OB Rag

By Ron Donoho / San Diego Sun / October 6, 2025

With increased fees for parking meters and car-related violations making headlines this year, it would seem fair and prudent (if not legally mandated) for elected officials to follow the same laws as their constituents.

On a regular basis, however, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s official vehicle is parked near City Hall on Third Avenue near C Street in seeming violation of three parking laws.

The San Diego Sun photographed the mayor’s black Chevrolet SUV (with exempt license plate) parked in a red zone, too close to an intersection (per the city’s “daylighting” law) and partially blocking a driveway for the San Diego Civic Center Stage Door.

Speaking anonymously, a city employee with specific knowledge of the situation said, “The mayor parks there all day, every day. He’s the mayor. When are people going to realize poor people get ticketed and the rich people can do anything?”

Publicly detested parking meter fees, parking violation fines and many city services were increased this year as Mayor Gloria’s administration attempted to balance a city budget burdened with a quarter-billion-dollar deficit.

The daylighting law went into effect January 1, 2025, and the city began enforcing it on March 1. The law mandates that cars not be parked within 20 feet of a sidewalk

By Kate Callen

When the house next door went up for sale, the Hedgecocks were close to realizing their dream of buying a neighborhood home for their daughter and her family.

Instead, they will soon be living next to a nightmare.

The property at 1441 Woodrow Avenue in Jamacha is now slated for a 12-unit Bonus ADU building with only one on-site parking space on a street where curbs already fill up. The closest transit stop, the Massachusetts Avenue Station, is a half-mile walk that includes crossing busy Lemon Grove Avenue.

So far, this is like scores of other Bonus ADU neighborhood encroachments: A speculator parachutes into a quiet residential street, outbids individuals looking to purchase a family home, and crams in a gigantic complex that will reap huge profits.

But the 1441 Woodrow project involves a mystery: How and when did Godavari LLC swoop in to grab the probate property from another buyer with more modest building plans? And why can’t that buyer talk about the transaction?

Holly Hedgecock, who has lived next door for 28 years, recalled how her elderly neighbor let the property languish.

By Scott Nover / Washington Post / October 15, 2025

The nation’s military and defense journalists exited the Pentagon in unison Wednesday afternoon, having had their accreditation revoked after refusing to agree to the Defense Department’s new restrictions on their newsgathering activities.

The new rules, which among other things bar reporters from soliciting information that the government hasn’t authorized for them, prompted journalists from The Washington Post and dozens of other outlets to turn in their press credentials and decamp for possibly the last time during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tenure.

More than 30 members of the Pentagon press corps walked out of the building together before the 5 p.m. deadline, crossing a foot bridge and descending a long staircase that empties out on the northeast end of the five-sided building.

“This is a sad day for those who support a free press,” said Nancy A. Youssef, a staff writer for the Atlantic and a longtime Pentagon correspondent. “But I’m incredibly honored to be part of a press corps that stuck together and was committed to protecting our First Amendment rights.”

The Trumpian Republican campaign to smear the “No Kings Day” protest is utterly failing, as more and more October 18 events are popping up across the country. There’s now over 2500 events planned — with 17 in San Diego County alone.

On Wednesday, Oct. 15, House Speaker Mike Johnson framed the upcoming “No Kings Day” as a “Hate America rally.” He doubled down.

“Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet you see pro-Hamas supporters. I bet you see antifa types. I bet you see the Marxists in full display.”

Other Republicans stumbled over themselves in joining Johnson smears. Representatives Steve Scalise and Lisa McClain also referred to the protest as the “Hate America rally.” Last week, Johnson began the tilt of villainizing constitutionally protected protest when he inexplicably claimed that the “No Kings Day” demonstration was somehow to blame for the government shutdown. “It’s being told to us that they won’t be able to reopen the government until after that rally, ’cuz they can’t face their rabid base,” Johnson said of Democrats at the time.

Yet, this campaign is backfiring. There is more and more talk about the protests, more and more events are being planned, more and more pissed off Americans are planning to attend. Millions are expected. Just 4 months ago, in June, more than 5 million Americans demonstrated in small towns and major cities across the country. And the coordinated “No Kings” protests became one of the largest single-day demonstrations in U.S. history—  definitely the largest since Trump returned to the White House for a second term.

By Steffi Roche / CBS8 / October 14, 2025

Some San Diego dog owners are reporting that their dogs became ill and, in one case, died after being exposed to methamphetamine at Dog Beach in Ocean Beach.

One owner, Mark Smith, brought his one-and-a-half-year-old dog “Trouble” to Dog Beach last Wednesday. After “Trouble” ran around and played, Smith said he noticed she was behaving abnormally.

Smith told CBS 8 he took her to a veterinarian at ABC Veterinary Hospital in Pacific Beach, who, he says, informed him the dog had meth in her system.

“The doctor there had some experience. She was a vet in Colorado. [A] Dog there had ingested some meth. We were kind of thinking that drugs were involved because she was acting so weird. They did a bunch of tests… blood tests. About $500 later, they felt she was ok to go home.”

