OB Rag

By Paul Krueger

Mayor Todd Gloria and City Attorney Heather Febert have followed through on their effort to overturn an appeals court ruling that requires a thorough review of the environmental impact of high-density, high-rise housing throughout the Midway District.

They’re now asking the City Council to approve a long-shot and costly appeal of that ruling to the State Supreme Court.

This dispute broke loose on October 17. That’s when a panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal issued a unanimous, strongly-worded ruling faulting the city for preparing an incomplete analysis of the negative impacts of waiving the voter-approved 30-foot height limit and allowing intense, high-rise development throughout the Midway District.

The justices said voters were deprived of information about the impact of that development when they narrowly approved the controversial height-limit waiver.

“As Save Our Access (the group that sued to invalidate the election results) stated in one of its comment letters, ‘San Diegans deserve to know the complete picture’ of removing the 30-foot Coast Zone height limit,” the ruling states. “We agree that the California Environmental Quality Act requires as much.”

Proponents of smart, managed growth rejoiced at the ruling. They believe the City must prepare a complete analysis of the environmental impacts and share that information with voters, so they can make a fully-informed decision before voting yet again to approve or reject any effort to invalidate the 30-foot coastal height limit.

This is another post as part of the Rag’s response to a U-T commentary by Harry Bobbins about lifting the coastal 30 foot height limit.

By Frances Zimmerman

Like Union-Tribune commenter Harry Bobbins, whom I don’t know, I too have done time on the La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA.)

I have lived here since 1970, first as a renter and then as a homeowner, in the flats, with no ocean-view, but near Windansea Beach. I don’t recognize Bobbins’ description of my neighborhood as “job-rich” and “well-connected.” I do know there are more and more home rentals and the beach is jammed and street parking is tough in the summer. But it’s easier off-season, and there’s no Miami-wall of high-rises between me and the water’s edge, for which I am grateful every day of my life.

LJCPA is like other “planning” groups throughout our City, comprised of a mix of well-meaning and opportunistic elected locals with zero policy clout over the physical configuration of their communities. Notably, LJCPA has been toothless to prevent villa-fication and mansion-ization of single-family neighborhoods. Smaller homes and lots regularly are sold and rebuilt bigger in every way, as new flat-roofed concrete behemoths that resemble either prisons or VRBO hotels loom over their neighbors.

By David Garrick /// San Diego Union-Tribune / October 26, 2025

San Diego may shift the second phase of the city’s Pure Water sewage recycling system to a more efficient purification method that could save billions of dollars, preventing steep jumps in local sewer and water bills.

The new method could dramatically change the size, scope and cost of the massive project’s Phase Two, which had been expected to be nearly twice as large as the nearly complete first phase.

City officials say it could let them avoid building expensive pipelines to either San Vicente Reservoir or Lake Murray from a new purification plant to be built in Mission Valley.

That change is possible because California recently loosened its purification rules to allow purified wastewater to be pumped directly into a water system, instead of being stored for months in reservoirs or underground basins.

The rule change, which took effect last fall, came just as San Diego was already re-evaluating Phase Two of Pure Water, because conservation has depressed local water demand and construction costs have soared.

Ruling will decide what, if any, limits exist to president’s use of military in the U.S.

By David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times / Oct. 25, 2025

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is set to rule for the first time on whether the president has the power to deploy troops in American cities over the objections of local and state officials.

A decision could come at any time.

And even a one-line order siding with President Trump would send the message that he is free to use the military to carry out his orders — and in particular, in Democratic-controlled cities and states.

Trump administration lawyers filed an emergency appeal last week asking the court to reverse judges in Chicago who blocked the deployment of the National Guard there.

By Frank Gormlie, OB Rag Publisher/ Editordude

I want to extend my personal congratulations to Shane Harris, the new owner and publisher of the San Diego Monitor and Business Journal, and to warmly welcome him to the local news media community in this town.

Shane has a distinguished record of civic leadership and of advocacy for civil rights. He has been a powerful force for justice, and has spoken out for so many whose voices are too often silenced. Now he will become a force for the mission of journalism, which is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.

by Scott Hopkins / Times of San Diego / October 28, 2025

Point Loma High School‘s football team will be playing to make dreams come true at home on Oct. 31 against Eastern League foe St. Augustine.

One of those dreams is to finish the regular season undefeated as the Pointers enter the game with a 9-0 record and first place in the league at 4-0.

The St. Augustine Saints are in second place at 4-5 and 3-1. But Point Loma scored 101 more points and gave up 109 fewer than the private school.

The Pointers last finished the regular season undefeated in 2005 under longtime coach Mike Hastings. That team went on to the California Interscholastic Federation championship, where it lost, coincidentally to the Saints and finished 12-1.

Another dream is to receive a high seed in CIF Division I playoffs when pairings are announced on Nov. 1. Highest seeds receive a coveted first-round bye and home games against every lower-seeded team.

These dreams, if realized, would lead to a third dream – the team’s first CIF championship since Bennie Edens guided his 1991 team to the title.

By Carlos Rico / The San Diego Union-Tribune / October 28, 2025

Teaching and helping innocent people, especially those from underrepresented communities, is the mission and passion of Justin Brooks, a criminal defense attorney, author and law professor at the University of San Diego.

