Category: Ocean Beach

Today, we’re having fun and games with Richard Bailey, a candidate for District 2 of the San Diego City Council.

First, a new PAC for Bailey has just been announced. This is serious stuff. But it’s also a game. Steven Richter, a semi-retired tax attorney, is the principal officer for ‘SD Policy over Politics’, the new PAC.

Here’s Arturo Castañares’ write up about the new PAC, published April 13. Castañares is the editor at large of La Prensa.

A longtime Point Loma resident has launched a new political action committee (PAC) to support a candidate in the upcoming election for San Diego City Council, according to documents filed with the California Secretary of State last week.

By Mandy Havlik, Candidate for San Diego City Council District 2

I didn’t decide to run for City Council sitting behind a desk or at a political event. I decided to run after years of standing and advocating with neighbors asking, why is this still not fixed?

After watching people I care about feeling ignored by a system that’s supposed to serve them. And one of those moments that really stayed with me happened at my kids’ school. As a new parent and the elementary school garden coordinator at Ocean Beach Elementary, I started noticing traffic safety issues along Santa Monica and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. Cars moving too fast. Lack of signage. No designated pick and drop off area. Kids walking and biking through an area that didn’t feel designed to protect them and keep them safe.

It wasn’t something difficult. It was about protecting my kids and other children in the neighborhood. So I did what I’ve always done, I spoke up. I went to the school administration, thinking this would be something we could work on together. Protecting children shouldn’t be complicated or controversial. But instead of support, I was met with hesitation. Questions about liability. Deflection. A sense that this wasn’t really the school’s responsibility, that it belonged somewhere else.

By Gary Wonacott

A few years ago, the city’s contractor completed undergrounding work in South Mission Beach — originally planned in the 1970s.

The contractor tore up Mission Boulevard and the alleys.

More disruption is scheduled soon, so it would be wasteful to install expensive concrete paving now.

Yet the contractor left Mission Boulevard in terrible shape.

Mission Bay Park is Not Surplus Land

By Donna Frye

A little over nine months ago, the issue of whether three properties in Mission Bay Park would be declared “surplus land” was being discussed at the City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee. The committee voted to support that declaration and within a week, the public was informed about it by Geoff Page in the OB Rag.The three properties were Marina Village banquet and conference center, Dana Landing Marina and Sportsmen’s Seafood restaurant.

The reason cited by the city for the surplus land declaration was the State Surplus Land Act which required the city council to declare the properties “surplus” in order to request proposals for leases for a period longer than 15 years.

By declaring the land as surplus, first priority would be given to housing developers who could force the city into negotiations to build housing in Mission Bay Park.

The problem is that Mission Bay Park is dedicated public park land and San Diego City Charter Section 55 prohibits housing development in Mission Bay Park.

The public opposition to declare Mission Bay Park “surplus land” was instantaneous and unanimous. When the proposal made its way to the full city council for a vote on July 29, the item was continued instead of being approved.

Here’s what’s happening baby around Point Loma this month of April. Thanks to our friends at Peninsula News for getting it all together

Please join Ocean Beach Historical Society, Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 7:00 pm, for “What Ever Became of Dutch Flats“- an eye-opening excursion into the hidden history of the boggy estuary that once stretched between Old Town and Loma Portal – Dutch Flats.

The Log Staff / April 9, 2026

The Port of San Diego is continuing to advance its efforts to balance coastal protection with environmental restoration, announcing two new habitat-focused shoreline projects following the success of an earlier pilot program in San Diego Bay. The Board of Port Commissioners approved a $2.9 million construction contract on March 10, 2026, awarding the work to Power Engineering Construction Co. for improvements at Harbor Island Park and along the Chula Vista side of the Sweetwater Channel.

Much of San Diego Bay’s shoreline has long been reinforced with traditional infrastructure such as seawalls and riprap, which account for roughly three-quarters of the waterfront. While these methods are effective at preventing erosion, they offer little benefit to marine ecosystems. In response, the Port has been working to introduce nature-based alternatives that enhance habitat while maintaining the structural integrity needed to protect the coastline.

By Deborah Boss

It was disappointing learning about Akilah Weber Pierson’s Senate Bill 958 focused on a workaround to eliminate CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) review for Midway Rising. It’s slated to be one of the largest developments of affordable housing for the State of California.

Do people understand why CEQA was formed and why developers can’t just go around these protections?  Stan Kroenke certainly doesn’t understand.  He finds ways to work around it when he creates his multi-million dollar stadiums.

Midway Rising is a different kind of development because most of it will be housing and when homes sink into the ground, they have sewage problems or floods someone has to pay.  But, should it be the citizens of San Diego?  How many times should Save Our Access have to go to court to force the City to accept CEQA review?  The California Appellate Court has ruled twice and the California Supreme Court has denied hearing which is why Akilah Weber Pierson’s Bill 978 is coming to fruition in the legislature.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was established in 1970 to require state and local agencies to identify, disclose, and mitigate the environmental impacts of public and private development projects. It was enacted to promote transparency, public participation, and environmental protection in land-use decisions. It is the state’s most important environmental law.

OB’s legendary head shop, The Black, has re-opened. April 6 was their “soft opening” and the place appears to be the same, although by the looks of it, there are more beachy products – paddle boards, towels, etc.

No Fireworks on Nights of Drone Shows — California Coastal Commission Meeting is April 15

By Donna Frye

Sea World San Diego is seeking a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) from the California Coastal Commission to conduct up to 110 aerial drone shows, that would be approximately 15 minutes in length and “include up to 1,000 illuminated drones above the waters of Mission Bay for a pilot period of one year from the date of CDP issuance.” The Coastal Commission meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 15 to hear the request; it is Item Number 10b on the agenda.

The Coastal Commission staff report states in part:

“SeaWorld San Diego has traditionally ended many of its park days with a nighttime fireworks show. However, in response to growing concerns related to the impact of fireworks on coastal resources, as well as improvements in drone entertainment technology, SeaWorld is proposing a pilot period of one year for aerial drone shows.The drone shows would involve up to 1,000 illuminated aerial drones that would be programmed to autonomously take off, perform an up to 15-minute show up to 660 feet above Mission Bay, and then return to land. The shows would involve the drones following pre-programmed routes that depict various shapes formed by their onboard colored lights, accompanied by music played at ground level for patrons within SeaWorld.”

By Dave Schwab / Peninsula Beacon / March 31, 2026

Named for a family sing-along, Loop-de-Loo’s children’s resale shop off Voltaire Street in Point Loma offers exceptional deals on gently used clothing at affordable prices.

With a healthcare background as a nurse, Lindsay Rutherford, the daughter of one of the principals in HGW Architecture in Ocean Beach on Bacon Street, has embarked on a new career as proprietor of the newly opened children’s resale shop.

Needing resale children’s clothing herself is one reason Rutherford opened Loop-de-Loo’s at 4030 Wabaska Drive in Point Loma Heights, which carries children’s clothing and shoes, sizes newborn to 14, along with toys, books, and some baby gear.

With three children of her own, Rutherford knows just how fast they grow and how keeping them clothed is a constant challenge.