OB Rag

The local ACLU in San Diego has joined a lawsuit against the Border Patrol along with other state affiliates by the United Farm Workers and residents of Bakersfield for border agents’ unlawful raids in the Latino areas of Kern County.

Formerly called the ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties, it joined the lawsuit with their Southern California and Northern California affiliates, a lawsuit whose story played out in the media. In short, in January 2025, Border Patrol agents based at the United States-Mexico border traveled more than 300 miles north to Bakersfield to launch “Operation Return to Sender”.

This was a weeklong sweep through predominantly Latino areas of Kern County and the surrounding region to indiscriminately stop, detain and arrest people of color who appeared to be farmworkers or day laborers, regardless of their actual immigration status.

The Rag has been informed that the First United Methodist Church that owns the property at at 1984 Sunset Cliffs Boulevard where Water’s Edge Church now stands will entertain a motion to place the property out for bid at a meeting on Saturday, March  1.

The church leadership have indicated they intend to demolish the historic building complex and sell it, ostensibly for a huge housing project with some units as affordable housing. Members of what’s being called the Ocean Beach Community Hub Initiative want the large property to be turned into a community hub.

This controversy has been quietly raging in the background as the two sides jostle for ground in a public relations battle. People from the Community Hub network, which includes a number of OB organizations, claim the church has refused to be transparent about their action or even negotiate with the neighborhood. 

The San Diego City Council is all set to formally accept a $3 million for the expansion of the Ocean Beach Library. The formal acceptance was scheduled for Tuesday, March 4th but has been postponed to March 11.

This will be a momentous occasion for OB residents as the expansion has been on the City’s backburner for years. Members of the Friends of the OB Library are elated.

Here’s some of the formal language — the agenda item is number 100:

Today’s Economic Blackout has spread throughout the land, gaining attention in both the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and with a number of celebrities.

The Friday economic protest has won the backing of some public figures, who have also encouraged their fans and followers to take part in the shopping blackout. They include comedian John Leguizamo, singer Bette Midler and author Stephen King.

Editordude: Please welcome the first restaurant review by our new OB eatery scribe, SteveO San Diego, who is definitely a well-known and liked fixture in OB.

By SteveO San Diego

Yesterday, I finally checked out Rosemarie’s Buns and Brew, now open in the former Whomp Burger spot on Sunset Cliffs Blvd, and I have to say, it was an excellent experience. The atmosphere was lively, the kind of place where you can feel the energy as soon as you walk in. I spotted some familiar faces right away, which immediately reassured me that I was in for a good time.

I kicked things off with their Cajun Softshell Crab slider. This one features deep fried, Cajun marinated softshell crab topped with lemon aioli and fresh Old Bay slaw, all packed into a perfectly toasted bun.

When it arrived at my table, the presentation was striking as the whole softshell crab was sitting right there in the bun, legs and all. I wasn’t entirely sure if I’d ever eaten softshell crab this way before, so I had to ask, “Do I eat the whole thing?” The answer was a resounding yes.

We had to repost this announcement from the City of San Diego about the city being awarded for excellence in “Data-Driven Government” for “establishing exceptional data capabilities to inform policy, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate programs and engage residents.” The city received a Silver Certificate from Bloomberg Philanthropies as the award.

This award is so laughable and so sad at the same time. The OMG announcement claimed the city won the award “in recognition of its continued efforts to build a smart city, using data to increase transparency and improve residents’ lives,” plus the following:

Specifically, the City’s Performance and Analytics Department was recognized for its Open Data Portal, through which the public can access more than 109 datasets with information ranging from the location of parking meters to street repair plans. The Open Data Portal promotes civic engagement and, through predictive analytics, improves service delivery and increases opportunities for economic development.

Part of the award was for the infamous Get It Done app, that has been notoriously inept:

By JW August

From the trenches

“Federal agencies have been told they need to change their ‘reasonable accommodation’ policy for employees with disabilities who are now working at home”, according to “S,” a longtime source who works in a management position within the federal government.

The policy currently in place, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, was a precursor to the American With Disabilities Act. Telework and remote work were considered reasonable accommodations that could be offered to employees with disabilities. Trump wants to change this arrangement

By Justine McDaniel / Washington Post / Feb. 25, 2025

The Trump administration will determine which journalists participate in the White House press pool, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday, breaking with nearly a century of practice in which the independent White House Correspondents’ Association has overseen the rotating group of news outlets that cover the president in Washington and on travels.

It is an aggressive move by the government to control which news outlets have access to the president — one that is unprecedented in modern American politics and comes amid Trump’s long-standing efforts to erode Americans’ trust in fact-based reporting.

As journalists and media critics warned that White House control of the press pool threatens the foundations of a free press and could allow the administration to more easily block reporters from the White House, Trump boasted about the move.

“We’re going to be calling those shots,” he said from the Oval Office late Tuesday afternoon.

By Kimberli

A picture says a 1000 words.

There is/was no posted sign that our streets are going to be swept. Maybe the cars would not have parked at this location if there had been.

An activist network including the People’s Union USA is calling for a 24 hour economic blackout across America for Thursday, Feb. 27. Here’s their website. Other groups and networks have also joined in the call.

Here’s what Peoples Union USA says:

The 24 hour Economic Blackout
As our first initial act, we turn it off.

For one day we show them who really holds the power

WHEN:

Thursday February 27th from Midnight till Friday The 28th Midnight. (A full 24 hours of the 28th)

12:00 AM to 12:00 AM

San Diego International Airport published a statement earlier this month that marked “2024 as its busiest year ever with 25.24 million passengers recorded traveling through the airport’s terminals. This record-breaking year surpasses the previous busiest record of 25.18 million passengers served in 2019.” That was pre-Pandemic.

Said Kimberly Becker, President and CEO, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority: “Each year following the pandemic, the numbers of travelers recorded at our airport has increased.” She added this was a sure sign or recovery.

The airport says there are some main reasons for this growth.

One is the addition of two new airlines, Breeze and Porter Airlines who have service to nine new nonstop destinations.