Category: San Diego

By Gabriella Rubio

We’re in Ocean Beach, California, where the grey sky looming overhead begins to burn away, the air is well… earthy, and our eclectic bubble fills with vacationers.

This time we zoom back into the beloved Template coffeehouse on Niagara, a cornerstone and home for many in the community. This summer, this colorful portal hosted a few small, silly and playful creatures in its back garden, looked after them and took them on wild adventures in the great outdoors of OB. This was all by the enchanting and mythical guardian, Miss Chula, accompanied by her magic bus, Rover.

Chula, or more fondly known as ChuChu to the lively kids attending her camps, is the sole founder of Down to Earth Nature School. At the heart of it all is what she calls “Kids Empowered” — a school where radical self-expression is a core value, a place kids feel safe to be their pure, authentic selves and applaud others for doing the same. Where “Odd-Ball” behavior is welcomed, embraced and encouraged, while learning environmental impact and the importance of taking care of the planet. Speaking with her about her vision, you can see the passion bubbling up from within, which makes learning from her all the more fun.

To understand where this vision comes from, let’s go back in time a bit, to Chula’s past. She grew up nannying and being around kids her whole life, surrounded by the support of her parents and sisters. Along the way, she gained entrepreneurial influence from her dad. This led her to San Francisco State, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies with a complimentary degree in Holistic Studies. She went on to earn her teaching credential in 2025.

By Paul Krueger

July has slipped away, and with it, the best chance we had to force City Hall to reopen the 13 Mission Bay restrooms closed in pursuit of  so-called “fiscal responsibility.”

We now have little more than a month until the traditional end of summer to find a solution to this civic embarrassment. And I’m not optimistic.

The city council is on vacation until mid-August, so we can’t organize a protest outside city hall and try to shame council members during non-agenda public comment for their lack of unified response to this actual threat to public health.

Mayor Todd Gloria is only seen in public at pre-scripted ceremonies where he cuts ribbons and fills potholes. So there’s no opportunity to confront him about his false narrative that City Hall can’t spare the $550,000 needed to reopen the restroom doors.

And the council member who should be speaking loudest about the need to protect public health has been regrettably – though predictably — silent on the issue.

Jen Campbell, whose District 2 includes Mission Bay, is a family physician. She knows public health is at risk when people can’t find a restroom.

A Classic Story of Mid-West Immigrants Coming to Southern California During the War

By Philip Roger Shafer

Retold by His Daughter Micaela Porte 

Chapter 1

The Idea  — It started with the letters. The letters from California. The letters from my father’s friend, Walter, had been arriving for over a year, who moved there to work for the defense industry.

Father read them to us at the dinner table. We could hardly believe it. Roses and oranges in winter? A postcard of snow-capped mountains in the background and fruiting orchards in the foreground from Burbank, California.

It was January, 1944. We lived in Columbus, Ohio. I think we all dreamed a lot of California that year.

Christmas had been dreary. Dreary weather, dreary long war rationing, dreary death of Uncle Sydney, prisoner of war, my mother’s young brother, she was so sad. Dreary death of my dad’s mother, Grandma Emma, from a long illness, he was so sad.

I wasn’t sad about death and war. I was ten. I loved sledding, but I busted my front teeth in a jump and all the dental work was making me sad.

“Dear Phil and Edith,

Happy New Year 1944, glad we are alive.
Friends, you must move to California. The place is booming, towns forming overnight. Ask for a transfer, we need good Bell Men.

The war drags on, our condolences to you for the lost of your loved ones in this tragedy…

I miss the snow sometimes, for about 15 minutes at Christmas. Our winter coats hang unused in the hall closet.

Give our love to the family,
Happier New Year to all,

Editordude: In mid-July, Robert Campbell wrote “Footnote 7: The Truth, the Corruption, the Timeline” here at the Rag where he documented how the infamous Footnote 7 came into being. In it he states:

Right before voting to approve the (Land Development Code) and Footnote 7, then-Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe personally thanks (land use developer and attorney) Dennis Dawson by name, along with the YIMBYs, for their work. Orchestrating this legislative session is her then-Chief of Staff, Henry Foster III.

