Reader Rant

Reader Rant: “OB and Point Loma – Beware the Old Armani Leather Jacket Scam”

February 3, 2017 by Source

Reader Rant by Rick Dower

On Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 1st, I almost became the victim of an attempted scam which I will call the ‘old Armani leather jacket con’.

I was walking my dog across Pt. Loma Ave at Guizot St. just an hour before I wrote this up as a warning for OB Rag readers, and a guy in a nice white Jeep Grand Cherokee stops in the middle of the street, hails me in a heavy Italian accent. Needs directions to the airport.

He pulled onto Guizot, I gave “Antonio” directions, he profusely thanks me. In heavily accented English, he then tells me he is a designer for Giorgio Armani in Milan, was in San Diego for a big fashion show and is leaving in 2 hours for London for another show.

What-a size are you?” He is so grateful for my help he offers to give –give!– me 3 nice-looking “Armani” leather jackets he designed and brought to town for the show.

Read the full article → 3 comments

Reader Rant: “The community is being snookered about City’s lack of enforcement of 30-foot height violations.”

July 22, 2016 by Source

By Local One

I attended the Peninsula Community Planning Board meeting last night (Thursday, July 21) and listened intently to the presentations made by Mayor Faulconer’s representative and the head of the Developmental Services Department.

Boy oh boy, what a bunch of packaged lies we were fed last night. The people can see with their own eyes that the community is being snookered with regard to the lack of enforcement, and continuing DSD approval, of numerous violations of the existing MC defined 30 foot coastal height limit.

Speaker after speaker last night quoted directly from the Municipal Code in which the law is absolutely clear with regard to measuring the 30? height, but City representatives from the Mayor’s office and DSD kept insisting that the City Attorney’s office interprets the voter approved Proposition D very differently than any common sense reading of the law.

Further, the Mayor and DSD shut down the Emerson Street project based on a violation of the FAR standards, NOT the obvious violation of the 30 foot coastal height limit.

Read the full article → 46 comments

Reader Rant: “Don’t Vote for Kevin Faulconer Because He Has Repaired 300 Miles of Roads”

June 7, 2016 by Source

By Geoff Page

If you are going to the polls today and are thinking of voting for Kevin Faulconer because he has “repaired” 300 miles of roads, as he is telling everyone, he has been successful in fooling you.

This doesn’t mean you are not smart, it just means that paving is not something you know much about and you think this is true because of all the new black streets and new stripes. I’ve been in the construction business for 43 years. I know paving and the mayor is not being honest.

The vast majority of what has been done is called slurry seal. This is not a “repair,” slurry seal is a maintenance operation designed to prolong the life of good asphalt. It is something the city should have been doing all along.
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Reader Rant: SDG&E Closes Section of OB Bike Path Without Public Notice Just Before “Bike to Work Day”

May 19, 2016 by Source

OB Commuters on Bike Path Will Have to Take Lengthy Detour

By Tom Roebuck

Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 20th and has been heavily promoted by SANDAG.

But OB cyclists attempting to commute to work on Friday via the Ocean Beach bike path will encounter a chain-link fence just east of the W. Mission Bay Drive bridge.

With no public notice or input, SDG&E has completely closed the OB bike path between W. Mission Bay Drive and Pacific Highway until at least May 27.

The runway-flat stretch of blacktop on the south side of the San Diego River provides easy access from OB to Old Town, downtown San Diego and Mission Valley, and the closure will force cyclists, joggers, walkers and other users of the path onto busy surface streets for a lengthy detour.

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Reader Rant: ‘Sorry, Ocean Beach, your opinion doesn’t count.

May 12, 2016 by Source

2 Multi-Story Residences on Border Between OB and Point Loma Approved by City Without OB Planning Board Input, While Peninsula Board Votes to Oppose Project

By Tom and Judy Parry

“Sorry, Ocean Beach, your opinion doesn’t count.”

That’s essentially what the city has told residents of a quiet Ocean Beach street where two multistory residences would be squeezed onto a tiny parcel and tower over the single-family homes on the block, if a developer prevails, . The ultra-modern architecture would blend in with Southern California Spanish style homes and graceful bungalows as well as a fisherman’s wading boots at a black tie dinner.

