OB Rag

By Lorena Gonzalez

Local elections rarely matter to the rest of the state. We all are facing so many challenges in our own regions, that paying attention to another part of the state is often just an after-thought. But, once in a while, there is a local politician with such dangerous beliefs, tactics and immense corporate backing, that it warrants statewide attention. Such is the case in San Diego today.

I came of age as a young San Diegan at the same time Pete Wilson left our City Hall to become a U.S. senator, and then governor of California. And, as harmful and antagonistic as a Governor Pete Wilson was, he was mild compared to Carl DeMaio, one of four high-profile candidates vying for San Diego’s top spot this June.

It has begun – “Occupy Congress” is in its first day – the first day in a week of demonstrations, lobbying and occupying Washington DC. It will be the largest ever gathering of Occupy Wall Street activists from around the country – including over a dozen from right here in San Diego. Tuesday, January 17th, is the day that Congress reconvenes. And the occupiers are ready to give them an earful.

Here’s from various news sources:

Occupy Protesters Swarm US Capitol in Washington

Hundreds of Occupy protesters rally at US Capitol

First Arrests at Occupy DC

Editor: This could be the end to the current version of SOPA, as the White House has announced that it opposes major portions of it and its companion bill. And leaders of Congress are promising to shelve it. …

White House Says It Opposes Parts of Two Antipiracy Bills

By Edward Wyatt / New York Times / Originally pub. Jan 14, 2012

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Saturday that it strongly opposed central elements of two Congressional efforts to enforce copyrights on the Internet, …(More inside …)

Controversial online piracy bill shelved until ‘consensus’ is found

By Brendan Sasso / The Hill / Originally pub. Jan. 14, 2012

House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said early Saturday morning that Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) promised him the House will not vote on the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) unless there is consensus on the bill.

(More inside.)

SDG&E wants to impose a new fee (aka TAX) on homeowners, schools, businesses, and others with rooftop solar. This is a shameless effort by this investor-owned utility to increase profits and control renewable energy sources. It would be devastating to the local clean energy industry and jobs. Because of increased costs, public entities, like school and water districts, would have to make further cuts to essential services. Homeowners who bought solar systems they could afford would be stuck with higher bills. We need policies to shift us toward clean energy and a sustainable planet, not away from it.

Join us this Wednesday to say “No, you can’t take my sunshine away!”

WHEN: Wednesday, January 18, 11:45 am – 1:00 pm

WHERE: SDG&E Energy Innovation Center , 4760 Clairemont Mesa Blvd

By Marjorie Cohn / ZNet / Januay 16, 2012

Travelers to Cuba and music lovers are familiar with the song “Guantanamera”— literally, the girl from Guantánamo. With lyrics by José Martí, the father of Cuban independence, Guantanamera is probably the most widely known Cuban song.

But Guantánamo is even more famous now for its U.S. military prison. Where “Guantanamera” is a powerful expression of the beauty of Cuba, “Gitmo” has become a powerful symbol of human rights violations—so much so that Amnesty International described it as “the gulag of our times.”

That description can be traced to January 2002, when the base received its first 20 prisoners in shackles. General Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned they were “very dangerous people who would gnaw hydraulic lines in the back of a C-17 to bring it down.” We now know that a large portion of the 750 plus men and boys held there posed no threat to the United States. In fact, only five percent were captured by the United States; most were picked up by the Northern Alliance, Pakistani intelligence officers, or tribal warlords, and many were sold for cash bounties.

By Lucas O’Connor / Two Cathedrals / January 17, 2012

The in-depth fact checking, parsing of policy, and search for substance will carry on here and elsewhere for quite some time following Friday’s first mayoral debate to feature all four leading candidates. In the meantime though, an initial round of horse-race impressions.

No love for Mayor Sanders

It was just hours before the debate that updated pension numbers narrowed the city’s deficit to $12.2 million, but nobody seemed to be in a laudatory mood with the mayor. Indeed, the new numbers were hardly acknowledged by candidates or panelists. There was little enthusiasm for public funds going to a Convention Center expansion or a new Chargers stadium (two Sanders priorities) and the closest the candidates came to full agreement was in their rejection of felony charges for Occupy protesters arrested at the State of the City address.

