OB Rag

By David Helvarg / MongaBay / April 12, 2023

Today I’m a waterlogged Californian, but soon I’ll be baked dry as a bone. The intensity of extreme drought and rainfall has “sharply” increased over the past 20 years, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Water.

Next July – ‘Hey kids, I’m putting on my Dune vapor recovery suit, is there anything you want from the abandoned gas station?’

By Geoff Page

What is happening with the parking lots in Ocean Beach and along Sunset Cliffs? Notices, like the one pictured above from one of the lots along Sunset Cliffs Blvd. south of Point Loma Avenue, were posted at all the local beach parking lots. The postings may not have been noticed because many were not well secured.

What does not make sense is that these lots have been posted as closed between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. for years, the signs are there. So why this permit application?

From today’s San Diego Union-Tribune:

Activation of nine newly installed 5G cellphone antennas in Point Loma has stalled following an outcry from parents concerned about the possible health effects on nearby schoolchildren.

Parents of students at the Rock Academy, a private Christian school at Liberty Station that has more than 500 students in preschool through high school, say they believe the equipment may pose a threat because of the wireless radiation in 5G technology.

70% Increase Over Previous Year

by Mark J. Rochester / inewsource /  April 14, 2023

The world returning to a more normal pace of life resulted in a 70% increase over the previous year in the number of jet planes taking off in violation of the San Diego International Airport’s late night curfew restrictions, according to data analyzed by inewsource.

Last year, 89 planes departed the airport after the 11:30 p.m. curfew deadline, compared to only 52 the year before. The number of planes violating the curfew had been on a steady decline the last several years, dropping down to a low of 18 in 2020. 

By Colleen O’Connor

Let’s be blunt.  Senator Diane Feinstein is worth more than a dozen GOP Senators. Worth more than millions of California votes that elected her to office decade after decade.

And worth more than all the naysayers popping up on talk shows and opinion pieces attempting to drive her from office.

Feinstein’s worth is priceless. And I, for one of multi-millions of California admirers want her to STAY PUT.  PERIOD. She can do more for the state than any replacement on the horizon.  And she only needs to stick around for about a year.

A popular web cam at Cabrillo Monument that has provided millions of viewers with a look over San Diego Bay has  been closed down by the Park Service after pressure from the Navy. The live web cam has been on for 10 years and last year had more than 6 million views.

The founder of the webcam and YouTube channel, Barry Bahrami, said he was shocked to learn the Navy had concerns and asked the National Park Service to turn it off. He told CBS8 ,

“This was done in spite. “

by Ernie McCray

I’m at an age
when my life
consists of mostly memories
and sometimes these remembrances
come to me
suddenly
and randomly,
as I can, in one moment,
remember
a time when I was
down, up against it,
overwhelmed
with cares and woes
like a man adrift in a dark churning sea,
a swallow away from drowning,

On April 11, the Navy disclosed that it had chosen four development teams for the next round of real estate competition to redevelop the 70 plus acres of the NAVWAR site in the Midway District. Yet, the Navy would not identify the teams on their shortlist. It is the largest real estate competition in the federal agency’s history.

This secrecy may not sit well with local residents who were clearly rankled by the initial concept drawings offered to the community by the Navy that showed a wall of skyscrapers towering over I-5. The Navy said it received more than 1,000 letters in response to the models presented. Ironically, the Navy says those letters and the “public’s strong reaction as part of the rationale for undertaking the solicitation process prior to finalizing the environment work,” as reported by the Union-Tribune.

Two local groups have sued the City of San Diego in an effort to overturn a controversial 5-4 City Council vote back in February that allowed taller apartment buildings and more ADUs or “granny flats” when a property is near mass transit.

Neighbors for a Better San Diego and Livable San Diego contend in their suit filed April 7 that the city policy will encourage dense projects too far away from transit for most residents to be willing to use it.

By Gary Wonacott

I have attended hundreds if not thousands of meetings in my life while working, and more recently since 2015 in the community.

Only since 2018, when the short term rental industry began dominating the Mission Beach Town Council board and leadership have I seen such intimidating, controlling behavior with no oversight.  The only comment I can make with any certainty is that the pro-STR people controlling the MBTC do not reflect the majority of the residents.

Two nights ago, on April 12, a resident and member of the town council was escorted out of the general meeting by police officers for stating an opinion.

Here’s most of the April 2023 newsletter from Luminosity. Go to the original here for links and videos.

By Jake Johnson /Salon and Common Dreams / April 7, 2023

Progressives in the U.S. Congress reacted with outrage Thursday after the Republican-dominated Tennessee House voted to expel two lawmakers who joined protesters in demanding gun control legislation during a demonstration inside the state Capitol last week.

“This is fascism,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. “Expelling your political opponents for demanding action on gun violence when children are dying is disgusting.”