OB Rag

As they say, “One person’s shack is another’s beautiful historic beach cottage.”

And yesterday, Monday, Feb.3,  a wonderful beach cottage was demolished in less than an hour at 4962 Saratoga Avenue.

A local neighbor was upset and contacted the District 2 City Council office and the planning department. They confirmed that no demolition permit was issued. Plus, there was no notification to neighbors on the impending development or demolition.

Hundreds of mostly young protesters swarmed downtown San Diego on Sunday, Feb. 2, protesting Trump’s immigration policies and raids by ICE. After converging on the Convention Center, the crowd set off on a huge loop through downtown, taking over streets with their march, many waving Mexican flags and signs of protest. I saw a few American flags and a good number of half-American, half-Mexican flags.

San Diego police accommodated the demonstrators, corralling off streets as they went. It appeared to be a non-permitted event — yet it was very festive.

The marchers returned to the area near the Convention Center — now several thousands. Vehicles bearing flags followed the demonstration — and besides chants, yells and the blare of horns, the event was entirely peaceful.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum put their planned tariffs on hold Monday for a month to give time for further negotiations, and Mexico said it planned to deploy 10,000 members of its national guard to address drug trafficking.

Trump’s tariffs against Canada and China were still slated to go into effect Tuesday, Feb. 4th, but uncertainty remained about the durability of any deals and whether the tariffs were a harbinger of a broader trade war, as Trump has promised more import taxes to come.

The U.S. and Mexican leaders announced the pause after what Trump described on social media as a “very friendly conversation,” and he said he looked forward to the upcoming talks.

As a condition ahead of the talks, Sheinbaum laid out changes in border policies, and Trump confirmed Mexico’s deployment of troops.

Every Saturday at 10:30 am. San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings February 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd.
Every Saturday 10 am – 12 pm Peace Vigil for Palestine:
February Events for Enero Zapatista

February  ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties Know Your Rights training series!
February 3rd Monday 6 pm – 7:30 pm Spring Valley Gun Violence Reduction

February 5th Wednesday 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm Borders Fellow Panel

February 7th Friday  5 pm – 9 pm San Diego Vegan Night Market

At its meeting on Tuesday, January 28, the Community Planners Committee (CPC) voted 23 to 3 in favor of writing a formal recommendation to the City of San Diego calling for an emergency moratorium on all infill construction projects in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) that more than double dwelling unit density until comprehensive risk assessments and mitigation measures are completed.

The proposal was prepared and presented by Paul Coogan, Chair of the Normal Heights Community Planning Group and Secretary of the Community Planners Committee. He also serves as Secretary of Normal Heights for Smart Growth.

The CPC’s decision was influenced by growing concerns over the increasing threat of wildfires in urban areas, citing recent devastating fires such as the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Fires, which illustrate the extreme danger of wildfires spreading in densely populated communities. The committee also considered the vulnerabilities of San Diego’s aging infrastructure, limited evacuation routes, and a significant funding gap in fire prevention resources.

Sale of French Gourmet reportedly in the works– Reality check for those thinking decision was made on high-rise

For those who thought the fate of the Vela project – aka Turquoise Tower – aka Pencil Tower — already had been decided, think again.

Michel Malecot, the long-time owner of the French Gourmet, told reps from the group Neighbors for a Better California on Thursday, Jan.30 that a check for $6.5 million was being wired to him to complete the sale of his property to Kalonymus, the developer that is proposing to build a 23-story skyscraper on the Turquoise Street site.

By Member of Community Hub

On the First United Methodist Church (FUMC) website, the About page still features a section discussing Affordable Housing for Ocean Beach — but the reality has changed.

The video on their site talks about replacing existing cottages at 4823-25 Saratoga Ave with a scaled, community-aligned affordable housing project. However, FUMC has abandoned this reasonable initiative and is now exploring plans to sell the entire church property to developers.

By Kate Callen

After decades of City Hall neglect, Encanto residents are savoring their stunning victory over predatory development at the January 28 City Council hearing. And it looks like they’re just getting started.

At a jubilant February 2 gathering, leaders of Neighbors for Encanto said they are ready to double down in the battles ahead. And they are confident neighborhoods across the city will stand with them.

“This isn’t just Encanto’s fight,” Lisa Becerra told the crowd at the Encanto Recreation Center. “We’re hearing from people all over San Diego who are already pissed off and already fighting this.”

By Joni Halpern

On January 17, 2025, I sat next to an elderly African-American woman, both of us waiting for the San Diego Housing Commission to start the board meeting. The woman was clothed in simple, attractive garb, her gray hair combed neatly.  She sat with dignity, her chin lifted, her shoulders squared.  She smiled and nodded when she caught my gaze.

The business of the meeting began with public comment. She was the first one to speak.

“Good morning, Honorable Members of the San Diego Housing Commission,” she began.   “I live in City Heights with my husband.”

She struggled to find her notes, then added, “and we are both disabled.  We had applied for Section 8 [federally subsidized housing] on November 2012, and on November 2021, we were told we were on a waiting list for ‘mod rehab’ for the elderly and disabled.  Up to this point, we are still on the waiting list.  I am here to request…uh…the Board to grant us a priority, based on our situation…uh…my husband is diabetic…”

By JW August / Special to the OB Rag

In the Trenches–

The term “fog of war” is an apt description of what’s going on now in Washington.

Confusion, fear and paranoia stalk the halls of the federal bureaucracy, often maligned and rarely appreciated these days.  So says a long time source whom I’ll name “S” who holds a senior leadership position with a large federal agency.

“It’s important that Americans know what is going on” says “S” and says he/she is not motivated by belonging to any political party; the skin in the game for “S” is having served this country for more than 25 years of federal and military service. “S” worked in San Diego in the past but has been in D.C. now for over ten years.

A large protest against Trump immigration policies was held in National City Friday afternoon. Hundreds of people jammed National Avenue — and an eventual street take-over resulted in teargas being used by police after it was called an “illegal protest.”

Starting out as a peaceful protest, the demonstration quickly grew in size, as Highland Avenue was swarmed with people.

“I see a lot of youth which I’m happy to see here that are out here supporting. I see a lot of families with kids. I see a lot of older people as well,” said Violet, an immigration activist.

ABC News

MINNEAPOLIS — Civil rights activists gathered outside the headquarters of Target Corp. on Thursday to call for a national boycott of the retailing giant over its decision to phase out its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Target announced last Friday that it would join competitor Walmart and a number of other prominent American brands in scaling back their DEI initiatives, which have come under attack from conservatives and the new White House of President Donald Trump.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, a veteran civil rights lawyer in Minneapolis and founder of the Racial Justice Network, joined other local activists and their supporters at a news conference to urge people to begin the boycott on Saturday, the first day of Black History Month. Many of the participants were regular Target shoppers until now, she said.

Levy Armstrong said they were “stunned” that Target, which increased its commitment to building a more diverse workforce in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis in 2020, backed away from its support of racial equity.