OB Rag

by Ernie McCray

What in the hell is wrong with you
Republican Congressmen and Congresswomen?
How have you
come to losing your way
so dishonorably,
like a ship without a rudder
in foggy weather,
wandering aimlessly,
trapped in a web,
like helpless insects,
at the mercy
of a demented madman of a president
who has you, for one thing,
for instance,

Last week, the City of San Diego announced that 14 roadways and intersections throughout San Diego have been labeled as “high-crash locations” and “will potentially receive safety enhancements.”

Locally, Midway Drive between Kemper Street and Duke Street: Near Sports Arena Blvd has been chosen as one of the dangerous places.

In a statement, the City declared:

The 14 areas were identified after the City of San Diego’s Traffic Engineering team reviewed 2024 collision data and evaluated intersections with five or more injuries or fatal crashes. The data also looks at patterns, street segments with the most injury crashes and intersections with the most pedestrian-involved collisions. …

One of the most recognizable OB establishments, an icon of the counter-culture — The Black — is set to close after 57 years.

If you were a hippie or a hippie-wannabe in the late Sixties or the 1970s, The Black was the place to visit — as long as you asked for “water pipes” and not “bongs.” For a very long time, it was the only “head shop” in OB, as it sold pipes, rolling papers, records, jewelry, hippy and black light posters – and for a while it was the only hip book store in town.

There were at least three consecutive days of protests in San Diego County against ICE and in solidarity with Minneapolis over this past weekend.

On Friday, Jan. 30, nearly 1,000 people gathered at a large rally at Teralta Park in City Heights, followed by a march. Initially protesters met at the park between Orange and Polk avenues around 2 p.m. on Friday, calling for an end to the Trump administration’s federal immigration crackdown across the country.

The day before on Thursday, people of faith rallied at the Federal Building in downtown San Diego.

The nationwide rallies, called a “National Shutdown” by organizers, called for people to not go to school, work or businesses to demand Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents out of communities. It came after federal actions in Minnesota that led to the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both 37 years old.

by: Amber Coakley / Fox5 San Diego / Feb 1, 2026 

A surfer was rescued Saturday morning, January 31, after being swept off the rocks by powerful waves at Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue officials.

At about 8:55 a.m., the surfer was attempting to enter the water from the cliffs when a wave struck her, knocking her into the ocean. Additional waves then pushed her back into the cliff and surrounding rocks, officials said.

Two surfers who were already in the water immediately came to help her. The Good Samaritans helped move the woman into a safer area and placed her on a surfboard while waving for help. Meanwhile, bystanders on shore called 911, prompting a response from San Diego Lifeguards.

By Marina Dunbar  / The Guardian / Feb. 1, 2026

Government documents have identified the two federal officers who fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis as Jesus Ochoa, a border patrol agent, and Raymundo Gutierrez, an officer with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), according to ProPublica.

According to those records, Ochoa, 43, and Gutierrez, 35, were the agents who fired their weapons during the confrontation last weekend that resulted in Pretti’s death. The shooting sparked widespread demonstrations and renewed demands for criminal inquiries into federal immigration enforcement actions. Immediately following Pretti’s killing, the Trump administration repeatedly pushed false claims about the shooting.

At the time of the incident, both agents were participating in Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale immigration enforcement initiative that launched in December. The operation deployed numerous armed, masked agents throughout Minneapolis as part of a citywide sweep.

Every Saturday at 10:30 am. San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings February 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th .

Every Saturday 10 am – 12 pm Peace Vigil for Palestine:

The San Diego River Park Foundation has volunteer opportunities in Ocean Beach:

February 4th Wednesday 7 pm – 8:30 pm Celebration of Black Joy February 5th Thursday 5 pm – 6:30 pm Basic Dignity Coalition

By  Kate Callen / Op-Ed San Diego Union-Tribune / Jan. 30 – Feb. 1, 2026

Any government facing a financial implosion has three options: increase revenue with new or expanded taxes or fees, cut spending by reducing services and cut spending by shrinking the workforce.

The city of San Diego is aggressively pursuing Option 1 (trash fees, Balboa Park parking) and gingerly exploring Option 2 (eliminating services to neighborhoods). But Option 3 seems to be off the table. Why? Are elected officials too squeamish to take a painful but essential step? Too attached to faithful staff?

I know more than most San Diegans do about government reductions-in-force (RIFs). I lived through one in the 1980s while working as a science writer in the U.S. Public Health Service.

The experience was hellish. But because the agency handled it professionally, the payroll shrank appreciably, and few of us landed on the street. There is no reason, besides intransigence, that City Hall can’t do the same.

The humane way to reduce staff, to borrow a favorite expression of my Navy veteran husband, is to plan your work and work your plan. My agency’s RIF proceeded gradually and methodically, and employees were kept informed at every step.

The San Diego Community Coalition publishes this email bulletin to keep our members and the public informed about important Council and Planning Commission hearings and other city public meetings.

Monday, February 2: City Council, 2:00 p.m.

Agenda

Item CS-1: Ordinance Approving Contract with NEOGOV for Applicant Recruitment, Tracking, and Hiring

Why it matters: NEOGOV would be paid nearly $4.2 million over 10 years for HR software systems. That seems like a lot for a city that 1) has a personnel department responsible for recruitment, tracking, and hiring; 2) is supposed to be in the middle of a hiring freeze; and 3) is nearly insolvent.

Wednesday, February 4: Budget and Government Efficiency Committee, 9:00 a.m.

Agenda

The only planned protest so far is San Diego County is one located at 40th Street and Orange in City Heights at 2pm

In response to recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, as well as the deaths of four people shot by federal agents, activists are encouraging a “shutdown” on Friday.

The “National Shutdown” calls for supporters to stay home from work and school, and not to go shopping in an effort to “stop funding ICE.”

“The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country — to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN. On Friday, January 30, join a nationwide day of no school, no work and no shopping,” organizers wrote online.

Nicole Crosby, candidate for San Diego City Council District 2, announced the endorsement of San Diego Board of Supervisor’s Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe, a tireless leader for working families in San Diego!

Supervisor Montgomery Steppe stated:

“Nicole Crosby has done the work for working families across San Diego—protecting communities, standing up for fairness, and leading real efforts to prevent gun violence. Her record of service and results is exactly what District 2 needs on the City Council.”

By Lori Weisberg / San Diego Union-Tribune / January 28-30, 2026 

A controversial plan to impose an annual tax of as much as $12,000 on thousands of San Diego short-term rentals and second homes is dead for now, after elected leaders on Wednesday declined to advance the proposed levy to the full City Council.

The 3-2 vote by the Rules Committee followed a more than five-hour, sometimes emotional hearing that drew hundreds of proponents and critics who pleaded their case, with some vacation rental hosts dissolving into tears.

Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who had pushed the tax as a way to expand the city’s long-term housing inventory, had hoped the council would support his request to put the proposal before the voters in June.

The Empty Second Home and Vacation Rental Tax, as it was called, was expected to affect 11,000 homes, including 5,741 whole-home, year-round short-term rentals and 5,115 second homes that are largely empty throughout the year and aren’t being rented long term. A $4,000 surcharge also was proposed for corporate-owned rentals, as well as those with repeat code violations.