OB Rag

by Todd Walters / Times of San Diego / Feb. 24, 2026

Public office demands more than ambition. It demands principles. It demands courage. And above all, it demands accountability.

That is why I cannot stay silent about San Diego Unified Board President Richard Barrera and his bid for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Leadership is not defined by titles held or campaigns launched. It is defined in moments of crisis, when speaking up carries risk, when loyalty to power conflicts with loyalty to people, and when silence becomes a choice.

During one of the most painful chapters in our union’s history, Barrera made that choice.

For years, former United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 135 President Mickey Kasparian faced multiple public allegations and lawsuits involving sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation. These were not whispers. They were reported, litigated, protested and deeply felt by labor and the broader community.

At that time, Barrera served as secretary-treasurer of the union. He was widely regarded as Kasparian’s right-hand man, a senior officer with influence, access and authority. If there was ever a moment that called for moral clarity, this was it.

And yet, he remained silent.

by Debbie L. Sklar / Times of San Diego / Feb. 20, 2026

In 1916, the sands of Mission Beach were dotted with striped canvas tents and cabana-style shelters, forming a temporary seaside neighborhood known as Tent City. Visitors and a handful of longer-term residents pitched their lives on the shoreline, enjoying the Pacific breezes, the surf, and a rare chance to live directly on the sand.

Tent City was located in:

• Old Mission Beach, generally west of present-day Mission Boulevard.
• Near Redondo Court, site of the former bathhouse.
• Beachfront parcels that later became permanent residential lots.

Promoted as an affordable coastal retreat, Tent City offered rental sites and small lots for sale, appealing to families and vacationers who wanted more than a day trip to the beach. The settlement reflected a broader early-20th-century trend in Southern California: transforming open beachfront into planned, accessible recreational communities.

The following photos were submitted by Cory Miller and taken at the Tuesday, Feb. 24 City Council hearing on OB’s historical district in City Council Chambers. Text was submitted by South OB Girl, an irregular Rag columnist.

A full half hour early, approximately 30 OBceans had already arrived. Council Chambers wasn’t open yet and we waited in the lobby. Security opened the Chambers up since so many people were waiting . Everyone began submitting their speaker slips right away. 20 people in this photo with at least 10 to a dozen people not in the photo.

Yessiree folks, step right up to the latest display of Councilmember Jen Campbell kniving her community of OB and her District 2 in the back by leading the City Council in a vote of 5 to 1 to dismember OB’s historical district.

After a hearing of not even 2 and a half hours, the Council voted on Jen Campbell’s own motion to approve the controversial Package A. Council President Joe LaCava was the only holdout.

So the vote to approve the staff report and approve Package A included Campbell, Whitburn — who seconded the motion –, Moreno and Lee.

Three councilmembers never even made it to the hearing. Campillo, von Wipert, and Elo-Rivera.

The San Diego Bird Alliance is proud to announce the return of the San Diego Bird Festival,  scheduled from February 25 to March 1, 2026, at the Marina Village Conference Center in Mission Bay. This  premier five-day celebration centered around the theme “Where Passion Takes Flight” invites birders of all  backgrounds, abilities, and experience levels to explore the region’s unique biodiversity.

Join us Saturday, February 28th anytime between 10 am-6pm and Sunday, March 1st,10am-3pm for Family Friendly Community Days that offer FREE activities, live birds, food vendors, art & more at the Marina Village Conference Center.

The 2026 festival features an expanded lineup of world-class keynote speakers across iconic San Diego venues.  Highlights include Jason Hall at Festival HQ, Makeda Dread Cheatom and Marilú Lopez-Fretts at the WorldBeat  Cultural Center, Dexter Patterson at the San Diego Natural History Museum, and birding legend Kenn Kaufman at  the Hyatt Regency.

Urbane Café
3954 W. Point Loma Blvd, Suite B,
San Diego, California 92110
Phone (619) 374-0183
www.urbanecafe.com

By LK Bruce

Hallelujah. You might not think the 42nd location in a sandwich/ salad/ soup outfit would elicit such a response but it does.

