OB Rag

City leaders and politicians have been hearing a lot from San Diego residents recently about how much the City should charge for trash pickup.

In 2022, city voters said they were OK with being charged for trash pickup, agreeing to a ballot measure that suggested San Diegans be charged between $20-$30 a month for trash collection services. But the word from the city has been a fee almost double that. Thus, the pushback from residents.

Yet, just this week, on Tuesday, April 1, Kirby Brady, the city of San Diego’s interim director of the Environmental Services Department, told the press that her department will be recommending a $53 a month fee to the San Diego City Council during an April 14 meeting, at which Environmental Services will request a public hearing for the council’s June docket.

She says the cost of doing business has skyrocketed in the last two years. “Inflation has hit nearly everything we talk about in today’s economy,” Brady said.

By Bruce Coons / SOHO March-April 2025

San Diego’s shift away from downtown as the focal point for high-density development and investment is deeply misguided. Downtown San Diego is uniquely suited to support high-density housing and mixed-use projects, thanks to its existing infrastructure, central location, and vibrant cultural and economic hubs, like the main library, the Ballpark District, and the Gaslamp Quarter District. Additionally, it holds a wealth of historic buildings that, through adaptive reuse, could play a key role in revitalizing the urban core while maintaining San Diego’s unique identity.

Instead, we’re seeing millions of square feet of prime real estate downtown go underutilized. These spaces could and should be transformed into a thriving, dynamic blend of housing, diverse businesses, restaurants, schools, and museums and other cultural institutions. These buildings could and should be transformed into a thriving urban core, including a dynamic blend of high-end and affordable housing. Such development would complement the area’s popular existing assets while driving economic growth and funding civic improvements, like a much-needed new city hall.

Moreover, the disastrous wildfires in Los Angeles highlight a critical issue: how we plan and build in areas prone to natural disasters. Downtown San Diego, with its dense urban core, paved streets, and minimal vegetation, is naturally more defensible against wildfires compared to neighborhoods like Hillcrest, North Park, and South Park, which are built along canyons and natural brush zones. Prioritizing high-density development downtown would not only take advantage of this safer environment, but, crucially, also reduce the number of lives and structures at risk in fire-prone areas.

by Ernie McCray

As if our country|
isn’t in enough of a mess already,
our issues are compounded
when we pause
and reflect on
the biggest problem
we human beings face:
the show
Mother Nature
is putting on
as though she’s in a race
to erase our species from
the Milky Way,
ripping and tearing
here and there and
every which way,
bashing us
with winds
that blow
at velocities
unheard of;

Around 4,000 new apartments are set to open throughout San Diego County this year, 2025, coming near or matching totals of the past few years. But many of the new complexes will be charging well above the average, with some hitting $3,000 a month.

So, they’re not really a solution to the affordable housing crisis.

A few weeks ago, the U-T ran this story and reported:

The largest complex will be in Convoy District, the 531-unit Alexan Camellia, expected to open late this year. Rents are not set yet but, like most new projects this year, prospective tenants might experience sticker shock.

“(Developers) need to charge high rents because of the high cost of construction,” said Nathan Moeder, principal with real estate analysts London Moeder Advisors.

More than 1,000 protests against the policies of President Donald Trump are set for Saturday, April 5th across the country, with 117 planned in California alone. And they’re being sponsored and planned by a number of brand new nation-wide groups, like “Hands Off” and “50501,” as well as by a coalition of dozens of civil rights, environmental, education, social justice and labor groups.

There’s one for San Diego, of course, as well as in Oceanside and Encinitas within the county.

The PR guy for 50501 So Cal ( which stands for “50 protests in 50 states, one movement”) is Hunter Dunn, who said:

“We oppose executive overreach, including pardon abuse, the institution of Project 2025 policies, and mass deportations by ICE. We also oppose the use of the unitary executive theory to justify ignoring the court system.”

