Showcasing What’s New at ‘Upper, Upper Voltaire’

July 3, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

There’s at least a couple of new businesses at what can be called, “Upper-upper Voltaire” – the string of storefronts near Point Loma High School along Voltaire. And they deserve to be highlighted, so meet Tea’s Moment” and Kakawa Coffee. We also have a pictorial update on the large construction project on Voltaire. (Yes, the term “upper-upper Voltaire” is definitely OB-centric.)

Tea’s Moment Specializes in Milk Tea

Angela – who runs Tea’s Moment – is holding a grand opening right now. She opened her place 2 weeks ago and it specializes in “milk tea”. Growing up near Beijing, she learned how to make in while living in Taiwan.

Kakawa Coffee

Just west of the tea place is a coffee place, Kakawa Coffee (“kakawa” means chocolate in Olmec and Mayan). Managing the year-old coffee house just a breeze from the high school are Gladys Moubayed and Maria Aparicio. The moment I walked in they were enjoying the last moments of the women’s soccer game between the US and England – and we all celebrated, me over an almond croissant and a cappuccino.

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‘Another One Bites the Dust’ – Nuke Plant on Cape Cod Goes Down

July 3, 2019 by Michael Steinberg

Nuclear Shutdown News June 2019

By Michael Steinberg / Black Rain Press

Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those working to create a nuclear free world.

Massachusetts Nuke Plant Goes Down and Out

At the end of May the 46 year old Pilgrim nuclear plant on Cape Cod in Massachusetts joined the growing list of outdated financial losers whose time has passed across the nation.

Located in Plymouth on Cape Cod Bay, only 50 miles from Boston, Pilgrim’s boiling water reactor has the same design as the three Fukushima reactors that melted down in Japan in 2011.

It’s original owner, Boston Edison, took three years to build this plant at a cost of $231 million. It began operating in 1972.

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Green Calendar for July 2019 by the Ocean Beach Green Center

July 3, 2019 by Source

July Events From the Ocean Beach Green Center

Ocean Beach Green Center, 4862 Voltaire Street, Ocean Beach 92107 oceanbeachgreencenter@gmail.com

Ocean Beach Green Center Event

July 13th Thursday 7 pm Film Night ” From Paris to Pittsburg ” This 2018 documentary about climate change is directed by National Geographic filmmaker Sidney Beaumont and documentarian Michael Bonfiglio. Free of charge

Every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Climate Mobilization Coalition Meeting. July 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th Ocean Beach People’s Cooperative Community Room, 4765 Voltaire Street. Come help plan for the upcoming Climate Action events. More info https://www.facebook.com/SDClimateMobilization/

COME INSIDE FOR MORE DETAILS

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Love Those Trees!

July 3, 2019 by Staff

By Kathy Blavatt

Photos by Kathy Blavatt

You know you are headed home to Ocean Beach as you drive toward the bridge from Sea World Drive and see the line of tall palms in the distance.

Placement of trees can make a community’s landscapes iconic. Sadly, we have lost most of the tall North Island Pines (Star Pines) that once ran along the top of the hill above Ocean Beach and Point Loma. The Monterey Cypress trees which once graced many of the Peninsula’s streets are no more.

Unfortunately, in mid-June 2019, the renown Monterey Cypress at San Diego’s Ellen Browning Scripps Park, by La Jolla Cove, had fallen. It was the last of the Monterey Cypress in the grassy park.

This whimsical cypress tree was thought to be the Dr. Seuss’ inspiration for his beloved 1971 children’s book the “Lorax”.

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New Scooter Rules In Effect – Contact Mayor’s Office If You Witness Violations

July 2, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

The City of San Diego’s new rules on scooters went into effect Monday, July 1. Please contact your Mayor’s office to report any violations.

The new regulations include:

Speed limits: In specific geofenced areas, scooters cannot go faster than 8 mph.

In pedestrian-only geofenced areas: scooters are limited to 3 mph with a push message notifying riders to leave that area.

