OB Rag

By Colleen O’Connor

Has the news begun to depress you? As in leaving you numb or emotionally defeated?

As in non-stop warnings of the COVID-19 pandemic morphing and being “always with us?”

Or the nightmarish headlines about ransomware attacks, daily mass shootings, supply chain shortages, or the overwhelming evidence of catastrophic climate change. All amid political amateur hour in our nation’s capitol?

If so, there is a remedy. Especially in San Diego. Simple. Step outside.

Residents of Point Loma are being urged to immediately contact the city and airport because city crews are out and about currently (noon Tuesday) and are attempting to remove some of the trees on their “obstruction” list. Property owners at 4404 Newport “chased” one crew off after it had “topped off” one Palm Tree on their list.

Once a Palm Tree is “topped off” it will never come back.

Residents need to contact the city and airport and get them to halt this practice, immediately.

The airport has informed residents of Point Loma that an independent contractor hired by the city would remove the mainly Palm Trees it identified as “obstructions”. Yet, it is a city crew out today attempting to circumvent proper and legal procedures for removing trees.

A reader sent in the following list of trees and addresses the airport will have removed or trimmed. The list includes other than Palm Trees, such as several Eucalyptus trees on Alcott Street and trees on the other side of the airport. There are 12 trees from Point Loma on the list:

TREE; PALM
City of SD ROW; 4386 Newport Ave.
City will remove, Airport will inform resident

The San Diego Airport has responded to Point Loma residents’ inquiries about the nature and purpose of its program to unilaterally remove tall trees that it claims “obstruct” airspace and aircraft paths. Ralph Redman, manager of planning and environmental affairs, sent out a letter, map and descriptions of the locations of the trees – mainly Palm Trees – which are posted below.

“The purpose of removing the identified trees,” Redman stated, “is to ensure the safety of community and flying public as planes approach San Diego International Airport (SAN).” He goes on:

By Eric DuVall / Pt. Loma-OB Monthly / Oct. 18, 2021

Welcome to Collier’s Shack, friends and neighbors! Our guests are always encouraged to relax, put their feet up, recharge their batteries and enjoy our fresh air, balmy breezes and unparalleled views from our promontory high above the crashing surf of the mighty Pacific.

Doesn’t that sound great? It is certainly intended to. Come on, take a stroll in the garden or along the cliffs. Hop in the pool if you have a mind to. Our hospitality here is second to none, and the food isn’t bad either.

You’ve never heard of Collier’s Shack? That’s not surprising, as the shack has been gone from Ocean Beach for nearly 50 years.

The Widow Laments Unhealthy Habit by Ball Players

By Judi Curry

I am a native Californian. More specifically, I am a native “Angelean” – born and raised in Los Angeles. As long as I can remember – granted, that is a long, long time ago – I have always been a Los Angeles Dodger fan. I remember in 1957, when the then “Brooklyn Dodgers” were allowed to move to Los Angeles, and the New York Giants were allowed to move to San Francisco how excited I was about the move.

As a native, I always went to the Los Angeles Rams football games; the Los Angeles Lakers basketball games. Even though I was living in San Diego when the Rams moved to St. Louis, I always rooted for them – unless they were playing the San Diego Chargers. But this is not about the feeling of traitor-ship I felt when both football teams moved out of my city – and yes, I know the Rams are back – but….

On Tuesday, October 19, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will honor Doug Porter, a former writer for the OB Rag, for all his contributions over the years to San Diego journalism.

The San Diego Airport, working with the City of San Diego, is set to remove palm trees in Point Loma, unilaterally and with or without local adjacent property owners’ consent.

Dozens of letters were sent out by the Airport this month addressed to adjacent property owners in Point Loma warning them that a City of San Diego contractor would be removing palm trees within the next couple of weeks.

The letters inform the property owner that the FAA requires the airport to survey “surrounding airspace and runway approach paths,” to locate “obstructions” which “have a detrimental impact on airport operations, particularly during periods of reduced visibility, low clouds, or nighttime operations.”

Now that the redevelopment of the Midway District has returned to the drawing board, competing images of its future have emerged.

Brookfield Properties – former Mayor Faulconer’s favored developer for Midway – has returned with a reworked concept for a mixed-use development called “Discover Midway.” Plus Brookfield has an expanded team which now includes two experienced affordable-housing developers and retains ASM Global, the current operator of Pechanga Arena.

Their project includes a commitment to set aside at least 25 percent of housing units for lower-income families. According to the U-T, “There are no specifics, no renderings, and none of the pomp and circumstance of the last go-around. Some of that will come as the Discover Midway group works to fine-tune its bid, which is due Dec. 3.

The following is based on a presentation made at Global Forum for Democratizing Work, October 6, 2021.

by Peter Bohmer

A substantive and non-neoliberal Universal Basic Income (UBI) could substantially improve people’s lives, is feasible and possible and can be a step towards a revolutionary transformation of a society towards participatory socialism. There is no conflict with related proposals for Universal Basic Services, a UBS, or with a Guaranteed Jobs Program. A UBI is expensive although it is economically feasible within a capitalist society such as the U.S. although it will require major taxes on the wealthy.