Grassroots and Progressive views on local, national and world news

Ocean Beach has a long history of public murals – a history that stretches back at least to the mid-late 1970s.

Some of the more famous ones are those painted each year during the OB Street Fair and hung on exterior walls of various businesses around Newport Avenue. But we’ve had others – and most of them are still around.

Well, we’d now like to highlight an alley off Newport filled with fairly-recently painted murals – an alley many locals have known about for quite some time.

The alley – OB’s Mural Alley – is the alley between Newport Ave and Niagara Ave – and between Sunset Cliffs Blvd and Cable.

Many informed voices were heard last night, Wednesday, June 27 at the Ocean Beach Town Council forum on short term vacation rentals, including local OB experts, other heads of neighboring town councils – all opposed to Mayor Faulconer’s proposal – except for one – that of Anthony George, the Mayor’s representative.

The good-sized audience inside the Masonic Center leaned in as presidents of Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and Clairemont town councils joined in the chorus critical of the impacts coastal communities will suffer if Faulconer’s ordinance is accepted by five of City Council-members. The City Council meets July 16 to once again attempt to address one of the most contentious issues roiling the city.

There’s an effort going on right now to save the architecture of the buildings at Nati’s in Ocean Beach. Locals and activists of SOHO (Save Our Heritage Organization) are attempting to change the opinion of San Diego’s Historical Resources Board at their upcoming June 28 meeting.

The Nati’s building is on the agenda.

By Geoff Page

Tribalism. It is a vestigial feature, much like an appendix. It once served the purpose of self-protection but has long since out-lived its usefulness. It is, in fact, harmful in an advanced society. But, unlike an appendix, it is not easily excised; it seems to be an indelible imprint on the psyche of homo sapiens.

This was demonstrated clearly, and sadly, at the Midway/Pacific Highway Community Planning Group’s regular monthly meeting on June 20 at the San Diego City College – West City Campus on Fordham Street. It seems that the planning group boundaries now are tribal boundaries.

Meeting Heats Up Over Midway Community Plan

The meeting got heated over Midway’s Community Plan

UPDATE: Neither the OB Rag nor our primary source can confirm the death of the man who was airlifted from Sunset Cliffs June 14A young man who had to be air-lifted by chopper from rocks at the foot of Sunset Cliffs near Hill Street after a 30 foot fall on June 14, actually died from his injuries. He has not been publicly identified.

This is what happened, according to Julie Klein, who has chaired the Public Safety Committee for the OB Mainstreet Association for years. Usually, Julie is the one of the first to hear news from police officers and is very credible on such issues.

By Geoff Page

The Peninsula Community Planning Board’s regular monthly meetings at the Point Loma Library are becoming one of the best shows in town and the June 19 meeting was no exception.

This time the show was about an classic battle between a public agency and the community. The excitement was over that piece of open land on the south side of Famosa Blvd. across from Cleator Park. There was a large audience present, most of whom were there to express their displeasure with the San Diego Housing Commission’s plans to build 78 low income housing units on that site.

Community Displeasure With Planning Board’s June 2017 Letter Recommending Housing at Site in Question

Actually, the immediate displeasure had to do with a letter about “Affordable/Workforce” housing the PCPB sent to Councilmember Zapf and the San Diego Housing Commission in June of 2017.

The County of San Diego’s Water Quality Program has issued an immediate advisory to avoid contact with any water at Dog Beach in OB.

The advisory covers the San Diego River outlet south three hundred (300) feet. The County says “Bacteria levels may exceed health standards.”

Here is their Advisory

85°C Bakery Café
Loma Square
at Rosecrans and Midway

by Bob Edwards

Up until a few weeks ago, the only Chinese pastries I’d ever tasted were at tea houses or “dim sum” palaces, huge restaurants where you can enjoy a brunch of fried or steamed noodle dumplings with savory fillings such as minced shrimp, pork, or vegetables. \

Dim sum parlors also usually have a few sweet buns that are baked or steamed and filled with sweetened bean paste. The only beverages served are hot tea or, if the tea house also has a liquor license, cocktails. You can’t get coffee but you can slam bloody marys, mimosas. or Tsingtao beer to your heart’s content!

Since opening in February of this year in Loma Square, 85°C Bakery Cafe has been serving Asian-influenced pastries that are mostly quite different from dim sum. At this busy restaurant near Sprout’s Market you will find one company’s versions of classic European baked goods as well as unique Chinese/European/American/Japanese fusion treats.