That’s the situation where we live, on Froude Street between Voltaire and Greene Street. The applicant wants two twin residences on two tiny lots, each just 25 feet wide. There’s an imaginary line that runs down Froude Street – our side is under Peninsula Community Planning Board jurisdiction. The other side, though less than 50 feet away, belongs in the Ocean Beach Planning Board district.

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Reader Rant: The Mainstream Media and the Push for Endless War

July 3, 2015 by Jeff Stone

By Jeff Stone

Why is the mainstream media only in hysterics over ISIS and the “terrorist threats” from Muslims? Could it be that they are being manipulated, or even directed by our government agencies?

Before you accuse this writer of paranoia realize that there are only six corporations that collectively control U.S. media today: Time Warner, Walt Disney, Viacom, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., CBS Corporation and NBC Universal. Together, the “big six” absolutely dominate news and entertainment in the United States.

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The Fuzzy Picture around the Chargers Stadium and Mission Valley

April 23, 2015 by Source

A Reader’s Rant

By Joe Flynn / San Diego Free Press

Editor : The following “Reader’s Rant” by Mr. Flynn is a response to Taking a Wide Lens on Mission Valley by Mary Lydon, published in Voice of San Diego.

A wide angle lens may not be the appropriate analogy for this discussion. It seems a telephoto lens for a close up was used here focusing on providing a stadium for the Chargers. The rest of the picture is fuzzy. What is troubling about these discussions is that they begin and end with the assumption that the city owned land in Mission Valley, now improved with Qualcomm Stadium is “dedicated for sports facility use.”

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Reader Rant: Have Progressives Given Up on Ocean Beach ?

January 27, 2015 by Source

Have Progressives Given Up on OB ?

Psst! Don’t tell the government. Don’t tell the right-wing. But progressives, radicals, socialists, anarchists, leftists … whatever you want to call them – they’ve given up on Ocean Beach.

Read the full article → 15 comments

Reader Rant: ‘OB public restrooms are a disgrace.’

January 15, 2015 by Source

By Matthew Smith

I was wondering if the OB Rag had ever done any investigation into the horrible state of the public bathrooms at the OB beaches?

I regularly visit the beaches and each day Parks and Rec staff clean the bathrooms at 7 o’clock or 8 o’clock in the morning – every morning. There are two toilets in the main lifeguard tower bathroom and two more in the bathrooms on the beach near Brighton Ave. I’ve only seen the men’s bathrooms so these are the ones I’m asking about.

Every single day by noon all four toilets are clogged and unusable. This happens every day.

Read the full article → 9 comments

Reader Rant: Surf School Takes Too Much Space on Beach and in Water

July 14, 2014 by Source

Originally published July 14, 2014.

By Albert Elliott

This involves an incident I had on July 11th with Pacific Surf Schools in Ocean Beach.

I have heard people complaining about the amount of space both ON THE BEACH and IN THE WATER the surf school (Pacificsurf.org) has been taking down at the beach. On the 11th, someone had gone to the lifeguards and asked how much space the school was allowed and can they rope off the area to save it.

The lifeguards told the surf school to remove their rope.

Read the full article → 34 comments

WTF? Dick Cheney On Charlie Rose?

February 13, 2013 by JEC

Charlie Rose of CBS This Morning (on Tuesday 2/12/13) dragged former VP Dick Cheney out of mothballs to provide a pulpit for his opinions on National Defense and Obama’s ‘plans’ for the military. I know Cheney’s credibility in this area is non-existent so I was left to speculate why CBS would give this fossil a stage? Shared interests?

Cheney talked about Obama intentions to do “serious damage to the military”. He would like us to think John Brennan for CIA and Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense are the issues. I think not.

Read the full article → 6 comments

Reader Rant: ‘Now I understand the reluctance by some in OB to involve the police.’

October 9, 2012 by Source

During the recent meeting at the OB Woman’s Club over concerns about the sexual assaults, I was surprised by the “anti-police” attitudes by many attendees, having lived in OB for a number of years with no major complaints.

