OB Rag

By Csaba Petre

Monday afternoons at the height of rush hour, from 4:30 to 6:00 PM, a special effort is underway this month on the Taylor Street bridge above the 8 freeway: a group of intrepid and experienced protestors has been making their voices heard in support of Prop 50 specifically, and pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian sentiment in general.

Prop 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, is a California ballot measure concerning congressional redistricting.  It authorizes temporary changes in district maps, with the intent to negate gerrymandering moves by Texas Republican lawmakers to favor their party. The new maps would last through 2030 after which the state commission would adjust district lines based on the next US census.

On October 6th, those driving east were treated to a vibrant banner with large red lettering, hung on the fence above the overpass, with the golden hour sunlight illuminating the pro-Prop 50 message “fight fire with fire”.

By Lawrynce Cecio

From drum circles and art galleries to vibrant tattoos, Ocean Beach has always been a magnet for those of an artistic persuasion. Since its inception in 1887, when the area was then known as “Mussel Beach” and was founded to host concerts and events, OB has consistently served as a cultural hub for San Diego, a place where important art is both born and nurtured.

With San Diego Bayfest rapidly approaching this weekend, headlined by OB’s own Slightly Stoopid, a question came to light: What is it about Ocean Beach that has made it a source of some of San Diego’s most important cultural influences, and why does it continue to attract those seeking an artistic refuge?

The answer lies in the community’s fiercely protective, tribal past. To understand the OB of today, one must consider what came before.

Artist Bob Sorben, the creative force behind the iconic OB Seagull and many other famous graphic works, moved to Ocean Beach in 1942 and lived there until his passing in 2020. He, like so many others, saw something special in the area. He described an OB “ruled by locals,” where the defense of the beach town was “almost tribal.”

By Lu Rehling

Really, can it get worse? Yep! Check your mailbox for your county property tax bill and get ready for more bad city trash fee news, even beyond the bait & switch that got us being billed for trash pickup in the first place.

Here’s that news: Even if you requested the lowest-price trash bin combo by the city’s deadline last month, you’re still going to have to pay more for the highest-price “level of service” for a full year. After that, not to worry, you’ll get a credit back for the over-payment. (Unless the city has its fingers crossed behind its back again, that is.) Just don’t expect interest. The city is grabbing your money now and promising to give some back later, after it’s had its way with it.

Of course, maybe you already know all about this charge that surprised me, because you thoroughly read (and managed to understand!) all of the legalese buried in a mailer that you got months ago–

By Dan Weisman / The Escondido Grapevine  / October 12, 2025

San Diego’s got sunshine, surf, and—who knew—synthetic journalism.

Lately, a site called San Diego City Wire has been popping up in social feeds and search results, dishing out “local” tidbits about home sales, city meetings, and “community happenings.”

It looks like any of the old-school weeklies that used to land on your porch in a blue plastic bag. The headlines are tidy, the writing reads like your cousin’s Facebook recap, and the “About” page chirps about connecting and informing the community.

What could possibly be wrong?

Well, let’s start with the part they forgot to tell you. There’s no newsroom, no reporters, and nobody in San Diego actually writing those stories.

The Chicago Connection Nobody Mentions

Dig a little and you find that San Diego City Wire  is part of a national operation run out of the Midwest by a fellow named Brian Timpone—a onetime journalist turned automation entrepreneur. His company Metric Media, along with sidekicks Locality Labs and Franklin Archer, has pumped out hundreds of look-alike “City Wire” and “Times” sites from Maine to Maui.

By John Carroll / KPBS / October 7, 2025

From its ancient past to its promising future, it’s a place for San Diegans to learn and appreciate nature. It is a place to immerse yourself in nature, a serene wonder, nestled in an urban setting.

It’s in the Loma Portal neighborhood and even though it’s 37 acres, you might never have noticed it.

It is the Famosa Slough, and when you stand on its banks, you’re likely to see and hear birds; depending on the time of year, more than 200 different species. It is a place with an abundance of fish and crustaceans, which attract a diverse range of birds that rest and feed here.

“We’ve seen 100 different species so far this year,” said Kelcy Coleman, conservation coordinator for the San Diego Bird Alliance.

“By the time December ends, we will have doubled that count over,” she said. “So we will have around 260 species by the end of the year, which means our fall migration, which is happening right now will bring in all of those species.”

By Mikey Beats

Every year, when Mission Bayfest rolls around, I take a step back and look at what we’ve built, not just the stages, the lineup, or the logistics, but the feeling. The vibe. That thing you can’t quite put your finger on, but you know it when you’re standing in the grass at Mariner’s Point Park, surrounded by good people, great music, and the Mission Bay shining behind it all.

