OB Rag

By Bob Edwards

This past week, Ocean Beach hosted Springboard West, a music festival and conference for aspiring artists. Organized by an LA-based company, the festival featured two days of panels and workshops attended by 50 artists from around the world and culminated on Saturday with a “Band and Brew crawl” at five OB venues.

Hundreds of music fans from San Diego and elsewhere were entertained at the OB Playhouse, Mothers, the Harp, Winstons, and Te Mana by an eclectic mix of artists. The acts that performed work in a variety of genres such as singer/songwriter, pop, and country-, punk-, and soul-influenced rock acts.

Michelle Obama caused a small stir last fall during the London leg of her book tour when she observed that her time in the highest circles of the global power elite had revealed a startling truth about our faceless masters:

“Here’s the secret: they’re not that smart. There are a lot of things that folks are doing to keep their seats because they don’t want to give up power.”

More specifically, the former First Lady observed that, “I have been at probably every powerful table that you can think of, I have worked at nonprofits, I have been at foundations, I have worked in corporations, served on corporate boards, I have been at G-summits, I have sat in at the U.N.: They are not that smart.”

“Trolley to the Beach”

Everyone is invited to a presentation of “Trolley to the Beach” by Eric DuVall – president of the OB Historical Society – this Thursday, January 17.

It’s a story of how dependable electric streetcar service allowed people to live at the beach— specifically Ocean Beach, Point Loma, Pacific Beach and La Jolla — and still be able to work downtown. It will be this Thursday

It is the story of the Point Loma Railroad and the San Diego Electric Railway and how they helped our city to grow. As such, it is also the story of D. C. Collier and John D. Spreckels.

Hey the Pro lacrosse Seals players rescued from heavy surf at Sunset Cliffs were just living their team’s billboard. This billboard appeared recently on Sunset Cliffs Blvd near Voltaire – and OB Rag photographer Bob Edwards snapped this shot.

Here’s the news:

Two members of the San Diego Seals professional lacrosse team were rescued from heavy surf Thursday morning at Sunset Cliffs. Both suffered only minor injuries. The Seals players — identified as Garrett Epple and Nick Ossello — asked a bystander to film them jumping off the cliffs and into the Pacific Ocean at a well-known spot called “The Arches”.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has blasted Netflix over its docu-series “Murder Mountain” as a”highly sensationalized” and incomplete show that portrays law enforcement in a negative light.

The 6-part series now streaming on Netflix follows the case of an Ocean Beach surfer, Garrett Rodriquez, who traveled up to Humboldt County to make money in the cannabis industry, who disappeared and was murdered, and whose body was eventually found in a shallow grave.

But the local Sheriff’s Office put out a statement saying when they were approached by the series producers, the producers claimed their documentary was going to be about the changes in the County from the legalization of marijuana. Instead, the Sheriffs say, the show became “highly sensationalized” and focused only on the death of one man, Rodriguez.

The show is about Garrett from OB and his dad, but it’s also about the history of marijuana cultivation in Humboldt – which today accounts for 60% of all cannabis grown in the U.S. – and the difficulties of once “outlaw” growers are having becoming “legal”; many are facing the prospect of having to end their farming livelihoods.

By Judi Curry

Something happened this morning that I have feared for years. I am so disappointed how I handled it, and I am so grateful to the San Diego Police Department. This is what happened:

At approximately 6:25am I heard a noise but thought that it was one of my students. I live on a corner, and there is construction happening across the alley from my house and I thought they were starting work on the house early – again – and got angry. But then Shadow began barking – loudly – and in a tone that I have never heard him use before. I continued to get ready for the day, and still Shadow barked.

I finally walked to the kitchen and saw what Shadow was barking about. Standing at my back door was a young man – 21 or so; wearing a hoodie; and knocking at the door. Fortunately I have a metal screen security door and even if he had been successful in breaking into the back door, he could not have had access to the house.

The City of San Diego became the largest city in California to ban Styrofoam when the City Council voted 6 to 3 Tuesday, January 8 to approve a law that restricts the use of products made with polystyrene and plastic foam, like take-out containers, coolers and egg cartons.

Imperial Beach and Encinitas join San Diego within the County that also have adopted similar rules. Over 100 other California cities have such bans or restrictions. …

The new ordinance – due to go into effect probably in April 2019 – prevents restaurants and grocery stores from using plastic-foam food containers (often called “Styrofoam” – which is a brand name – referring actually to polystyrene). In addition, it bans anyone from bringing polystyrene products to the beaches or city parks, and it prohibits restaurants from giving out any plastic straws or utensils, unless customers ask for them.

Members of President Donald Trump’s campaign and transition team had more than 100 contacts with Russia-linked operatives between September 2015 and January 2017, according to an updated report by the Center for American Progress’ Moscow Project.

These contacts reportedly included at least 28 meetings, both in person and over Skype, and involved several prominent members of Trump’s inner circle including the president’s children, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr.; his former attorney Michael Cohen; and his former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank based in D.C., said Wednesday that it had raised the number of contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia-linked operatives to 101 following reports this week that Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort shared polling data on the 2016 election with a Russian consultant who had links to Moscow’s intelligence agencies.

Ryan Bowers was on hard times, apparently. On New Year’s Eve he posted on Facebook, “My life is so stupid.” The 23-year old lived in the Midway District with family. Yet his life got even worse.

On Thursday night, January 3, he allegedly cut his own throat; family members called police; police arrived – confronted him as he refused to drop a knife, and he was then shot multiple times. He now has life-threatening wounds and may not survive.

Yet it turns out Ryan Bowers is described as “an up-and-coming rapper” and is signed to Nick Cannon’s label. Cannon has know him for years.

The head brewer at Bay City Brewing Company in Point Loma, Austin Pinder, complains that the Federal government shut-down could adversely affect the entire craft beer industry in San Diego.

Pinder told 7SanDiego the Federal agency’s offices that handle new beer labels are closed as part of the shutdown. Yet, every new beer label requires federal approval. Pinder said:

“The Tax and Trade Bureau requires government mandated things on beer labels like alcohol content. It also requires that the content on the packaging is unoffensive.”

Pinder claimed Bay City Brewing Company comes out with up to 30 new beers a year. Plus, other new craft breweries trying to open in San Diego’s heavy bud market could be hurt by the closing of the government.

The man rescued off the OB Jetty by lifeguards Wednesday has died, reports the San Diego Fire Rescue-Department and County Medical Examiner’s Office today, Thursday, Jan. 10.

Identified as Gregg Owens, the man was rushed to UCSD Medical Center intensive care unit but was later pronounced dead.

Reports have Owens – visiting from Nevada – entering the rough ocean around 2pm to retrieve his dogs.