OB Rag

It’s been a week now since San Diego voters officially cast their ballots, and Measure C is still too close to call. Although as of this report, November 14, the “Yes” votes lead the “No”s by 6,058. Percentage wise, that’s only a difference of 1.82%.

The County Registrar of Voters says there are still another 165,000 outstanding ballots (county-wide). Their next posting won’t be until 5 pm today.

by Ernie McCray

I was just thinking
about Blair and Kimberly,
two people very dear to me,
thinking how
unbelievable it is
that it’s been
some 50 years
since we met
when I was the principal
at John Muir Alternative School
and they were among a population
of students

Former Candidate Lori Saldaña “Muted” During Public Comments on Oct. 27 and Nov.1

By Ken Stone/ Times of San Diego / Nov. 4, 2022

The San Diego City Council is violating the First Amendment rights of citizens with a policy barring certain public comments at council meetings, a lawsuit filed last Friday, Nov. 4 alleges.

From SanDiegoVille

After claiming the closure was only temporary when it first shuttered last September, San Diego’s Cohn Restaurant Group has confirmed Bo-Beau Kitchen + Bar is officially finished in Ocean Beach. In late 2010, the Cohn Group opened Bo-Beau Kitchen + Bar on the outskirts of Ocean Beach. The French bistro-inspired concept quickly became one of the hospitality company’s most highly-revered restaurants, resulting in it being replicated in La Mesa, Long Beach, and Hillcrest (which has since shuttered).

By Scott Lewis /  Voice of San Diego / Nov. 10, 2022

When the Union-Tribune editorial board endorsed Linda Lukacs in her race to oust City Councilwoman Jen Campbell, it offered a strange logic.

Campbell, the paper said, had laudable positions: She had resolved the long, torturous dilemma about how to regulate vacation rentals and she supported major investments in housing and development in the Midway area. In contrast, the paper wrote, Lukacs had “disappointing” views on housing and “seemed too inclined to Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) thinking.”

But ultimately, none of that mattered and the U-T endorsed Lukacs. Why?

Edited from 7NewsSan Diego

A brother of the slain rioter at the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol has been convicted of a hate crime for hurling racial slurs and assaulting a Latino SDG&E worker in Point Loma.

Ocean Beach resident Roger Stefan Witthoeft Jr., 34, has been convicted of misdemeanor battery with a hate crime allegation and violating the victim’s civil rights in the Sept. 14, 2021, attack on the traffic controller.

From SDMHOF

The San Diego Music Hall of Fame (SDMHOF) is holding its 4th annual induction event at Newbreak Church in Ocean Beach. The event kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday, November 11, 2022, Veteran’s Day.

The SDMHOF was founded to celebrate the city’s rich musical past and to honor over a century of great music in San Diego.

There is some anguish in the office towers of the city today, the day after the election, about what is happening in the Midway District.

Indeed, San Diego’s establishment must be in shock at how poorly Measure C is doing. At the most recent vote tabulation, there’s only a 623 vote difference between the “Yes’s” and the “No’s.”

Which is an 800-some vote loss since earlier in the day when the time the San Diego U-T posted its returns. Which means the margin of “victory” is slowly being eroded.

Seems there’s always a nugget…

By Geoff Page

An ear-catching revelation about how the city is treating a project that seriously exceeds the Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.) requirement sparked some interest at the OB Planning Board meeting, November 2. It seems that the city dismissing the extra 400 square feet as no big deal.

At least this was how the explanation from the project designer representing the owner came across. The designer said she had an email from city planner Kyle Goossens telling her the 400 extra square feet was not an issue. The designer did not know what this decision was based on.

According to the Voice of San Diego:

Councilwoman Jen Campbell appears to have held onto her seat, representing much of San Diego’s coastal area. Campbell’s district favors Democrats 2-1, the U-T reported. But Campbell’s lead over Republican Linda Lukacs did not represent nearly such a wide margin.

With only 29.4% of the vote counted, Measure C is neck and neck between the “No’s” and the “Yes’s” — 50.15% Yes versus 49.85% No. There’s less than 1,000 votes between them. This is as of 7 am Wednesday morning, the day after.

By Michael Moore/ November 9, 2022

It’s 6am and I haven’t gone to bed. The headlines are already popping up on my screen:

“No Signs of ‘Red Wave’ as Race for Congress Remains Tight” (New York Times)

“Congress hangs in balance as Democrats defy expectations” (Washington Post)