Category: Ocean Beach

On the beach at the end of Cape May in the sand has stood what locals call “The Lifeguard Chair” — a neighborhood treasure that has been maintained and repaired by people who live on those sandy blocks.

However, lately – after locals spend hours and money on repairing the chair after it had been swept out to the water during a storm — someone with a hatchet walked up to it at night and destroyed it. People were heartbroken … but they haven’t given up.

They’ve established a gofundme to raise dough to rebuilt the chair “one again.”  Here’s their statement:

The Cape May community is coming together to repair ‘The Lifeguard Chair,’ a beloved fixture on the beach in front of our neighborhood for nearly two decades. This chair has been a gathering spot, a symbol of our shared love for the ocean, and a project that many neighbors have poured their time and resources into over the years. After a recent storm destroyed the chair, a group of us spent countless hours and hundreds of dollars rebuilding it, determined to keep this tradition alive for everyone who enjoys our beach.

The new owner of The Black has been finally revealed!

He’s Peter Yaldo, a local businessman from Chula Vista, but with strong family ties to Ocean Beach.

His uncle is the landlord of the building where The Black rents and that’s where he met up with Kurt Dornbusch, the now former owner. Dornbusch did still had a lease obligation on the space. Yaldo assumed Dornbusch’s lease and acquired The Black.

Yaldo had a “soft opening” on April 6th and plans a grand opening later in the month.

Here’s the details from Steve Anderson’s great piece at Times of San Diego

In early February, The Black announced it was closing its doors for good.

Owner Kurt Dornbusch announced his retirement after 45 years at the helm, ending The Black’s 57-year run as a defining countercultural landmark on Newport Avenue.

Rag intrepid reporter Geoff Page checked out what was going on at the foot of Narragansett.

The Rag was prompted by a reader who requested we investigate the scene, and “request immediate clarification regarding the apparent staging and anticipated installation of fencing at the western terminus of Narragansett Avenue in Ocean Beach, near the coastal open space and shoreline access points adjacent to the pier area.”

Instead of a written report, Geoff offered these photos.

Letter to City of San Diego & Mayor Todd Gloria 

By Shannon Greenlee

My April property tax bill increased by over $500 due to the added trash fee — and that’s only one of two annual payments.

If I refuse to pay the portion related to the trash fee increase (more than $1,000 total), I face penalties and even the risk of losing my home.

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.