OB Rag

Editor: With the following post, we begin a new, irregular column called “The Old OB Hippie Speaks” by a long-time resident who still calls himself a hippie. Check it out and tell us what you think about it in the comments.

Life in the OB Village

Life in this beautiful village goes on – and it’s daily. My aim is to keep you up on the very soul of the community by sharing news, observations, and tid-bits that cross my reality. I plan to speak truth to you. And you can reciprocate by sending me stuff, either as a comment to this post or via email ( address to “old hippie” and send to obragblog@gmail.com ).

Still Counting Ballots for Planning Board Election Results

One big thing that is going on in OB is the Ocean Beach Planning Board election. The balloting was yesterday, Tuesday, but I’ve heard that they are still counting the “provisional ballots” and have not announced the results yet. I’m told by the editordude that once the OB Rag hears the results – it will immediately publish them.

The Gawronskis and Mount Kilimanjaro

Speaking of the Planning Board, our friend Jane Gawronski – who is Chair – and her hubby Tom – who just stepped down after being on the Board for a total of 10 years – have just returned from their trek to Africa and to Mount Kilimanjaro.

OB Kabob
4994 Newport Ave
San Diego, CA 92107
619-222-9700

Driving down Bacon Street the other day, I happened to see the “OB KABOB” restaurant near the corner at Newport. I was surprised that I hadn’t seen it before, but I later found out that it had just opened in February of 2013 – only a few weeks ago.

I called Scott, my friend from the Beacon, and asked him if he would like to go with me to try it out, since he has accompanied me three times already to review restaurants. He jumped at the chance.

We went on a Tuesday for several reasons. It is “Taco Tuesday” and I felt that it would not be crowded because of the specials being offered at other neighboring restaurants.

The menu was extensive – but I was unprepared at how small the restaurant is – 4 tables; 4 high tables; and a variety of counter space. (Come inside for details and the Widder Curry’s grades.)

Editor: We found an important debate going on in the pages of the Point Loma Democratic Club, and decided to repost the following positions. The first is by Michael Russell, a former San Diego lifeguard, who raises serious questions about gender, diversity, salaries and politics of the lifeguard union, Teamsters Local 911. The second is a response by Ed Harris, union steward for Teamsters 911 (quotes in italics are from Russell’s piece).

San Diego Lifeguards – Questions Raised Concerning Gender, Diversity and Salaries

by Michael Russell / Point Loma Democratic Club / March 8, 2013

Thank you for inviting me to your monthly meeting to listen to Ed Harris present his case for your support. As a former San Diego Lifeguard, I was interested in hearing his plea to Democrats for help in swaying the San Diego City Council. His quest as Union Steward for Teamsters 911 is to build and replace three Lifeguard Towers in Ocean Beach, South Mission Beach, and North Pacific Beach.

I agree that these City infrastructure projects are probably ripe, because of the low cost of current construction in this economic recession. Having worked at all these towers in the past, I agree that they are out of date and require constant upgrades, for such beach safety stations are necessary and appropriate. They are all major projects, costing millions, and must take into account long-term issues like sea level rise and changing beach demographics.

SeaWorld Has Rescued 11 Sea Lion Pups in Just 3 Days; 18 Rescued by Laguna Beach Group in 2 Days

By Greg Bledsoe and R. Stickney / NBC 7 / March 12, 2013

An increasing number of California sea lion pups have been stranding along the coast of in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.

The number of pups needing emergency care is so great that one rescue organization has declared a state of emergency.

Freedom. What a concept, huh? One of the sweetest words in the world’s vocabulary.

I learned a long time ago that the pursuit of freedom will make one do almost anything. Sometimes in the spur of a moment. I used to love to hear my maternal grandfather tell about how he woke up one day on a sharecropper’s plot of land in Hawkinsville, Georgia, thinking to himself, “God, I don’t know what all is out there in this world but I just know You created something better than this.”

At about the same time “big boss man” came riding up on his horse rallying what were supposed to be “free men” to the fields, “yelling and spitting tobacco every which-a-away” my grandfather would say and the next thing he knew he had snatched the man off his horse, gave him the ass-kicking of his life and then ran for that very life until he reached the Gulf of Mexico – to what, he didn’t know. He just knew he had to be free.

I thought of him a little while back at a forum at the Malcolm X Library that featured four of a group of people who stand tall in my mind and soul: The Freedom Riders. Yvette Porter, of the Walter J. Porter Educational & Community Foundation, brought them to town.

An Introduction to a Neighborhood Business

John Baker Picture Frames
4735 Point Loma Ave.
San Diego, CA 92107
619-223-5313

A year or so ago, I was in a hurry to frame a picture I was going to be giving as a gift, and rather than drive down to Midway and Rosecrans to either Michael’s or Aaron Bros. I decided to stop in at John Bakers Picture Frames on Point Loma Avenue. I am embarrassed to say that in the 36+ years I have lived around the corner, I had never been in the store. I was amazed at the selection he offered his customers. Perhaps one of the things I liked the best was that “Murph” – his dog – greeted me at the door.

