OB Rag

By Sam Halpern

In the Hebrew tradition, when a family member dies, first order relatives (husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters etc.) mourn for seven days (Shiva means
seven) beginning with the day of the deceased’s death. This is the first part of a mourning process which extends to about a year.

I am a secular Jew, and the last of my generation died long ago. With so many gone, for whom would I sit Shiva? That brings me to my country, America. In a way, America is like a beloved family member for me. America took my young parents in, made them citizens, and I was born in this great land. She has given me a home, safety, freedom, a good life. I cannot believe how lucky I have been. My family has risen from sharecroppers to property owners, and in one generation, has allowed one of their children to become a professor at one of the great teaching institutions of the world.

Reporter David Garrick at the Union-Tribune today wrote an article entitled, “Public displeasure with San Diego City Hall boils over in early election results.”

He wrote that the primary results “show notable voter backlash against San Diego City Hall, with outsiders leading in three out of four council races as some well-funded insiders struggled and incumbents fared worse than usual.”

He’s right, of course, as ‘public displeasure’ with City Hall has been building dramatically over this last year or two. All one has to do to survey this building displeasure — or even rage — is to peruse the pages of the OB Rag. From the devastating San Diego extremist rules for bonus ADUs, the increased fees for paid parking, the trash fee debacle to the paid parking in Balboa Park quagmire, the budget crisis and threats to libraries and rec centers, the cuts to arts funding, to the general sense by the San Diego public that city hall is trying to “nickel and dime” them to death.

This “displeasure” with downtown San Diego political leaders has finally surfaced in results that the establishment can recognize — voting tabulations and results.

By Dave Maass / Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF / June 2, 2026

People around the world are pushing back against the mass surveillance that undermines privacy and free expression for everyone.

One of the people who joined the fight for digital rights is EFF client Will Freeman. Will created the website DeFlock.me to reveal the dangers of automated license plate readers (ALPRs)—cameras that collect location data on every vehicle they see and upload that to a massive nationwide police database. Deflock.me turns the tables by enlisting ordinary people to track the locations of tens of thousands of ALPR cameras.

But when the police spy-tech company Flock Safety went after Will’s website with legal threats citing trademark law, he saw it for what it was: an attempt to silence critics and dim the light on mass surveillance.

by Scott Hopkins / Times of San Diego / June 3, 2026 

The sun shone brightly as the 100th graduating class of Point Loma High School was presented with diplomas during a 5 p.m. ceremony on May 28.

But along with the solar glow came mischievous gusty winds that sent some caps flying off the heads of Class of 2026 members.

While it was the final event for the 383 students, it was also the end of a 34-year career for Principal David Jaffe who was applauded enthusiastically by his final class.

by: Amber Coakley / Fox5 San Diego / May 31, 2026 

A new report released by San Diego Coastkeeper is raising concerns about ongoing water quality issues in Mission Bay, finding that pollution levels remain persistently high in several creek systems that flow into one of the region’s most popular recreational waterways.

The nonprofit environmental agency group published its 2025 Mission Bay Water Quality Monitoring Report last week, detailing two years of monthly water quality testing at 10 locations throughout Mission Bay. The findings point to both storm-related pollution and year-round contamination sources affecting the bay, particularly at Rose Creek and Tecolote Creek.

According to the report, bacteria levels surged across all monitoring sites following rainstorms. However, researchers found that both of the creeks consistently recorded elevated bacteria counts even during dry weather conditions, exceeding state recreation safety standards at least half of the time.

Environmental advocates say those findings suggest chronic pollution sources may be contributing to water quality problems.

By Theodoric Meyer and  Mariana Alfaro / Washington Post / June 3, 2026

The House passed a resolution Wednesday to block President Donald Trump from ordering further strikes on Iran, ratcheting up pressure on the administration to find a way to end the unpopular war.

The 215-208 vote marked the first time that such a measure has cleared the House or Senate on a final vote since the start of the conflict more than three months ago. The Senate advanced a similar resolution last month on a procedural vote, reflecting growing impatience with a war Congress hasn’t authorized.

The effort faces sizable hurdles, however, before Congress could force Trump to end hostilities.

In the House, four Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (Kentucky), Tom Barrett (Michigan), Warren Davidson (Ohio) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pennsylvania) — joined Democrats in voting to force Trump to end the war.

Help Artist and Point Loma Native Jim Welch Complete His Mural on Nimitz Off Ramp – GoFundMe Set Up

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By Geoff Page

In the midst of all the bad news inundating us these days, it is nice to have something positive to report on once in a while. This brief account is intended to bring some attention, and hopefully some help, to the on-going work of art along the Nimitz to Famosa exit ramp retaining wall.

A bright, colorful, a 150-foot long coastal scene greets drivers to the right as they exit Nimitz to Famosa.  It is beautifully done, as the pictures will show. It is the work of one man, Point Loma native Jim Welch.

Help Make Sure Gloria’s “Homes for All of Us” Includes “All of Us”

By Paul Krueger

The Mayor’s Planning Department is hosting a June 9 “community input” meeting on his “Homes for All of Us” initiative on Tuesday, June 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the Malcolm X Library at 5148 Market Street in Valencia Park.

If you care about the impact of new housing development on your community, please plan on attending. And be prepared to cut through the bureaucratic spin by asking pointed questions.

Gloria says Homes for All of Us “…will create clear pathways to build townhomes, duplexes, and small-scale multiple homes … and provide more homeownership opportunities.”

Such a program would be a positive step towards providing much-needed for-sale housing, as opposed to the high-rise, cookie-cutter, $2,750/month studio and one-bedroom apartments (with no parking) that are blighting our neighborhoods.

But there’s a very real danger that this potentially valuable initiative will morph into yet another program that serves developer and investor interests by ignoring community input,

With the clarity of the morning after, the California Primary results of 2026 show that Xavier Becerra — the top Democrat in the slugfest that was the gubernatorial race — will be the first Mexican-American to be elected governor of the state. This will be the first time since 1846 when the last Mexican governor, Pio Pico, fled to Baja as American military forces swarmed into Alta California after war between the U.S. and Mexico began.

A bold assertion? Just look at the numbers. Steve Hilton, the top Republican, received 27.8% of the total vote to Becerra’s 25.4%. But if one adds up the percentages for Tom Steyer, Katie Porter and Mike Mahan — you get 28.3%, and coupled with Becerra’s, you have 53.7% of the vote available for Xavier. That smashes Hilton even with Bianco’s numbers — a total of 39.1%. (A Republican has not won a state-wide race in California for years.)

Absent some unforeseen upset or crisis or calamity, Becerra will journey to the General Election in November — and win it.

This victory 6 months away will result in the first Mexican-American elected as governor for California — the first time since the state has been in the Union.

Election day and night are over and it’s now clear who will advance to the General Election in District 2: Nicole Crosby with 31.3% and Richard Bailey with 38.8%.

The two other top vote-getters were Josh Coyne with 11.3% and Mandy Havlik with 10.5%.

Here’s the latest numbers from the Registrar of Voters — with nearly 25% of the ballots counted: