OB Rag

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.

Moves to Bolster Country’s Sovereignty Against Trump’s Threats to Invade Under Guise of Attacking Cartels

By Mexico News Daily Staff / Feb. 20, 2025

At her Thursday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to the United States’ designation of six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations by announcing she was sending a constitutional reform proposal to Congress to bolster the protection of Mexico’s sovereignty.

Among other issues, Sheinbaum also spoke about United States President Donald Trump’s decision to launch an anti-drug campaign.

Sheinbaum’s proposed reform would add two paragraphs to the Mexican constitution’s Article 40, stating among other things, that Mexico will not consent to intervention by foreign entities in Mexican territory, not even for the purpose of investigating or prosecuting crimes. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)

On the day the United States’ designation of six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations took effect, Sheinbaum declared that Mexico’s sovereignty is not up for negotiation.

The terrorist designations of the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and other Mexican criminal organizations “can’t be an opportunity for the United States to invade our sovereignty,” she said.

By Jessica Piper / Politico / Feb. 20-21, 2025

Donald Trump’s honeymoon may be wearing off.

New polls show a majority of Americans say he has overstepped his presidential authority — and hasn’t done enough to address high prices.

Two new polls from CNN/SSRS and The Washington Post/Ipsos show the GOP president’s approval rating underwater (47-52 in the CNN poll, 45-53 in the Post), a shift from polling earlier this year that found voters roughly divided on him, with some surveys even showing a positive approval rating.

Trump’s poll numbers are at an historic low for this spot in any president’s first month in modern times. SEE: Rachel Maddow’s blistering analysis of recent polls — video.

One reason for the erosion of support: a slight majority of respondents in both surveys said Trump has overstepped his presidential power in his attempts to reshape the federal government driven by tech billionaire Elon Musk. Many of Trump’s most controversial early initiatives, including a sweeping spending freeze, have been blocked in court thus far, but the new administration has still made waves with layoffs of federal workers, cuts to federal contracts and a flood of executive orders.

Coastkeeper just released its first annual Mission Bay Water Quality Monitoring Report, which presents a year’s worth of data showing elevated bacteria, copper, and phosphorus levels, often exceeding state water safety standards. It highlights the myriad of sources—some unique, others are the usual suspects—and ultimately underscores the need for more effective mitigation to reduce the risk to public health and the environment. The following is from SD Coastkeeper:

San Diego Coastkeeper Publishes 2024 Mission Bay Water Quality Monitoring Report
Data Shows Spikes of Bacteria, Metals and Nutrients at Many Locations

San Diego Coastkeeper, an environmental nonprofit working to protect and restore swimmable, drinkable, and fishable waters throughout San Diego, published its first annual 2024 Mission Bay Water Quality Monitoring Report.

The report summarizes a year of monthly water monitoring data at locations around Mission Bay, showing persistently high levels of bacteria, copper and phosphorus in both dry and wet weather, often at levels that exceed state water quality standards for safe public recreation and a healthy aquatic ecosystem.

Aging stormwater and leaking wastewater infrastructure are likely sources of bacterial contamination, while high levels of copper and phosphorus could be the result of multiple sources.

Newsweek / February 20, 2025

The White House has released photos styling President Donald Trump as a king on social media.

The administration’s official X (formerly Twitter) account posted a fake paper cover in the style of Time Magazine, with the caption: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

Why It Matters — In the initial stages of his second presidency, Trump has faced criticism for his consistent use of executive orders to make changes to the federal government. The images give his critics, who fear he is consolidating power in the executive branch at the expense of courts, more ammunition.

What To Know — On Wednesday, the White House’s official X account released the image, which appears to be AI-generated.

In the third of four 2025 Budget Review Town Hall forums, public testimony again questioned whether the spending priorities of the Mayor and the City Council are in alignment with the spending priorities of communities and taxpayers.

More than 50 people gathered for the February 15 forum at the Mission Valley Library to hear a presentation from Independent Budget Analyst (IBA) Charles Modica and to express their own views about city finances.

The series title is “Now that Measure E Has Failed, Where Should City Budget Cuts Be Made?” The goal is for constituents to communicate directly with elected officials about their budget priorities and their concerns about city taxing and spending.

Members of the Mission Valley audience called for greater investment in infrastructure and more robust code enforcement, especially as neighborhoods are feeling the strain of infill densification.