Category: San Diego

The Peace Sign has returned to Ocean Beach. Back on Memorial Day weekend, 2006, a small group of long-time locals – calling themselves “Peace Rockers” – installed a stunning stained-glass Peace Sign atop the magnificent rock off the shores of Sunset Cliffs. No political statement was ever intended by the design. Rather, the Peace Rockers hoped the Sign would inspire a continual contemplation on tolerance, on harmony, and on the desire of all people for an end to violence. Regrettably, the sign was removed by persons unknown in the middle of the night in about January of 2008, and was never returned. We have it on good authority the Peace Rockers have returned to Ocean Beach. In fact we have proof!

Don Bauder, blogger for the San Diego Reader, wrote a recent post “Football Yes, Libraries No” – reposted below. We wanted to share images of the $26 million pedestrian bridge that Bauder mentions. Groundbreaking ceremonies on the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge just occurred back on October 23rd. It will allow Petco Park visitors – baseball fans – easier access to the ballpark from across Harbor Drive. San Diego says Yes to baseball. CCDC is driving this project. Now what with the Chargers’ revival, all of this is even more relevant. This bridge is way more important for our civic life than branch libraries or even a new downtown one. Easy access to baseball but not to books.

Statewide and national media reported that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced it would be increasing oversight at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) upon discovering that an emergency backup battery system had been inoperable for the past four years due to inadequate maintenance.

On Saturday, December 13th, the Union-Tribune ran an innocuous article entitled, “DA ends probe of land sale to college,” over on page B-3. Staff writer Jennifer Vigil described very matter-of-fact-ly how the District Attorney “had cleared everyone involved in a land sale to the San Diego Community College District that benefited two politically connected developers.” Does this bury the scandal? It’s such a small scandal and involved our former ‘ballpark czar’ Mike Madigan.

The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday cleared the way for construction of the Sunrise Powerlink, a contentious transmission line that promises to bring more reliable and renewable power from the Imperial Valley to San Diego. The 4-1 vote allows San Diego Gas & Electric Co. to move forward with the 123-mile, $1.9 billion power-line project, which could deliver enough electricity to serve 650,000 households. At the same time, it was a disappointment to for many environmentalists, who worry about the effects of 150-foot-tall towers on unspoiled deserts and mountains. “Corporate profit won out today,” said the Sierra Club’s Micah Mitrosky.

The Department of Commerce on Thursday upheld the California Coastal Commission’s rejection of a proposed 16-mile toll road extension that would cut through San Onofre State Beach, one of the state’s most popular parks. Federal officials determined that lengthening state Route 241 is not essential to national security and mentioned at least one viable alternative path.

The anonymous donation of $259,500 to save San Diego’s beach fire pits has provided a little holiday warmth for a city that is cold, broke and desperate for help. The unexpected gesture, announced yesterday, led many San Diegans to heap praise on the unknown benefactor and renewed fond memories of a beach tradition that has spanned generations.

A recent study found that childhood (ages 0-19) leukemia mortality rates around US nuclear power plants have been significantly higher than the national average.
“The plant with the largest local population is the San Onofre installation in Southern California, located on the border of San Diego and Orange Counties. Results are also presented for this site…and a [statistically] significant increase in leukemia for children aged 0-9 [41% higher than the national rate] and 10-19 [29.5% higher] was observed.”

It has already rained half an inch at the coast Monday. There are predictions of from 1 to 3 inches of rain at the coast over the next few days. So what does that mean for us in San Diego? Not much for most of us, living here as we do in paradise. No one has prepared us for what to do. But that is going to change.
It’s about to rain buckets, so, I say, get out the buckets, the barrels, get out anything you can to capture rain water in. Why?
Remember, we still live in a desert.

Roughly 300 residents of University City packed a standing-room only auditorium Thursday night at University City High School, to listen to military and city representatives discuss Monday’s jet crash which killed four residents, and destroyed or damaged five homes. The crash had occurred just mere hundreds of feet from the high school campus. Many in the crowd supported the military, but also many were concerned that they would never learn the truth about the F-18 jet and why it crashed into their neighborhood. Anger was evident in the crowd, and it was downright hostile at times.

After Monday’s tragic crash of a F/A-18D Hornet into a University City residence that wiped out nearly an entire family and their home, destroying and damaging four other houses, calls have begun to mount for moving the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. The crash occurred when the pilot, who had lost power in two engines, could no longer control the aircraft and ejected. The plane crashed into a residential neighborhood two miles west of the MIramar runway. The plane also narrowly missed University City High School by a quarter of a mile.

Regarding the new building concept just approved by the Ocean Beach Planning Board, Sunset Plaza, proposed by World Oil… what can we do now? The next step following review of the Ocean Beach Community Planning Board is review and decision by City Planning Department Staff. Then, if applicable, appeal review and decision by the City Planning Commission.