OB Rag

Editordude: We repost David Garrick’s account of yesterday’s important Planning Commission hearing on reforms to San Diego’s ADU program because it accurately reflects the response by the commissioners, although it totally downplays the role that citizens and community groups played in getting the Commission to consider the reforms. Stay tuned for more on this from the Rag.

By David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune / May 1-2, 2025

The San Diego Planning Commission harshly criticized a controversial city incentive for backyard apartments Thursday and said reforms were needed to stop the incentive from damaging neighborhood character.

The commission voted unanimously to recommend a two-story cap for all new backyard apartments — also called accessory dwelling units, or ADUs — and directed city officials to explore three other specific options in an effort to shrink the homes’ impact on neighborhoods.

Those options are capping the number of backyard apartments allowed per property, setting a minimum square footage per unit and changing city development rules to limit the bulk and scale of such apartments.

By Paul Krueger / Special to the OB Rag

Court and jail records confirm Jane Halaska is charged with three felonies: attempted murder of Gabriel Millan, and assault with a deadly weapon on Christopher Abrahamsen. She is also charged with felony possession of a controlled substance.

Court records reveal that victim Gabrial Millan told police he had been arguing with a different woman, whom he described as “a heavy-set Hispanic female” in the alley behind Hodad’s on Newport Ave when another woman “stabbed him without warning.”

According to the the SDPD investigator’s declaration, “Millan (later) admitted that he had kicked the heavy-set Hispanic woman, and the other woman (suspect Halaska) had yelled at him, ‘That’s not how you treat a lady.'”

Evidence in the case against Halaska includes a black folding knife with blood on the blade found near a dumpster behind Hodad’s.

It’s the day of the showdown at the San Diego Planning Commission at city hall over the city’s ADU policies — and the Rag will attempt a “live blog” of the event.

This means we’ll try to bring a contemporaneous account of the happenings right here.

For a live view of the meeting, go here.

It is a showdown,  however, between residents of neighborhoods across the city that have been negatively affected by Mayor Gloria’s so-called “Bonus ADU Program.” On the agenda of the Commission are proposed “reforms” both by Gloria and by the numerous groups that are arguing for a slowdown in enacting any reforms until the residents of the city have had a chance to make their voices and opinions known.
Some of the groups that have members in the audience include Neighbors for a Better San Diego, the Community Coalition, UC Peeps, Neighbors for Encanto, Neighbors for a Better California, and Community Planners Committee.

1:36 pm the Commission passed a motion unanimously to accept staff’s recommendations with a 2-story cap for ADUs and a request that staff return with options of limiting the number of ADUs on one lot. (Unfortunately I don’t list the staff’s recommendations here.)

12:32 Commissioner comments.

10:29 Encanto resident Lisa Becerra asks, “Are we a tyranny?” She represents 857 of her neighbors who don’t want more than one ADU in a singlefamily lot. “The city is not listening to us.”

“Don’t you dare allow ADUs using Footnote 7”

10:19 An African American speaker from Encanto speaks (didn’t get his name) complaining of the lack of infrastructure in Southeast and Encanto. “Get in line with the state, San Diego.”

9:05 a.m. — Kate Callen of the Rag just spoke during non-agenda comments and asked the Commission to refrain from calling opponents of the ADU policies “anti-housing” and received a good round of applause.

People involved in the drive to make La Jolla its own city scored a win just recently when the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) announced the Association for the City of La Jolla (ACLJ) had collected sufficient valid signatures to start the process of forming a city.

LAFCO is the county office that oversees the creation of new cities and it has determined that the secession movement had collected more than the 6,750 signatures.

In doing so, LAFCO reversed the Registrar of Voter’s decision that some of the ACLJ’s petition signatures were invalid.

San Diego Mayor Gloria is not having it and called LAFCo’s decision “outrageous.” He has vowed to explore legal action against the county agency.

By Todd Walters

May Day is a global day of action to recognize and uplift working people. Here in San Diego, it’s a moment to reflect on our progress and renew our fight for fairness, respect, and dignity on the job. At UFCW Local 135, our members are standing strong and united— whether they work in grocery stores, healthcare, cannabis, or anywhere else.

They’re ready for the fight. And they’re rising together.

Our grocery members—more than 7,000 strong—are currently in contract negotiations with Vons/Pavilions, Albertsons, Ralphs and Stater Bros. These workers kept our communities fed through the pandemic and beyond. Now, they’re demanding a contract that reflects their hard work and the rising cost of living. Alongside our sister locals across the region, we are part of a powerful 65,000-member strong Southern California grocery bargaining unit. Together, we are demanding real raises, improved staffing, and better benefits. We’re not backing down—Grocery Workers Are Rising.

Unfortunately, we’re also facing major roadblocks at the bargaining table with one of the grocery companies: Stater Bros.

by Kate Callen and Paul Krueger / Times of San Diego / April 30, 2025

The San Diego Community Coalition will make its public debut May 1 by addressing the San Diego Planning Commission when it discusses proposed changes to the controversial “Bonus ADU” ordinance.

The coalition is a citywide network of neighborhood activists focused on two interconnected issues:

Overbuilding in residential neighborhoods — from mid-rise towers to giant multi-unit ADU complexes — which erodes our urban infrastructure and produces minimal affordable housing.