By J. Harry Jones/ U-T San Diego / January 17, 2012

PALOMAR MOUNTAIN — A nonprofit citizen’s group hoping to save Palomar Mountain State Park from permanent closure this summer has mounted a pledge drive with the goal of raising $60,000 annually.

Last month the Friends of Palomar Mountain State Park Committee submitted a proposal to the Department of State Parks offering a straightforward deal: If they’ll keep Palomar open, the committee will cover the deficit between revenue and operating costs from public donations.

The park is one of 70 parks slated for permanent closure this July and already all the campgrounds have been shuttered. Rick Barclay, chairman of the committee, said the park isn’t self-sufficient, meaning revenue doesn’t cover expenses, even after the operating budget’s been slashed to the bone.

Ocean Defenders Alliance Says Abandoned Fishing Nets Threaten Marine Life

By 10News.com / January 17, 2012

SAN DIEGO — A team of scuba divers on Monday worked to remove hundreds of pounds of abandoned fishing gear off the coast of San Diego that was threatening sea life.

The mission of the Ocean Defenders Alliance is to clean and protect coastal waters from “ghost gear,” or leftover commercial fishing equipment, such as nets.

“These nets are killing all the time,” said Kurt Lieber, who is with the Ocean Defenders Alliance. “Even today, they released some fish from it to live another day.”

On Monday, Lieber and volunteers from Ocean Defenders Alliance removed about 400 pounds of commercial fishing nets about two miles south of the Point Loma marina.

The Senate is considering holding a vote on an internet censorship bill (PIPA) next Tuesday, January 24. Help us stop them from voting the wrong way! Please share this infographic now to educate people on the dangers of PIPA and SOPA.

The Ocean Beach Historical Society Presents:

PHOTOGRAPHER JOE EWING

“THE SEQUEL”

Thursday, January 19th, at 7 PM

P.L. United Methodist Church,

1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B.

You won’t want to miss the Jan. 19th OBHS’s program by Ocean Beach Photographer Joe Ewing. We’re happy Joe’s back for the second year. Last year we were blown-away by Joe’s incredible O.B. photos with fascinating stories and tips on photo- graphing. He had so many images he couldn’t fit them all into one program. You’re in for a treat with this sequel of Joe’s current photos.

After positioning myself on the median along Harbor Drive near the very front of Sunday’s Martin Luther King Day Parade, I watched the entire event and took over 160 photos of the marchers, floats, bands, and collections of people participating.

And I can say this without hesitation: the Martin Luther King Day Parade is dominated by law enforcement and the military. There were more of these groups than civic organizations, churches or sororities.

The San Diego Police Department, the Border Patrol, the Harbor Patrol, ICE, Homeland Security, the San Diego Sheriffs, the ROTC marchers, and even the FBI marched in this parade that honors a man of peace and justice. I mean the FBI persecuted Martin Luther King to the hilt – its leader, J. Edgar Hoover believed King was the most dangerous man in America. The Border Patrol, ICE, and Homeland Security all routinely violate peoples’ rights.

Come inside for the photo gallery!

Candidates Differ on treating Occupy protesters and whether they’d retain Police Chief Lansdowne.

Editor: Last Friday the 13th of January, the four major candidates for San Diego mayor held a debate. It was the very first time that all four major candidates appeared on the stage together as Bonnie Dumanis and DeMaio had been avoiding earlier debate opportunities (they both declined to attend the debate held by the San Diego Labor Council in November of 2011). But it was a debate – held at the Grant Hotel – that was a ‘pay for play’ debate, as it charged an entry fee. This meant, of course, that ordinary San Diego citizens and voters weren’t there.

So, to remedy that, here are two versions of the debate to consider, the first from the Daily Transcript and the other from the U-T:

Four mayoral candidates spar over plans and policies

By Claire Trageser / The Daily Transcript / January 14, 2012

All four major San Diego mayoral candidates squared off in a debate for the first time Friday, answering pointed questions from members of the local media about their plans and policies.