Category: Politics

The Petition to support the OB Community Plan is out! Please sign it.

Here it is inside – (simply open the link and you’ll see the Petition, and then just print it out – there’s 2 pages, sign it and circulate it – then get it back to the Committee that is organizing the Petition).

OB is gearing up for the City Council hearing on the Plan on June 30th – and residents, property owners, renters, business-owners are urged to attend this important Council event – and sign the Petition to support the Plan.

By Beau Grosscup

Hours after the private racist statements of Donald Sterling, the NBA Los Angeles Clipper’s owner became public, millions of people, from players, owners, fans, indeed the whole sports industry and many in the general public went appropriately apoplectic. In unity they said the National Basketball Association must take decisive action. Clipper players engaged in symbolic acts of protest before their first playoff game. Threats of player and fan boycott preceded the second game.

Outraged at Sterling’s racism, Americans inside and out of the sports world waited to hear what action NBA commissioner Adam Silver would take. It had to be of consequence, they insisted, a strong message that racism in today’s society is socially unacceptable. Silver banned Sterling for life from NBA events. Arguing Sterling violated Article 13, Section d. of the NBA Bylaws,Silver said he would push Sterling to sell the Clippers. A month later the team was sold to a new owner.

Local OB planners are steamed and they have a right to be.

Last week the San Diego Planning Commission objected to key language in the OB Community Plan that many see as a key tool that OB uses to prevent over-development in the village – especially right at the beach and coast. The Commissioners also made recommendations to change the text.

Thing was, the language that was objected to by the Commission, was insisted upon by the City Attorney’s Office that it be inserted into the Plan in the first place.

The language objected to by the Commissioners had already been a compromise between what the OB planners had originally written and what City staff and City Attorneys said had to be there.

Now the Commissioners want to force another compromise on OB and its Plan with its recommendations, which accompany the Plan when it goes before the full City Council for review and approval on June 30th.

In order to prepare for the City Council hearing, local OB planners and their supporters are gearing up a campaign to let the Council know that they oppose the recommendations and insist on the language that speaks to problems that OB has had over the last few years in terms of variances being improperly granted by the City.

An urgent meeting has been called for tonight, June 2nd, by OB planners in order to formulate a response to how the San Diego Planning Commission dealt with the OB Plan Update last week.

The planners also also putting together a presentation for the City Council, which is scheduled to review the Plan on June 30th.

The meeting is open to any OBcean, and will be held at 6pm at the Dog Beach Dog Wash, 4933 Voltaire Street.

An amendment that would prohibit the Fed from interfering in state medical pot laws is still up in the air.

By April M. Short / AlterNet

The GOP-controlled House surprised just about everyone when it voted 218 to 189 for a pro-medical marijuana amendment on Friday. The amendment, tacked onto the much larger criminal justice funding bill (H.R. 4660), would prohibit the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using federal taxpayer funds to interfere with medical marijuana laws in 22 states that have passed them.

The House vote was historic. It was the first time since the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 that the majority of a chamber of Congress voted in favor of something that would alter national marijuana policy.

Unanswered questions linger about the amendment, however …

By Jim Miller

What if they had an election and nobody came?

That’s the feel that this June’s primary has to it and, after a nasty and seemingly unrelenting political year from the Filner scandal on, it’s understandable that folks are burned out and/or disgusted enough to stay home.

Nevertheless, while most San Diegans are meeting tomorrow’s election with a collective shrug, there are a number of things at stake that will affect our lives and the future of our local and statewide democracy in important ways.

Here are a few key areas that should motivate progressives to get to the polls: jpallan via flickr

1) The balance of power in the city is at stake.

By Frank Gormlie

The first thing I asked DA candidate Bob Brewer when I met him yesterday was if he could do “something about the traffic?” as it was bumper to bumper at 2:30 in the afternoon on I-5 as I drove to the interview – (okay it was a Friday – but really?) . We both chuckled and grimaced and he responded, “yeah, I’ll build another freeway” knowing full well that wasn’t the answer.

We sat down in an empty conference room on the 3rd floor of one of those new fancy buildings in the Carmel Valley area. He’s “of counsel” for the firm Jones Day where he’s been for the last 6 years.

Editor: There has been an entire discussion occurring in the comments to Friday’s post “Planning Commission Approves OB Plan Update But With New Language that Guts its Teeth on Variances“. Seth Connolly – a current member of the OB Planning Board – shared his thoughts and we liked them for their clarity so much that we repost it here.

By Seth Connolly

Speaking as a private citizen, I think there are a number of issues here beyond blanket terms such as “property rights” or “gentrification”. Property owners have the right to develop their properties within the bounds of the codes that everyone else has to adhere to, and hopefully, with strong consideration to policy documents such as the OB Precise Plan. Understand that while some of this is discretionary, this code is the *law* and not some arbitrary guideline to follow. Whether or not one likes the 0.7 FAR with 25% dedicated to enclosed parking or finds it too restrictive is about as relevant as thinking a 0.08 blood-alcohol content is too low for one to get a DUI.

The variance process exists to address special circumstances, and not to provide an end-around for some to buy their way out of the law.

by Ernie McCray

Here we go.

Same old same old politics in San Diego. The “Big Boys” have to get their way. They want us to vote “No” in opposition to a plan that was created to make a community healthy and safe.

And mayor, Kevin Faulconer, who has billed himself as an “independent” leader, has, as such, been going around talking about how when Propositions B & C are voted down, “it will be our opportunity to pass a plan that works to protect our families, to protect our economy.”

It was embarrassing to observe how the Planning Commission coddled one single property owner while gutting key language regarding variances

By Frank Gormlie

On Thursday, May 29, for nearly two hours, the Ocean Beach Community Plan Update was before the San Diego Planning Commission sitting in the City Council chambers. After having a staff presentation, listening to public comments pro and con, and their own questions and issues, the Planning Commission unanimously approved the Update. However, they approved the Plan with two modifications whose ramifications are not clear.

Okay, we know it’s election season, with the June 3rd Primary date less than a week away. So, why are Republicans Mayor Faulconer and District 6 Rep Lorie Zapf politicizing a proclamation today in honor of legendary skateboarder and native San Diegan Tony Hawk? The City is declaring Thursday, May 29 as “Tony Hawk Day” in San Diego.

And Faulconer and Zapf will be down at the OB Skateboard Park today at 11:00 am to host some kind of event. But why Zapf? She is running for District 2 – BUT SHE AIN’T THERE YET ! Why the heck will she be there – except to promote her candidacy against Democrat Sarah Boot. If anyone ought to be there, it should be Councilman Ed Harris – who does represent District 2.