OB Rag

One of the most important candidate forums of 2024… Reserve your seat now!

The Mayoral Candidate Forum is this Thursday, February 22nd, at 6:30 PM at the Salvation Army Kroc Center Theater. It’s at 6753 University Avenue, San Diego 92115.

Why does this forum matter? San Diego has a Strong Mayor system of government, which makes it the most powerful office in San Diego.

San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board / Feb.16, 2024

As any student of politics can attest, governing bodies benefit from having at least one member who is skeptical of claims put forward by dominant political factions and realizes that many consultants and staff members tell the politicians who hired them what they want to hear.

This insight drives our view of the race for San Diego City Council District 3, which has Hillcrest at its center and ranges north to include part of Mission Valley, west to Mission Hills, south to Downtown and east to North Park. Incumbent Stephen Whitburn, a former nonprofit executive, is the strong favorite.

The kelp forest’s keystone species could help restore an ailing ecosystem.

By David Helvarg / Los Angeles Times / Feb. 17, 2024

Sea otters are terminally cute critters and a delight to view rolling and diving in the kelp canopy of Monterey Bay, where some 3,000 endangered southern otters play an essential role in maintaining the marine kelp forest. But to crabs, clams, abalone, urchins and some fishermen, sea otters are voracious marine weasels that can eat 25% of their body weight a day — a perceived threat to life and livelihood.

That’s why some lively debates were launched at 16 open houses put on by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year to get public input on, as the invitation put it, the “potential reintroduction of sea otters to their historic range,” including Oregon and Northern California, a decision that is expected to be made this year.

An Intelligent Question

By Judi Curry

Suppose you were walking on Sunset Cliffs, looking at the glorious view and came across this sign.  What would you think it meant?

The city, in all of its glory, has now posted this sign so that walkers have an idea where they are? Or where they can go? Or ?????????

Alexei Navalny, the main opposition leader of Putin’s Russia, was killed Friday, Feb. 16 at the remote Siberia prison he had been condemned to. Here’s his tribute to a post-Putin Russia written a year and half ago.

By Alexei Navalny / Washington Post   / September 30, 2022 (Re-posted RSN Feb. 19, 2024)

What does a desirable and realistic end to the criminal war unleashed by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine look like?

If we examine the primary things said by Western leaders on this score, the bottom line remains: Russia (Putin) must not win this war. Ukraine must remain an independent democratic state capable of defending itself.

A man was fatally injured in a fight at a vacation rental in Point Loma early Monday, Feb. 19, authorities said.

Police received a call about a man being in medical distress following a physical altercation at 2:11 a.m. Monday at a very large, 3-story home in the 2800 block of Poinsettia Drive in the Point Loma area, according to the San Diego Police Department.

When officers arrived, the 38-year-old man was not breathing, police Lt. Daniel Meyer said. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The survivor of the fight, a 44-year-old man, was detained, Meyer said.

by Michael Smolens / San Diego Union-Tribune / Feb. 11, 2024

Ambitious proposals to address homelessness and mental health issues are moving forward in San Diego and statewide.

The plans come with considerable promise of improving the quality of life for people without shelter and those with mental and brain illnesses, including substance use disorders.

But history has shown there’s reason to temper expectations heading down this path. For one thing, they may not receive necessary approval, whether from the public or elected officials.

Campbell’s District 2 Office Is Not on Top of Short Term Rental Licensing

By Geoff Page

It seemed like a good time to check up on the short-term vacation rental, or STVR, picture in Ocean Beach. The Rag submitted a Public Records Request, or PRR, asking for the current list of permitted STVRs.

The following paragraphs provide an account of what it took to obtain the STVR information, an explanation of what STVR Tiers are and how many there are, how this is being administered by the city, and the budget. The information resulted in one surprise and one confirmation of expectations.

The surprise is that the city expects to make millions from the STVR business.  The confirmed expectation is that the city is not spending any of that money on enforcement of the STVR ordinance.

A popular area pop-up known for making what some consider some of the best Cuban sandwiches in town, Cubano Kings has opened its first brick-and-mortar eatery in Ocean Beach.

The new eatery has opened at 4853 Newport Avenue, where the OB Meat Company once stood.

Founded by Jose Zazueta Cruz, Cubano Kings has been operating as a pop-up food vendor at San Diego farmers markets for the past couple years, serving a menu of Cuban sandwiches made with a formula and recipe dates back to the 1980s. Cubano Kings recently took over the space to open a sandwich shop and cafe.

One of Mayor Gloria’s campaign opponents, Larry Turner, claims he and his family live in Ocean Beach, having moved here in July 2023, is under scrutiny by Gloria’s allies for possibly violating residency rules in running for mayor. It’s not the OB address that’s under question, however.

The Voice of San Diego reports today that a “new lawsuit is seeking to boot city cop Larry Turner from the mayor’s race. The lawsuit alleges Turner isn’t actually a full-time resident of the city of San Diego….”

Turner is one of six candidates running to unseat Mayor Todd Gloria. So far, none of Gloria’s opponents have garnered major campaign cash or attention. The main question — barring any wild developments — is which one will come in second during the March 5 primary election. That person will face off with Gloria in November.

By Steve Anderson / LomaBeat.com / Feb. 14, 2024

Part I: Before There Was a Blunt… There Was A Point

The college was on unstable ground. A once-stout Nazarene college that sat northeast of Los Angeles in Pasadena decided to move to San Diego in 1973, drawing more than just Nazarenes. Their new campus sat on Sunset Cliffs, a dreamy oceanfront property that brought surfers and Nazarenes alike to the newly named Point Loma College (PLC): An Institution of the Church of The Nazarene.

The move couldn’t have come at a more socially intense period. Fresh out of the 1960s cultural revolution, the 1970s were just the next step in a radical socio-political attitude. An attitude especially poignant among the youth.

PLC didn’t lack its fair share of radicals;

Yet another new restaurant has opened in Ocean Beach. A Mediterranean eatery called “Chicken Over Rice” has opened next to “Hugo’s Cocina” at 1830 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, Suite E.

One news website says:

A farmer’s market vendor from Ocean Beach has advanced to open their own storefront. With protein selections of chicken or chickpeas and toppings like cucumber salsa, garlic sauce, and tzatziki, Chicken Over Rice Co. serves a simplified Mediterranean menu that includes create-your-own rice bowls, salads, and pita sandwiches.