OB Rag

Mt Laguna at 8 a.m. this morning, Monday, March 3, 2025. This is at 6,000 feet. This is definitely more than hail. You saw it first here.

In an unexpected development, the First United Methodist Church (FUMC) of Mission Valley has decided to abandon plans to sell the historic Point Loma United Methodist Church property to developers for affordable housing.

The shift comes after a recent meeting between the FUMC task force overseeing the initiative and Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank, who represents the California-Pacific Conference (Cal-Pac) of the United Methodist Church

The Ocean Beach Planning Board is holding their current elections, and anyone who is qualified and interested in voting, must do so by March 4.

It’s important for residents and owners to vote in these annual elections, as community planning boards and groups have been under attack of late by development-aligned lobbying groups and the City of San Diego itself.

To vote, you must reside, or be owner/agent for a property or business within the Ocean Beach boundary to qualify (generally west of Froude street).

The City of San Diego’s Bonus ADU Program will be on the minds of many as residents across the city will be attending the City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 4. They will be urging the Council to restore the vote to eliminate the ADU Bonus Density Program—a decision they unanimously supported on January 28, 2025 before later rescinding it due to a procedural problem involving the Brown Act.

Here is some background provided by the group Neighbors for a Better California:

On January 28, 2025, the City Council voted unanimously to end the San Diego ADU Bonus Density Program, but a [possible] Brown Act violation means it’s still in place. On March 4, 2025, Footnote 7 and Bonus ADUs will be discussed, but this Item 330 only impacts footnote 7 in Southeastern San Diego—not the full citywide bonus ADU repeal we want. We need to keep fighting to formally get the Stop Bonus ADU officially on the agenda!…

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