OB Rag

An important 5-year study just completed of the sources of human waste in the San Diego River has found that by far most — 90%– was caused by sewage spills, and not the homeless. As the following outlines,

“… people experiencing homelessness contribute the smallest relative quantities, less than 0.25%, of human fecal bacteria in the San Diego River.

This determination hopefully puts to rest long-standing assertions by local municipalities and water agencies that unhoused encampments in the San Diego River watershed are a potentially significant source of bacterial pollution in the river.”

By Spencer Higgs – San Diego Coastkeeper / November 13, 2024

A five-year study conducted by the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (“SCCWRP”) to assess sources and volumes of human fecal bacteria in the San
Diego River reveals a disturbing reality – spills, leaks, and subterranean seepage from public sanitary sewer systems are, by far, the largest contributors to human fecal contamination throughout the entire urbanized portion of the San Diego River watershed.

Another influential politician has come out against the 22-story so-called “Pencil Tower” being proposed for Pacific Beach. This time, Senator Catherine Blakespear of the California 38th District — a Democrat — has written a letter coming out in “strong opposition” to the proposal, called “Project Vela”, for 970 Turquoise Street.

The 38th Senate District encompasses coastal North County south through PB.

Blakespear wrote the public letter to Gustavo Velasquez, Director of the California Department of Housing & Community Development and agreed with other electeds that “this project undermines state law by permitting a project that includes only 10 affordable homes alongside 139 visitor accommodation units and 74 other market rate residential units.”

By Paige Austin / Patch Staff / Wed, Nov 13, 2024

Republicans are one win away from taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives, giving the party control of all branches of government, and liberal California may very well be the state that delivers it to the GOP this week.

Though NBC News declared Republican victory in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday and Data provider Decision Desk HQ projected Republicans to win the house, the Associated Press and other major outlets have not called it yet. That’s because a handful of races, including three in California, remain too close to call.

The Republican chances of victory in the House depends on still uncalled races in Arizona’s District 6 in the Tuscon area, Iowa’s District 1, Alaska’s District 1, and California’s Districts 13, 45, and 47.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Associated Press had not declared a victory in Orange County District 47, but on Tuesday night, Republican Scott Baugh conceded the race to Democrat Dave Min.

What is going on with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department these days?

First of all,  County Sheriff Kelly Martinez is being accused of slowing down and even ignoring data requests from the people who were hired to research why so many people die in local jails. This slow-down has cost San Diego taxpayers nearly $20 million in legal settlements this year alone. This allegation is but the latest dispute between the region’s largest law enforcement agency and the civilian office charged with monitoring its practices.

Second — and to a lesser degree –, questions are being raised about the millions of dollars generated by a prisoners’ welfare fund, specifically the Sheriff’s commissary that serves the 3,800 or so people locked up in San Diego County jails. The millions generated are supposed to pay for the benefit, education and welfare of people in custody, but millions from the welfare fund are used to pay sheriff’s employees’ salaries and benefits, to pay for office supplies, equipment, cleaning, food, postage and other services that might normally be considered routine jail operational expenses, according to the San Diego UT.

by Dan Plante / Fox5News / Nov 12, 2024 /

After a long and memorable life on the Ocean Beach pier, everything must go.

Not to the landfill or some garbage dump, but from this storage container to the highest bidder.

“You know how many people have been on this pier, ate at that cafe, played the games, fished with their fishing poles. We’ve acquired everything that you’ve seen, and that’s what’s going up for auction, because there’s a lot of memories here. It’s not a joke, it’s real, and guess what, we get to be part of it,” Fiore Garippo, Latter Reign Ministries.

By Larry Turner

Cynthia and I, first and foremost, would like to thank every San Diegan who stepped forward to make our city a better place; everything we accomplished in this campaign was because of the amazing volunteers, contributors, and voters who joined in the fight.

We started out as a no-name, grassroots campaign surviving on $5 donations, taking on “the system,” and became a force to be reckoned with, knocking the high-profile incumbent to less than 50% in the Primary Election, and 55% in the General Election.

Even though we were outspent by special interests and developers who directly benefit from City actions, our election margin was still closer than any of the other high-profile campaigns in the region, including for City Attorney, City Council, or County Supervisor.

