OB Rag

On Monday, in a closed session, the San Diego City Council voted 6 to 2 to join a city in Oregon that is asking the US Supreme Court to weigh in on the legality of its camping ban. After yesterday’s vote, San Diego will file an amicus brief, or a written submission with legal arguments and recommendations about the case.

San Diego is only joining the case as an “amicus curiae,” or a “friend of the court.” This means the city isn’t party to the case, but can get permission to submit briefs and arguments supporting the city in Oregon — Grants Pass. Of course, San Diego has a reason as it just recently implemented its own camping ban.

Today, Tuesday, Sept. 19, the San Diego City Council is scheduled to consider a nearly 20 percent rate-increase for water bills of local customers.

By David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune / Sept. 16, 2023

The increase, which city officials began studying last fall, would be the first comprehensive rate hike approved by the council in nearly eight years. It would include a 10.2 increase this December and an 8.75 percent jump in January 2025. City officials say they need additional revenue increases to cover rising costs for imported water, upgrades to thousands of aging pipes and a long list of short-term and long-term capital projects.

by Elizabeth Ireland / Times of San Diego / Sept. 18, 2023

The San Diego City Council Monday, Sept. 18, voted for a year-round closure of Boomer Beach and Point La Jolla, two areas that serve as California sea lion rookeries and areas which have been closed seasonally since 2021.

The closure area encompasses Point La Jolla and parts of Boomer Beach, specifically from the Conrad F. Limbaugh and Harold F. Riley commemorative plaque northwest of La Jolla Cove to the last gazebo above Boomer Beach northeast of Rocky Point.

By Lyndsay Winkley / San Diego U-T / Sept. 17, 2023

A hard-won ordinance that brought oversight to San Diego’s many surveillance technologies needs critical fixes, officials say, or day-to-day operations the city relies on could come to a standstill. The new law, unanimously approved by City Council last September, stemmed from public outcry over the city’s mishandling of a network of thousands of smart streetlights.

Community members learned years after the high-tech lights were installed that police could access video and other data they captured. Over the past year, putting the ordinance into practice has been hampered by delays and legal quandaries.

This is the official agenda of the OB Planning Board’s Project Review Committee for Wednesday, Sept. 20 :

By Colleen O’Connor

A busy weekend at the Point. Sports fishing vessels packed. Duck boats touring the bay filled.

And Portuguese Hall celebrating the Festa Da Lapa Saturday night with folk dancers, food, and “late into the night” live music.

All followed by Sunday morning’s vintage car show.

By David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune / Sept. 16, 2023

San Diego’s year-old crackdown on electric scooters has had the unintended consequence of shrinking usage by 80 percent and prompting three of the four companies with city scooter contracts to cease local operations.

The number of annual rides since the new rules were approved in August 2022 plummeted from 3 million to 595,000 and Spin, Lime and Link have all left town, leaving Bird as San Diego’s lone scooter company.

By Paige Austin / Patch / Sept. 16, 2023

It’s been more than three weeks since Hurricane Hilary dumped record August rain on California, and the rare summer storm’s impact on the mosquito population is hitting home, literally.

An uninvited houseguest is plaguing homes up and down California. It’s the Aedes aegypti, better known as the ankle-biter mosquito, one of the most vicious little bloodsuckers to invade the Golden State.

By Bill Walton/ Times of San Diego / September 15, 2023

The nightmare continues. When people treat you like they don’t care, believe them.

Todd Gloria, in his more than 3 1/2 years as mayor of what used to be America’s Finest City, has lied to us. He lied to us about who he is, what he’s done, and what he’s going to do. These lies make us distrust him and his homeless policies. Todd Gloria’s ongoing misinformation propaganda campaign promoting the terrific job he’s doing is contrary to

By Ken Stone/ Times of San Diego /Sept. 15, 2023

Days after balking at demands that she apologize to Rep. Scott Peters and others, former Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña on Tuesday sent San Diego County Democratic Party officials an 830-word memo titled “Re:Social Media statement corrections.”

In short, she apologized.

“I am writing to apologize for using incorrect and misleading punctuation in a social media post in July,” she told the party’s Ethics Committee and executive board. “As a retired teacher, I understand the importance of using correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation in any writing, for clarity and accuracy.”

By Amita Sharma / KPBS / September 15, 2023

As the world marks Democracy Day today, the United States’ system of representative government is under attack.

Despite dozens of court rulings to the contrary, nearly 70% of Republicans still believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen. In the last 10 years, more than 29 states have passed legislation making it tougher to vote. Censorship is on the rise. A growing number of Americans, from both parties, believe political violence is justified.