OB Rag

The OB Mainstream Association is coordinating the committee’s formation.

Save the Libraries: Part II

By Colleen O’Connor

Why, ask yourself, is the 8th largest city in the country unable to completely fund its libraries?

Why, with a Democratic-majority City Council, are buckets of taxpayer monies found for a convention center expansion (in the middle of a pandemic); while gutting the greatest aid where it would do the most good?

Granted the outcry from the “friends of the library;” the users of the libraries; the Library Foundation; and the parents of the children without Internet access and a refuge to read; managed to get the Mayor “promise to reduce the cuts.”

The sizeable blowback was politically significant,

By Geoff Page

The OB Planning Board meeting Wednesday, May 5, drew an abnormally large crowd because of an agenda item that stated, “The board will hear a presentation from the City about the current status of the pier and what options there are to reopen.” According to the on-line meeting information, 68 people had tuned in, far more than most meetings draw.

Unfortunately, the presentation from the city did not happen due to a scheduling mix up, but one will be rescheduled. The city was, however, represented by Teddy Martinez, the District 2 representative. Martinez was not there specifically for the pier item but did field a number of questions during the pier discussion.

In his remarks during the standard “Representatives Report” portion of the agenda, Martinez said

On Wednesday, May 5, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to repeal policies that basically stopped any expansion by Native American tribal governments.

Federal policy requires Native People’s tribal governments to secure land they own for their reservations under a fee-to-trust process. In turn, tribes are allowed to build housing and energy projects on the land and also access natural resources. But in March 1994, the San Diego Board of Supervisors approved a policy

In March and April, the City of San Diego Historical Resources Board (HRB) designated ten new historical resources, and among these there are three in Point Loma: 4415 Long Branch Avenue, 977 Albion Street, and 3551 Garrison Street.

Here they are – from Save Our Heritage Organization‘s May – June newsletter:

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican

Laurene Powell Jobs and Amplify Education are hosting a “Virtual Summit” which is what they’re calling this May’s sales event. Jobs is very confident that her billions qualify her to shape education policy.

In her drive to privatize public education, she has accumulated and created several pro-edtech and anti-teacher organizations.

by Ernie McCray

Hints of “Liberty and Justice for All” have come upon us suddenly like waters rushing from a broken dam, washing away long held resistance to social and political change.

How else can one explain a shift from disparaging notions such as “Don’t ask, don’t tell” and “God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” as well, to where a man can marry a man, and a woman a woman.

Legally. All across the country.

By Geoff Page

On April 13, The OB Rag published a piece about the OB pier, exposing the existence of a detailed engineering report on the pier’s condition dated September 3, 2019, that the city had been sitting on. Four days later, the city responded by “releasing” the report to the general public using the media.

In the days that followed, the city explained there was an on-going assessment of the pier and a report was expected soon. A public records request was initiated to obtain information on who was conducting the assessment, and what was being done because the city did not provide those details. The following is an account of what was provided,

By Colleen O’Connor

Some House Republicans are prepping a vote to remove, Wyoming’s Rep. Liz Cheney, the highest-ranking woman in the House GOP, from her #3 Leadership post.

“There is no way that Liz will be conference chair by month’s end. When there is a vote, it won’t be a long conference [meeting]; it will be fast. Everyone knows the outcome,” opined Republican.

This will be the second such attempt. Cheney survived the first such effort; 145 to 61. A secret ballot.

Cheney’s grievous offense? Calling out Trump on his “BIG LIE” trying to overturn the 2020 election results and his participation in the January 6th Capitol insurrection. “What he did on January 6 is a line that cannot be crossed.”

May 4, 1970 for at least an entire generation of Americans will always be associated with the shootings of unarmed students by National Guardsmen on the campus of Kent State Ohio. Four students were killed – two having nothing to do with the protests, one was an ROTC cadet – and eleven were wounded – they will be remembered as a stain upon US history for eternity.

At the time, it shocked the nation – and visibly and viscerally divided the country, already fractured from more than a decade of the African-American movement for civil rights and a handful of years of the ever -increasing militancy of the anti-Vietnam war movement centered on college and university campuses. A deep cultural divide had also developed in America

From Library Advocates:

The Independent Budget Analyst recently released her review of the FY22 Proposed Budget. The IBA identified a $5.6 million Library budget cut, noted that a majority of Councilmembers supported maintaining Library Department service levels, and addressed the Library’s current, unsustainable staffing model.

We remain concerned about these significant cuts and call on the Mayor and Council to make no Libray budget cuts, address the Library’s long-term staffing needs, and make overdue new investments in materials and programs.