Saturday, May 11th the Ocean Beach Green Center’s is celebrating 30 years and is having its Grand Opening at their new location.

It’s all happening at 4862 Voltaire Street in OB at Jim Bell’s place (Right across from the old location), from 2 pm – 7 pm.

Come join and help celebrate their 30 years of environmental, peace & social justice activism.

There will be live music featuring the following line-up:

Restaurant Review

Euphoria XIX Grill
3944 W. Point Loma Ave
San Diego, CA 92110
619-222-0020

By Judi Curry

I try to wait until a restaurant has been opened for 6 months or so before I do a review. I have been to “Euphoria XIX” three times now, and each time with a different person. I have combined our experiences into this one review.

The restaurant is light and airy. Around the windows are individual couches on the side against the windows and chairs in the front. There are a few high tables along the north side of the restaurant, some seating outdoors; and a few tables to the south of the entry door.

I usually don’t go into this much detail about the seating, but feel it is necessary here, because although the couches are comfortable and pretty, there is no way that I can sit in one and be comfortable.

Now that the former Mission Beach Elementary School has been demolished, the development of a 3-story, 59-unit mega-plex planned for the property can move forward. The school site on Mission Boulevard, vacant since 2013, was sold off to private developers that year by the San Diego School Board – to much controversy.

Critics at the time derided the school district for selling forever prime beach property – and on Tuesday, May 14th, the San Diego Unified School District board authorized the sale of the former Mission Beach Elementary School property to private developers – despite objections by Mayor Filner, residents and community activists.

The pleas fell on deaf ears and the site was sold for $18.5 million to a duo of developers, doing business as McKellar-Ashbrook LLC, registered in La Jolla.Another controversy broke out about the down-sizing of a public park promised the community by the developer. The community of Mission Beach was first told that the park would be almost one-third acre. However, now, under changes, the so-called park has shrunk by a third or almost 40% depending on what formula is used.

Restaurant Review

ParAgon Deli Café
2724 Shelter Island Dr.
San Diego, CA 92106
619-888-4997

By Judi Curry

Just recently I was told about a new restaurant that had opened up about five months ago in Point Loma that had some of the best soup on the Point.

When I asked where it was I was told it was “in the same parking lot as ‘Fiddler Green’.” I was not told that it was a deli; only that they were touting “Cinco de Mayo” and tortilla soup.

I decided that when my newly married grandson came over today that he, my daughter Stephanie and I would go try it out. The day was cool and soup sounded warm and inviting. Little did I know that we would be walking into Point Loma’s newest gem.

The first thing that we saw was a sign that listed the “specials of the day” with the admonition – “and tomorrow too”. Tortilla soup was listed. (I later found out that they fluctuate between their soups of the day with Clam Chowder).

The facility in itself is small; only 5 tables inside and 3 outside.