OB Rag

By Mike James

This was my third year experiencing Dia de Muertos in Mexico. In 2019 I visited Tlaquepaque and Tequila in the state of Jalisco and last year in Mexico City. This year, on the days approaching Dia de Muertos, I was once again exhausted by the enormity of all things Mexico City.

The city has invested in capitalizing on the growing popularity of the Dia de Muertos. Yet it has become a victim of its own success.

Case in point, the once fictional parade has evolved into something where only the few with front row viewing can truly enjoy. The other millions of spectators unfortunately only catch glimpses of the parade as it passes by. I would definitely recommend visiting Mexico City… any other time of the year.

For the actual days of holiday, I was based in the Pueblos Mágicos town of Cholula in the nearby state of Puebla.

It does appear that somebody with authority is about to restrict parking along the beautiful Sunset Cliffs. Between  Osprey and Froude.

These yellow “Notice of Pending Permit” signs showed up in the small parking lots along the Cliffs. And they appear to be from the California Coastal Commission regarding “A Permit Application for the development on this site is pending before the Calif Coastal Commission,” by the “Applicant: City of San Diego, Parks & Recreation Dept.”

By Colleen O’Connor

Seriously. The recent strong marine system to our north brought heavy rain, wind and possible “sneaker waves” up to 19 feet in the San Francisco Bay area.  (As if they haven’t had enough drama).

As the National Weather Service warned, “Never turn your back to the ocean.”

Among other things, I might add. Also, be on the lookout for a very large, fat black cat that portends some kind of imminent disaster.

By Geoff Page

The saga of pickleball’s attempt to find a home at Robb Field continued Tuesday, November 1, with an appearance before the Mission Bay Park Committee, at the Santa Clara Recreation Center in Mission Beach.

Stephan Boyland and Mike Shinzaki made the pitch on behalf of the Pickleball Association of San Diego. The pitch involved three possible options to have pickleball at Robb Field.

#1 – Share the existing 12 tennis courts. There are six courts in one fenced-in enclosure and six in another. Pickleball would like to have six of the 12 courts.

There is a coming together today, Thursday, of all the various groups and city council candidates who want to save the 30-foot height limit and oppose Measure C.  It’s along Sea World Drive at 11 am.

The Sierra Club, Keep the Coast 30, Raise the Balloon, Save San Diego’s Character, Save Our Access as well as council candidates Tommy Hough and Linda Lukacs will be in attendance.

Measure C will eliminate the 30-foot height limit throughout the entire Midway planning area, over 1300 acres. The measure is the most serious threat to the 50-year old height limit, established by a citizens’ initiative in 1972 that was approved by over 63% of the vote.

The family of a young Orange County man who was injured in a traffic collision at the entrance to Ocean Beach and then who was taken to County Jail for “driving under the influence of drugs,” want answers. Because six days after his arrest, Hayden Schuck was found dead in his cell.

On March 10, 2022, San Diego Police Officers responded to a traffic collision near Sunset Boulevard and Interstate 8. At the scene, police arrested 22-year-old Schuck for DUI drugs.

But Schuck was so sick at his first court appearance, five days after his arrest, that he was unable to appear. The next day he died.

Schuck’s parents, Tim and Sabrina, are searching for answers as to how and why their young son died. The family hasn’t even received an autopsy report. Eight months after his accident and arrest. Now the family has filed a legal claim against the County of San Diego to get some answers.

The Ocean Beach Planning Board meets tonight — live — Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the OB Recreation Center at 4726 Santa Monica Avenue, 6 pm.

5018 Narragansett

The only project up for review is a permit for 5018 Narragansett. This is an application for a Process 3 Coastal Development Permit for the construction of a 453 square foot accessory dwelling unit (ADU or “granny flat”) above an existing 2-car garage.

When the Project Review Committee met on the project, they voted 3 to 0 to recommend to the full board that the project be rejected because it exceeded the floor-area-ratio (FAR) by 400 square feet, plus the ADU allowance is not allowed in the Coastal Zone, which is where the property is located.

By Gary Wonacott

Mission Beach is shrinking but the City is not using this fact in issuing licenses for short-term rentals (STR). This addresses two issues related to the 2020 census data, not yet included in SANDAG Data Surfer, but everyone else in the world has access to it.

Upon examination of the 2020 census data, there is one piece of information that jumped out at me.

While the housing in the majority of San Diego has been growing, in some areas by leaps and bounds, the number of housing units in Mission Beach has decreased, substantially.

By John Ziebarth

Measure C should be a constructive discussion about affordable housing and redevelopment in the Midway/ Sports Arena area. Instead, it is a referendum on how much you trust the Mayor and the City Council to regulate development.

In 1972, Prop D established the 30’ height limit west of Interstate 5 because the public did not trust the City Council. Do you trust this City Council today or a City Council in the future?

In 2015, the council members from other districts approved One Paseo over the objection of the of councilmember for the affected district 3, affected community planning groups as well as the objections from the City of Del Mar and the City of Solana Beach. As a result of the Council decision, numerous community planning groups around the city rallied to oppose the decision and a public call was heard for a referendum.

By Mike James / Special to the OB Rag

Every year the Dia de Muertos grows in popularity internationally. Yet this growth is fairly recent.

In the late 1930’s, the Càrdenas presidency embraced the holiday to celebrate the indigenous culture and create an inclusive national identity. Yet for decades the holiday was mainly observed in Mexico as a private family ceremony, with the ofrenda being the main component.

Much of the credit of an increase in the popularity of El Dia de los Muertos can be traced back to the Chicano movement in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Antonio in the early 70’s. The activist and the artist of the Chicano movement promoted Dia de Muertos as a way to reconnect with their pre-Hispanic and Mexican Identity as a community. Processions through Mexican American neighborhoods and celebrations of Dia de Muertos became more commonplace.

From Neighbors for a Better San Diego

Here’s what happened at Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting of October 27…

After much public testimony and Commissioner commentary, the Planning Commission passed a resolution recommending that the City Council adopt the 2022 Land Development Code Update (LDC) Update with the exception of:

Item 5 – Definition of a Sustainable Development Area (the item we asked you to comment on)