OB Rag

By Ernie McCray

Joan Didion.

Betty White.

Both touched my life.

After hearing that Joan had died, I suddenly remembered how she helped me when my wife passed on, leaving me trapped in heart-rending sorrow and grief beyond belief, feeling as though I would die, too, with all the pain I was going through.

But as days and weeks and months passed the intensity of my suffering eased a tad – and I read Joan’s “The Year of Magical Thinking,” her account of losing her husband and daughter within a couple of years of each other.

We have an avid reader who raises a good point:

I’m probably missing the obvious, but I can’t figure our why Nathan Fletcher, who jump-started his tenure on the board of supervisors by literally stealing the spotlight every day with his COVID pronouncements, is now no where to be found on the issue.

His publicist won’t even respond to a request for any sort of comment, from the UT.

I’m sure other San Diegans have noticed him MIA, and would also appreciate any insight into his disappearance, as well as this new-found silence by other board members, the county health department, Mayor Todd Gloria, etc.

The Ocean Beach Planning Board meets this Wednesday, January 5. It will be held virtually via Zoom at 6 pm. Register for the meeting here.

Notable agenda items include a presentation by the Election Committee for the March 2 annual election of board members, and another presentation by the Monarch Group, one of the five redevelopment teams vying for the Midway Sports Arena contract with the city.

The board will also review and make recommendations to the city’s Draft Housing Action Package, including possible revisions to the City Code regulating Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) or so-called granny flats.

By Sheila Pell / San Diego Reader

Tiny houses on wheels, the cheapest and easiest small units to build, were initially left out of San Diego’s granny flat ordinance.

That changed in July 2020, when the city, seizing on their potential as low-cost housing, decided to allow movable tiny houses on residential lots. Even in the pricey coastal zone.

Friday, December 17, 2021, the Coastal Commission approved the changes, which regulate the number, size, location, and appearance of the homes, but with several modifications – none likely to appease critics.

By Rory Devine / 7SanDiego / December 31, 2021

During the pandemic I have been covering education, one of the most important issues of this time. When the pandemic started, I was privileged to be able to follow teacher Joanne Ensign through her experience, from when schools closed and on-line learning kicked off to when schools re-opened and in-person learning began.

It was inspirational.

All events are online and free unless stated otherwise.

*** Every Saturday 10:15 am. Climate Mobilization Coalition Zoom Meeting. January 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th.

*** January 3rd Monday 6 pm King Tides Discussion Pt. Loma/Hervey Branch Library Community Room 3701 Voltaire St. 92107

*** January 7th Friday 7 pm – 8 pm Sierra Talks – The Making of Beauty & the Beast: CA Wildflowers & Climate Change

*** January 8th Saturday 1 pm – 2 pm Youth4Climate January Community Service

*** January 8th Saturday 12-2 pm, Meet up for Racial Justice Event

by Ernie McCray

2021.
Whew! What a year.
Makes you entertain hopes for what the New Year might bring.

And there could be a variety of hopes.
Know what I mean?

And I have hopes for the New Year.

Based on this past year, a year I suspected would be a bit crazy, considering all the sadness and madness we had to tolerate during the previous four years or so, I would hope we never experience anything so bizarre and frightening ever again.

*** Ocean Beach Apartment Complex Sells for Almost $2.4 Million

*** Local Woman Killed in Wrong-Way Crash at End of I-8

***Maria Senour Re-Elected as Prez of Community College District Board

*** Police Dog Recovering From Stab Wounds in the Midway

***New Shelter Opens in Midway District

*** Man Who Gunned Down Romantic Rival at Pt Loma Gym Pleads Guilty to Murder

By Colleen O’Connor & G.L. Goggin

Colleen’s #1 Pick.

1. Don’t cry for Liz Cheney.

Prediction: Liz Cheney is going to be the first Republican female minority leader after Kevin McCarthy is ditched. She sees the future and it isn’t Trumpism. And McCarthy’s quote that “Everybody in the U.S. has some responsibility” for the capital riot has greased his skids.

That prediction still holds and is more viable than ever in 2022. McCarthy has dissension in his ranks; a wobbly and unattractive history courting Trump; and a tsunami of bad events coming to light.

By Mat Wahlstrom

Good morning, starshine: the earth says it’s time for a prognostication of the year to come! It is written in the stars — or, more precisely, the orbits of the satellites in our solar system. But, I can in full confidence predict that events will transpire and things will happen in 2022, and that many of them will affect you personally.

And by personally, I mean by the random chance of your birth month being shared with a twelfth of everyone else alive — which is why there’s also a handy zodiac guide provided at the end to help understand how each sun sign responds to life’s challenges and windfalls.

So without further ado, here’s what lies ahead!