OB Rag

By Mat Wahlstrom

By the time you read this, the city council today, Monday, Jan. 31, will have already likely voted in closed session to approve a settlement that lets everyone involved in the 101 Ash Street fiasco off the hook — except the taxpayer.

There’s been myriad reporting about the details of this scandal in other outlets, foremost the excellent analysis of why this is the likely result published by La Prensa San Diego. But the reason for my mentioning it is at the heart of my topic: why more and more of us are having to live in precarity, dependent on circumstances beyond one’s control and at the whim of others.

Among all the truths our electeds and their donors hold as self-evident, none is more sacred than ‘honor among thieves’ when it comes to raiding public funds.

After over two weeks of no information, today, Friday, San Diego authorities announced they believe the fire at the home of San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and his wife, former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, was arson – and intentionally set.

On January 12, around 4 am, Fletcher, Gonzalez and their children escaped from their house in City Heights when the front porch was ablaze. Supporters of the out-spoken political couple feared for the worst, that the fire was arson and potentially an act of domestic terrorism.

By Peter Bohmer

This is an edited version of Peter’s talk at Economics for Everyone Forum, January 12th, 2022, at Evergreen State College.

We live in a critical juncture of a deadly pandemic that intensifies as the Omicron variant surges. I will focus on the U.S. economy with a focus on labor. Also, the causes and implications of the growth in prices, i.e., inflation, for different social classes. I will analyze the Omicron variant and what it means for future employment, inflation and the availability of goods and basic services. I will briefly examine, Biden’s Build Back Better proposed legislation and conclude with suggestions on how we can organize for economic justice.

By Geoff Page

Land use changes that are designed to destroy single family neighborhoods and planning board changes that are designed to destroy planning boards were the two main topics of interest at the Peninsula Community Planning Board’s monthly meeting January 20. Pretty depressing stuff. Accounts of how the PCPB’s last election went did not help.

Accessory Dwelling Units -Proposed Land Development Code Revisions

The PCPB discussed a draft letter it has addressed to the mayor and all nine city councilmembers providing its opinion of the proposed Draft Housing Action Package. The main subject of the letter was accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units and the new state law versus the city’s proposed “enhancements” of the law.

On initial perusal, our current SDG&E bill is a whopping 100% increase from our December bill! And we’re being told next month’s bill will be even higher.

So, how’s your SDG&E bill?

This is an open thread – which means we’re asking readers to give us thoughts and feedback in the comments section to this post.

There was an issue raised at the recent Midway planners’ meeting, as reported by Geoff Page, that was buried by the other larger issue of the homeless on Sports Arena Boulevard, that needs more of the light of day.

Two bicycling “experts” presented their views at the meeting, disparaged planning boards, and pushed the solution of the merging of different planning committees.

As Page reported:

During a discussion of the major changes the city wants to make to the planning boards, the Midway group heard from two members of BikeSD’s Board of Directors, Paul Jamason and Nicole Burgess. They did not, however, identify themselves that way.

by Ernie McCray

I was just reminiscing
in my mind
how on many
a day
I would curse
the blazing Tucson
summer sun
at noon
and then
kneel in awe
at its beauty
when it set,
and then marvel
at the rising
of a
bright Sonoran moon.

The OB Town Council Board of Directors begins its annual election tonight, Thursday, Jan. 27. There are seven candidates for the 7 open seats. Voting closes at midnight on Friday, February 4.

In order to vote, one must be a member. There’s several levels of membership, so go here for more info and how to join.

The candidates were presented at last night’s public meeting, zoom online. Here are their names and a very brief thing about them below, presented in the order from last night.

San Diego Reader writer, Thomas Larson, just had his cover article published under the title, “Where is San Diego’s local news going now?” Larsen interviewed publishers and editors at Times of San Diego, Cannabitch, Voice of San Diego, Union-Tribune, San Diego Community Newspaper Group, and the O.B. Rag.

Larson had generous things to say about the Rag and about yours truly. His last line is worth gold:

The kind of authentic local news groups that need support are those whose back-and-forth between producers and consumers help clarify the intentions of both, and, if possible, cast out the self-interested trolls. I don’t see where else such integrity will come from, except the hand-to-mouth, ad-avoidant, ethically-conscious alternative media.

The entire piece is well worth checking out. We repost Larson’s section on the Rag:

On Monday, January 24, the San Diego City Council voted 8-1 to make changes to the 2019 “inclusionary” housing law that requires builders of market-rate housing projects to include low-income units or pay steep penalties.

In 2019, the city council forced developers of 10 or more units to reserve low-income units for residents who make less money and roughly doubled the penalties developers must pay if they don’t build low-income units. A low-income unit is defined as one reserved for someone making less than 60 percent of the region’s median income, which is $72,720 for a family of four.

Most of the approved changes will affect only coastal neighborhoods.

Come inside and watch another of OBcean Michael Claisse’s videos. “Why deep sea creatures look so weird.”

January Public Meeting – January 26, 2022 @ 7pm

Join the Ocean Beach Town Council for their monthly Public Meeting tonight, Wednesday, during which a Candidate Forum will be held. Candidates are running to fill the empty seats on the Board of Directors. Also, there will be updates from elected officials and local organizations.

In light of the current status of the pandemic, the OBTC will be back online for their January meeting.

COME INSIDE FOR LINKS TO ACCESS MEETING, TO REGISTER AND FOR THE AGENDA