Rising Fascism: Faith, Force, and the Second ‘No Kings Day’ – How MAGA Christians Cast a dark Shadow on Democracy

By Michael J. Christensen

This weekend, across hundreds of U.S. cities, Americans will gather for the second “No Kings Day” protests.  People of faith will be among those protesting authoritarianism and the increasing use of military force in cities by the Trump administration. The question for Christians is how deeply the shadow of fascism has already crept into our churches and public expressions of faith.

On June 14, 2025, the first No Kings Day drew more than 5 million people across more than 2,000 cities, rallying in protest of militarized pageantry, religious optics, and authoritarian drift during the U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Parade and President Trump’s 79th birthday. No Kings Day II comes amid a government shutdown, rising detentions and deportations of undocumented people, and the domestic militarization of federal facilities, where peaceful demonstrations against ICE and federal overreach are ongoing.

What was once symbolic—staged displays of power and ritual—is now being structured into government agencies and the executive branch.  Republican political leaders have already framed this demonstration as a “Hate America Day” of far-left agitators and traitors.  This lowers the threshold for labeling civil protest as insurrection justifying martial law. The stakes have shifted: religious imagery and militarized authority are merging into a new normal of soft theocracy supported by religious leaders and congregations.

by Dave Schwab / Peninsula Beacon / Oct. 15, 2025

The Ocean Beach Restaurant Walk returns on Tuesday, October 21, with guests being treated to a festive evening celebrating the community’s vibrant and diverse culinary scene.

A joint venture between Ocean Beach Community Foundation, in partnership with the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association, the restaurant walk is set from 5-9 p.m. The event invites locals and visitors of all ages to discover new venues alongside the beloved classics that make Ocean Beach a distinctive food destination.

With tickets, guests will receive tasting cards granting access to more than 30 participating restaurants, breweries and wine bars, offering an array of samples that showcase.

The OB Restaurant Walk is like a business open house, noted foundation President Angelo Devlin, who is also chair of the group’s Engagement Committee. He mentioned that event proceeds will support worthy community causes.

By Rag Staff

A disabled car blocked the northbound lane of Pershing Drive for 90 minutes this morning, Thursday, Oct. 16, forcing rush-hour traffic in both directions to use the same lane.

After the car stalled at 7:00 a.m., the driver and her son, Alex, called police dispatch.

“We told them the car was in a dangerous area,” said Alex, who didn’t want to give his last name. “We told them there’s no shoulder on the road for the car to pull over.”

This is the exact scenario the North Park community warned about when plans for the Pershing Bikeway were announced in 2016.

In the midst of a 5-day strike against Kaiser Permanente that began Tuesday, Oct. 14, by thousands of nurses, pharmacists and other frontline staff who are demanding safe staffing, fair pay, and improved benefits, pharmacy workers just overwhelmingly voted to authorize their union to enact an Unfair Labor Practice strike.

Currently there’s an estimated 2,000 Kaiser workers on strike in San Diego County, part of a larger, 31,000-member walkout across California, Hawaii and Oregon. And the strike is scheduled to run through Sunday during which the unions and Kaiser are holding ongoing negotiations. UFCW members have joined them in solidarity on the picket lines.

But now the pharmacy workers are threatening to strike as well. Kaiser pharmacy members’ contracts expire on November 1, 2025, and while this vote does not mean a strike is immediately underway, it allows their union, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), to call a strike if deemed necessary by the bargaining committee. A ten-day notice must be provided before any strike begins.

Meanwhile, the thousands of health care workers on strike are represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals who walked off the job Tuesday morning at Kaiser Permanente facilities across San Diego County. Union leaders said the strike isn’t just about pay or staffing, but also about better retirement security and benefits. They said Kaiser’s perks do not fully make up for years of stagnant wages.

JD Vance on hand for Marine Corps’ 250th birthday celebration

by Elizabeth Ireland / Times of San Diego / Oct. 15, 2025

Rep. Mike Levin issued a statement Wednesday expressing concern over potential plans to close portions of Interstate 5 this weekend amid reports Navy ships will fire live ordnance over the freeway during the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday celebration at Camp Pendleton.

The closure would affect a section between Orange and San Diego counties, cutting off a major artery serving more than 80,000 daily travelers, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“The 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps is a moment to be proud — to honor two and a half centuries of valor and excellence,” said Levin, who represents north coastal San Diego and South Orange County. “It deserves to be celebrated in a way worthy of their legacy and consistent with their values: honor, courage, and commitment.

By Greg Moran / inewsource / October 14, 2025

Tucked in the far southwest corner of Mission Bay Park, the aging Marina Village conference center and boat docks seem an unlikely place for the latest controversy over housing in San Diego.

But in July, the 28-acre site became the flashpoint over several related issues: a half-century old state law reconfigured to push local governments to build more affordable housing, skepticism over the city of San Diego’s real estate dealings, and the future of Mission Bay parkland.

While the move to designate the Marina Village parcels surplus land seemed to come out of nowhere and publicly surfaced in early July, a review of city and state records by inewsource show that the property lease was being discussed inside city hall starting in the first half of the year.

In early spring, city staff began communicating with state officials on the state’s Surplus Land Act, which governs how public land has to be made available for affordable housing projects, and one potential developer had begun lobbying real estate staff.