Urbane Café was founded by two friends in Ventura, hoping to fill a need there for a great sandwich and salad. Feeling every great sandwich starts with the freshest of bread, they designed the cafe around a hearth oven. The two came up with a bread recipe that was soft and round, baked “right in front of your eyes.” The menu then centered around locally sourced ingredients, house-roasted meats, and housemade crafted sauces to give each creation its own unique flavor. Though a chain at this point, they’re still family owned.

Urbane Café’s long-time location at the base of the University of San Diego may well be known to some Peninsula dwellers. Though just a hop and a skip from the Peninsula, to some it is psychologically remote, given the need to cross both I-5 and 8 to get there. Still it was always worth the hurdle, offering a unique take on lunch. When you remembered it.

See Talking Points for Today’s Hearing Below

It’s true, the community of Ocean Beach was specifically and intentionally targeted by city planners for over-development. How they did this was by including a specific reference to OB’s historic district in a so-called package of “reforms” that would eliminate any historical protections against over-development the district provides for Ocean Beach.

This reference to undermine OB’s Emerging Cottage Historic District is included in an awkward bungling of proposals under the rubric of Preservation Reforms Package A that is headed to the City Council today, Feb. 24th.

The threats of over-development would come from Mayor Gloria’s “Complete Communities” which allows for higher density and a loosening of requirements, such as the 30-foot height limit, parking, set-backs and other restrictions on project developments. If OB’s Historic District is undermined, then OB is susceptible to the ravages of  Complete Communities.

Here’s some background as to how we got here.

The OB’s Historic District was the reason a project called The Point and consisting of 24 units slated for Point Loma Avenue in south OB was unanimously rejected in August of 2024 by the San Diego Planning Commission. The developers were using Complete Communities to obtain exemptions from long-held restrictions if they met certain requirements.

By Erwin Chemerinsky / Los Angeles Times Op-Ed / Feb. 20, 2026

The Supreme Court’s decision invalidating President Trump’s tariffs sends a clear and crucial message: The justices will not be a simple rubber stamp approving presidential actions. In the first year of Trump’s new term, 24 challenges to presidential actions came to the court, almost all on its emergency docket. In 22, the justices ruled in favor of the president. But Friday’s 6-3 decision striking down his tariffs is a huge victory for separation of powers and the rule of law.

The importance of tariffs to Trump, and their consequences for the world, cannot be overstated. The president said that their invalidation “would be a total disaster for the country” and “would literally destroy the United States of America.” In its petition to the Supreme Court, Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer said “the tariffs are promoting peace and unprecedented economic prosperity” and “pulling America back from the precipice of disaster, restoring respect and standing in the world.”

Trump has treated tariffs as something he can impose or rescind at will. But not anymore.

A brand new candidate has just emerged for the already crowded District 2 City Council race and it’s Sandra Kay.

Kay has picked up where candidate Richard Bailey has been with his mantra of “policies not politics” and perhaps has even bested him with her “Not Not Political” campaign launch. It also appears she is striving for the Ocean Beach vote.

The following is from her campaign launch website:

This time, OB leads! It’s Wednesday in Ocean Beach. Time to awaken the civic power of our creative community. Join your neighbors and local creatives for a night of music, performances, and real conversation that brings people together instead of pulling us apart. .

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Richard Bailey, one of the newest candidates to have thrown their hat into the ring for the District 2 City Council race, has now changed his party affiliation from Republican to No Party Preference.

Bailey has asked for a retraction from the Rag, but there is nothing to retract.

The following were written comments for the San Diego City Council Rules Committee by Victoria LaBruzzo, submitted on behalf of the Community Planners Committee (CPC), on February 18, 2026.

by: Victoria LaBruzzo

Subject: Seat at the Table Proposal & SB 707 Implementation

Council President LaCava and Honorable Committee Members,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide written comment on today’s informational item regarding SB 707 and potential amendments to the Rules of Council. I also appreciate the invitation to participate in this discussion.

My comments focus on the interplay between SB 707 and the Community Planners Committee’s “Seat at the Table” proposal, which CPC submitted on January 29. These two efforts can work together to strengthen public participation and improve the quality of deliberation at Council and Committee hearings.

The Brown Act has always been grounded in a clear legislative intent: that public bodies provide meaningful access to the public and conduct their deliberations openly.