OB Rag

by Ernie McCray

I just put down
a wonderful read
titled
“How We Can Live”
which was written to give
young people,|
our children,
a few loving
principles to abide by
during these times.

The book’s ideas
come from
“Black Lives Matter’s”
efforts to encourage society
to change its ways,

Does this sound familiar?

The City of San Diego has its sights set on Convoy Street for the next round of bike lanes, as part of its goal to make the area more conducive to walking and biking. And while the city is putting in bike lanes, it will eliminate nearly 300 parking spaces along Convoy Street

Local businesses are very concerned about this loss of parking, which are in high demand.

This is exactly what happened along 30th Street in North Park. The city installed bike lanes and removed nearly 400 parking spaces and local businesses howled in protest – but to no avail.

Six Californian House of Representative members — including Darrell Issa – have made Michael Moore’s list of “Traitors Attempted Coup.” Here is what Michael Moore is asking us …

By Michael Moore / Jan. 3, 2023

Sometime today in the morning (Tuesday, January 3rd), 121 reelected members of Congress (including 2 promoted to the Senate) who participated in the attempted coup of January 6th by voting in the House and Senate to overturn the 2020 election — i.e., overthrow the elected government — will raise their hand and take the same oath they took three days before they voted to give the insurrections what they wanted in 2021.

This should not happen. I’m asking you to join me in calling your representatives

Setbacks notwithstanding, we are better today than we were 50 years ago, 20 years ago, even a year ago

By Robert Reich / Guardian UK/ Jan. 3, 2023

It was quite a year. Some of the regressive forces undermining our democracy, polluting our planet, widening inequality and stoking hatred have been pushed back.

This is a worthy accomplishment and cause for celebration. It offers hope that the Trump years are behind us and the hard work of building a decent society can resume. But this is no time for complacency. No one should assume that the battle has been won.

Incentives that allow more units based on location would shift the required proximity to transit from half a mile to within 1 mile

By David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune / Jan. 2, 2023

A new San Diego proposal aims to jump-start production of high-rise housing and backyard apartments by loosening rules that govern where such homes can be built.

Rules that allow taller apartment buildings and more backyard units when a property is near mass transit would be softened to require the transit line be within 1 mile — rather than the current standard of half a mile.

By Terrie Best / Exclusive to OB Rag / Jan. 3, 2023

When the city of San Diego first began permitting cannabis consumer outlets under the conditional use permit process or CUP, a lot of the conversation began at the community level within the Community Planning Groups. There are roughly 42 CPGs recognized by the city and very few ever embraced cannabis outlets.

Until recently only one, the Barrio Logan group, which voted to recommend approval for Harbor Collective, had acted favorably. Conversely, the San Ysidro group was so mad they coordinated an effort to bring kids in matching t-shirts to an appeal against a cannabis outlet in their region. That appeal was lost and Pacific Southwest patient, now Urbn Leaf, opened.

All events are online and free unless stated otherwise.

Every Saturday 10:30 am. Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings  January 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th. 

January 6th Friday 11 am – 12 pm Greenpeace Fire Drill Fridays with Jane Fonda  

January 12th Thursday 5:30 pm  Climate Justice: How Can We Promote and Protect Fundamental Human Rights? 

January 15th Sunday 2 pm – 5 pm  41st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade! “Keeping the Dream Alive. We’re Better Together!”

January 16th Monday 9 am  The 35th Annual All Peoples Celebration

General Rain Advisory in Effect

The Department of Environmental Health and Quality has issued a GENERAL RAIN ADVISORY for the coastal waters of San Diego County due to contamination by urban runoff following rain.

Swimmers, surfers, and other ocean users are warned that levels of bacteria can rise significantly in ocean waters, especially near storm drains, creeks, rivers, and lagoon outlets that discharge urban runoff. Activities such as swimming, surfing and diving should be avoided for 72 hours following rain.

Here’s the live cam atop the Mt. Laguna Lodge, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.

This is a screen grab from the live cam in Julian this morning.

Here are the winning photos in the OB Rag King Tide Photo Contest of December 2022:

First Place: Pescadero Stairs by Sally Brown

By Ann Menasche, Coleen Cusack, and Matha Sullivan / OpEd San Diego Union-Tribune / Dec. 29, 2022

The human-made catastrophe of mass homelessness can be deadly. There have been at least 1,425 preventable deaths in San Diego County since 2020. Elected officials and their appointees in San Diego County have failed homeless people since at least 1996, when the city of San Diego reported to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that “inability to pay high rents” was among the most common reasons for homelessness.

This is a policy failure of epic proportions —