Geofencing in effect for the following areas:

  • beach-area boardwalks,
  • Balboa Park,
  • NTC Park,
  • Mission Bay Park,
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The Trump Cartoon That Got the Canadian Cartoonist ‘Fired’

July 2, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Warning: Censorship-worthy, non-funny cartoon of Donald Trump coming up inside.

Here inside is the cartoon that got a Canadian cartoonist fired. It depicts Trump playing golf over the bodies of two drowned migrants – a horrible photographic image that went viral itself. Now the cartoon by Michael de Adder has gone viral itself.

The cartoon includes a hand-drawn image of Oscar Alberto Martínez and his 23-month-old daughter, Angie Valeria, lying face down in the waters of Rio Grande River, having drowned while attempting to cross to get into the United States.

The cartoon went up and viral last Wednesday, June 26. Two days later, de Adder went on Twitter and told the world he had been let go.

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San Diego Is Ideal Venue for Debate Between Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren

July 2, 2019 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor / Times of San Diego / June 30, 2019

San Diego should hurry before Harvard University books it.

What better way to honor the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote?

Or to celebrate the two undisputed first-place winners in the recent Democratic Presidential debates—Senators Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren?

What better way to honor our prestigious local universities?

And how historically appropriate.

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OB Town Council Previews Plans and Programs at Peninsula Y

July 2, 2019 by Staff

Also: Campbell’s Office Defends Campland Vote

By Geoff Page

The highlight of the June 26 OB Town Council meeting was supposed to be a presentation by the Peninsula YMCA detailing its plans to basically rebuild the existing facility adjacent to Correia Middle School. There was some information about that but it seemed to be only a small part of the Y’s presentation.

The news is that the existing buildings, built in 1977, will be wholly replaced. The Y is showing its age after 40 plus years so folks who use the Y will be happy about the improvements. The slide presentation had only three renderings in it and two seemed to be the same picture. What was shown looked very much like what is there today except for the third slide showing a new entrance.

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OB Resister Sisters in Paris

July 2, 2019 by Source

Vive la Résistance Contre Trump
Long Live the Resistance Against Trump

The Resister Sisters of Ocean Beach were in Paris, France and hung this sign on Thursday, June 27, next to the Pont de la Concorde (Concorde Bridge) right next to the Place de la Concorde.

Some of you may remember from your history class that the obelisk at the Place de la Concorde marks the spot

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OB Planning Board Dark for July 3

July 2, 2019 by Source

The OB Planning Board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 3, 2019 has been ADJOURNED. The next Board meeting will be Wednesday, August 7.

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Newport and Cable: 5 Businesses in Less Than 20 Years

July 1, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

The corner of Newport Avenue and Cable Street is a buzzing place with lots of visibility and foot traffic. And you’d think that any business at that northeast corner at 4896 Newport would be a major success story.

But there’s no such stories. What with the closing of Helm’s and the opening of Two Roots, another brewpub, a new chapter emerges.

Yet, we have to recount that over the last 20 years or so, there’s been five businesses come and go in that space. Here’s a brief recounting of businesses that have opened – and closed – in that storefront:

The Pet Supply Store

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Dear Ohio: Just Close Your Eyes

July 1, 2019 by Source

By Joni Halpern

Since 1896, Ohio voters have picked the winning candidate in all but two presidential elections – 1944 and 1960 – giving rise to the state’s renown as a “bellwether” to which candidates cannot afford to turn a deaf ear.

Dear Ohio,

We’ve come a long way toward a bold new future of disregard for people who are not like us. We plod ahead like refugees in the barren desert, our feet bare and crusted, cutting a path to who knows where, steadily shedding the baggage of our country’s values in order to lighten our own burdens.

Like all refugees on the run, Dear Ohio, we might be missing some signs along the way that should have warned us of danger. But some of our fellow travelers claim the wording is inaccurate, so we are about to pass them by and move on to greater danger. One of those signs says “Concentration Camps – This Way.”

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Union-Tribune’s Community Almanac Highlights OB Rag

July 1, 2019 by Staff

Once again, the San Diego Union-Tribune‘s “Community Almanac” – inserted in last Sunday’s edition – highlights the OB Rag and its founder Frank Gormlie in the page on Ocean Beach. The text is essentially the very same as the daily’s almanac from last year.

