OB Rag

By Scott Case

There has been significant publicity concerning community push-back against developers who are seeking to take advantage of local and state building policy changes to erect high-rise apartments and destroy our neighborhood character.

The opposition is not rooted in NIMBY perspectives as most San Diegans appreciate the need for additional residential units in their neighborhoods. …

I would like to call your attention to additional high-rise developments in the planning stages with the City’s Developmental Services Department. Specifically, the 3600 block of Columbia St behind India Street’s “restaurant row”. A developer is advocating to erect a 8-10 story apartment building on two lots, in the midst of this hillside community.

by Jennifer Vigil/ Times of San Diego / October 15, 2024

Five breweries, representing San Diego County from Oceanside to Imperial Beach, won gold medals at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

The local gold medalists are:

• San Marcos’ Craft Coast Beer & Tacos for its Chillzner in the “International-Style Pilsner” category
• Solana Beach’s Culture Brewing Co. for its 3 Citrus Gose in the “Contemporary Gose” category
• Oceanside’s Green Cheek Beer Co. for its Jeff’s Baltic Porter in the “Strong Porter” category
• Imperial Beach’s Pizza Port for its Indie Roo in the “Imperial Stout” category
• Mission Valley’s Puesto Cerveceria for its Puesto Negra in the “International Dark Lager” category.

Gold medals are awarded for a “world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance,” according to the festival.

Pizza Port and Athletic Brewing Co. are the only San Diego brewers to win multiple medals. Pizza Port, in addition to its two golds (one was for its San Clemente location), also took home a bronze for its Ocean Beach brewery. Athletic Brewing Co. won a pair of silvers.

Recently, a CBS8 reporter went on a ride-along with a city sanitation driver Jared Nunes to see what happens with our trash and recyclables. Reporter Neda Iranpour filed the report we’re picking up as a public service announcement.

First thing, we had to know what his pet peeves are. Jared Nunes said, “when the cans are overflowing a lot of times it makes a mess. We try to do our best to grab it, but sometimes it makes a mess we got to get out and clean it up.” So be sure the lid closes. If not, your trash and recyclables could go flying and someone like Nunes will have to try to chase it all down.

UFCW Local 135 Intensifies CVS Boycott with Triple Actions This Wednesday

UFCW Local 135 continues to amplify customer pressure on CVS Pharmacy with a series of three boycott actions this Wednesday, October 16, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at three nonunion CVS locations in Downtown San Diego: 402 Fifth Avenue, 645 Market Street, and 101 Park Plaza.

Union members, alongside labor allies, will be engaged in informational picketing at the pharmacies, urging customers to boycott CVS, transfer their prescriptions to unionized grocery pharmacies, and cancel their CVS ExtraCare+ memberships. The boycott actions come after CVS workers across California overwhelmingly voted to authorize an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike.

There’s a four-story apartment building being planned for a busy corner on a major street in Point Loma, but neither neighbors nor the local Peninsula Planning Board can get any details on the project out of the City of San Diego. It’s coming in at the former site of the San Diego County Credit Union building.

Residents are very concerned about impacts on the community from the project at 1400 Rosecrans, at the intersection with Talbot. For instance, the 56-unit complex would be built literally next door to the Cabrillo Elementary School.

Yet, residents’ concerns are not being met with details from the city.

The Callen Report

By Kate Callen

The sheer awfulness of the projects in our “Worst ADU in San Diego” contest has prompted readers to ask: ‘How the hell did this happen?’ To find out, let’s take a closer look at the Gold Prize “worst ADU,” the 14-unit complex at 4578 Jicarillo Avenue in Bay Ho. It shows how monstrous ADUs are spawned by three very bad actors: A rampaging builder. A broken city agency. And a scheming politician.

The Builder: Christian Spicer

In 2021, Christian Spicer told the New York Times that he started out in real estate by delivering foreclosure notices to homeowners. “The fun part was now I get to go in and turn the unit,” he said. When Spicer was cited for ripping out a kitchen without permits, a subcontractor mentioned it would be easier to build a backyard ADU – faster permitting, more profit.

The City of San Diego has finalized the design for the new Ocean Beach Pier and it will be showcased at a community workshop on October 26. The workshop will be at the Liberty Station Conference Center at 2600 Laring Road.

In a news release, the city announced:

“During this workshop, the city of San Diego and its consultants will share updates to amenities and features of the preferred pier design concept released in April, based on public input received since its original release.”

This will be the fifth workshop on the pier and is scheduled for 3 hours, from 12 noon to 3 pm on Saturday, October 26. Officials from the city and the consultants are expected to give a short presentation at 12:15, and then invite attendees to some interactive stations and a video display. Public comments will also be taken, it’s assumed. 7NBC

From San Diego Cannabis Times

San Diego county’s 70th dispensary just opened. 100 is closer than you may think.

With the recent opening of Off The Charts in Lemon Grove, the county saw its 70th licensed cannabis retail storefront open. A flurry of dispensary construction is taking place in East and South county areas and more will commence once licenses are awarded.

Here’s a rundown of what’s brewing around the county:

By Brian Fowler

Everyone knows there is a housing crisis in our county and has been for some time. Some define it as the homeless issue, whether through self- experience or being impacted by the effects. The way it robs people of their dignity and degrades the neighborhoods. Others view it through the fearful lens of the ever- increasing rental rates and ask themselves will they remain housed. Couples chasing the dream of home ownership are frustrated by their inability to save enough as prices continue to soar.

How can we fix this?

Starting with the Gaslamp Quarter revitalization in the 1980s — prior to this remake there were over 14,000 SROs in San Diego. Single room occupancy hotels renting by the month are not luxurious accommodations.