OB Rag

By Steve Rodriguez

First comes the sighting of a Venezuelan boat.
Just about any fishing boat will suffice.
Next, fixing the target in a missile’s
crosshairs. Followed by a dramatic
blasting of the vessel. Bright flash
of light ensues, conveniently captured
by camera for later media airing.

OB Rag Staff Report

In an August 8 Rag Post, “2026 District 2 Council Race: Will Voters Get Fooled Again?”, we promised to “scrutinize the candidates in the … primary: who they are, what they’ve done, what they say, and most importantly, where their money comes from.”

The primary is six months away in June, and candidates have filed early campaign financial reports. A review of the city’s Campaign Disclosure Reports (Series 400) shows a real difference in the sources of support for three candidates who filed disclosures: Josh Coyne, Mandy Havlik, and Nicole Crosby.

Three other candidates in the race – Mike Rickey, Nicole Quillin, and Daniel Smiechowski – do not have reports on the website, which is common for candidates who don’t reach the reporting threshold.

Josh Coyne

Coyne is in first place in District 2 fundraising totals with $69,148. He has made a $30,000 loan to his campaign. According to the Voters’ Voice Initiatives, his contributions from outside District 2 amount to $57,000, or more than 80 percent of his take.

Many of Coyne’s contributors are corporate leaders and lobbyists, some of whom have close ties to Mayor Todd Gloria. They include:

The annual Shop Small campaign by the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association has returned, of course, and held its kick off last Saturday along Newport Avenue.

Kristen Keltner, OBMA’s events and program manager, said the Association not only “encourages locals and visitors alike” to shop in OB but also wants people “to enjoy the holiday spirit and what small towns like Ocean Beach have to offer.”

What are some of those unique finds? Keltner points to the holiday decorations on light posts in the downtown business district and Christmas photo opportunities with the Pacific Ocean or the “Happy Holiday OB” banner, draped across the 4900 block of Newport Avenue, as a backdrop.

Then there’s the OB Christmas Tree, scheduled to appear today, Tuesday, Dec. 2.

What’s dubbed Shop Small Saturday in Ocean Beach is part of the movement known as Small Business Saturday, which follows Black Friday at the beginning of the post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping season.

By Dave Schwab / Times of San Diego / Nov. 24, 2025

Vino lovers: If you haven’t visited urban winery Gianni Buonomo’s new digs in Midway, you owe it to yourself to do so.

The boutique winery, previously on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, has relocated to 3492 Pickett St. in a building offering 18 on-site parking spaces.

The name, buon uomo, means “good man” in Italian.

Gianni Buonomo founder and owner Keith Rolle noted he benefits from being near the Pechanga Arena, just a seven-minute walk away.

“We opened here officially in October of last year,” he said, noting he’s going to be expanding his outreach, working with area restaurants to convince them to allow their customers to bring in Gianni Buonomo wine.

By Madison Beveridge / Times of San Diego / Nov.25, 2025

It’s guaranteed to be an intergalactic experience.

The 46th annual Ocean Beach Holiday Parade will kick off on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 5:05 p.m., running along Newport Avenue. This year’s theme, Galactic Holiday Beach Bash, will be all things aliens, spaceships, and cosmic holiday fun, boasting 106 floats.

Hosted by the OB Community Foundation and in partnership with Love Thy Neighborhood, this year’s is set to be one of the biggest yet.

The OB Community Foundation, a nonprofit focused on bettering the lives of those living in and visiting Ocean Beach since 2000, hosts several events annually geared toward deepening local community connections. The parade, however, is one of their biggest and best known events.

“This parade is our bread and butter. We have a whole committee of volunteers working with the city to get permits and put this on,” said Angelo Devlin, president of OB Community Foundation.

Back in late April of 2024, three surfers with connections with Point Loma took a camping and surfing trip to Baja. Carter Rhoad and brothers Callum and Jake Robinson ended up in Punta San José in Ensenda. Callum lived in Ocean Beach, where his brother Jake was visiting him — both brothers are from Australia — and Rhoad, a Point Loma resident, graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2014.

Rhoad and brothers Callum and Jake Robinson were reported missing after they failed to show up at their planned accommodations, and days later they were found dead in Santo Tomas, Baja California.

Back in May, the governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, reported that there were three people in custody as a result of the investigation into the execution-style killings. The medical examiner of Baja California said at that time that each of the victims died from a bullet wound to the head.

And much more recently on November 19th, prosecutors with the State Attorney General’s Office in Baja said a woman named Ary Gisell Silva Raya was convicted and sentenced to 20 years for robbery with violence and vehicle theft in connection to the case. Silva Raya pleaded guilty at the hearing on Wednesday and waived her right to a trial. She was fined about $3,000 as well, a number that will increase with payments due to her victims.

By Evan Weiner / Sports Talk Florida / November 19, 2025

The San Diego Planning Commission has recommended that the San Diego City Council give its approval to the Midway Rising project that could eventually become an arena-village.

San Diego needs an arena to have a chance to land either a National Hockey League or National Basketball Association franchise.

Different investors in Alpharetta, Georgia are planning to build arenas and are pushing to get an NHL expansion franchise. The NBA may expand by two franchises in the future and there might be an opportunity to land a financially struggling franchise with an expiring arena lease agreement around 2030. Las Vegas and Seattle more than likely will get the two expansion slots if  the league gets around to expanding.