Brooks has spent the last 26 years living in Ocean Beach, after growing up in the Bronx and Puerto Rico, and attending college in Philadelphia and law school in Washington, D.C.

What brought him to San Diego was an innocent Puerto Rican woman from Illinois who was facing the death penalty in 1995. While living and teaching criminal law in Michigan, Brooks read about this woman in a newspaper, drove down to meet her, and with the help of his students got her off death row and all charges dropped of a double homicide.

“As I worked on our case, I realized there are innocent people in prison who need help, and it’s the best way to train these students is to work on real cases,” Brooks said. “So, I told my wife (girlfriend at the time) I’m quitting my tenured faculty position and we’re gonna move to California cause that’s where they need an innocence project the most. It’s the biggest prison system in the United States. It’s got the death penalty, three strikes, mandatory minimums. And so I moved to San Diego and started it here and partnered up with another law professor who was interested in doing it too, and founded the California Innocence Project back in 1999.”

Brooks cofounded the California Innocence Project at the California Western School of Law in San Diego in 1999. He was its director until 2023. Under his leadership, the project freed 40 innocent people from prison, including former NFL player Brian Banks.

Rag Staff Report

The San Diego Community Coalition’s inaugural “Town Hall with a Newsmaker” forum on October 25 was a frank and productive conversation between District 7 City Councilmember Raul Campillo and community leaders from across San Diego.

The Coalition held the event because San Diegans rarely get a chance to engage their representatives in direct face-to-face talks. The unwritten rule at City Hall forums is that elected officials speak at length and on script while their constituents listen and are given scant time to ask questions.

For 90 minutes at the Linda Vista Library, a relaxed Campillo broke that rule and clearly enjoyed the spirited give-and-take.

Here are excerpts.

Scott Case, Middletown: We’re trying to understand where all the proposed and approved Complete Communities projects are. Development Services Department (DSD) told me the City does not make that information public. Perhaps the City Council could direct DSD to do that.

Campillo: If the Mayor wanted to release that information, there would be no problem. It sounds like what you’re looking for is a searchable and understandable database to learn what projects are going into what spots.

Yes, indeed. What if they did hold a hearing to abolish OB’s Historic Cottage District and nobody from Ocean Beach showed up?

Well, that’s exactly what happened October 23 — at last Thursday’s hearing held by the San Diego Historic Resources Board. They were scheduled to discuss and accept a city staff’s recommendation that the Ocean Beach Cottage Emerging Historical District not be a basis to prevent massive developments from being built.

To jog your memory, dear reader, the OB’s Historic District was the reason a project called The Point and consisting of 24 units slated for Point Loma Avenue in south OB was unanimously rejected in August 2024 on appeal by the San Diego Planning Commission. The developers were using a San Diego housing policy called Complete Communities which allows builders exemptions from long-held restrictions if they met certain requirements.

As Rag writer Geoff Page recently reported:

Because there appeared to be a legal conflict between the Complete Communities plan and the Municipal Code, the commissioners approved the appeal. However, here is what Vice Chair Matthew Boomhower, who was chairing the meeting, had to say in his closing remarks:

By Richard Allyn / CBS8 / October 22, 2025

With less than two weeks until California’s special election on Prop 50 [on November 4], a new CBS News poll released on Wednesday reveals that 62% of likely voters support the ballot measure, which would redraw the state’s congressional lines in ways that would make it easier for Democrats to win five districts currently held by Republicans.

The poll, which surveyed more than 1,500 registered California voters, shows a significant jump in support compared to earlier polls that put backing in the low 50s. However, according to Governor Gavin Newsom, the ultimate outcome depends on voter participation.

“Polls don’t vote, people vote. And this is a special election. I’m not naive, it is about turn-out, period, full-stop,” said Newsom.

The CBS News poll reveals starkly different motivations between supporters and opponents of the measure. Among those voting yes, 75% say it is a way to oppose President Donald Trump, and 70% cite opposition to national Republicans.

Mildred Falls Part of 58-Acres Bought by San Diego River Park Foundation

by Tainá Fonseca / Times of San Diego / Oct. 26, 2025

The San Diego River Park Foundation has successfully purchased a 58-acre parcel from a private owner, the organization announced this week.

Why is that important?

Because that land includes the one and only Mildred Falls, San Diego County’s tallest waterfall, located about five miles west of the Pine Hills community. Its dramatic cascade drops roughly 300 feet to where Ritchie Creek plunges toward the San Diego River.

This is a huge accomplishment for the San Diego River Park Foundation, especially as Scenic Treasure Ritchie Creek is a key tributary to the San Diego River.

Ownership of Mildred Falls will help the foundation protect a golden eagle nest, a California gnatcatcher habitat, southwestern pond turtles, arroyo toads, cougars, and other large mammals.

More than 250 donors raised more than $300,000 to buy the property. With the sale closed, the waterfall and surrounding land are now conserved and held in trust for the public.

by Ernie McCray

Looking at our president
as he maniacally spoke
to his generals and admirals
reminded me it’s time for us to invoke
the 25th Amendment
and send him on his un-merry way
because it addresses
removing from office
those who are mentally incapacitated
and this man we’ve got
is losing it in real time
all the time every day –
in a batshit crazy kind of way,