OB Rag

Relief Received After TV Station Intervenes

Michael Mudurian served in the Air Force and then settled into his Point Loma home with an ocean view 50 years ago.

For decades, the lifelong bachelor said he had a pretty high water bill because he loved to water his garden and nourish the lush, green grass in his front yard. However, the grass became dead and brown because Mudurian couldn’t afford his water bill; it was a stunning $28,500 in August after the city’s Public Utilities Department had held his bill for over a year.

To Rag readers

I wanted to share with our many Rag readers the latest writing assignment I’ve given our writers and reporters.

This may be the most unusual writing assignment you’ve ever been given, but here it is —

It’s 2 weeks before election day. It appears that due to slow counts and other election day headaches, it’s likely we won’t know officially who won the Presidential election on the 5th of November.

But we do know that Trump will declare himself the victor and set in motion collaboration from state election boards, state reps and other highly-placed acolytes that will sow disinformation, confusion and outright sabotage to our election machinery.

by Ernie McCray

A Message for Some Young Brothers Who Have Got Some Serious Thinking to Do

I’d like to say this to you

young brothers

who’re backing Donald J. Trump:

you’ve got some serious thinking to do,

especially about that point-of-view

you have that we African Americans

have nothing to gain

through politics.

Eric Law is the chair of the Project Review Committee of the Peninsula Community Planning Board and this morning, he sent the following to Rag writer Geoff Page about the proposed 56-unit complex for Rosecrans and Talbot:

Yes, I went and reviewed the plans. The city didn’t allow me to take any photos, but I can confirm that the project is indeed 4 stories and 56 units. The bulk of the units are ~420 sq ft studios, many of which have nothing more than a single window onto an internal breezeway.

My overall impression is this project is a sardine can.

Union actions and labor solidarity events have been happening in San Diego of late and here’s an update and summary.

United Food and Commercial Workers unions in San Diego are getting ready to act in solidarity with their compatriots up in LA and Orange Counties, plus today, Monday, Oct. 21, thousands of Kaiser Permanente mental health workers in Southern California, including more than 300 workers in San Diego, went on strike. Then a week ago, Hilton San Diego Bayfront workers overwhelmingly ratified a new contract following a 38-day strike.

Last Friday, Oct. 18, UFCW Locals 770 and 324 in Los Angeles and Orange Counties launched Unfair Labor Practice strikes at 7 CVS Pharmacy locations and although UFCW Local 135 in San Diego is not yet on strike, the union stands in solidarity with those on the picket lines and is preparing to take similar actions.

Late Saturday afternoon, October 19, a young motorcyclist collided with a car as  the biker tried to go around traffic and hit a Honda as it was pulling out from a stop sign.

It was 5 pm when the unidentified biker riding a Harley-Davidson, was going north in the southbound lanes on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in order to pass backed-up traffic when a Honda CRV stopped at the stop sign on Del Monte Avenue began to proceed eastbound.

by Katherine Hammer / TCD / October 20, 2024

San Diego, California, is known for its sunny skies and stunning outdoor spaces. Now, its residents and visitors are going to have the opportunity to enjoy even more sunshine and nature thanks to the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation.

The nonprofit organization has made a contribution of 55 acres of land to San Diego to go toward the expansion of Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP), which is “one of the largest urban parks in the country,” reports There San Diego. The donation won approval from all of the city’s council members, a promising sign of more green spaces and conservation endeavors to come.

By Mandy Havlik 

Friends, the Democratic majority on the County Board of Supervisors is at risk, and it could have a huge impact on the future of San Diego.

Terra Lawson-Remer is our County Supervisor and a Democrat who’s been making real progress—helping people experiencing homelessness, protecting our coastlines, tackling rising rents and housing costs, and expanding mental health and addiction services.

But now we’re facing a tough re-election against Republican Kevin Faulconer, the former Mayor of San Diego. (Yes, the same Kevin Faulconer responsible for the 101 Ash Street debacle that cost the city of San Diego $264 million for an unusable building full of asbestos, while profiting his campaign donors $15 million ?).

Apparently, there have been two non-fatal stabbings in the Midway District over the last few days. And there has been an arrest in one of them.

In the first incident, it was late Thursday night, October 17, when a man was arrested in connection with the stabbing of another man during an altercation in the 3900 block of Sports Arena Boulevard.

According to police, a 38-year-old man and a woman were walking at around 10:15 p.m. when the man punched the woman for unknown reasons.

A 45-year-old man in a vehicle witnessed the act, pulled over, got out of the car and confronted the man. The men got into a fight, and that’s when the suspect pulled out some kind of object and stabbed the good Samaritan in his back.

By Geoff Page

The controversial proposed 56-unit development at the corner of Talbot and Rosecrans Street was up for discussion at the Peninsula Community Planning Board meeting Thursday, October, 17. What attendees learned was how little anyone actually knows about the project, despite efforts by several people. The City refuses to provide any information.

The project has been much discussed here in The Rag, .

Because there was so much public interest in the development, the PCPB put it on the agenda for its October regular monthly meeting and invited the developer to make a presentation. The developer did not attend and has not cooperated with the PCPB’s requests for information.

by Dave Schwab / Peninsula Beacon / October 18, 2024

Warren-Walker Middle School is back in Ocean Beach and wants to get word out about it.

“Happiness is within reach in Ocean Beach,” joked Paul Saunders, head of Warren-Walker’s Middle School, who has been with the school for over 18 years.

The homegrown Ocean Beach school is one big extended family. “I began my academic journey as a kindergartner on this campus in the ‘80s,” noted Saunders.

The lower- and middle-school campuses of Ocean Beach’s homegrown independent Warren-Walker School are once again reunited for the 2024-25 academic year and beyond. Previously in Mission Valley, Warren-Walker Middle School for sixth through eighth grades has returned to the Peninsula. The school’s staff is excited to have all of its PK-eighth-grade students this school year at its main campus at 4605 Point Loma Ave.