San Diego has a 59-year-old arena that local elected officials and business leaders think needs to be replaced. A 7,500-seat arena opened in nearby Oceanside in 2024.

The Trio Plan to Open New Restaurant on Scott Street in Point Loma

By Beth Demmon / San Diego Magazine / Nov. 14, 2025

They say the third time’s the charm, but what if the first two are already pretty damn charming? I guess we’ll find out when Cesarina Restaurant Group goes for a trifecta of Italian joints. They’ve announced plans to open a new spot on Shelter Island next spring called Corallino at 1101 Scott Street.

The restaurant group is known for its round-the-clock-made pasta, consistently named some of the best in the city. Founded by chef Cesarina Mezzoni, her husband Niccolò Angius, and longtime friend Giuseppe Capasso, they first opened Cesarina in 2019 in Loma Portal (that stretch between OB and Point Loma on Voltaire St.). Then came Elvira in 2023,

By Jim Varnadore

Dear SD U-T Editor,

There are recent rumors that San Diego will soon have a new ride-share called “Waymo”. As I understand it, Waymo is a vehicle without a driver.

I look forward to reading the newspaper coverage of that new service.

It raises a question.

Under state law drivers must exchange identification and insurance information in the event of a collision. If I were to bump into a Waymo, how do I tell it who I am and who is my car insurance carrier?

By Csaba Petre

As promised, these last two weeks I have resumed my journey attempting to sample the (as it turns out, rather extensive) coffee scene of Ocean Beach as completely as possible. Some readers, in the comments for Part One, expressed surprise at the number of coffee shops in OB. [Here is Part One.] For those interested in how our coffee density measures up to larger cities, OB (population ~15K) has ~20 coffee shops, giving one coffee shop per only 750 residents, an amount that tops even Seattle (2300) and Berkeley (2000)!

Rankings in the promised categories are given at the end. Let’s jump in!

Coffee Cycle Roasting, Nov. 23

4856 Voltaire

Coffee Cycle is a recent addition to the North side of OB, having opened in 2024. A spacious and unabashedly hipster space, the shop offers spots to sit and plenty of room to socialize. While not particularly quiet inside, it has outdoor seating on offer in the back. The feel was definitely unique; on the day I visited, a lively (impromptu?) piano performance was ongoing. The shop also hosts local art and music events.

The cappuccino was $4.75, and I wasn’t disappointed by it. The flavor and foam were solid and bitterness was low. As a bonus, they roast their own beans. They have teas, drip coffee, and mocktails as well.

Recommended for: stopping in for one of their events; catching up with a friend.

Every Saturday at 10:30 am. San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings December 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th.

Every Saturday 10 am – 12 pm Peace Vigil for Palestine
The San Diego River Park Foundation has volunteer opportunities in Ocean Beach: Point Loma Native Plant Garden Club on the 2nd and 4th Sundays
Every Sunday 2 pm – 4 pm Occupy Otay Sunday Action Otay Mesa Detention Center

December 1st Monday  12 pm – 1 pm Interfaith Vigil For Earth Justice
December 1st Monday 4 pm – 6 pm The Courage to Connect:
December 1st Monday We Ain’t Buying It

December 2nd. Tuesday 6 pm – 9 pm Community Craft & Film Night Fundraiser
December 3rd. Wednesday 5 pm Santa’s Clean Air Workshop:  Holiday Crafts for a Healthy Portside
December 3rd. Wednesday 10 am- 11am Celebrate Without the Waste: Sustainable Holidays Webinar
December 3rd. Wednesday 5 pm – 8 pm Salty Cinema Fall 2025: Tides of Renewal.

December 4th Thursday 6 pm – 8 pm Protecting Southern California from Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling
December 5th Friday 6 pm Film Night “The Great Debaters”  Event by Black Panther Party of San Diego
December 6th Saturday 1 pm – 3:30 pm Party for the Planet

December 6th 12 pm – 3 pm Active Duty Coffee Talk
December 6th Saturday 11 am – 2 pm Friends and Neighbors Holiday River Celebration & Art Market
December 6th Saturday 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Mission Beach Community Climate Conversation

December 7th Sunday 12:30 pm- 3 pm South Bay Community Climate Conversation
December 7th Sunday 9:30 am  – 10:30 am Ramona Wildlife Center Tour

Strategy hinges on California’s density bonus law, which empowers builders to secure waivers to avoid development requirements

By Jennifer Van Grove / San Diego Union-Tribune / November 28, 2025 

A recent court order directing the reinstatement of the 30-foot height limit in San Diego’s Midway District would seem to stop short a development team’s plan to remake the city’s sports arena site with thousands of apartments and a replacement venue in buildings that tower over the restriction.

But the ruling’s net effect on the megaproject may only amount to a short-term, bureaucratic delay. That’s because the Midway Rising team believes it has something more powerful on its side: California’s density bonus law.

“Midway Rising is moving forward as planned under state density bonus law that encourages affordable housing development,” said Jeff Meyer, a spokesperson for the development team. “We have full confidence in this transformative redevelopment and look forward to working with our local and state partners to bring the vision put forward in the Midway Community Plan to life.”

The team expects the project will be considered by the City Council in early 2026, he said.

The posture of strength suggests that the city and the development team, tied together by an exclusive negotiation agreement, have not labored in vain.