OB Rag

Waymo, the self-driving division of Google parent Alphabet, announced Wednesday it plans to test its autonomous taxis in San Diego this year.

After extensive testing in Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco, where trips are publicly available 24 hours a day, the company says the technology is adapting successfully to new environments, leading to the expansion.

San Diego and Las Vegas will be next, with as many as 10 new cities to be announced this year.

Today, Friday morning, the White House affirmed that President Donald Trump will move forward with aggressive new tariffs on Canada and Mexico (and China) on Saturday, February 1 and that he will stick to his deadline for the new duties that could have widespread effects on the economy.

“I can confirm that, tomorrow, the February 1 deadline President Trump put into place with a statement several weeks ago continues,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Friday’s briefing.

Her confirmation of the new tariffs appeared to end speculation on whether the president would follow through on the pledge he made as a candidate to levy the new duties.

She said the tariffs would amount to a 25% duty on Mexico and Canada and a 10% tariff on China.

If U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on his pledge to slap 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico it could usher in a volatile new chapter in the longstanding trade relationship with the impacts hitting consumers.

7SanDiego / January 27, 2025

San Diego’s Mission Trails Regional Park will grow by 15 acres once a sale goes through, thanks to newly acquired land north of state Route 52 and west of Interstate 15, it was announced Tuesday.

The land, which is in escrow but expected to close within 30 days, will be added to the city’s Multiple Species Conservation Program with the intent of protecting threatened and endangered species.

San Diego purchased the two parcels, part of the East Elliot Community Planning Area, from a private buyer for $431,500, using money from the city’s Habitat Acquisition Fund. That fund is solely for purchasing and preserving land for conservation.

The climate emergency has led to dramatic changes for Alaska fish and wildlife and for the subsistence-based communities of the Arctic who depend on these creatures for their survival.

By David Helvarg / Common Dreams / Jan 22, 2025 

In early January, as one of his last acts in office, former U.S. President Joe Biden banned future offshore oil and gas drilling on more than 625 million acres of U.S. coastal waters including the entire East Coast, West Coast, and the eastern Gulf of Mexico as well as the northern Bering Sea.

He did this using presidential powers granted under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, which in 2019 a federal judge in Alaska ruled cannot be rescinded by a future president. This means, despite his day one executive order reversing Biden’s order, President Donald Trump will likely have to get Congress to pass legislation negating this drilling ban.

Noon this Friday, January 31st, is the deadline to register to vote online for your local representatives to the California Democratic Party.

If you’re in California Assembly Districts 77, 78, 79 or 80, you’re in Region 22, which covers all of San Diego County. Here is the link 

For those who are still appalled by the shellacking last November at the national level, or concerned about cronyism at the local level, this is an opportunity to weigh in on who gets to decide which Democratic candidates you get to vote for.

By Joey Reams / What Now San Diego / January 29, 2025

OB Kabob, a family-owned and operated Middle Eastern restaurant that closed its doors early last year, is getting ready to reopen in the same location in Ocean Beach at 4994 Newport Avenue,  Ste A.

The restaurant is set to move into the former home of D’lish Restaurant, which is owned by the same family, Sahir and Lorien Sinawi.

The Log / January 30, 2025

The Port of San Diego commenced repairs on the west side of the Shelter Island Boat Launch Ramp on Monday, January 27, 2025, with the project scheduled for completion in April. During this time, the east side floating dock remained open and accessible, and the Port anticipated it would stay operational throughout the repair project.

The repair work included pumping approximately 200 cubic yards of sand underneath the damaged floating docks and depositing it onto the adjacent upland beach along the existing concrete boardwalk to address erosion issues. Crews also installed neoprene sleeves and stainless-steel wedge anchors along the existing seawall to prevent future sand migration. Damaged floating docks were removed and replaced with a newly installed floating dock.

By Geoff Page

A recent survey of the newly completed Dog Beach fence sadly confirmed the concerns detailed in The Rag’s earlier stories on it. The fence is not doing well.

This the third piece The Rag has done on the new fence. The first was October 9, 2020. The second was November 9 last year.

To refresh memories on what the fence is, it is a system of tall 4×4 posts, four rows of twisted wire, and wooden slats. It runs like tunnels, lining paths on both sides intending to keep people – and more importantly dogs – on prescribed routes. There are three “exits” from the main path across the dunes toward the river, also lined with fence.

There was such intense pushback from everywhere across the country in reaction to Trump’s very recent dictatorial powergrab in his federal funds freeze that was clearly so unconstitutional (only Congress has the power of the purse), that today the White House had to rescind the edict.

Yet, in the meantime, the order created chaos and confusion in every governmental and public-serving agency. And San Diego was no different. Even ICE funds were frozen.

Axios San Diego laid out some of the local effects and consequences of the freeze — see below. And while ICE agents began to make their rounds in San Diego County and arrested some immigrants, the El Cajon City Council failed to endorse rightwing mayor Bill Wells’ controversial motion.

By JW August

Legislation aimed at making child trafficking a felony in California was signed into law Monday, Jan. 27, by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

For the supporters of SB 1414, authored by Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) it’s a good news-bad news outcome. While the bill builds on continuing efforts to criminalize the trafficking of children 18 and under, it comes up short of the legislation’s original goal.

SB1414 had the backing of a coalition of more than 100 organizations. What was signed by the governor doesn’t finish the job, say anti-trafficking activists. Groves doesn’t disagree with the criticism, saying Monday that while her bill provides “a significant step in the right direction” to protect children from child sex traffickers and buyers, “there is still work to be done.”

By Kate Callen

It’s a Philly Thing, Donald

I didn’t think I could feel any happier after the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders to win the 2025 NFC Championship and a Super Bowl berth.

Then I learned that Donald Trump had once again dissed my team. And the win became that much sweeter.

Trump and the Eagles have a curious history. He was running for president in 2016 when San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick took the knee during the National Anthem at NFL games to protest police brutality against Blacks.

Some players knelt with Kaepernick, some didn’t. Many fans respected his principled stand, which ended his NFL career. But most were puzzled and pissed.