OB Rag

SeaWorld is damaging the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of San Diegans on a nightly basis,every day for 3 months straight during the summer season alone. They are damaging the overall physical well-being of the citizens of San Diego who live within a 20 mile radius or larger.

The fireworks at SeaWorld constitute animal cruelty. Dogs, cats, and other companion animals don’t understand that the terrifying loud bangs are a celebration. Sign the Petition – go here.

by Ernie McCray

There were times
when I was 82
that 83
didn’t seem in the cards
for me,
as Covid-19
had come on the scene
causing a run
on ventilator machines,
not caring a wit
whose clock it cleaned,
didn’t matter
if you were a pauper or a queen,

The OB Rag story about the condition of the OB Pier has generated a good deal of reaction. It shows how much everyone values the pier. So, how has the city reacted?

The Rag received the following statement from Alec Phillipp, Senior Public Information Officer for the City of San Diego. It appears that this was not sent only to The Rag as it was quoted in today’s Union Tribune article.

The first paragraph was misleading and wrong.

“The 2019 draft report (attached) is an assessment of the pier conditions just after the significant 2019 storm and high surf events. In 2019, damage to the pier’s deck and railing was repaired. The columns and other structural elements were determined to need future repair and replacement but were structurally sound to allow public access under operational guidelines.

Up until this morning, local San Diego mainstream media have been getting it all wrong about the Ocean Beach Pier. From Fox5News to ABC10News to KUSI, to KOGORadio, they all are making the same journalistic and factual errors.

Tuesday morning, April 13, the OB Rag broke the devastating news about how badly damaged the OB Pier really was, and how it may actually be history – as it’s doubtful the strapped city could come up with the millions needed to rehab or replace the pier.

OB Rag reporter Geoff Page had filed a Freedom of Information Act request over three years ago in an effort to obtain the consultant’s report about the pier. Page just received the report – which was the basis for his post on Tuesday. Contrary to every other media report, which stated that the City had released the report to the media, Page had to get a crowbar and force it out of the city.

Editordude: We have just learned that village giant Dave Martin has passed. The OB Rag interviewed Dave back in March of 2013 – he was still the president of the OB Town Council and Dave’s restaurant, Shades, was still up and running. Here, we repost that interview.

Originally posted March 22, 2013

Dave Martin, the President of the OB Town Council, agreed to meet me at Shades at 1 pm the other day. That was easy – as he has his own table there – the one closest to the kitchen, the bar, and the serving area – for, as many know, Dave owns Shades. Or rather Dave – along with his wife Jennifer, his daughter and her husband;

Along San Diego shores, the grunion are spawning once again. These small silver fish swarm the beaches on the waves at night and bury their eggs in the sand. It is a phenomenon unique to southern California and the northern Baja coast, and if you’ve never tried to find them, you’re in for a treat.

Grunion expert Dr. Karen Martin, Biologist and Executive Director at Pepperdine University’s Grunion Greeters Project spoke with Patch about the “look but don’t touch” season. “This is usually the best time to see the grunion run because the fish should not be disturbed,” Martin says.

Winston David Martin died Friday, April 9, 2021, after a valiant fight against cancer. He is survived by a village comprised of his loving wife, family, friends, and the community that he cared so much for.

David participated in too many projects, both large and small to mention, but he regretted greatly his inability to shepherd one of his most personally meaningful projects to fruition. The Ocean Beach Veterans Memorial.

By Edwin Decker

It’s rather shocking to me that someone of comedian Chelsea Handler’s age and experience considers the idea of fair trials for all as being “pathetic.”

It’d be one thing if it was some dung-brained undergraduate majoring in Neotraditional Jazz Puppetry spouting this nonsense to their dorm-mates, but we’re talking about a 41-year-old woman here. She has traveled the world as a successful producer, writer, actor, TV host, comedian, activist and drunk. She should know some stuff! But this? This is dumb.

Could not leave alone Union-Tribune editorial cartoonist Steve Breen’s piece of work published in today’s paper. Apparently, he falls into that group of patriots who think 20 years in Afghanistan is just not enough. His cartoon today displayed that sentiment.

So, here’s our response – added some color to his graphic.

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An Introduction To A “Trash Man”

By Judi Curry

Several weeks ago I met a very interesting resident of Ocean Beach and in the course of our getting to know Steve Tatro, I found out that he had a BA degree in journalism. I asked him if he had had anything published and he said a few small things. He realized that he could not make a living as a writer, so he left that field and went to work doing other things. Suffice it to say, he has been quite successful in his other endeavors.

As we continued talking, he told me that frequently he goes down to the beach to pick up trash.

By Eric DuVall / PtLoma – OB Monthly / April 13, 2021

It happened on Voltaire Street.

In the early decades of the community, Ocean Beach “boosters” touted Voltaire Street as an “avenue of opportunity” and Ocean Beach as the little town with two business districts.

And didn’t most of the folks who came out to OB in those days take the old street car down Voltaire Street to Wonderland Station? They sure did. And isn’t Voltaire the only “author street” that runs all the way to the beach? In fact, it is.

This is a uniquely OB-centric story, and moreover, every one of the events we are going to consider here happened right on Voltaire Street in Ocean Beach.