The next time I went in the shop I had some doggie biscuits with me, only to find that Murph had gone on to another place. And I found out that John had retired and the business had been purchased by an employee of his of over 14 years. Let me introduce you to Mary Maslanik.

I watched Mary work with a customer today while I waited for Chris Baker to complete a picture frame for me. (Yes, Chris is John’s son.) Mary worked with this woman – for almost an hour. The scene reminded me of a woman trying on shoes and not finding anything that she liked. Mary brought out all kinds of samples of matting, frames, etc. until there did not seem to be anything left in the front or back room.

The annual election for the Ocean Beach Planning Board will be held Tuesday, March 12th. Balloting will occur from 4 pm to 7pm at the Ocean Beach Recreation Center, 4726 Santa Monica Avenue.

All OB citizens are eligible to vote, as long as they live, own property, or represent a business in the Ocean Beach Planning Area (see map).Voters should show up with some kind of proof of their residency in OB (utility bill suffices).

Half of the 14 Board positions are up for election. Voters in the 7 Districts elect their represenatives.

Also on the ballot are two advisory propositions.

Leonard Poma – who started “Poma’s” on Bacon Street – passed last Wednesday, March 6th. He is reportedly to have died at home around 5 a.m. with his family.

Leonard, or “Len”, had been battling cancer for awhile now. But his body finally gave out. He was 62.

Poma’s became synonymous for wonderful roast beef sandwiches. Those and his cheese-heavy pizzas have been mainstays in the Ocean Beach restaurant scene since the 1960’s.

Services will be held Thursday, March 14, at 11 at the Gateway Church in El Cajon (1280 North Johnson Avenue). All are welcome.

It’s been two years since Fukushima’s multiple meltdowns. San Onofre in the Southland has been shut down for over a year.

Time to look back and gaze forward. This article will concentrate on nuclear power plants’ radioactive emissions and their effects on our health.

To do this I’ll be drawing on a recent book, Mad Science: The Nuclear Power Experiment. This book came out last year, authored by Joseph Mangano, executive director of the Radiation and Public Health Project (radiation.org). The RPHP has been studying nuclear power plant radioactive releases effects on human health for several decades.

Numerous peer reviewed epidemiological and clinical studies published in various scientific journals by Mangano and his associates in the RPHP have found that children living within 50 miles of nuclear power reactors have higher amounts of radioactivity in their teeth; have higher rates of cancer, including leukemia; and that such rates drop after reactors shut down.

By Brittany Bailey

Wednesday night’s meeting (March 6) of the Ocean Beach Planning Board met with a short agenda; issues included updates from Councilmember Faulconer’s office, a presentation on the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan, and the renewal of a Conditional Use Permit for a Verizon Wireless Antennae site.

The only discussion item on the agenda was a presentation by Angie Jamison from the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority on the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide policy guidance for land around the airport. Policy recommendations are implemented by local agencies and apply only to new development and redevelopment. Currently the Environmental Impact Review is in the scoping period with a draft available for public review starting March 13h. For more info, contact Angie Jamison at ajamison@san.org.

Monday morning dawned bright and early and I looked forward to going to my physical therapy appointment at 7 a.m. I love driving over Pt. Loma Avenue early in the morning to see the sun coming up over the mountains.

This day was no exception. My therapist, Eddy, worked me especially hard that morning because, after having breast cancer surgery 18 years ago, within the past 6 months I have developed a severe case of lymphedema. There does not seem to be a cure, and we are trying to get the lymph fluid to flow out of the elephantine arm that used to be my left arm. It doesn’t hurt – just restrictive at times.

Following my therapy I had an appointment to see my primary care physician for a routine check up and all was normal. I left her office; did some shopping at Ralph’s, and walked in the door about 11 a.m. One of my former students – Corrine – was coming in the front door as I was walking in the back door. She had an armload of tomato plants with her that she was going to plant in the backyard.

Well after all the bluster coming from the Democratic camp about President Obama’s “upper hand” leading into the sequester showdown, it turns out he had no game at all. The result: score another one for the Tea Party who got to take a hatchet to government spending and hold the line on taxes. As I wrote after the “Fiscal Cliff” showdown:

Grover Norquist is happy. After the fiscal cliff deal was passed in the House, he pointed out that Obama blinked on his $250,000 line in the sand on taxes and that, by locking in the Bush tax cuts for 98% of Americans, the Democrats’ ability to defend the legacy of the New Deal has been greatly diminished. He’s right.

And now Grover and company are even happier as the Republicans just said no to more taxes and let the ax fall indiscriminately on government spending. The “liberal media” may think badly of them and their national approval rating may be in the toilet but they simply don’t give a rat’s ass because they are winning nonetheless.