OB Rag

If you are not at the table you are on the menu.

Tomorrow, Thursday May 5th, the San Diego City Council will listen to public testimony about the library budget. This hearing, at 10:30 am in the commission chambers, will be the only opportunity to provide input solely on the library issue. Even if you signed a petition, attended a rally or called your councilmember, it is important to attend this hearing!

Mayor Sanders has proposed gutting the branch libraries by reducing branch hours to 18.5 hours a week. That means branches would be open two short days and alternate Saturdays. At last week’s rally in OB, Obceans clearly saw this as an attempt to close their library and they were not buying it.

May 4, 1970: Four students murdered, nine wounded by National Guardsmen, on the campus of Kent State in Kent, Ohio.

Allison Krause, William Schroeder, Jefferey Miller and Sandra Scheuer were killed in the 13 second fusillade of 67 shots fired by the Guardsmen, after an order to fire was given.

(Originally posted May 4, 2010)
I was sitting on my porch this afternoon pondering the meaning of Kent State. I had more tears last year when I wrote a post about it. Yet – here it is – the 40th anniversary. Kent State, hmmm, OB, hmmmm. Something was there.

And then I figured it out! I figured out how Ocean Beach is connected to the Kent State massacre of May 4th, 1970. Or vice versa.

I was in college when it happened. I was attending UCSD and in my senior-year when it all came down. I had been involved in the campus anti-Vietnam movement and was deeply affected by Kent State,

On Sunday night, we learned that U.S. forces killed Osama Bin Laden. After 10 years of war, it’s time to bring the troops home from Afghanistan.

Please sign this petition immediately which will be presented to the White House to begin a swift withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. (Come inside for links to the petition.)

Confusing Array of Events Shows More Unity Is Needed In Order to Unify

May First, May Day – International Workers’ Day – was again celebrated in downtown San Diego this year. Hundreds of San Diegans did converge on a sleepy downtown on a warm Sunday afternoon a couple of days ago, and chant, bang drums and make speeches in favor of labor and workers’ rights. And this continues the great tradition of rallies on this date in what is usually regarded as a conservative, even anti-labor city.

A high point in San Diego’s celebration of a labor ritual that began in America over one hundred years ago, is that the San Diego County Labor Council endorsed it this year.

Editor: We received this request from Lorena Gonzalez, the Secretary-Treasurer/CEO of the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council (known around here as “THE” Labor Council – we got no other in this huge county). Due to KGTV’s intransigence in negotiating a labor contract with one of its unions, the Labor Council is requesting that we do not watch or report Channel 10 news or programs. (Sorry Michael Chen.)

After watching the attacks on workers taking place across the country, it is time to stand up to the union busters in our own community. McGraw-Hill-owned KGTV Channel 10 refuses to negotiate a fair contract with employees for the fifth year. They have actively engaged in union-busting campaigns and employee intimidation.

By Richard Rodriguez/New America Media/May 02, 2011

There was something unseemly about that gathering of college-age Americans outside the White House just before midnight on Sunday, cheering at the news of Osama bin Laden’s death. Some of the kids had draped flags over their shoulders; they chanted “USA, USA, USA.” I doubt there was a true patriot in the bunch.

Here is the agenda for the May 4th meeting of the Ocean Beach Planning Board. Their meetings are always held at the OB Rec Center, 4726 Santa Monica Avenue, and begin at 6:00 pm sharp (no OB time here). _ Yes, we know you can’t read the agenda here on our homepage – you have to go inside – click the link.

I was just thinking about all the nice moments I’ve enjoyed in life and a little time I spent in Tucson last week ranks up there among the mellower of the refreshing respites from the troubles of the world I’ve had the pleasure of taking part in.

First of all I was in my hometown and that’s always enjoyable, not to mention that I was there for a very special event, wearing the lofty title of “guest speaker,” which I took to mean I was to have a good time so that’s what I did. Why not, I was around some of my favorite people: a bunch of folks wearing sunny smiles…

Hello again! Thanks for following me last week with a departure guest entry, I hope it was as well-received as it was deserving. This week I’m going back to my own idea bin, and I’ve got a video that, even though you might not dig the music, provides an awesome slide show to check out.

Yesterday, a bright, sunny Sunday, I hopped on the trolley to 25th and Commercial and made my way to Chicano Park to join the festivities celebrating International Workers Day in San Diego. I was greeted by the sound of music from the awesome mariachi band who were entertaining the crowd from the stage. I’m sorry to say that my spanish is lousy, but as a middle-aged gringa who has lived her whole life in San Diego, mariachi has long been a favorite music style for me.

There were several hundred people in Chicano Park (I later heard an estimate of about 400, and I agree on that count), where people gathered for games, face painting, music and the playground equipment was packed with kids.

A couple of weeks ago local Republicans held their unity night at the Kona Kai Resort where notables such as Jerry Sanders and Kevin Faulconer cheered as Carl DeMaio asked if they were ready to make San Diego “the Wisconsin of the West.” They, along with the Chamber of Commerce, the Taxpayers Association, the Lincoln Club and other luminaries of the local right were getting fired up and ready to go for a ballot initiative that would undermine collective bargaining rights for unionized public sector workers in San Diego.