And here below, Campbell gives us a valuable update to his story.

By Robert Campbell

As you all may recall, then City Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe personally thanked Dennis Dawson for speaking in favor of Footnote 7 when it passed at City council in 2020. Public records show Dennis Dawson concocted Footnote 7 with Gary Geiler from the Development Services Department along with its revision a year later.

Ongoing

Every Saturday at 10:30 am. San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings.  August 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th. Keep up to date on climate issues and Climate Action events. To register email Jon Findley at jon@climatemobsd.org.  More info: https://www.facebook.com/SDClimateMobilization/

Every Saturday 10 am – 12 pm Peace Vigil for Palestine: Advocate for Peace and Justice in Gaza and Everywhere Join CODEPINK SD, San Diego Veterans for Peace, and Palestine Pals every Saturday at 10:00 am at Ocean Beach Gateway Plaza, on the corner of Sunset Cliffs Blvd. and W. Point Loma Blvd.  Wear pink and bring a peace-related poster if you have one!  Contact: Nathanael sandiego@codepink.org  More info:  https://www.instagram.com/codepinksd/

The San Diego River Park Foundation has volunteer opportunities in Ocean Beach: San Diego River Mouth Habitat Restoration on August 11th. For other volunteer opportunities go to https://sandiegoriver.org/

Indivisible is a grassroots movement of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda. For places, dates and details go to: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/  Also check out their Change Begins with me calendar: https://changebeginswithmesite.wordpress.com/events/

Every Sunday 1:30 pm – 3:15 pm Otay Mesa Vigil Otay Mesa Detention Center 7488 Calzada de la Fuente San Diego 92154

By Steven Mihailovich / PB Monthly / July 30, 2026

Local outrage over the city’s closure of 13 public restrooms in Mission Bay Park to balance the budget was evident at the Pacific Beach Town Council’s July meeting.

As the sole city government official present, Savannah Stallings — PB rep for Council President Joe LaCava — bore the full brunt of criticisms and frustrations arising from the move projected to save San Diego about $547,000 through the elimination of six custodian positions at the Parks and Recreation Department. Their responsibilities included the public restrooms’ maintenance.

The audience of about 35 was audibly upset that the city’s decision caused outsized disruptions for minor savings.

“Personally, don’t you think this should go a little further than just, it’s a budget cut, just accept it?” asked Ron, a resident who didn’t give his surname. “I understand it’s a budget cut. What about the people in the community? I mean, we’re all not homeless here. We’re all taxpayers here. I don’t understand why they targeted the bathrooms.”

Stallings said the initial budget proposal called for closures of restrooms along the shore, but were reinstated after heavy lobbying by LaCava.

In addition, Stallings said only one of the 13 closed restrooms is located in District 1 under LaCava. The remaining 12 are in District 2 served by Councilmember Jennifer Campbell.

Editordude: The following is the substance of Ralph Teyssier’s presentation (slightly edited for clarification) at the Town Hall event at the Point Loma Library, July 28, 2026.

By Ralph Teyssier

Engineering Challenges in Delivering Affordable Housing

Eric Law has discussed the legislative promise of affordable housing, and Patty Ducey-Brooks has addressed the environmental concerns around Midway Rising and Senate Bill 958. I’d like to spend just a couple of minutes discussing the engineering realities of delivering affordable housing.

As a structural engineer, I support affordable housing. But we also need to recognize that SB 958 extends well beyond the Midway Rising project. If enacted, it could influence how future coastal developments are evaluated throughout California. That makes it all the more important that we fully understand the engineering realities, geological conditions, and economic consequences before establishing a statewide precedent. Political will alone does not create affordable housing. Engineering, geology, construction, and economics all play important roles. Nor should we assume that simply allowing taller buildings  automatically results in more affordable housing.