By Ed Baier /The Beachcam

The US Border Patrol has been working, patrolling, and observing in the 92106 – 92107 zip code areas for the past week. What’s going on? Why have they set up shop in these particular areas of San Diego County?

Is there a new Border Patrol Sector that we the public don’t know about?

By Judi Curry

Social Thai Kitchen
1830 Sunset Cliffs Blvd.
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
619-228-9928

Several years ago, when Social Thai opened, I was amazed when I had my first meal there.  The restaurant was spotless; the food was delicious; the menu had a fantastic selection of items available – including vegetarian and vegan and the prices were reasonable.

The service was fantastic; and we could not find anything wrong with Social Thai Kitchen. Several months later I went there with a different group of people and we ended up with basically the same take-away thoughts as the first group had.

Due to some medical problems, I had not been there again until March 31, and brought with me Michelle – a foreign student I had 13 years ago and her niece Emily, who had just turned 13 years old. Michelle was in her thirties when she was my student.

I had been raving about the restaurant to Michelle and Emily and wasn’t sure they would want to attend because they are from a relatively near-by city to where the big earthquake was a few days ago, but they wanted to go, and so we did.

Dozens of Point Lomans protested in front of 1004 Rosecrans on Saturday, March 29, to show their opposition to the proposed development of 56 units and a 4-story complex at that site.

Called by Protect Point Loma, a newly formed nonprofit established to oppose the development, the demonstration was on the sidewalks of the busy Point Loma Village street corner in front of the housing development site being leased by a rental car agency. Many carried “No on 1004 Rosecrans” yard signs.

As proposed, the project would include 56 units (8 affordable) plus 45 basement garage spaces with 1,779 square feet of commercial space with no lot line or street setbacks. The site previously was a gas station, another concern about possible lingering environmental contamination. The site would be immediately adjacent to Cabrillo Elementary School and directly across from Point Loma Assembly at 3035 Talbot St.

By Amen Etefa / The Point – Pt Loma Nazarene University / March 26, 2025

Point Loma Nazarene University’s Civil Rights Pilgrimage is a part of the SOC 3035 class field trip to the South. This year, alongside a group of 25 students, staff and faculty, we traveled to Selma, AL, Birmingham, AL and Atlanta, GA. The trip, which lasted from March 6-12, was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. Though it was only a week long, I have never learned so much history or felt such a whirlwind of emotions in such a short time. From heartache to hope, every step of this journey stirred something in me that I will carry forever.

Our first few days were spent in Selma, where we visited several museums and historic homes. One of the most powerful stops was the Legacy Museum, which displayed the harsh realities of American history – from slavery to mass incarceration. Walking through the exhibits, I couldn’t help but cry. The sound of crashing waves, symbolizing the millions of lives lost at sea filled the room. The voices of enslaved people singing spirituals, pleading for deliverance, echoed in my ears. It was haunting. This museum didn’t just teach history – it made me feel it. It shook me to my core.

Four lifeguards were injured Friday night, March 28, after they came to the rescue of a pair of people who were swept off the South Mission Jetty by waves. None of  the lifeguards were severely injured but the woman rescued was in critical condition and was helicoptered out.

Lt. Rick Romero with San Diego Fire Rescue said a lifeguard at the South Mission Tower saw a man and woman get washed off the rocks at the jetty around 6:30 p.m. on Friday, after they had gone to the end of the jetty to check out the waves.

Light snow and rain fell in local mountains Tuesday, April 2. Snow gathered at Mt Laguna at 6,000 feet but not in Julian at a lower elevation.

Rallies in Encinitas and Oceanside

On Saturday, April 5th, San Diegans and Americans across the country are taking to the streets to fight back with a clear message: Hands off!

Here in San Diego, we’re rallying at the San Diego Civic Center Plaza — next to City Hall — at  12 noon. Location: 1200 Third Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

About this event

Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. San Diego is fighting back!

They’re taking everything they can get their hands on—our health care, our data, our jobs, our services—and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now.

This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies. Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.