OB Rag

From Coastal Caretakers

Senate Bill 79 (SB 79), also known as the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, is a landmark piece of California legislation signed into law in October, 2025. San Diego Mayor and Council members were among the first cities in the State to embrace the bill and create new laws supporting the State mandate.  Look out folks, ‘they’ have just begun.

We can expect the City of San Diego Council to have future meetings about SB 79 legislation.  With San Diego approving tiny, tiny apartments ministerially into high-rises, declaring they are proponents of equity and affordable housing, Neighbors for a Better San Diego saw otherwise: “SB 79 (Wiener) remains one of the most disruptive state housing bills in recent memory.”

May 1st Friday May Day – Together We Stand, hundreds of thousands of people will march, rally, and take action at more than 3,000 events around the country — in more than a dozen events in San Diego County;

By Jordan Atwood / Nation of Change / April 30, 2026

A deadline written in the aftermath of Vietnam to prevent presidents from waging open-ended wars without congressional approval is colliding with President Donald Trump’s military campaign in Iran, raising the prospect of a constitutional test over whether Congress can still restrain unilateral war-making. On May 1, the 60-day limit established under the War Powers Resolution expires for military operations Trump initiated without formal authorization from lawmakers. Under the 1973 law, hostilities undertaken without congressional approval are supposed to end unless Congress authorizes the conflict or the president invokes a narrow extension tied to “unavoidable military necessity.”

That legal deadline has transformed what began as a fight over the Iran campaign itself into a broader struggle over presidential power, congressional authority, and whether statutory checks on war-making still have force.

From organizers:

The Ocean Beach Community Foundation, Pacific Beach Town Council, and Mission Beach Town Council have joined forces to present the San Diego City Council District 2 Candidate Forum: Coastal Issues for the Beach & Bay Communities.

All members of the public are invited to join us on Thursday, May 14th at Paradise Point Resort & Spa from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. The San Diego City Council District 2 Candidate Forum is a moderated, structured event where candidates running for San Diego City Council District 2 will answer curated questions from a panel of community leaders, giving residents a clear, side-by-side look at who is running to represent D2.

Nancy and Ken Freemans’ Storefront “Is the epitome of a brick-and-mortar mom-and-pop.”

by Dave Schwab / Times of San Diego / April 28, 2026

Antiques and collectibles are how Ocean Beach entrepreneurs Ken and Nancy Freeman met, what they draw sustenance from, and what keeps them going — and going and going.

“We moved here from downtown San Diego,” said Ken Freeman, before finally settling in permanently at the Ocean Beach Antique Mall at 4926 Newport Ave.

Earlier this month, the couple marked their 50th anniversary dealing in antiques, half of that time in OB. It’s an occupation that began with the opening of their first antiques business on April 1, 1976.

How Ken first got involved with antiques is an interesting tale. “He answered an ad for a part-time job as an apprentice working on imported German clocks,” said Nancy Freeman, adding that her husband also “became quite a proficient woodworker” as an understudy in that trade too.

Mike James Refutes City’s Reasons for Dis-Allowing OB Drone Show

It was just yesterday, April 29, that writer Tessa Balc of Times of San Diego wrote the startling headline, “City Says SeaWorld Can But OB Can’t,” in referring to 4th of July shows with drones. She began:

If you spent your 2023 Fourth of July in Ocean Beach, you might recall a drone show instead of fireworks. Well, hold onto those memories because it’s looking like you won’t be able to remake those any time soon. Organizers of the event tried to secure permits for the event last year and for this upcoming Fourth. They’ve been met with rejection from the city.

A city spokesperson says it’s because of the lack of availability from SDPD to enact a road closure, and that the 2023 had drones that operated outside of approved boundaries. The chair of the committee who put on the show disagrees with what the city has to say. “But where SeaWorld has a path forward, Ocean Beach hit a wall,” he said.

Balc was referring to Mike James – the chair of the committee — the Luminosity Committee — who put on the drone show in 2023.

Mike told the Times that Ocean Beach was “ahead of the curve” in replacing traditional fireworks with more costly, but less environmentally damaging drone displays.

“The community’s 2023 drone show, which replaced traditional fireworks, drew widespread attention for its quieter, environmentally-friendly approach and was seen by many as a successful new model for celebrating Independence Day,” James said.

James also said that when he and others began to revive the drone show for 2025, they were met “almost immediately” with resistance from the city,

Evan M. Anderson, 25, was the driver who pulled into a vacant parking spot in Ocean Beach, and in the process caused the death of Tracy Condon, 59, who was sitting on the curb at Santa Monica Avenue near Sunset Cliffs Boulevard around 5 p.m. that November 4th. Condon at the time was experiencing homelessness.

Anderson immediately left his 2002 Toyota Tundra truck at the scene and fled on foot. Police arrested him when he later returned to the scene to get his truck.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Marian Gaston, during the April 20 sentencing of Anderson, sentenced him to 270 days in a work furlough project for the hit and run. She also placed the defendant on two years’ probation and ordered him to pay a fine of around $1,000.