That is, until the other night.

Perhaps SDPD resents the proposed Citizens Watch or are under pressure for not publicizing the recent sex crimes, and are responding aggressively to allegations of insufficient patrol units. But, what happened to me was uncalled for . . .

I rode my bike to Apple Tree Market, was unknowingly “red lighted” for a block and detained in the parking lot by two cops. I saw the flashing lights and thought they were responding to a crime at the grocery store, until they walked in my direction.

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Open Letter to Grover Norquist on Why Most Americans Don’t Want to Drown Government in the Bathtub

May 15, 2012 by Source

By Joe Flynn

Dear Grover Norquist:

Top Ten Reasons why most people would not want government reduced to the size they could drown in a bathtub, as you so smugly recommend.

10. A water main has broken in front of your house, and you don’t have enough water to flush your toilet, let alone, drown anything in the tub.

9. Neighborhood kids have piled rocks in a sewer manhole plugging the line and what appear to be date expired Baby Ruth’s are floating down the street.

8. Your residential neighbor is in the process of constructing a building in his front yard, which coincidentally, blocks your prized view of the ocean.

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Open Letter to Assemblywoman Toni Atkins on Proposed Bill Requiring Registration of Medical Marijuana Patients

April 3, 2012 by Jack Hamlin

Assembly Member Toni Atkins
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0076

Re: A.B. 2465

April 3, 2012

Good morning Ms. Atkins:

I am writing to you with concern over A.B. 2465, introduced by Assembly Member Campos of San Jose. As I am sure you are aware, the bill contains provisions which directly affects the privacy rights of those who use medicinal marijuana as they are provided under the provisions of the Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 (codified as California Health and Safety Code §§ 11362.7, et seq.).

As I understand the gravamen of A.B. 2465, inter alia, it would require those who seek to use medicinal marijuana, after obtaining a physician’s recommendation, to register with the State of California to obtain an identification card as a part of a state-wide registry.

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Reader Rant: ‘Why was mayoral candidate Bonnie Dumanis allowed to parade around Point Loma High as if she knows something about education?’

January 20, 2012 by Source

By Gail Powell

D.A. DUMANIS, once dis-invited from the City College campus due to students irate over her perceived mishandling of the Diana Gonzalez murder case, has turned up again at a San Diego school.

This time, the Republican mayoral candidate managed to weasel herself into a class at Point Loma High School, alma mata of a number of people at the OB Rag including this author. Dumanis spoke in Room 301, according to the Point Loma High School Daily Bulletin, on Wednesday, January 11th from 12:30-1:30 with teacher Palmiotto hosting.

This bit of campaigning disguised as a school visit did not sit well with some parents. @Bonnie Dumanis on Twitter actually posted a picture of this adventure and it claimed, according to the caption, that Bonnie Dumanis was there to “meet with students at Pt. Loma High School and discuss her ‘Blueprint for America’s Finest Schools.’ http://twitpic.com/89b2nf

Read the full article → 30 comments

Occupier Rant: It’s misconduct for a San Diego police officer to show bias against Occupy San Diego

November 11, 2011 by Source

By Martha Sullivan

Per the San Diego Police Department’s webpage , “A citizen who is dissatisfied with police services or believes they have witnessed or been a victim of police misconduct can file a complaint using one or more of the following methods:” — which include email to the Police Chief, Citizens Review Board and/or Mayor, all of whom are addressed here.

My name is Martha Sullivan, and I am a resident of the City of San Diego at 2354 Carmel Valley Road, 92014; I also own a small business which is based in Sorrento Valley.

On the evening of Tuesday, November 8, 2011, I attended the musical, “Come Fly Away” at the San Diego Civic Theater ….

The View of a Parent of Explorer Charter School About Dismissed Principal

September 13, 2011 by Source

By Explorer Parent

The OB Rag had it right when publishing the article on September 1st, “Is former principal of Point Loma charter school being hounded by U-T Watchdog?” Indeed, Jill Green was being targeted by the Union Tribune Watchdog with erroneous and misleading information.