In fact, when increased building height is removed from meaningful CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) review, it becomes more difficult to fully evaluate the engineering and economic consequences associated with that increased height. In that sense, it works against one of CEQA’s fundamental purposes—providing informed decision-making.

By Debbie L. Sklar / Special to the OB Rag

Today, Mission Bay Park is one of San Diego’s most recognizable recreational destinations, filled with beaches, sailboats, paddleboards, bike paths and visitors enjoying the waterfront.

But before the bay became the sprawling aquatic park San Diegans know today, the shoreline was home to something unexpected: a small airport.

Known as Peik Airport, the airfield operated along the southwestern shore of Mission Bay during the mid-20th century. At the time, the area looked nothing like today’s landscaped parks and beaches. Much of Mission Bay was made up of tidal marshes, mud flats and undeveloped shoreline.

The airport’s story began with Arnold H. Peik, a pilot who arrived in San Diego in the 1930s. A 1967 San Diego Evening Tribune article by John McPeek (reprinted in PB newsletter below) recalled Peik’s arrival as a young barnstorming pilot flying a Stinson monoplane into San Diego before eventually establishing his flying operation near Mission Bay.

“It all began when a young barnstorming pilot in a battered Stinson monoplane flew into San Diego” in 1934, the article recalled.

By Tom Coat / SD U-T Commentary / July 31, 2026 

As battles swirl around Pacific Beach’s Turquoise Tower, Midway Rising and ADU “apartment buildings,” a more fundamental concern surprisingly has been pushed to the sidelines.

For 54 years, historic Proposition D protected San Diego’s coastal communities with a 30-foot height limit. That allowed all San Diegans access to our magnificent shoreline.

In an essay published in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Opinion section, City Council President Joe LaCava summed up Proposition D’s importance to San Diego: “San Diego’s 30-foot coastal height limit symbolizes a commitment to preserving the city’s coastal access and differentiating our valued shoreline from walled-off cities like Miami. The height limit is not only a regulatory restriction but a reflection of San Diego’s identity,” LaCava wrote.

Today, this “reflection of San Diego’s identity” has been blacked out — “voided.” All it took was a declaration of a crisis in the Legislature and bureaucratic approval. That’s so easy, it begs the question: What is the next declared crisis where votes won’t count?

The will of 64% of San Diego voters who approved Proposition D in 1972 was trashed because the state said Proposition D conflicts with developer-friendly state density bonus housing laws. Those laws, incidentally, resulted in a hugely unpopular “unintended consequence” — the 268-foot high Turquoise Tower proposal over which the city and developer are still haggling.

District 4

On election night during the June 2 California Primary, incumbent Henry Foster and challenger Martha Abraham secured the top two spots and will face off in November.

On that fateful night, Abraham led Foster by 249 votes when final election night totals were posted in the early morning hours of June 3.

The two candidates running for city council district 2 that includes Mission Bay have both called out the disconnect.

Richard Bailey:

“If you’re going to build these facilities, you need to have a plan in place to operate them, to maintain them and then eventually fund their replacement.”

Nicole Crosby:

“There is money, and the problem is that there hasn’t been a full budget audit; we have done a lot of contracts, and there are overruns that go on contracts.”

Editordude: House Representative Scott Peters has come out in opposition to the infamous PB “Turquoise Tower”. In a public letter addressed to Mayor Todd Gloria, dated July 21, he urges the city to deny the application of Project Vela, and states, “It should not be built at the outrageous height currently proposed.” Here is the entire letter:

July 21, 2026

Dear Mayor Gloria

I urge the city of San Diego to finally deny the current application for Project Vela, commonly known as the Turquoise Tower, in Pacific Beach. It should not be built at the outrageous height currently proposed.

In my conversations with constituents over the past several months I have been struck by the unity and anger over this proposal. The thought of a 23-story tower in this location, I imagine, was likely what set off the same furor that drove the adoption of the 30-foot height limit more than 50 years ago.