OB Rag

Today, hundreds of inmates in five California state prisons ended the second week of a hunger strike to protest living conditions, in what has become the largest coordinated protest by state inmates.

And the State of California continues its “disinformation campaign” about the hunger strike which began July 1, by declaring that the strike was “probably synchronized … through organized criminal networks.”

I’ve found myself lately thinking of a man everybody, including me, called Mack. My dad. Just about the most laid back human being the world has ever had.

The man was always at ease, a man of simple tastes. I can see him in my mind, chomping on his almost ever present cheap cigar which chokes me even in my memory, sipping some whisky, and uttering that obligatory whispery “ahhh” that drinkers who like their liquor neat always sigh and he’s going about any one of his enterprises: playing solitaire, reading True Crime magazine or crossword puzzling – when he wasn’t playing the piano.

Committee’s 3-2 vote disregards concerns of 90 community members at hearing

By Susan Duerksen / CPI / July 13, 2011

Despite overwhelming public opposition to the risky and costly privatization of Miramar Landfill, the San Diego City Council’s Rules committee today voted 3-2 to send the controversial plan on to the full council.

By Christopher Cadelago / SignOnSanDiego / July 13, 2011

Opponents of new restrictions on medical marijuana dispensaries have qualified a referendum that could force a repeal, the San Diego City Clerk’s Office said Wednesday.

Citizens for Patient Rights, the Patient Care Association and the California Cannabis Coalition turned in 44,106 signatures — 31,029 of which were deemed valid, City Clerk Liz Maland said.

By Leo E. Laurence, J.D. / NUG Magazine / July 12, 2011

When you carry a badge, you learn to smell trouble; you can sense it sometimes. Some believe the struggle for medical marijuana dispensaries in Southern California is in serious trouble.

“We’ve got a lot of trouble coming,” stressed Ken Cole, an outspoken former Australian basketball coach who played on two Olympic teams. He owns the elegant One-on-One dispensary at 923 Sixth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter. He totally restored the 1865 interior of the one-time bar, including the antique beer spigots behind the wide, New York style bar.

With all the precincts counted, L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn has defeated Republican Craig Huey by 9 points in the special election to replace Rep. Jane Harman. Despite the Tea Party energy — and all the lawn signs — in support of Huey, he was unable to overcome the huge Democratic advantage in the 36th Congressional District.

Got Breakfast?

By Jack Hamlin / Special to the OB Rag

Had Edward Hopper painted an antithesis to his famous Nighthawks, it would have been something akin to O.B.’s Old Townhouse Restaurant on Newport Avenue. Forget the melancholia of late night, the Old Townhouse has an atmosphere of combustibility, and with it, an energy found only in small town gathering eateries.

A failure to raise the nation’s debt ceiling could result in some seniors not receiving Social Security checks, President Obama said in an interview with CBS News that will air Tuesday evening.

“I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven’t resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it,” Obama told “CBS Evening News” anchor Scott Pelley.

By Clare Crawford / SignOnSanDiego

The city of San Diego has never mastered the art of managing contracts.

Debris haulers contracted by the city overcharged victims of the 2007 wildfires. Computer system consultants ran millions over budget and months behind schedule. Recently, a private ambulance company took advantage of lax oversight to shortchange the city by an estimated $18 million. And so on.

Again and again, private contractors take San Diego taxpayers for a ride – because they can.

Vote scheduled tomorrow at Rules Committee despite unanswered concerns

More than 70 community leaders and residents will urge the San Diego City Council’s Rules committee tomorrow to halt the reckless push to privatize operations at Miramar Landfill.

Rules committee meeting – 1st item

9 a.m. Wednesday, July 13

12th floor, 202 C St., San Diego

Scientists believe that dog feces left at Dog Beach in Ocean Beach represents a health threat to humans. In general, this is a concern since bacteria capable of causing human disease can be found in animal feces.

With the hypothesis that a potential source of fecal bacteria in recreational waters is the canine feces left behind by owners who do not clean up after their pets, scientists recently screened the DNA that was isolated from canine feces. 20 samples were collected from the shoreline at Dog Beach, processed and screened.

Funeral services have been set for James Cummins, 77, the Ocean Beach physicist killed July 8th when his car collided with an SUV driven by a 15-year-old traveling the wrong way. Cummins, known to some as “the hoarder” as he kept piles of newspapers and magazines in his 1979 Mercury, worked for SPAWAR for 54 years.