OB Rag

In reviewing the brand new budget for the City of San Diego for the next fiscal year, I could not help but notice there are no funds for a new lifeguard station for Ocean Beach, although there is $120,000 for a “long-awaited” lifeguard station in Pacific Beach.

Really? How long has OB been waiting for a new lifeguard station?

I seem to recall that PB has a “new” lifeguard station; so does Mission Beach and La Jolla. Obviously, PB is larger than OB and needs more lifeguards.

Here’s a brief outline of the city’s new $5.8 billion budget for the next fiscal year, passed unanimously by the council on Tuesday, June 10. A final vote will take place before the end of the month.

Also, Mayor Gloria vowed to sign the spending plan without changes. It reverses many of  the cuts proposed by the mayor in April that critics said would have disproportionately impacted low-income neighborhoods, homeless San Diegans and people of color.

The final budget includes:

Twenty years ago, Green Day’s seventh studio album “American Idiot” was released to uproarious critical praise. The self-described “punk rock opera” serves as an epic that follows Jesus of Suburbia, an adolescent American anti-hero, as he contends with the tumultuous early 2000s. In an era defined by the Iraq War, 9/11, and the Bush administration, it’s no wonder that the politically charged record is as relevant as it ever was.

The Wildsong Theater and Arts Collective is stoked to be able to celebrate the 20th anniversary with American Idiot: The Musical.

by Khari Johnson / Cal-Matters / June 3 Updated June 6, 2024

[Please see original for links]

Your children could be some of a growing number of California kids having their writing graded by software instead of a teacher.

California school districts are signing more contracts for artificial intelligence tools, from automated grading in San Diego to chatbots in central California, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

What the Council Could Do Given the Jockeying by the 2 Main Factions

This piece by David Garrick at the U-T was published Friday, June 7 and gives the establishment press’ hope for the budget.

San Diego would increase money for small business aid, arts programs and reducing climate impacts to low-income neighborhoods as part of a budget compromise proposal endorsed Friday by City Council members.

During a contentious five-hour hearing, a majority of the council also supported more money for victims of the Jan. 22 floods, drop-in centers for low-income youth and rental subsidies for people with unstable housing.

by Ernie McCray

The other night
I saw a video
of a cheap shot
laid on Caitlin Clark
that was called a foul
but it seemed more like a mugging
to me,
way-way-way
unnecessary.

By Judi Curry

Have been under the weather lately.  Losing my sight in the “good eye” and only have slight peripheral vision in that eye so have not been paying much attention to things going on around me.  Until this past weekend, when I had, excuse the pun, a real “eye opener.”

I got a message that $98.99 had been paid from my Venmo account to a woman whose name I didn’t recognize – Amiyah Parker – for Crypto currency and that amount would be paid to the very same woman every month.

Lighthouse Closed from June 5 – late August; Whale Outlook and Oceanside Trail Still Accessible

The lighthouse is undergoing substantial exterior repair work and will be closed to the public during this time.

Please note that the two accessible parking spots by the lighthouse will not be available during this time.

Access to the whale overlook and the Oceanside Trail is still available by taking the walking path on the East side of the lighthouse. The Assistant Keepers Quarters is open and provides information on the Old Point Loma lighthouse.

Food 4 Less/Foods Co. Workers Announce Strike Authorization Votes as Contract Expires

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 8GS, 135, 324, 770, 1167, 1428 and 1442, together representing 6,000 Food 4 Less/Foods Co. workers across California, released the following statement on the day of their contract expiration to announce scheduled strike authorization votes following numerous labor violations by their employer throughout negotiations that have prevented them from getting the fair contract they deserve.

Roll up for Cannabis Equity

by Terrie Best

The County is Rolling a Fatty

Last year, a group of longtime cannabis advocates and professionals, community leaders and persons formerly incarcerated for cannabis got together and responded to the County of San Diego’s Request for Proposal to implement a cannabis social equity program in the unincorporated areas of the county.

It was a dream team of talent and it took awhile but we won the contract and the county is on its way to rolling out an application website, public meetings and eventual onboarding and training of new licensees.

Thousands of demonstrators surrounded the perimeter of the White House in a sea of fabric Saturday, saying they were drawing a red line for President Biden and calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

On the same day that Gazan officials said at least 210 247 Palestinians were killed in a refugee camp, the demonstrators — many of whom had arrived on buses from more than two dozen cities — marched to chants of “Free Palestine!” while holding signs that said “Genocide is our red lin

The County still has an advisory up for Dog Beach in OB. They advise that bacteria levels exceed health standards and that people and dogs should avoid water contact in the advisory area. It’s been on since June 6. The advisory covers the San Diego River outlet to 300 yards south.

There’s also an advisory for a part of Mission Bay —  for the North Cove of Vacation Isle and 150’ each side of the southern drain. This has been on since May 30, 2024.