Nearly our entire campaign team was made up of unpaid volunteers, and what we accomplished through sheer grit and determination is amazing.

By Kate Callen

Amidst the 2024 election gloom, glimmers of hope have emerged. The brightest spot locally was the 79th Assembly District race, where educator LaShae Sharp-Collins beat attorney Colin Parent 53% to 47%. And both are Democrats.

It was an unexpected outcome in an unusual race. Parent, the CEO of Circulate San Diego and a La Mesa City Councilmember, won the March primary outright. Sharp-Collins edged out Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez for second place. They both trailed Parent by 10 points.

Parent raised twice as much money as Sharp-Collins. Between January and June 1, he took in $687,600 to her $318,835. His donors included real estate developers. Hers included teachers and doctors.

By Marjorie Cohn / Truthout / November 12, 2024

[Please see original for important links]

Employing federal troops to suppress domestic protests and deport immigrants from U.S. soil en masse would be illegal, but Donald Trump has been pushing to do so since his first administration. The recent Supreme Court decision granting presidents nearly absolute immunity for official acts has created a situation with far fewer guardrails to prevent Trump from abusing his authority in his second presidential term.

Trump and his allies have reportedly drafted plans for him to deploy the military against civil demonstrators on his first day in office, according to a Washington Post report from November 2023. And Trump, who promised to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, has also indicated that he will use the military to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Residents in Point Loma are fed up with street lights that don’t work. Entire neighborhoods have lacked working street lights for years – many of them are placed in the middle of streets – and residents have filed numerous Get It Done complaints with the city. Still, years later, many remain off.

The city says the situation in Point Loma is complex due to multiple points of damage and a lack of replacement parts. In the meantime, the city has installed some solar lights in the area, but repairs needed for a more permanent solution are currently unfunded.

Other neighborhoods, like in North Pacific Beach and South Park, have similar issues with the non-functioning street lights. In North Pacific Beach, entire blocks have been without functioning street lights for years.

By Phillip Molnar / The San Diego Union-Tribune / November 7, 2024

San Diego has the fourth-highest percentage of renters in the nation as homeownership rates fall.

About 48% of households in San Diego metro are renters, said a new Redfin study, only behind San Jose metro (52%), the Los Angeles and Orange County metro area (51%) and New York (49%).

San Diego isn’t alone in seeing homeownership rates slow. The number of U.S. renter households grew 2.7% in the last three months, Redfin said, which was the biggest year-over-year gain since 2015. The number of renter households is growing three times faster than homeowner households.

From PhillyBurbs

John F. Hipp, Jr., “Jack” of Brattleboro VT, passed away October 23, 2024, peacefully, surrounded by his wife and family.

He was the much-loved husband of Lisa Hipp of Brattleboro and the son of John F. Hipp Sr., and the late Anna (Nancy) Hipp of Warminster PA. In addition to his wife and father, he leaves behind daughter Kathleen (Katie) Hipp and husband Dan of Buckingham PA, daughter Deirdre (Dee) Nichols and husband Matt of Brattleboro VT, daughter Michelle (Mickey) Hipp of Brattleboro VT and daughter Jacqueline (Jackie) Hipp and her partner Matt Sensor of Brookline VT.

Jack is survived by sister Theresa Hipp of Warminster, PA, brother Joseph Hipp of Perkasie PA, brother Robert Hipp of Perkasie PA and brother Paul Hipp of Santa Monica CA.

He also leaves six beautiful grandchildren, three nieces and a nephew.

Striking mental health care workers at Kaiser Permanente were back on the picket lines this week, beginning Monday, November 11 at one site in San Diego as well as others at multiple Southern California medical centers in a continuing dispute with management.

Union officials said workers would be picketing be at the San Diego location all week – Monday through Friday at San Diego Medical Center, located at 9455 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Picket lines will begin at 8 a.m. and run through 2 p.m.

The union’s contract with Kaiser expired Sept. 30. No bargaining sessions are scheduled for this week.

According to the union, the key issues remain “Kaiser’s unwillingness to provide its nearly 2,400 mental health professionals in Southern California the same amount of time for critical patient care duties that can’t be done during appointments as their counterparts in Northern California — as well as the same wage levels and retirement benefits as comparable workers throughout the Kaiser system.”