Read the full article → 5 comments

Reader Rant: Swearing off Politics!

May 20, 2011 by Source

By Matt

I went to Representative Susan Davis’ (CA-53) Town Hall event Wednesday night (May 18). It was the worst experience I have ever had at a political event.

I had a table with Progressive Democrats of America signs; “Heath Care not Warfare”, and “Corporations Are Not People”. Close to the 6 PM start time, a young man in his mid 20’s, with messy hair and a beard (the same messy hair and beard I wore when I could grow hair. I am 47 now) came walking by with his girlfriend. I was the first person he passed on the way. I asked him if he would like a sign. He told me that he had a problem with the sign because it had the word “Democrat” on it, and that the Democratic Party was a lost cause.

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A 1,000 San Diegans Rally in the Rain in Support of Wisconsin Working People

February 26, 2011 by Frank Gormlie

Over one thousand San Diegans – mainly of them union members – rallied today, Sat, Feb 26th, in the rain in support of Wisconsin working people. Under dark gray clouds, and in front of the County Admin Building, representing every union in the County, San Diego labor flexed its muscle today in a show of […]

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Reader Rant: ‘This is the Ronald Reagan I remember …’

January 25, 2011 by JEC

by JEC

On Monday, January 24th USAToday ran a major feature on Ronald Reagan. The Ronald Reagan I remember is very different from the idealized version offered in that paper.

As Governor, Reagan helped California’s public schools slip from #2 ranking to a #26 in just 8 years; in the aftermath of the killings at Kent State in May, 1970, to calm the exploding emotions Governor Reagan declared that:

“If blood is to run in the streets so be it!”

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Open thread for Friday, January 21

January 21, 2011 by Staff

Here it is boys and girls, your open thread for Friday, January 21, 2011.

This means you can say what’s on your mind without having to push your round thoughts into the square pegs of a post.

Got a rant or a rave? Here’s where you put it.

Read the full article → 19 comments

Reader Rant: Is it still okay to hate gays?

December 27, 2010 by Source

Reader Rant: I am a gay OBcian. I noticed with broad interest that this blog published a photo and short commentary on some recent anti-gay graffiti in Ocean Beach. One commenter even pointed out the obvious hate slur in a piece of graffiti – but it brought out the usual response, variations on “No, you’re […]

Read the full article → 29 comments

Rants Against the TSA

November 17, 2010 by Source

It’s that time, boys and girls, to unroll the rants about our favorite federal agency, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA):

Rant #1 – “Nanny State” vs. Police State

Rant #2 : A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To Work (or How Much I Love TSA)

Read the full article → 25 comments

Reader Rant: About Those Deficit-Reduction Commission Suggestions …

November 12, 2010 by Source

President Obama appointed 18 people to come up with suggestions for lowering the deficit. Yesterday, when Pres. Obama is outside of the country and will be until Sunday, they released their suggestions. I won’t go into detail about all of the things, but will mention two in particular that have me up in arms:
1. Social Security – raise the retirement age and lower the benefits

I am so mad that they are using SS as part of the reason for the budget problems.

Read the full article → 47 comments

Memo to mainstream media: Could we have just – say, one week without anything about Sarah Palin?

November 11, 2010 by Frank Gormlie

I’m getting really, really sick of it. Everywhere I turn – there’s Sarah Palin. Not her really, of course, but another image of her, another post, another comment, another article, another scoop, ….

HELP!!!!!!!!!!

Am I the only one who is so sick of seeing her that I’m getting ready to throw up???

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Reader Rant: An Alternative to “Pink October”

October 13, 2010 by Source

I wrote the first part – below – in response to the pink blindness I see everywhere. It has been a pet peeve of mine for many moons. It (pink ribbons) has been exploited for profit and now that Kentucky Fried Chicken jumped on the bandwagon it is so laughable. The very worst food for Health promotes BC Awareness?

Read the full article → 6 comments

Reader Rant: McDonalds Goes Robotic (finally)

September 10, 2010 by JEC

by JEC

It’s happened.

McDonalds has followed through on their threat to turn every store into a robotic extension of a central hub located somewhere in – well – India I think.