City Hall’s disrespect for constituents, its refusal to engage the public in open dialogue, and its suppression of community planning groups.

So far, the coalition includes activist leaders in 15 communities: Bay Ho, City Heights, Clairemont, College Area, Encanto, Golden Hill, Linda Vista, Middletown, Mission Hills, North Park, Ocean Beach, Point Loma, Pacific Beach, Talmadge and University City.

PLEASE TAKE 2 MINUTES TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT TO THE SAN DIEGO PLANNING COMMISSIONERS BEFORE THIS THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2025

On Thursday, May 1 at 9 am, the Planning Commission will review the Mayor’s proposed changes to the Bonus ADU Program.

These proposed changes will do little to alleviate the harm that the Bonus ADU Program is causing to first-time homebuyers and single-family neighborhoods, as are outlined in various recent posts here.

Whether you can attend the meeting or not, please submit a comment on the Planning Commission’s web portal before Thursday morning’s meeting.

It’s very easy to do. Just follow these steps…

The Community Planners Committee (CPC) is an officially-recognized body of leaders from all of San Diego’s official community planning boards. It now has jumped into the fray of reforming the city’s Bonus ADU Program with the following recommendations expressed in this letter addressed to the San Diego City Council, dated April 24, 2025, and signed by Andrea Schlegeter, chair of the CPC.

To San Diego City Council

When setting out to provide recommendations for changes to the Bonus Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Program the Community Planners Committee (CPC) followed three guiding principals: adhere to state law, treat all development applicants equally, and find a way to address the lag in affordable housing at the lower end of the Area Median Income (AMI) scale.

To follow the first guiding principal, the City and the State should be held at their word and to the reasoning for increased density. SB 9 is the overriding state legislation for single family lots (RS zone), which allows for lots to be split. Pairing this with the state ADU regulations every RS zoned lot can have a primary residence, an ADU, a Junior ADU (JADU), and a bonus ADU.

Thus the CPC has come up with a “4 means 4” proposal. This is the simplest way of adhering to state law, while clarifying what the max density in RS zones is.

There are many good arguments in favor of capping density in RS zones at four.

By Bruce Coons / Special to the OB Rag

California needs more affordable housing. But the way we get there matters and today, Sacramento is pushing forward a series of bills that would destroy historic neighborhoods, disempower communities, and leave San Diegans with fewer tools to protect the places that tell our city’s story.

Three bills, AB 609, SB 607, and SB 79 are now advancing through the Legislature. They are marketed as housing solutions, but in reality, they are blunt instruments that would weaken environmental protections, silence local voices, and sacrifice California’s and San Diego’s historic built environment.

At SOHO, Save Our Heritage Organisation, we have long advocated for responsible growth that strengthens, not erases, our communities. We urge our elected officials and our fellow citizens to reject these short-sighted measures.

Well, we’re finally here. The first hundred days of Trump’s authoritarian regime. What do we have?

Amidst falling stock markets and his “Day of Liberation” of tariffs, Trump’s poll numbers on just about every issue are crashing. And crashing badly.

An average of different polls on his job approval rating at 100 days has Trump at the lowest level of any other president in 70 years. That average has him at a 43% approval rating with a 54% of disapproval. Some polls, like the recent Washington Post / ABC / Ipso poll, have him down to a 39% approval raring.

Economists are predicting empty shelves in markets across the country within a couple of weeks, especially if the tariff war with China continues; some are predicting a recession by summer. On trade and tariffs, the poll averages have 39% of Americans approving and 61% disapproving.

He’s under the water on every issue.

By Amita Sharma / KPBS / April 22, 2025

With head-spinning speed, President Donald Trump has targeted and reoriented key areas of American society through a barrage of executive orders and other administrative actions in his first three months in office.

Trump denied during his presidential campaign last summer any connection to the Heritage Foundation’s conservative policy agenda Project 2025 and ridiculed some of its proposals. But now, many of his early directives echo or are outright lifted from the 900-plus page plan.

In fact, Project 2025’s director Paul Dans recently told Politico the president and Elon Musk’s moves to shut down programs that combat climate change, encourage diversity, equity and inclusion and eliminate the deep state through mass federal worker firings are “actually way beyond my wildest dreams.”

By Dave Schwab / sdnews.com / April 29, 2025

Point Loma muralist Jack Stricker’s latest endeavor is a real crowd-pleaser: a nostalgic portrayal of Padre greats Trevor Hoffman, Tony Gwynn, and Ken Caminiti in friar garb on the back wall of Harbor Town Pub.

The formal unveiling followed the Padres game on Saturday, April 19 in the rear of the popular neighborhood eatery and hub at 1125 Rosecrans St.

Large-scale Peninsula murals are becoming the stock and trade of Stricker, a hometown artist. His last community-based effort was a year ago at the United Portuguese S.E.S. Hall at 2818 Avenida De Portugal. Stricker combined with Austin Gosswiller to paint a two-sided mural there, a collaboration between UPSES and the Point Loma Association. That mural is a re-creation of “azulejos,” blue-and-white Portuguese tiles using acrylic paint. The tile mural was done on the historic building to highlight the 75th-anniversary celebration of the United Portuguese S.E.S. in Point Loma.