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Socialism’s Been Very Good to Me

July 1, 2019 by Ernie McCray

by Ernie McCray

Socialism is such a scary word to so many people.

They fear socialism as an enemy of capitalism, depicting it, as I saw recently in a cartoon, as “taking money from one person’s pocket and putting it in another’s pocket.”

Come on, really? I know in our economic system the almighty dollar is treated like a king, but why is that a reason for looking at another set of principles with narrow minds?

I read a meme that said a “socialist is a person too stupid to know he’s a communist.” What the hell does that even mean? Aren’t the “Red Scare” days, so steeped in stupidity as they were, supposed to be gone and forgotten?

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Councilwoman Campbell Visits Midway Planners – Announces City Issued RFP for Sports Arena Area

July 1, 2019 by Staff

By Geoff Page

An appearance by District 2 Councilperson Dr. Jennifer Campbell was clearly the highlight of the Midway-Pacific Planning Group meeting on June 19. As recounted in the last article about this group, the regular monthly meetings are now held at the Bay City Brewery, courtesy of the brewery owners. The location presented some audio challenges on the 19th but Dr. Campbell seemed to take them in stride during her appearance.

Yet, the meeting room has a large garage-style roll up door and a regular door to the outside. And the noise from large trucks on Hancock Street, from young guys revving up dirt bikes in the parking lot, probably from a repair shop next door, barking dogs, and delivery trucks, made it difficult to hear or be heard. This was the noisiest of the three meetings the group has held at the brewery so far and it seemed to be noisiest when Dr. Campbell was there.

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Summer Chronicles 2019 #2: Fried Egg Plants and Sage

July 1, 2019 by Jim Miller

By Jim Miller

The anarchy of my unkempt yard delights me. After a series of unseasonably late rainstorms, it is an unruly jungle of desert sage, fried egg plants, and delicate little yellow flowers I can’t quite identify. Usually by this time of year the grass is half dead and the gardeners have brutally hacked down the foliage out front, leaving nothing but stubs to grow back. But fortunately, the crew the property manager hired has been blessedly restrained and no one is complaining.

Sitting on the porch on a sunny day, the fried egg poppies are a wonder to behold. Most of the year their green stalks lie barren until late May when the buds appear, and, if there are good rains like this year, the bloom is abundant with large white flowers exploding atop the tall green stalks, a brilliant yellow pistil—a miracle at the center.

By the front gate, intermingling with the fried egg plants, is an overgrown desert sage with intricate purple flowers.

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Debate Over Comments on ‘Nextdoor’ About Peninsula Building Projects

June 28, 2019 by Source

Editordude: The following is a debate that sprang off Geoff Page’s critique posted June 24 of points made on the Point Loma Association’s online newsletter. It’s all over attitudes about comments made on Nextdoor regarding a Peninsula building project. Here below is a response by Clark Anthony Burlingame, the PLA Vice-Chair. That is followed by a reply by Geoff Page.

Response to Geoff Page by Clark Anthony Burlingame

Thanks for promoting our weekly Point Loma Association newsletter!

Our PLA mission has broadened over the years, but we still focus on beautification and quality of life issues. That includes things like building construction and short term rentals.

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Thinking About Race and the YMCA

June 27, 2019 by Ernie McCray

by Ernie McCray

An issue with racial overtones has come up in San Diego, centered on the Jackie Robinson YMCA located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.

It’s caught my attention because I’m reminded of one other time I associated race with a YMCA.

First of all, though, I must say I love and appreciate YMCA’s.

I mean I was a Y brat as a kid.

I learned to swim and do arts and craft at the Y. I once held the pancake eating contest at the Tucson Y Camp where I also gained an appreciation for horseback riding and archery and backpacking and enjoying singing and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows around an open fire.

But back in those days, the 1940’s, I had to deal with racial overtones at my local Y.