Today grabing a snack wrap and coke, after suffering the delay of the predetory sales pitch – this time to buy a 400 calorie smoothie made with 10% fruit juice – a male voice asks for my order.

Read the full article → 16 comments

PEACE RANT: The peace movement needs to stand up and take some responsibility and some credit.

September 2, 2010 by Source

by Molly MacGuire
The peace movement of this past decade was George Bush’s tea parties.

Amidst the gnashing of teeth and stomping of feet by peace movement types – people like me – expressing our frustrations, distrust and exasperation over this whole change in Iraq, there is something that has to be brought up. Whether it’s just the appearance of the end of US combat after the 7 year war, or there has been a significant shift in American military power, there is something that I think has been overlooked.

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“Voice of San Diego” catches KUSI doin’ the spin on Prop D – the sales tax measure

September 1, 2010 by Source

Editor: The local San Diego government watch-dog web site, the Voice of San Diego, has caught TV station KUSI working the spin machine in favor of opponents of Prop D, the sales tax increase.
How Political Spin Became Fact on KUSI

by Keegan Kyle/Voice of San Diego/ August 31, 2010

Here’s a lesson from the budding campaign over Proposition D that shows how quickly political spin can become accepted fact. ….

Read the full article → 6 comments

OB Lawyer Rant: Town Council motives to bar Gormlie should be questioned

August 25, 2010 by Source

by Anonymous OB Lawyer

Since this would appear to be an interpretation of an organization’s bylaws…I would want to know more about what the definition of “work” in OB means. Is there a further definition of what “work” means. Does it indicate that a person must work for a business that has a property and license in OB? If the bylaws are silent on this, then it really isn’t a stretch to say that Frank might qualify as “working” in OB.

In a civil court of law…making an argument that a PO Box doesn’t count would be a very very weak argument….

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Frank Gormlie May 25, 2020 at 12:48 pm on Councilmember Jen Campbell Appears Too Eager to Please the San Diego EstablishmentSee this seminal piece on the undermining of the 30 foot height limit. https://obrag.org/2013/01/digging-tunnels-under-the-30-foot-height-limit-part-1/
Adrienne May 25, 2020 at 11:20 am on Ocean Beach’s Livingston’s Mexican Grill Has ClosedWho/what has filled the space Livingston's had? 5/24/2020
Randy Arthur Arthur May 25, 2020 at 11:16 am on Garden Blogging in Ocean Beach and San Diego: Learning Our WeedsIt a great article in the weeds. Thank you
Peter from South O May 25, 2020 at 3:08 am on Councilmember Jen Campbell Appears Too Eager to Please the San Diego EstablishmentSea World's exemptions come to mind.
unwashedWalmartThong May 24, 2020 at 10:12 pm on Councilmember Jen Campbell Appears Too Eager to Please the San Diego EstablishmentAre there any precedents where the limit was set aside for the construction of a structure since the height limit inception?
Frank Gormlie May 24, 2020 at 3:29 pm on High-Rise, High-Density, High-Risk – Lessons from the PandemicCrazy - I just read this comment - and guess what I'm listening to on pandora? same as it ever was ...
sealintheSelkirks May 24, 2020 at 11:15 am on Unruly Brigade of Bicyclists Burst Through the Beach Area – Beat Up Woman Motoristkelp lady: I'm just glad to finally have it out of my brain. I can literally feel the space where it has been. It is...
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retired botanist May 23, 2020 at 3:05 pm on In the Pink of My Ocean Beach GardenAlways enjoy your articles, Kathy, thanks! A breath of clean air in these toxic times, indeed! :)
retired botanist May 23, 2020 at 3:02 pm on Unruly Brigade of Bicyclists Burst Through the Beach Area – Beat Up Woman MotoristSeal, I do, and would be quite interested in your book. I expect posting the book and where to get it might not be allowed...
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Bob Edwards May 23, 2020 at 12:34 pm on High-Rise, High-Density, High-Risk – Lessons from the PandemicThe name of this song is "Once In A Lifetime". The name of this band is Talking Heads.