OB Rag

By Colleen O’Connor

In May of last year, I wrote a column with a rather outlandish prediction:

“A terrifying defeat looms for Trump.  As I wrote about the 2020 Presidential race, ‘It is not Biden v. Trump, but COVID-19 v. Trump.’  And COVID-19 won.”

“In 2022, it will not be Biden v. Trump, but Cheney v. Trump.  Imagine losing once to a virus and a second time to a woman.”

Yet, here we are.  Possibly within reach.  Liz Cheney, against all odds, might prevail in her primary election race this coming Tuesday in Wyoming.

A Deep Dive Into San Diego’s “Regional Housing Needs”

By Mat Wahlstrom

On July 13, there was an extraordinary story by Voice of San Diego on San Diego’s current Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA, pronounced “ree-na”) cycle, which was implemented in 2021. This mandates the number of units that a city must have planned to be built by 2029, or else face having more of their oversight on land-use decisions transferred to Sacramento.

And what’s extraordinary about it is that, for once, the RHNA projections were called out as the farce that experts usually only privately admit they are. No less than *the* go-to guy on local land-use economics, Gary London, was quoted as saying, “I don’t think it’s possible” to meet the state’s RHNA goals, as “15,000 units a year is a fantasy.”

By Times of San Diego Editor / August8, 2022

PETA has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, calling on the agency to investigate SeaWorld San Diego after an incident that apparently took place Friday.

The animal activist group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is accusing the park of federal Animal Welfare Act violations over housing incompatible animals together. The filing came about, the organization said, after a park-goer sent in video of a clash among orcas Friday morning at the attraction.

Here is the report on Nakai  By Cara Wilson-Granat

Prisoner #7: Nakai

Sweet-natured Nakai was born on September 1, 2001. His claim to fame is that he was the very first orca to be conceived through artificial insemination.

By Gary Butterfield

As the visible effects of climate change resound throughout the earth, it becomes increasingly important that all of us do our part to responsibly reduce our carbon footprints.  This is especially true in San Diego, since our oceans and our coasts are at high risk of damage by climate change.

San Diegans are asked to modify our behaviors to lessen our carbon usage; we must demand the same commitment from our institutions.  Many local municipalities are revealing actions to help implement a meaningful Climate Action Plan to secure a Zero Carbon Future for their citizens.  So far none of these plans address the military’s contribution to the climate crisis!

The following is based on news accounts but edited on the premise that the victim, her family and friends are telling the truth.

Close to Halloween last year in October 2021, a then 17-year old woman, as yet publicly identified, was out with friends on a Saturday night. She wore a costume. They had heard about a night house party so she and her friends decided to check it out.

Once at the party, she either began or continued to drive alcohol and was intoxicated. At some point, she was approached by a man who made small talk and offered her a drink. He then led her to a room. Other men were there.

The following was originally published on April 27, 2022 under a different headline, “Omertà, San Diego Style.”

By Norma Damashek / NumbersRunner / April 27, 2022

Let’s pretend we’re hotshot detectives in a Netflix blockbuster about a real estate deal gone bad … really bad.  The action takes place in San Diego, where most every city official — past and present — is hell-bent on burying the evidence.

But prepare yourselves: this whodunit is a true story about real perps, real victims, real consequences, and a labyrinth of backroom deals, tangled networks, secret handshakes, and a really convoluted chain of events.

So far, here’s what our rogues’ gallery looks like:

By Steven Mihailovich, Rob Vardon / Pt Loma OB Monthly / Aug. 4, 2022

In response to an Ocean Beach resident’s complaints about leashed and unleashed dogs running around beaches during prohibited hours, a San Diego city representative said officials would be asking the San Diego Humane Society — the city’s contractor for animal-control enforcement — about its practices and possibly “kicking them in the butt” if it’s not issuing enough citations.

by Ernie McCray

So sad
that law makers,
U.S. Senators,
with all the power
in their possession
to do wonderful things,
knowing
that there are ex-servicemen and women
who have fallen ill
from breathing in poisonous air
in the battles in Iraq and Afghanistan,
chose, instead of lending them a hand,
to play games,

Luminosity Festival Envisioned as Planning Begins to Find Alternatives

by Mike James

With structural issues to the Ocean Beach Pier, fireworks are no longer logistically viable in the foreseeable future. Plus with the environmental concerns and the psychological effects fireworks have on both humans and animals, many feel it is time to explore alternative ways to celebrate Independence Day.

On July 3rd, 1776, one of our Founding Fathers, John Adams penned a letter to his wife Abigail, envisioning future festivities to commemorate the Declaration of Independence. He wrote:

The San Diego City Council on Tuesday, August 2, gave final approval in an unanimous vote to a new privacy and technology ordinance that will place the City’s surveillance technology under the Council’s oversight.

The passage of the “Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology” ordinance was the result of a long three year effort by more than 30 community organizations that make up a coalition called TRUST SD (Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology San Diego). Work on an ordinance began after residents learned in 2019 that the city had installed a network of about 3,000 cameras on streetlights