Category: Ocean Beach

In front of a fire pit near the waters of Mission Bay, Mayor Jerry Sanders announced at a press conference today (5/10/10) that the City’s 185 beach fire rings have been saved … at least for now. Due to a hefty donation of $90,000 from the San Diego Foundation, and smaller amounts from other sources, the fire rings’ are safe from removal until June 2011.

by Michael Chen/ Channel 10 News

The five cameras were installed in response to a street robbery and vicious sexual assault case in 2006 that left city and community leaders outraged. It cost $100,000 to install the cameras, which are put up at Belmont Park and South Mission Beach.

But after several years of watching, police have stopped monitoring those cameras.

Editor: Our OB Rag blogger, Mary Mann, took off for Bangkok, Thailand a few weeks ago, in the midst of turmoil roiling that country. Here is her first post from that beautiful but troubled land.

“Are you ok? We heard about the explosions in Bangkok. I’m worried about you.”

Thus read a portion of an email from my mom, which I read in an internet cafe off of Koh San Road on my first day in this sweltering, smiling country.

Michael Chen, a Channel 10 News reporter, has a brand, new piece that he is broadcasting tonight about the surveillance cameras in and around the beach. His report has a new slant on the fact that the City of San Diego plans to install up to 16 cameras around Mission Bay and including one on the OB Pier.

Chen came out to OB today (5/5/10) and interviewed Frank Gormlie about the cameras. Gormlie has written about the “creep of Big Brother” and has taken a strong stance against the cameras.

But we cannot divulge the content of Chen’s report until after tonight. His report should be either at 6pm or 7pm this evening on Channel 10.

What’s the answer? SeaWorld may know.

A SeaWorld rescue squad was called out to OB this morning (May 5) to capture a baby sea lion that had wandered onto Abbott Street during the early hours of the morning.

As a police officer tried to steer it back towards the ocean, it crawled underneath his car. A SeaWorld net captured the pup.

Locals cheered. Local media was all over the story. It was the big tip of the day.

As always, local photographer Jim Grant was also all over it. These are his pics.

ALL LINKS INSIDE

* “Terriers” Filming at Hodad’s All Day Tuesday May 4th
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* Rally for “No More Cuts In Education” on Saturday, May 8th
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* Heathens’ Fundraiser Set for May 15th
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* Don Truesdail CD-Release Party a Success
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* Olive Tree Market Opens Beer and Wine Tasting Room
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* Voice of San Diego Holding School Board Candidate Forum – May 20th
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I have technically been a Phish fan since my early teens, when a dreadlocked summer camp counselor played the song “Fee” each morning to rouse a cadre of young adolescents from their slumber and get them ready for the day.

My devotion grew over the years, and by now I consider myself a Phish “head”. At this stage in my fan arc, I wholeheartedly believe that what keeps me coming back for more is the community built between the band and it’s fans.

On Friday night (April 30th) at the Hazard Center Ultrastar Theatre, there was a love fest going …

At 12:30pm today, Saturday, May 1, there will be a half hour discussion of OB’s and San Diego’s fire rings and pits. Go to AM 600 to listen.

It is a discussion between Frank Gormlie of the “Adopt-a-Fire-Pit” Project, Hans Baumgartner of Save San Diego Fire Pits, and Phyllis Pfieffer of the La Jolla Light.

If you missed it at 12:30 or wish to listen to it early …. (LINKS INSIDE)

Nearly a dozen residents who support keeping OB’s fire rings showed up at the Town Council’s regular meeting, Wednesday night, April 28th, and about half of them spoke up at the Masonic Temple meet before the very attentive Council on maintaining the community’s icons.

And even though the Town Council did not take a vote during the meeting, those members of the Council who spoke on the issue gave strong indications the Council would vote during their next meeting in support of the fire rings. About two years, the Council had passed a similar proposal in support of the pits.

Show the OB Town Council – and everybody else (like the Mayor) – that you want to save the fire rings of Ocean Beach. They’re on the agenda tonight, April 28th, of the Town Council.

They meet at 7 pm at the Masonic Temple, corner of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and Santa Moncia Ave.

Mayor Sanders is threatening to begin removing all 185 of San Diego’s fire rings, including the remaining eight here in OB, beginning July 1. (We used to have 16 during the summer months.)

The City says the is no more funds to maintain them, that it costs $120,ooo to clean all the pits every week.

by anonymous OBcian

Often these days, we hear so many bad things about our country – the political tensions and the economy -, and we hear so many bad things about our state of California – how its going broke and the legislative stalemate -, and plus we hear so many negative things about our southwestern County – its conservatism and shyness in handing out benefits -, that we sometimes forget where we are.

Well, for one, I want to shout out: “Let’s hear it for the other side – let’s hear it for our country, our state, and yes, even for our county: “hip, hip, hurray, hip, hip, hurray!”

What the heck am I shouting about???

I’m shouting ‘hurray’ loud and clear for everyone to hear — for the safety and social nets of our county, state and country.

Originally posted April 22, 2009

by Frank Gormlie

This was the day a new park was born, created out of the dirt of a Highway Patrol station. The people of Barrio Logan on this day seized land that was supposed to hold a CHP station. They made it into a park – Chicano Park – which today stands as an historic center for murals, art, Chicano and Mexican-American culture.