Grassroots and Progressive views on local, national and world news

To this day, Marcus Turner and his spouse, Priscilla, debate who made the first move when they met at the Sunshine Company a couple of years ago. “It’s contested,” Marcus told me, when I asked him which of them broke the ice while he and I sipped coffee during our hour long interview at the beach-side Newbreak the other day.

But apparently, he had told me, the attraction – “It was immediate.” They’ve been together ever since and were married not too long after they met.

Both of them, both Marcus and Priscilla, sit as board members on the Ocean Beach Town Council. And Marcus was just recently elected as the new president, replacing Gretchen Newsom, who retired from the board after many years. “I know,” he said, “I have big shoes to fill,” referring to his predecessor. He’s also very much aware, that in his new position, he’s the first African-American president of OB’s town council,

by Dakota Campagna / Lomabeat.com

With summer less than two months away, the journey to get the perfect beach body is in full force. Here are three gyms that will make your workout out a little less gruesome and are offering some of the top deals in San Diego.

Dan McKinney Family YMCA (La Jolla):

The Dan McKinney YMCA in La Jolla is one of the most beautiful gyms to work out at. They have an upstairs weight room, as well as a separate cardio room next to it. If you were to walk outside on the top floor, there is a balcony with a turf carpet where you can stretch, work out abs, etc.

OB Kite Festival has a new location!

The 70th annual Ocean Beach Kite Festival – that’s right, the 70th – is moving to a new and bigger venue this year. The traditional free event will now be held at Robb Field on Saturday, May 12, from 10 am to 4 pm.

The new Robb Field location will give everyone more room to fly their kites, as well as lots of free parking.

Children will learn how to make and fly a simple kite, with all materials and instruction included.

There’s also food, music (from OB’s own Beer Feat band), jumpies, and a craft fair. Prizes for the best decorated kites

Good Samaritan Julio Vazquez, Despite Loss of House and Job Due to Injuries, “Would Do It Again”

A suspect has been arrested for the April 9 hit and run of a good Samaritan who stopped to help a couple in their disabled vehicle – on the edge of Ocean Beach. Jaron Blake Hillyer, 27, was taken into custody by San Diego police and booked into Central Jail on charges of felony hit-and-run, driving with a suspended license and no valid insurance.

His station wagon had been found in the 4300 block of Orchard Avenue. Meanwhile, the good Samaritan, Julio Vazquez, 26, – still recovering from his serious injuries – told CBS8 he “would do it again,” and

One hundred years ago, on Monday, May 6, 1918, at least 13 men, including 11 servicemen, drowned in a single day in heavy rip currents off Ocean Beach. Over 60 people were rescued by lifeguards. The story was covered by the San Diego Union-Tribune, and we include the first few paragraphs of the story, below.

The tragedy forced San Diego and Ocean Beach to deal with the dangers of the surf and tides, and led to the formation of the first lifeguards.
2 DROWN, 11 MISSING, 60 ARE SAVED AT OCEAN BEACH
TERRIFIC TIDE-RIP TRAPS SWIMMERS WITHOUT WARNING

CAUGHT in a terrific tide-rip which swept upon them without warning yesterday afternoon at Ocean Beach, scores of bathers fought for their lives,

In an historic and unanimous vote, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, May 2, decided on a package of proposed rules to regulate short term vacation rentals.

The proposals would allow city residents to rent out their own homes on a night-to-night basis, but not allow the renting out a house or apartment for short stays if it is not their primary residence.

It was just a week ago that we found out the so-called Dog Beach Beer Fest was cancelled. It had been planned for Sunday, April 29.

It had been scheduled from 1 to 5pm and billed as ” a dog-centric event in which human attendees may indulge in unlimited samples of craft beer in our beer garden area” – with “several dog oriented vendors, a dog play area, as well as a DJ.” Called “the first ever Ocean Beach Dog Beach Beer Festival”, it was sponsored by radio station Alt 949, Rockstar Beer, and OB’s very own Hodads.

Each month at the Ocean Beach Town Council meeting, we all rise and pledge our allegiance to the flag – as do countless community meetings and school classrooms across the country.

Because I’m an atheist, I always pause while everyone else it seems says “under god” near the end of the pledge. I always wonder whose god are we talking about. The god of Abraham? The Catholic god? The Protestant god? The Christian god, the Jewish god, the Muslim god? The Buddhist god? The gods of the native peoples who roamed this land before we. I don’t really want to pledge to any god. And I know there’s other atheists out there – especially in Ocean Beach.