OB Historical Society: Local Author and Her Novel About Madame Tingle and Origins of Lomaland — Thursday, Feb.19
Please join the Ocean Beach Historical Society on Thursday, February 19, 2026, 7pm, at Water’s Edge Community, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. Local author Jill Hall discusses her recent novel “On a Sundown Sea”
Point Loma Woman Sentenced to Over 5 Years for Embezzling Milllions From Employer
Ping ‘Jenny’ Gao took money from three firms; ‘went on a spending spree’ and bought $2.9 million home in Point Loma and new Porsche
City News Service — SDU-T / February 13-14, 2026 
A San Diego woman who pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $8.5 million from her employer and laundering the money was sentenced Friday to five years and three months in prison.
Ping “Jenny” Gao took money from three aviation investment firms and then “went on a spending spree” that included buying a $2.9 million home in Point Loma and a $160,000 Porsche, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
She was later sued by her employer in San Diego Superior Court upon discovery of the theft and prosecutors say her defense case included repeated acts of perjury, in which she claimed the actual owner of the companies was an imposter.
Community Coalition Bulletin: This Week at City Hall, Feb.16–20
OB Rag Staff
The San Diego Community Coalition publishes this email bulletin to keep our members and the general public informed about important Council and Planning Commission hearings and other city public meetings.
Wednesday, February 18: Rules Committee, 9:00 a.m.
Item 2: Amendments to Council Policy 000-21 related to the submission of ballot proposals by the Mayor, the Council, City Hall departments and public agencies.
Why it matters: This proposal by Councilmember Raul Campillo would place new requirements on City-initiated ballot measures
KPBS Announces Sudden Departures of News Director, HR Director
OB Rag Staff Report
KPBS Public Media informed staff on February 11 that News Director Terence Shepherd and Director of People and Culture Lois Hoyt were “no longer with” the station. The internal memo signed by Chief of Staff Travis Tamasese gave no specifics about why both senior executives were leaving simultaneously.
“We recognize that these announcements, though unrelated, are being shared at the same time and reflect a great amount of change for the organization,” Tamasese wrote. “Please know that we are here to support you if you would like to touch base.”
Shepherd joined KPBS in 2022 after eight years as news director of WLRN, Florida’s major public news outlet. He previously worked as a business editor at the Miami Herald.
Updates from Protect Point Loma on 1004 Rosecrans: Project Is Paused, Community Member to Purchase Property, More Investors Wanted
From Protect Point Loma
Jan. 23, 2026 Point Loma Community,
Protect Point Loma group wanted to update you on our fight to protect PL from the predatory developers.
The owner/developer, Michael Contreras, pushed his project to build an over-height, 4-story, 56-unit apartment building to be permitted and start construction in early 2026. He is there.
However, community opposition – coupled with the real threat of drawn-out legal action and the increased costs of environmental mitigation – is working. The community’s action appears to have paused the development of 1004 Rosecrans. In over a year, the community has stepped up repeatedly to voice our opposition in public, to our elected representatives, and to underwrite the work of a crack legal team. Community members provided essential historical data on the property that enabled us to initiate environmental actions to protect neighbors and Cabrillo Elementary students from exposure to carcinogens in the soil. The broad support of the community has been essential.
This pause is an opportunity. Community members have consistently offered to purchase the property from Contreras to prevent the project from going forward. We continue to support those who are trying to make this happen.
San Diego Labor Union Calls on Teachers to Withdraw Their Recommendation of Richard Barrera for State Superintendent
In a potentially explosive development, the largest private section union in San Diego has called upon the state-wide teachers’ union to withdraw their recommendation of Richard Barrera for California State Superintendent. Barrera is a trustee with San Diego Unified School District.
On February 9, the head of Local 135 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, Todd Walters, sent a letter via email to David Goldberg, president of the influential state-wide California Teachers Association (CTA) requesting that they withdraw their recommendation of Barrera because of his role and lack of leadership during a scandal involving his former union, UFCW Local 135. It revolves around a former UFCW Local 135 president, Mickey Kasparian, who eventually resigned in disgrace.
In a statement from the Local, the main claim is explained:
“At the center of UFCW Local 135’s concerns are Barrera’s record of leadership, specifically his refusal to speak out or take meaningful action during” the scandal.
“Barrera served as Secretary-Treasurer of UFCW Local 135 and was widely regarded as Kasparian’s right-hand man. During a period marked by public allegations and lawsuits involving sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation, Barrera remained silent. He did not publicly challenge Kasparian, nor did he stand with the women who came forward.”
City Traffic Engineers: ‘Not So Fast’ on Safety Measures for ‘High-Crash’ Section of Midway Drive
By Tyler Faurot / Point Loma–OB Monthly SDU-T / February 13, 202
Though the city of San Diego identified a segment of road in the Midway District as a “high-crash” location, the city has determined that no new traffic-control measures are warranted there.
The stretch of Midway Drive between Duke and Kemper streets had three injury collisions in 2024, placing it among 14 city roadways considered worthy of prioritizing for further traffic engineering evaluation and potential safety improvements.
Since 2015, when the city adopted “Vision Zero,” an initiative with the goal of eliminating traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries, city traffic engineers have examined sites where injury crashes are most prevalent to help determine improvements to prevent future incidents.
A memorandum in March 2025 from Senior Traffic Engineer Philip Rust listed several high-crash locations from 2024, all categorized by type of injury and portion of roadway. The memo instructed engineers with the city Transportation Department to examine those sites and come up with recommendations for infrastructure enhancements.
The memo listed the quarter-mile Midway Drive stretch between Duke and Kemper in a category of five segments with the most injury crashes. Each road segment in that category was associated with three injury crashes in 2024.
“Don’t cause trouble. You’ll just make matters worse.”Matt Awbrey, a Republican Consultant and Protege of Kevin Faulconer, Is the Face of the PB Tower Developer
Residents of Pacific Beach and other coastal communities who’ve been watching all the maneuverings by the developer, the city and mainline politicians around what’s called the PB Tower, (or Turquoise Tower, or Project Vela), may have become familiar with the name Matt Awbrey.
Matt Awbrey has become the face of Kalonymus, the developer of the Tower as he’s assumed the role of spokesperson. Just recently, Awbrey informed city planning officials that Kalonymus planned to resubmit plans for the 23-story structure, at 970 Turquoise Street, for a fifth time. This was in response to the ongoing dispute between the city and Kalomymus.
The in-your-face aggressiveness by Kalonymus over the past year has no doubt thrown Awbrey into a position that he savors, because this is not the first controversy he’s headed up. In a statement about the Tower to the Union-Tribune, Awbrey asserted, confidently:
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