Bayfest didn’t come from a big agency or out-of-town investors. It came from three San Diego locals — myself, Dominic Coleman, and Joe Rinaldi — who grew up going to shows, throwing backyard parties, and wanting to bring something real to the city we love. We didn’t want to recreate Coachella or build some flashy scene. We just wanted something that felt like us.

By News Writing Staff / The Guardian – UCSD / Oct 6, 2025

UC San Diego’s administration sent personally identifiable information of UCSD faculty, staff, and students to the University of California Office of the President, which sent said information to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. This comes following a request from the OCR in its investigation into the UC’s handling of discrimination and harassment claims, especially in regard to antisemitism. UCSD and UCOP have not indicated whose information was divulged, nor when it was shared. As of Oct. 5, UCSD officials have not notified the individuals affected.

All the individuals are connected with the University, but their exact affiliations remain unclear. However, the Faculty Defense Group told The UCSD Guardian in early September that all the individuals had some relation to “complaints of harassment and discrimination.” On Sept. 18, The Guardian received confirmation that federal investigators have acquired names. No other details can be identified at this time.

By Bradley Granieri / The Point – PL Nazarene University / Oct 8, 2025

Having a fantasy football team isn’t all that fun. But watching that team beat somebody else’s is thrilling.

I didn’t start playing fantasy football because I loved watching the NFL. Four seasons ago, I barely watched football. I said “yes” to joining a league because I was bored, and figured doing so would give me something mildly interesting to do in math class. But when the next season rolled around, I agreed again.

“It’s a fun thing to talk to your friends about, even though I don’t really care about football,” Kate Walter, a third-year applied health major, said.

Just like Walter, I don’t care all that much about the NFL, but I still sign up because it’s what happens off the field that makes fantasy football truly matter. It’s the community and competition that comes from it that keeps me coming back year after year.

When I started my first fantasy football team four years ago, I didn’t know how anything worked. I was a rookie, but I quickly learned the basics in a trial-by-fire period of just a few short weeks. What I learned was that fantasy football put me, the “coach,” in control of a virtual team composed of real NFL players who play against other virtual teams.

From Neighbors for a Better San Diego

By Kate Callen

The OB Rag staff is delighted to learn that the City of San Diego cares so much about listening to constituents that it is publishing an Inclusive Public Engagement Guide to train city employees on how to elicit feedback.

But we’re not sure why city employees would need such training. Weren’t they hired as public servants for their ability to serve the public? Is it really so difficult to hear what constituents have to say, take notes, and use that information to create more community-friendly policies and programs?

Apparently, it is. As the Rag frequently reports, the Gloria Administration has a stunning record for spurning community input and evading public inquiries. Its culture of mendacity earned our Mayor the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2024 “Wall Award” as “the person or public agency that made it difficult for journalists to do their jobs by ignoring information requests or otherwise compromising the public’s right to know.”

By Bernie Sanders / Reader Supported News / October 12, 2025

Trump is rapidly moving us toward authoritarianism. While the country focuses on Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional ICE raids, his threats to arrest political opponents, the militarization of our cities and his crackdowns on universities and law firms, it is important that we not ignore what is happening to the American media landscape.

In recent years, a handful of media conglomerates have increasingly owned and controlled what the vast majority of Americans see on television, hear on the radio and read in newspapers. But it is not just corporate ownership of broadcast and print media.

As internet use explodes, we are also witnessing the growing concentration of ownership of our social media platforms. Elon Musk, the wealthiest person on earth, owns X, formerly Twitter. Mark Zuckerberg, the third wealthiest man in the world, owns Meta, which includes Facebook and Instagram. Jeff Bezos, the fourth wealthiest, owns Twitch, along with the Washington Post. And Larry Ellison, the second wealthiest man in the world and a key Trump ally, recently purchased Paramount, which owns CBS and other outlets. It has been reported that Ellison is planning to acquire CNN and is working with Trump in an effort to control TikTok.

Editordude: Our good friend Judy Miller had a letter to the editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune printed the other day about the mailboxes in front of the OB Post Office — and it’s quite shocking actually. Here it is:

OB Post Office changes seen as unhelpful and dangerous

After 5 p.m., you can no longer mail a letter at the Ocean Beach Post Office. Outside, there used to be four mailboxes, accessible 24/7, but now there is only one, a strange-looking potbellied creature that is padlocked after 5 p.m.