OB Rag

By Steve Rodriguez

Let me offer an interesting proposition. What the City of San Diego government needs, above all else, is its very own billionaire.

Yes, San Diego needs billions of dollars, but first things first. To eventually get a sufficient number of those billions of dollars, we first need to find a special billionaire—a disrupter sort of billionaire who, along with his posse of brash assistants, can come into town and shake up our government operations and thereby save lots of money.

Our San Diego City government is in desperate need of more revenue to update infrastructure, pay off fiascos like the 101 Ash Street transaction, eliminate the pension debt, find money to pay first responder salaries, and for the never ending drain of addressing the homeless situation.

By Bonnie Kutch

Senate Bill 610, a bill that would make it even easier for developers to build housing in high-risk fire zones, nearly made its way to the state legislature recently to be voted into law.

It should be no surprise that State Senator Scott Wiener, YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) chum and faithful servant to California’s wealthy, introduced SB 610 by taking an unrelated bill and completely rewriting it, thus reserving the bill’s place in the legislative queue. While SB 610 was suspended in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and didn’t proceed in the 2023-2024 legislative session, there is a good chance the bill will be resurrected this year.

While YIMBYs publicly advocate for sustainability, affordability and equity, their organizations are funded by special interest groups that recognize the incredible amount of money there is to be made in creating high-density housing.

There was a  lot of interest in the development of a piece of land in the 4900 block of Saratoga Avenue in OB where once stood an historic cottage.

The interest was piqued due to the apparent lack of notice to the community or the neighbors in the demolition of the cottage.

Rag reporter Geoff Page took a look at the lot this morning, Friday, Feb. 14, and found, “Nothing more than dirt.”

It was revealed Wednesday that due to the potential for hazards from leaking fuel from the Navy aircraft that plunged into San Diego Bay, there is a water-contact closure order or Kellogg Beach in Point Loma.

After the crew members were pulled from the water, paramedics took them to UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest for evaluations. They were in listed good condition on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, according to Navy officials.

By Paul Krueger

In response to the U-T article about San Diego mayor going on 8-day visit to the Philippines (Feb. 12), I have to say this story raises as many questions as it answers, and I trust your reporters will keep digging for the details.

When will Mayor Gloria’s office provide documentation confirming he paid the full cost of his travel?

Why did the mayor need two members of his police security detail to accompany him on this trip? It’s hard to imagine a security threat during a friendly visit to a friendly country.

There will be at least three future Citizen Budget Review Town Hall Meetings with Independent Budget Analyst (IBA) Charles Modica this month, February.

The title of the series is to the point: “Now that Measure E Has Failed, Where Should City Budget Cuts Be Made?”

Dates and locations are:

• Thursday, February 13, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm, Porter Elementary School in Lincoln Park, SE San Diego
  
• Saturday, February 15, 11:45 am–1:15 pm, Mission Valley Library
• Thursday, February 20, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm, Mira Mesa Senior Center

The City of San Diego needs money — especially since San Diego voters rejected that tax-measure last November — and its coming up with a variety of ways to bring in the dollars — mainly turning to the very same people — the voters who didn’t have enough confidence in the elected leaders to pass the measure — to make up the difference in the tight budget.

Here are the ways the City wants to make dollars — off of you:

• Increase recreation, swimming pools and .. fees.
• Double parking meters
• Raise fees for short-term vacation rental licenses
• Installing a high price for trash pickup

Increase Recreation Fees

In brief, San Diego wants to close large budget deficits by sharply raising the fees it charges people

• to swim at a city pool,
• moor a boat in Mission Bay,
• rent a library meeting room,
• reserve a volleyball court or
• use hundreds of other city services.

Canadians have canceled trips, boycotted U.S. products, and booed at sporting events after Trump imposed 25% tariffs on most Canadian goods and talked about a “Fifty-first state”.

By Kate Linthicum and Denis Calnan / Los Angeles Times / Feb. 12, 2025

TORONTO — Shopping for groceries the other afternoon at his neighborhood supermarket here, Victor Meunier reached for a head of broccoli — then reconsidered. It had been imported from the United States. Meunier ditched the broccoli and reached for a package of mushrooms with a different label: “Product of Canada.”

It was a small act of resistance against the Trump administration and its sudden upending of the longtime alliance between the two nations.

Since taking office last month, President Trump has turned Canada into a punching bag, threatening hefty tariffs on its goods while insisting that he is serious when he says that he wants to annex the country to make it America’s “51st state.”

Pentagon’s 18 spy plane missions near US-Mexico border spark surveillance concerns

MND Staff / Mexico News Daily / February 12, 2025

“We can’t rule out [espionage] because we don’t know what they did.”

With those words, Mexico’s Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo responded to a reporter’s question about whether United States military aircraft had engaged in “espionage” missions near and south of the U.S.-Mexico border to surveil and collect intelligence on Mexican drug cartels.

“They didn’t violate national air space,” added the top military brass at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Tuesday morning press conference.

The questioning of the defense minister came a day after CNN reported that the U.S. military “significantly increased its surveillance of Mexican drug cartels over the past two weeks, with sophisticated spy planes flying at least 18 missions over the southwestern U.S. and in international airspace around the Baja peninsula.”

The OB Rag needs help — no, not money donations — but writers and reporters.

OB – Point Loma Restaurant Reviewer

With the retirement of our mainstay restaurant reviewer, Judi Curry, we are without one. It’s a very popular gig and chore to check out the eateries in Ocean Beach and Point Loma and express your opinions and experiences. If you have any culinary experience, writing experience, live in either OB or PL and would like to be considered, please contact us at our gmail account — obragblog@gmail.com and indicate which position you’re applying for. We can afford $35 to $50 a review.

Local Reporter / Writer From the Peninsula

We’re also looking for a writer or reporter and more for local news in Ocean Beach or Point Loma. If you have any writing experience, live in either OB or PL and would like to be considered, please contact us at our gmail account — obragblog@gmail.com and indicate which position you’re applying for.

By Lisa Mortensen

There will be a Fire Safety Town Hall on Thursday, February 13, at 6:00 PM at the Balboa Park Club Ballroom (2150 Pan American Rd W, San Diego, CA 92101). Representatives from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and Councilperson Stephen Whitburn will be in attendance to discuss fire safety related topics.

by Ernie McCray

I don’t see how anybody

who took time

to really watch

Kendrick Lamar do his thing

between halves

at the Super Bowl Game,

could call his performance

boring and trashy

as it was very entertaining

to me,