OB Rag

The fourth and final City of San Diego 2025 Budget Review Town Hall forum in Mira Mesa was the largest and angriest gathering of the series. Hot-button issues included the contentious trash fee proposal, inadequate road repair, city salaries and pensions, and the obscure management of developer impact fee (DIF) revenues.

Nearly 100 people gathered for the February 20 forum at the Mira Mesa Senior Center. There were no representatives from the Mayor’s office nor from any Council District office.

Throughout the two-hour forum  which began with a slideshow from Independent Budget Analyst Charles Modica, community members expressed outrage at City Hall’s persistent stonewalling of constituents.

They traced the erosion of public trust in local government from the still-murky 101 Ash Street debacle to the trash fee analysis that began with modest payments and ended with costly assessments.

The following excerpts from public comments provide highlights.

By Herman Collins

Recent changes by the Mayor of San Diego affect all of us, particularly those captured under the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) flag. It prompts the question, why now, are we signally to the Feds we’re with you? Are we trying to curry favor with the corporations who have tucked away their commitment to diversity with no explanations?

Eric Dargan was selected as the City’s third Chief Operating Officer (COO), following the departure of Jay Goldstone. On Tuesday (02/19/2025) Mayor Gloria announced Dargan’s departure from the city, referencing office reorganization, budgetary constraints, and the need for greater control over economic dynamics.

Dargan’s arrival in San Diego was seen as visionary, promoting public-private partnerships to tackle homelessness and infrastructure needs. Dargan was hired for his skill in securing resources for unfunded services. In short, Dargan’s success would be measured by his ability to secure private funding to boost city revenues.

By a Concerned OBcean Finding His Voice:

I used to (and still do) consider myself a fairly progressive left-wing liberal, however given that I can no longer recognize or sit with the politics occurring at the national level, I have promised myself to dive more deeply into local policy and activism to help protect the town that I love and preserve it for my 10 month-old son. Given that I have no idea how to actually do that yet, let this rant to the editor of a grass roots and independent local newsletter be my first step.

Stream of consciously and in no particular order:

While I am, on principle, a believer in higher taxes (especially for the wealthy) and deeply appreciate the services they bring, I wish that local governments do better with the tax money we the citizens already generate (which is among the highest nationally) and not make the function of our city dependent on a tax bill to make it even higher.

From SanDiegoVille / February 20, 2025

San Diego’s restaurant industry is facing increased scrutiny as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intensifies its raids, bringing the city’s role as both a border town and a sanctuary city into sharp focus. With federal immigration enforcement at odds with California’s protective policies, local restaurant owners and workers must understand their legal rights to safeguard their businesses and employees. In a climate of heightened immigration enforcement, knowing what ICE can and cannot do is critical for navigating this evolving landscape.

San Diego, a vibrant border town and one of California’s sanctuary cities, is experiencing a surge in ICE activity, stirring concern among its diverse communities. As a key player in the U.S.-Mexico border region, San Diego County has seen heightened enforcement efforts under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, with over 7,500 undocumented immigrants arrested nationwide since the administration took office (local numbers are unknown). For the city’s restaurant industry – where immigrants of all statuses comprise a significant portion of the workforce – this escalation poses unique challenges.

by Ernie McCray

I find myself looking

for any hint

of hope for a better world

that might be in play

and I happened upon a wonderful example

of such the other day

as I listened to a proud Latina woman

at a community college conference

in Austin, Texas

By Brae Canlen 

This is an ode to the California Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV), an agency much maligned by people who use it. It’s also an early obituary; the astute observer will have already seen the signs of its oncoming demise.

When I approached the Hillcrest DMV to replace a lost driver’s license, it looked like business as usual. The things I love most about the place hadn’t changed. The chronically unemployed were sitting in plastic chairs next to the day traders, the newly retired with fresh bus passes, and the moms with fussy babies. (I have yet to figure out how billionaires avoid the DMV, but I’m pretty sure they do.)

In a world of growing social chasms, the DMV is one of the last great levelers of society, an unparalleled cross section of San Diego. Occupy any chair for 15 minutes and let the masses –washed, unwashed, and cell-phoned– swirl around you.

And every person from every stratum gets the same level of service. DMV employees have long had a reputation for being indolent and cranky. But I have found the opposite to be true. Most make an effort to be helpful. (Except for the security guard at the door, of course.)

But what they can’t cancel out, no matter how hard they try, is their fatal flaw.

Juicy Burgers has hit the ground running in the Midway District and want to become your go-to spot if you like burgers with a modernistic or Southeast Asian twist.

The new chain restaurant is in the mall at 3555 Rosecrans St., Suite 109, at the corner of Rosecrans and Midway in the same plaza as Rubio’s and Crumbl Cookies. The retail space was previously inhabited by Naked Cafe.There are two other Juicy franchises near San Diego State University and in North Park.

Their offerings include a Manila burger, as well as cowboy and hangover burgers, plus crispy chicken wings, Filipino spring roll lumpia, vegetarian offerings, and seasoned fries. Plus diners can “discover” their own style of burger inviting them to “create your own” burger. The new burger joint also has local craft brews Coronado’s Salty Crew, Societe’s The Pupil, Stone IPA, and Buenaveza on tap.

A San Diego City Council committee wants to lower speed limits on a number of commercial streets, including Newport Avenue.

The committee met last Thursday, Feb. 20, and advanced a proposal to lower speed limits to 20 miles per hour on Newport Ave, as well as on a handful of blocks in Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Old Town, Hillcrest, North Park and City Heights. The full city council will probably vote on the lower speed limits sometime in March.

See this map:

By Colleen O’Connor

Canon to the right of them.
Canon to the left of them.
Canon in front of them
Boldly they rode and well.

These lines from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade” accurately describe the atmosphere of Friday night’s town hall meeting, Feb. 21, fighting to Protect Point Loma.

The overflow crowd at the Point Loma Assembly Hall charged (verbally) against the Mayor, the City Council, and the developers supporting the destruction of many San Diego “neighborhoods.”  Not just Point Loma, but Ocean Beach, Encanto, Mission Hills, Clairemont, Park Boulevard and others.

Some in the audience want them all to join ranks. After dodging canons on the right of them, the left of them and in front of them, these fighters are defending not just their own neighborhood, but the whole city and have begun to succeed.

by Ashleigh Fields / The Hill / Feb. 2, 2025

A majority of Americans are displeased with President Trump over his decision to pardon nearly all of those charged for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to a poll.

The Washington Post/Ipsos survey, released Thursday, found that 83 percent of respondents were opposed to Trump’s offer of clemency for violent criminal offenders. Roughly 55 percent said the same about pardons for rioters convicted of nonviolent crimes. Another 14 percent had the opposite view, supporting the president, while 3 percent chose not to answer.

The numbers indicate an uptick in disapproval for the move after a Reuters/Ipsos poll from last month found that 58 percent of Americans were not in favor of the president pardoning the insurrectionists.

The point is not to deprive the government of funds. It’s to expose the regime’s criminality

By Judith Levine / The Guardian / Feb. 20, 2025

Political power boils down to two things: votes and money. But when money buys presidents, senators and judges, votes are merely the sales receipts. What’s left is money, and the purpose of power is to get more of it.

Trump’s non-billionaire followers appear thrilled that Elon Musk and his so-called “department of government efficiency” are burning down the government. “Imagine if Trump hadn’t met and talked with Elon Musk that all this progress on efficiency may not be taking place or at such a fast pace needed before the midterms,” comments holy666 on a Fox News story about the mass layoffs of federal employees.