OB Rag

Come stand with San Diego’s community college students, teachers, and their community allies this Friday, May 13th at 9:00 AM at Assembly Member Nathan Fletcher’s office at 9909 Mira Mesa Boulevard to send a message to Fletcher and his Republican allies that they can’t hold the future of education in California hostage.

It appears that there are sufficient city council votes to veto the mayor’s library budget proposal. There is also a commitment to identify funding sources to cover the 7.2 million dollars needed to maintain current library hours, services and staff. That is good news!

Most of the council discussion at this point is about the other sources of money that can be potentially tapped. The office of Independent Budget Analysis (IBA) identified 15 million dollars of on going revenue.

The boogey-man of budget cut-backs of lifeguards, their training, and the funding of City swimming pools was raised at a special City Council night hearing, last Monday, May 9th. And it was during this hearing – with no final vote being taken – that the issue of corporate advertising on City beach properties was – again – raised.

8 lifeguard jobs were cut by Mayor Jerry Sanders to save $973,000 in a mid-year budget adjustment in the 2010 fiscal year. Lifeguards are part of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

And it was during the discussion of how to find funding to restore half or at least some of these cuts, that the idea of the City selling advertising at the beach was raised once again.

Embarcadero Marina Park North
500 Kettner Blvd, San Diego

More than 2,000 educators, students, parents, union members, business and community leaders – arriving by car, trolley, bus and train from throughout San Diego, Imperial, and southern Orange and Riverside counties – will participate in a huge rally between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. at San Diego’s Embarcadero Marina Park North, 500 Kettner Blvd.

by Reverend Billy Talen / AlterNet / May 10, 2011

In April we experienced 600 tornadoes in the US. Last year the count for April was 110. The six fold increase is an astounding climate change. But how did 600 twisters happen? And why? In our public reports such basic questions are strangely restricted. No connection is made

By Esther Rubio-Sheffrey / NUG Magazine / May 10, 2011

San Diego’s medicinal marijuana community is in the beginning stages of a potentially long and expensive legal battle against city hall. At stake: safe access to medicinal marijuana approved by California voters in 1996.

Getting a ticket for running a red-light equipped with camera can be a costly mistake, with fines that can run hundreds of dollars in some areas. Here compiled a list of locations for all red-light cameras in San Diego County–including East County, North County, and other communities in our region.

Check out our handy guide to red-light camera locations below, then pass this link along to other drivers.

The class action suit against McMillin properties proceeds this Friday, May 13th, 2011, before Judge Richard A. Strauss. Judge Strauss will determine whether McMillin had a duty to disclose the potential relocation of the Rock Church, a “mega church,” to purchasers in the Point Loma residential community of Liberty Station.

Michael Franti of Spearhead is hands-down, bar-none my favorite musician alive, today or ever. Lately his music has been popping up on the radio, on TV in video game and Corona beer ads, and elsewhere in the public sphere, so you’re probably familiar with Franti and his band Spearhead’s reggae-funk-ska-hip-hop-world beat fusion, whether or not you know it. But were you aware of how deep his tracks really go?

See inside for the video.

Competing plans by new “Gang of Four” and by Faulconer suggest not if, but how it will be done

By Craig Gustafson / San Diego U-T / May 10, 2011

Remember those devastating cuts to city parks and libraries proposed last month by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders? Not going to happen.

A swift public outcry has led to dueling proposals from City Council members to restore the mayor’s suggested reductions in operating hours at branch libraries and recreation centers.

MISSION BAY — San Diego resident and San Diego Coastkeeper outreach coordinator Dylan Edwards grew up sailing and wakeboarding in Mission Bay, in a time when many people saw the aquatic park as little more than a contaminated saltwater lagoon.

“I remember people saying, ‘Eww, you wakeboard there?’” Edwards recalled. “I think it has that reputation because of the chronic sewage spills that happened in the 1990s and early 2000s.”

If there’s no NFL season, we won’t get to watch the bolts play football on Sunday.

Well, every Wednesday night – you can hear thunder at Winston’s in Ocean Beach. That’s Topic Thunder, a new comedic, interactive talk show