OB Rag

An Op-Ed

by Charles Michaud

As the homelessness crisis intensifies in the United States, coastal cities bear the brunt, especially those offering services like methadone clinics, transitional housing, and detox facilities. Despite increased spending by state and local governments, both the number of unhoused people and overdose deaths continue to rise. Overdoses are now the leading cause of death for people aged 18-40 in the U.S., a fact that, as a young adult, I’ve observed anecdotally, but hearing it confirmed by the DEA is deeply distressing.

What I find even more difficult to comprehend is how, despite these rising statistics, funding for homeless services has skyrocketed without clear accountability. This raises concerns about how the money is allocated, whether there are metrics for success, and who profits. Since much of this funding comes from taxpayers, it’s alarming that city leaders continue to support organizations failing to deliver real solutions.

The Day of the Dog heads to Ocean Beach on Sunday, Oct. 13.

The largest festival for dogs in North America, The Day of the Dog, is taking over Voltaire Street between Cable and Bacon in Ocean Beach on Sunday, Oct. 13 from noon to 5 p.m.

This free, annual festival travels across North America celebrating all things canine with a day of unparalleled fun and entertainment for the whole family.

By Lisa Mortensen

This year, the San Diego Architectural Foundation awarded the Orchid Award for Private Architecture to The Sasan apartments in Mission Hills.  You know that pink eyesore that one can see from miles around?

One of the jurors’ states that the building stands out with its pink exterior as a presence ‘that is refreshing for San Diego’.  Another juror believes the building has ‘a good relationship with the city.’  That’s pretty obvious by the award.

However, should anyone ask those who live in the surrounding community about their reaction to this albatross, it is best known by us as ‘Evil Barbie’s Dream House’ or ‘Pepto Dismal’.  That pretty much sums up our interpretation of this ‘architectural abomination’.

On Saturday, October 5th at 2PM, a group of 15+ community organizations are coming together for a rally and march to commemorate one year since the genocide in Gaza began.  There have been verified deaths of more than 40,000 people in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli military.

The rally will take place Saturday, October 5, 2:00 PM, at the County Administration Building, 1600 Pacific Highway.  Speakers will include international law expert Marjorie Cohn and popular Egyptian-American comedian and television host Bassem Yousef.

The Rag is just now receiving information about a crazy project being proposed for Pacific Beach. A “Pencil” tower is potentially coming to the beach community.

A developer is proposing a 23-story high rise at 970 Turquoise Street in PB. It is supposed to have 139 hotel rooms on 9 floors and 74 housing units on the other floors, including a whooping 10 units as affordable (5 very low income and 5 moderate income). It proposes 7 floors (2 below ground) of parking alone.

The City Development Services staff has apparently labeled the permit for the “pencil” skyscraper as “discretionary” which means because it meets certain criteria, it can bypass public scrutiny and just be built.

If built, Project “Vela” would be a little over 238 feet.

By Kate Callen

Last month, KPBS launched a “Public Matters” initiative “to expand the culture of community involvement.” The station wants San Diegans to share their thoughts, especially those “left on the fringes of political power.”

The OB Rag is happy to oblige. We live on the fringes of political power, and we have some thoughts.

If KPBS wants to expand community involvement, it should curb YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) bias in its news coverage and report diverse views on issues like bike lanes and housing density.

It’s bad enough when far-right media like Fox News distort reality to pursue political agendas. When left of center media follow suit, we’re trapped in a journalistic race to the bottom.

Which brings us to Andrew Bowen.

By Rachel Barnes / San Diego Patch /Oct 3, 2024

Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg is, once again, the wealthiest person in the Golden State, according to The Forbes 400, an annual ranking of America’s super-rich released Tuesday. …

Zuckerberg, 40, is worth an estimated $181 billion …. He last led the list in 2021 before Facebook suffered a series of rocky financial quarters. To claw back to the top this year, Zuckerberg dethroned Larry Ellison, Oracle software development company founder who was the richest person in California in 2023.

Last year, Zuckerberg ranked fourth on California’s list under Ellison and both Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Other big names from California that made Forbes’ top 400 include filmmakers George Lucas (net worth $4.8 billion) and Steven Spielberg (net worth $5.2 billion)

The Callen Report

By Kate Callen

Tonight’s second debate between incumbent San Diego mayor Todd Gloria and challenger Larry Turner takes place as the race tightens and the surprises stack up.

The debate will be broadcast live on KPBS-TV at 8:00 p.m. and aired again on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. The moderator will be KPBS investigative reporter Amita Sharma.

Panelists will be Voice of San Diego CEO/Editor-in-Chief Scott Lewis, inewsource managing editor Jamie Self, and KPBS metro reporter Andrew Bowen.

Gloria is lucky; host KPBS and at least two panelists lean hard left, so he can expect gentle treatment. And right now, he needs all the luck he can get. The Democratic career politician is running against an independent first-time candidate. Gloria should be heavily favored, and he was – until a SurveyUSA poll showed him leading Turner by only four points, 37% to 33%, with 28% undecided.

KPBS News Presents San Diego Mayoral Debate 2024 LIVE

The candidates running for San Diego mayor will join KPBS in a live debate on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 8PM. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and challenger Larry Turner will debate the most pressing issues facing San Diegans including housing and homelessness; public safety; and money matters.

This live debate will be moderated by KPBS Public Matters investigative reporter Amita Sharma along with panelists Voice of San Diego CEO and editor-in-chief Scott Lewis, inewsource managing editor Jamie Self and KPBS metro reporter Andrew Bowen.

Trump January 6 case: In unsealed court filing federal prosecutors argue Trump acted in private capacity as he tried to overturn 2020 result

By Helen Sullivan / The Guardian / October 3, 2024

In a court filing unsealed on Wednesday, federal prosecutors argue that Donald Trump is not immune from prosecution over the January 6 riots because he acted in a private capacity, and took advice from private advisers.

The indictment seeks to make this case – that Trump acted in his private capacity, rather than his official one – because of a US supreme court ruling in July that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official actions taken as president.

It also reveals further details about Trump’s alleged mood and actions (or lack of action) on the day, building on evidence that was provided in earlier briefs.

By Dan Rather /RSN / October 1, 2024

We need to be talking more, not less, about the threat Donald Trump poses to our democracy. The former president and his understudy, JD Vance, have been trying to convince voters, with no evidence and a head-spinning level of hypocrisy, that violence against the former president was caused by rhetoric from Democrats.

Trump has upended the political script, saying, “[The Democrats’] rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country.” Followed closely by JD Vance’s incendiary quip: “The big difference between conservatives and liberals is that no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months, …”

Support CVS Workers Boycott Action this Wednesday

UFCW Calls for Boycott of CVS Until a New Contract Deal is Reached

UFCW Local 135 is ramping up pressure on CVS Pharmacy with a boycott action this Wednesday, October 2, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the nonunion CVS location in Ocean Beach at 4949 Santa Monica Avenue. Union members will be out encouraging customers to boycott CVS, transfer their prescriptions to unionized grocery pharmacies, and cancel their CVS ExtraCare+ memberships. This action follows last week’s overwhelming vote by CVS workers across California to authorize an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike if necessary.