‘Dune: Part Two’ Improves Upon Its Predecessor

 Source  March 27, 2024  0 Comments on ‘Dune: Part Two’ Improves Upon Its Predecessor

By Steve Anderson / LomaBeat.com / March 27, 2024

*Contains spoilers for the first film

Very rarely do sequels improve upon their predecessor. There are the obvious standouts in this category, “The Empire Strikes Back,” “The Godfather Part II” and “The Dark Knight,” to name a few. It’s safe to say that “Dune: Part Two” can be included in this list.

Director Denis Villeneuve introduced us to the Dune universe in 2021

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Gloria Joins Infamous List of Damaged Mayors – Dick Murphy and Roger Hedgecock

 Source  March 27, 2024  24 Comments on Gloria Joins Infamous List of Damaged Mayors – Dick Murphy and Roger Hedgecock

By Arturo Castañares / La Prensa / March 25, 2024

It’s now apparent that a majority of San Diego voters are shopping for a new Mayor after Todd Gloria fell to less than 50% in last week’s primary election.

The incumbent Mayor seeking re-election now joins a list of damaged mayors who failed to garner more than half of the vote in a primary and limped into a head-to-head matchup where voters seemed willing to make a change at the top to push the City into a new direction.

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‘West 22nd’ Is Surf Rock’s Latest New Band … Outta Texas

 Source  March 27, 2024  1 Comment on ‘West 22nd’ Is Surf Rock’s Latest New Band … Outta Texas

By Nick Hancock / LomaBeat.com / March 27, 2024

There’s a distinct sound and style when it comes to surf rock. Now I’m a self-proclaimed R&B, rap and soul guru, but I feel confident enough to say I’ve identified what it takes to be a successful surf rock band even if I’ve only been listening to the genre for a short period.

You need to sound grungy enough that people will think you record out of your garage, but smooth enough that it still sounds professionally done. The lyrics need to be about getting into trouble, exchanging smiles with pretty, tan girls and skipping all of life’s responsibilities for a good day at the beach.

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Midway Rising Developer Gave $650,000 to Campaign to Remove Height Limit in Sports Arena Area

 Source  March 27, 2024  4 Comments on Midway Rising Developer Gave $650,000 to Campaign to Remove Height Limit in Sports Arena Area

By Alberto Garcia / La Prensa / March 26, 2024

The same developer who gave over $100,000 to elect Todd Gloria in 2020 before being selected to rebuild the Sports Arena site later contributed $650,000 more to remove the 30-foot building height limit around the Midway area, raising questions about the timing of his selection by the Mayor and City Council.

Brad Termini and his wife donated $100,000 to a campaign committee supporting Todd Gloria’s 2020 campaign for Mayor, and Termini and other relatives also gave another $6,900 directly to Gloria’s personal campaign before he won the November 2020 election.

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2 Local Peninsula Stores Among the ‘Lucky’ Ones in Selling Winning Lotto Tickets

 Staff  March 27, 2024  1 Comment on 2 Local Peninsula Stores Among the ‘Lucky’ Ones in Selling Winning Lotto Tickets

With another drawing Tuesday for the ever-growing $1.12 billion Mega Millions jackpot, San Diegans who are feeling the lottery fever are hoping for a little bit of luck — some turning to specific stores with a track record of winning.

There are only a handful of stores out of the thousands of lotto retailers across California that regularly sell winning tickets, including ones to claim the largest prizes. The California Lottery has a special designation for these retailers, aptly — if not obviously — called “lucky stores.”

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OB Town Council Meets Tonight — Wed., March 27 — at Point Loma Library

 Staff  March 27, 2024  0 Comments on OB Town Council Meets Tonight — Wed., March 27 — at Point Loma Library

The Ocean Beach Town Council meets tonight, Wednesday, March 27 at 7 PM, and the meeting will be  held at the Point Loma Hervey Branch Library, at 3701 Voltaire Street.

When they sent out notices of the meeting, the OBTC called it a “Neighborhood Round Table” — and curiously, the name “OB Town Council” was nowhere to be seen in the email notification. Nowhere, not even above their mailing address.

Yet, coming off two months of stress and scandal, the leaders say, “We are excited to host a March Neighborhood Round Table discussion!”

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City Council Committee Sides With Upstart Planning Group in Uptown and With Existing Group in La Jolla

 Frank Gormlie  March 26, 2024  79 Comments on City Council Committee Sides With Upstart Planning Group in Uptown and With Existing Group in La Jolla

David Garrick at the U-T wrote an extensive status report on the “power struggles” between existing community planning groups in Uptown and La Jolla with the new, upstart groups that are challenging the status quo. The power struggle played out last week at the city council committee that deals with land use and housing issues. Garrick summarized it this way:

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San Diego’s Open Records System Is Failing

 Source  March 26, 2024  1 Comment on San Diego’s Open Records System Is Failing

by JW August / Times of San Diego / March 19, 2024

[Last week was] Sunshine Week, a celebration of democracy and the transparency that keeps it alive in this country — and you don’t just have to be a journalist to join the celebration. It’s for civic groups, government employees, and anyone who cares about maintaining our rights to access public information so that we can keep an eye on our government at all levels.

The California Public Records Act is  one of those powerful “hammers” the public can use to find out what the government is up to.

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The Hidden Environmental Cost of Mining Sand

 Source  March 26, 2024  0 Comments on The Hidden Environmental Cost of Mining Sand

By Martin Kuebler / DW / March 25, 2024

A winter of heavy storms and flooding, especially in late December, has washed away vast stretches of protective sand dunes and bathing beaches on Germany’s North Sea islands.

Coastal areas on islands such as Sylt, Borkum and Norderney, which together attract millions of tourists, will need to be rebuilt before the summer holidays — an extensive and expensive procedure.

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Mayoral Candidate Larry Turner Calls for City to Rebid Midway District Redevelopment Project

 Frank Gormlie  March 26, 2024  10 Comments on Mayoral Candidate Larry Turner Calls for City to Rebid Midway District Redevelopment Project

San Diego mayoral candidate Larry Turner on Monday, March 25, called for the city to rebid the Midway District redevelopment project, accusing Mayor Todd Gloria of having ties to a member of the development team.

The Midway Rising project would redevelop a dilapidated area of warehouses and two strip clubs, building 4,250 new homes, replacing the aging Sports Arena and creating an urban park and adjacent entertainment district.

But in a letter to the mayor, Turner requested a rebid because of “modifications to the initial plan, significant cost increases being passed on to taxpayers, and the appointment of a major campaign donor as the project developer.”

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City Begins Street Resurfacing in Ocean Beach and Point Loma

 Source  March 26, 2024  9 Comments on City Begins Street Resurfacing in Ocean Beach and Point Loma

The city of San Diego began Monday with street- resurfacing and repair projects in Ocean Beach and Point Loma, as well as Clairemont Mesa and Rancho Penasquitos, officials said.

The following local streets will be resurfaced:

  • Voltaire Street
  • Udall Street
  • Narragansett Avenue
  • Guizot Street
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‘SoCal baby wave community panics as lease for San Onofre nears expiration!’

 Source  March 25, 2024  27 Comments on ‘SoCal baby wave community panics as lease for San Onofre nears expiration!’

U.S. Marine Corp poised to reabsorb Old Mans.

By Chas Smith / Beach Grit / March 25, 2024

There are many places in Southern California where baby wave enthusiasts can gather with their longer craft, malinger in parking lots, talk small talk, vibe then paddle out into tiny ocean lumps for to make glide but none more iconic than San Onofre. Just south of Upper Trestles and pressed up against the Marine base Camp Pendleton,

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