Anderson had earlier pleaded guilty to felony hit and run and possession of laughing gas.

Are the County Supervisors executing a term-limits power play? Yes, says the U-T Editorial Board.

Everything You Need To Know About The San Diego Padres New Husband-And-Wife Owners — SanDiegoVille has the story.

San Diego’s roller coaster effort to cement long-term public control of Liberty Station is broken down by David Garrick at the U-T. It is becoming steadily more bitter as city officials and the complex’s largest leaseholder trade barbs and accusations.

Kayla Epsteinand and Madeline Halpert / BBC / April 29, 2026

Former FBI Director James Comey surrendered to authorities on Wednesday to face a charge alleging that an image he briefly shared on social media posed a threat to the life of President Donald Trump.

It stems from an Instagram post shared by Comey, which contained a photo of seashells on a beach arranged to read “86 47”. “Eighty-six” is a slang term for “get rid of”, and prosecutors allege it encourages violence against Trump, the 47th president.

Comey denies any wrongdoing, saying he did not know what the numbers meant, and accused the prosecution of political motivation.

This marks the second time the justice department has brought criminal charges against Comey, a longtime critic of Trump.

Comey did not enter a plea or speak during his brief appearance at a Virginia court on Wednesday afternoon.

By Sam Levine / The Guardian  / Apr29,  2026 

The US supreme court has ruled that Louisiana will have to redraw its congressional map, in a landmark decision that effectively guts a major section of the Voting Rights Act.

In a 6-3 decision along partisan lines, the court rendered ineffective section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the last remaining powerful provision of the 1965 civil rights law that prevents racial discrimination in voting. Section 2 specifically has long been used to ensure minority voters are treated fairly in redistricting.

Allowing race to play any part in government decision-making represents a departure from the constitutional rule that applies in almost every other context,” Justice Samuel Alito, a conservative, wrote for the majority opinion. “Compliance with section 2 thus could not justify the state’s use of race-based redistricting here. The state’s attempt to satisfy the Middle District’s ruling, although understandable, was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.”

The court’s decision is a major upheaval in US civil rights law and gives lawmakers permission to draw districting plans that weaken the influence of Black and other minority voters. Some states may even rush ahead to try to redraw districts ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Elena Kagan wrote the court had now accomplished a “demolition of the Voting Rights Act”. The court’s decision on Wednesday is the latest in a series that dismantled the law, she wrote, including a major decision in 2013 case, Shelby County v Holder, that nullified another major provision in the law that required places with a history of discrimination to get changes pre-approved by the federal government before they went into effect.

By Jillian Butler

On April 27, 2026, more than 200 residents gathered at the Liberty Station Conference Center, shared with Point Loma Nazarene University, for a wide-ranging forum featuring candidates vying to represent San Diego’s District 2. Hosted by the League of Women Voters, the event gave Peninsula residents a chance to hear directly from those hoping to replace termed-out Councilmember Jennifer Campbell.

OBceans and Point Loma residents hope that the next councilperson will take the concerns of Peninsula residents seriously. Currently, there are six individuals vying for Ms. Campbell’s position.

Mr. Josh Coyne is a former Campbell aide who has a professional background in Student Affairs at the University of San Diego. He has a robust background in providing aid to LBGTQ+ youth. Ms. Nicole Crosby is a former City Attorney and a mother. She is extremely involved with Parent-Teacher Association meetings, and her experience as a devoted parent drives her desire to better her community.

Ms. Mandy Havlik is the wife of a disabled veteran– a group of Point Loma voters that is often overlooked. Mr. Jacob Mitchell is a younger man with no political background who is hoping to make this region more affordable. Mr. Paul Suppa is an attorney and fellow alumni of the University of San Diego. Finally, Mr. Richard Bailey the former mayor of Coronado is throwing his hat in the ring for a District Two seat.

By Debra Sklar / Times of San Diego / April 27, 2026

Stand at the intersection of Rosecrans Street and Avenida de Portugal, and you’re standing in what was once the heart of Roseville — a waterfront settlement that, for a brief moment in the late 1800s, carried ambitions far bigger than its footprint.

Today, it feels like just another Point Loma neighborhood: residential streets, steady traffic, and a quiet connection to the bay. But in the mid-1860s, this stretch of shoreline was being shaped into a planned community with its own identity — and its own future.

That vision began with Louis Rose.

Born March 24, 1807, in Neuhaus-an-der-Oste, then part of the Kingdom of Westphalia, Rose was a German Jewish immigrant and early developer who recognized the potential of the peninsula’s shoreline.

In 1866, he purchased land along the bay, laid out streets, and built a wharf and hotel to support a developing waterfront settlement. His goal was simple but ambitious: to create a thriving port community tied to future rail expansion and regional commerce.