OB Rag

Take a good look of the trees in this photo. They’re fairly large, provide lots of shade — and now ….

Take another look at them — they’re all gone and dead.

The massive chop down was discovered by Rag writer Geoff Page today, and here is a brief report:

After storing for 3 years more than a dozen empty trailers meant to be used by homeless people,  San Diego appears ready – finally – to utilize them for a safe parking lot in the Clairemont neighborhood near Rose Canyon.

The 20 trailers were given to the city by the state for the unhoused during the height of the pandemic. But for some reason, the city just stored 13 of them near the city’s Rose Canyon Operations Yard on Morena Boulevard — north of Costco. (It’s unclear where the other 7 are.) So, San Diego’s Trailergate — a minor scandal that no one really cares much about — may soon be over.

California’s second largest reservoir was down to its lowest levels ever recorded in September 2021 (628’).

Incessant parades of atmospheric rivers have almost refilled the 3.5 million acre-foot reservoir by March 2023 (845’).

By Senator Elizabeth Warren / NY Times – Reader Supported News / March 13, 2023

No one should be mistaken about what unfolded over the past few days in the U.S. banking system: These recent bank failures are the direct result of leaders in Washington weakening the financial rules.

In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act to protect consumers and ensure that big banks could never again take down the economy and destroy millions of lives. Wall Street chief executives and their armies of lawyers and lobbyists hated this law. They spent millions trying to defeat it, and,

Usually dogs get all the attention. But not this weekend. Cats — especially feral cats — will be the beneficiaries of an art sale this weekend in Ocean Beach.

Hundreds of pieces or art will be on sale to help cats in need.

Stuart Glennon was a lifelong artist in OB and loved cats.  He died on December 23, 2022 at the age of 93.

His daughter Alison Glennon is selling his entire collection to the public and donating all of the money to the Feral Cat Coalition. “He dearly loved cats. He had them his whole life and so I thought that it would be something good to do,” said Alison.

Mt. Laguna late this morning, Thursday, March 16, 2023, from the live cam at Mt Laguna Lodge. Where did all that snow go?

How would you like to sound off on SDG&E about your high bills?

Right now — today, Wednesday, March 15 — the California Public Utilities Commission is holding a virtual public hearing. It starts at 1pm.

So, how can you get involved with the upcoming hearings?

The March 15th meeting is virtual and starts at 1pm.

You can access it by phone or computer.

By Anne S. Fege / SOHO Newsletter March – April 2023

Considering the history of shade and ornamental trees in San Diego neighborhoods, it’s clear the numbers are going down—just as we need thousands more in every part of the city.

In older “privileged” neighborhoods (Kensington, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla, for example) that were developed in the 1920s and 1930s, there were large lots for trees. Some developers planted street trees, which were likely watered by tree roots reaching soil water in irrigated front lawns.

In older “redlined” and lower-income neighborhoods (south of the 94 freeway, now the Promise Zone) that were developed in those same decades, the lots were small, the streets were unpaved, and there were no sidewalks or street trees. Today, there are few places to plant trees, as paved parking areas cover many front yards and business districts.

Know Your District?

[Slightly edited from Peninsula News]

If you live in Point Loma or Ocean Beach, you probably know which City Council District you’re in. (2)

You might know what County District we’re in. But that’s been tricky.

For a long time the northern part of Point Loma and OB was in District 4, and the southern Peninsula was in District 1.

At its January 2023 meeting, the City of San Diego Historical Resources Board designated six historic buildings — five houses and one commercial building — including one two-story house in Point Loma.

This was highlighted in the March/ April newsletter of Save Our Heritage Organization and here is what they reported about the Point Loma house:

3425 Xenophon Street in the Peninsula Community is a two-story home built in 1937 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style with a Monterey style cantilevered second-floor balcony covered by the primary roof.

By Lance Murphy/ Peninsula Newsletter / March 9, 2023

Dear City Officials,

I am writing to express my concerns about the rapid deployment of Smart Streetlight Surveillance Systems in the City of San Diego. I request that appropriate safeguards and protections be put in place to ensure the privacy and civil liberties of all San Diego residents.

While I understand and support the benefits of these systems to improve public safety, reduce crime and improve the productivity of law enforcement officers, I also strongly believe that the risks associated with the use of this technology must be carefully considered and sufficiently managed.