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San Diego Grocery Workers Vote to Authorize Union to Strike

June 27, 2019 by Frank Gormlie

Grocery workers throughout San Diego County have voted to authorize their union to call a strike if negotiations with supermarket chains stall. They were joined in the call by thousands of their fellow workers across Southern California in voting overwhelmingly to give the okay to the leaderships of their union, the United Food and Commercial Workers.

97 per cent of grocery workers in San Diego County voted to approve a strike.

There is no strike yet. But it definitely could happen if the major chains fail to negotiate a new contract successfully with the unions who represent the people who run the stores.

Which major stores are we talking about? Ralph’s, Albertsons and Vons – and Pavilions (an upscale version of Vons). Alone, Albertsons has over a 1,000 stores across North America. This would include no doubt the Vons on Midway Drive.

What is the status of the negotiations? They’re on hold as of right now after weeks of being stalled, but are scheduled to begin again July 10 and go on for several days.

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Councilwoman Campbell’s Report to District 2

June 27, 2019 by Source

Here is Councilwoman Jen Campbell’s latest report to her District 2 constituents for June 2019, officially entitled, “The Campbell Chronicles”. District 2 includes Ocean Beach, Point Loma, the Midway District and North Bay, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Mission Bay, Clairemont and Linda Vista.

Neighbors,

After several months of hard work, I’m pleased to announce we’ve passed the fiscal year 2020 budget for the City of San Diego. It is one of the most important things that we do as a council. This budget reflects the values and needs of our communities.

Here are some of the highlights –

  • $500K for the next phase of the Ocean Beach Library.
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U.S. Census ‘Citizenship’ Question Put on Hold by Supreme Court

June 27, 2019 by Source

By Robert Barnes and Ann E. Marimow / Washington Post / June 27

The Supreme Court on Thursday put on hold the Trump administration’s plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census form sent to every household, saying it had provided a “contrived” reason for wanting the information. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the splintered opinion. In a section agreed with by the court’s liberals, he said the Commerce Department must provide a clearer explanation.

Agencies must offer “genuine justifications for important decisions, reasons that can be scrutinized by courts and the interested public,” Roberts wrote.

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Taking on 21st Century Indentured Servitude – Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez’ AB 5

June 26, 2019 by Doug Porter

By Doug Porter / Words&Deeds

Drivers for Uber and Lyft gathered outside Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco Tuesday June 17 to demand that the company drop its opposition to a state bill that would make most drivers employees. Promises of freedom and opportunity have proven to be false for millions of workers in industries beyond ride sharing, and now the day of reckoning is at hand.

Drivers and delivery workers in cities throughout the country have been organizing protests and filing lawsuits against companies using so-called independent contractors to avoid paying minimum wages and benefits.

Legislation (AB 5) introduced by San Diego Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez poses the biggest challenge yet to the so-called gig economy. Changing the rules of the game in the Golden State will have an impact on companies and workers nationwide. So this is a Big Deal.

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Dear Ohio: Make ‘Em Look You in the Eye

June 26, 2019 by Source

By Joni Halpern

Since 1896, Ohio voters have picked the winning candidate in all but two presidential elections – 1944 and 1960 – giving rise to the state’s renown as a “bellwether” to which candidates cannot afford to turn a deaf ear. If Ohioans are going to be so influential, maybe we could help inform their future choices by sharing some concerns from the Golden State.

Dear Ohio,

I’ve been thinking about you as we see the candidates revving up for the 2020 election. Since you are the bellwether election state, I was hoping we could continue our earlier conversation about who we are and what we want for this country.

I was reading the other day that some candidates think Ohio may not be as important in predicting election outcomes as once you were thought to be. There are some who say the efficient manipulation of social media will eventually supplant your importance as a predictor.

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Report on Airport Noise Authority Committee Meeting of June 19

June 26, 2019 by Source


Impacts on Ocean Beach and Point Loma Part of Discussion
By Anthony Steigler of Quiet Skies La Jolla / La Jolla Light / June 25, 2019

Airport Noise Authority Committee (ANAC) Meeting: June 19

ANAC met again on June 19. Significant developments included a report from the Flight Path & Procedures Study consultant, recommending which proposals should be tabled until the Part 150 Study is concluded in about 16-18 months, because the proposals may affect the initial departure heading off the runway. The Part 150 study addresses noise directly around the airport, in the 65 CNEL contour, which includes part of Ocean Beach .

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City Council’s Campland Vote Ignores Will of San Diego Voters

June 26, 2019 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor / Times of San Diego / June 25, 2019

Who are these people on our City Council?

Did they just move here? Do they know nothing of the history of Mission Bay Park?

Don’t they realize that in 1987, 79% of the voters supported Proposition D to preserve Mission Bay Park from increased development, commercialization and loss of open space?

Here is the actual language of that three-decades-old charter amendment:

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Man – and Woman’s – Inhumanity to Men, Women and Children

June 26, 2019 by Judi Curry

The Widder Curry Asks – “What has happened to my fellow American?”

For weeks I have sat back and not voiced on this site my horrific feelings about the migrant children that are being housed in sub-standard facilities.

For weeks I have watched supporters of the man in the White House cry because “they are treating the President so badly.” For weeks I have been waiting for the public outcry deploring this concentration camp atmosphere. For weeks I have been waiting for the Republican party to say “enough is enough.”

For weeks I have been listening to Republicans in office indirectly support the separation of children from their parents. For weeks I have been shaking my head when I hear things from representatives say, “There’s not a lock on the door. Any child is free to leave at any time. But they don’t and you know why? Because they’re well taken care of.” (Rep. Michael Burgess, Texas) I do not think that I have to elaborate on Burgess’ comment. If you believe him, shame on you.

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Composting Toilets: A Step Towards a Greener World

June 25, 2019 by Source

by Carla Lewis / TopReviewedTen

Global warming is one of the biggest concerns we have been fighting for the last couple of decades. One of the biggest reasons for the increase in temperature is waste. Whether this is human waste of other waste, it is an important aspect that you need to consider if you are looking to live life to the fullest and protect the earth.

The composting toilet has been designed to help convert natural human waste into compost. This compost can be reused for your garden and to fertilize plants that are around your home. However, most people are a little hesitant when it comes to the composting toilet itself. In this article, we will explore this toilet and see if it is really worth it.

Why Composting Toilet Over Regular Toilet

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San Diego’s Land Barons Are Not Capable of Solving the Housing Affordability Crisis

June 25, 2019 by Doug Porter

By Doug Porter / Words&Deeds

The housing market in San Diego is just a few short steps away from being a disaster. Take the latest guesstimate (8,000) of unhoused humans in the county and city, multiply it by twenty five, and it’s possible to visualize being just one stock market crash away from dystopia.

If your budget is highly stressed because of housing costs, you may as well make contingency plans for being homeless in San Diego.

This includes 28% of the renters (who pay more than half their income for housing) in San Diego County

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Rant: Point Loma Association Stirs the Pot With Ridicule of Peninsula Project Concerns

June 25, 2019 by Staff

By Geoff Page

The Point Loma Association or the PLA has begun publishing the “Peninsula News from PLA.” I was sent a copy this weekend. It seems the PLA is branching out a little from its traditional work of just beautifying Point Loma, which it has done admirably for decades.

The newest face at the PLA is former news anchorman, Clark Anthony, who uses his real name now, Clark Burlingame – Anthony was a stage name so to speak. The June 20, 2019 edition contained something that called for commentary but there is no mechanism for commenting directly to the Peninsula News from PLA.

One of the items covered was titled “Read Nexdoor? Cry? Laugh? Fume?” Here is how it opened:

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Only a Few Days Left to Apply for Grant from OB Town Council – Deadline Is June 30

June 25, 2019 by Staff

There’s only 5 days left – from today – to apply to the Ocean Beach Town Council for one of their yearly grants to local organizations, groups, and individuals that promote the general betterment and beautification of Ocean Beach and the welfare of its residents.

The deadline to apply is Sunday, June 30. Community Grants funding amounts range from $200 to $1,500.

To apply for an OBTC Community Grant, complete this ….

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