OB Rag

By Kate Callen

Golden Hill is stepping up its fight against a monolith apartment complex by mounting a legal battle to block a construction that is proceeding at a beat-the-clock pace.

Land use attorney Everett Delano is filing the lawsuit on behalf of Preserve Greater Golden Hill against Chicago-based developer CEDARst, which is building a 180-unit, 8-story rental housing complex at 2935-2961 A Street. Upon completion, it will be the largest high-rise structure directly under the final approach into Lindbergh Field.

More than 30 Golden Hill activists gathered for an October 2 news conference to announce the suit. It took place near the Albert Einstein Charter Academy, which is directly across from the development site and will be overshadowed by the tower.

Golden Hill has traditionally been one of San Diego’s most affordable and ethnically diverse neighborhoods. As speakers pointed out, a surge of extensive Golden Hill upzoning is pushing out elderly residents, residents of color, and low-income families. They are being replaced by people who are richer, whiter, younger, and more amenable to living in studios and one-bedroom rentals.

By Dani Miskell / 10News KGTV / Oct. 2, 2025

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Harmony Grove Village South development on Wednesday, October 1.

Harmony Grove Village South will build 453 homes and businesses in unincorporated San Diego near Escondido, despite fierce opposition from residents who say the project puts lives at risk during wildfires.

The development will be built on open land off Country Club Drive, but longtime residents argue the new homes could block their only evacuation route during a fire emergency.

At Wednesday’s Board of Supervisors land use meeting, Supervisor Jim Desmond pressed Rancho Santa Fe Fire Chief Dave McQuead on fire evacuation safety concerns.

Editordude: Many Americans have been affected by the mainstream media blackout of this and have been unaware of the humanitarian flotilla that was bound for Gaza. In contrast, people in Europe are totally aware of it and are protesting the Israeli military’s interceptions. 

By Alastair McCready and News Agencies / Aljazeera – English / On 3 Oct 2025

The Israeli military has dismantled an entire humanitarian flotilla seeking to break its siege on war-ravaged Gaza, arresting hundreds of activists from dozens of vessels.

Livestream video showed Israeli forces forcing their way onboard the last vessel Friday morning. The Polish-flagged Marinette, which reportedly has a crew of six, was the final boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla – once a 44-strong fleet – to be seized by Israel.

The International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza also announced in a statement that several detainees arrested by Israeli forces had “entered an open-ended hunger strike from the moment of their detention.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry says it has already deported four Italian citizens who joined the flotilla and is preparing to deport the rest of the activists. “Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible,” the ministry said in a post on X.

Memorial Installed Along OB Bike Path

By Perla Shaheen / 10News / October 2, 2025

A new memorial near Robb Field in Ocean Beach honors Steve Krueger, the 61-year-old UPS driver who was killed when a plane crashed into his delivery truck in Santee in 2021.

“It’s very moving for my family. We’re really excited about this,” Jeffrey Krueger said about the memorial for his brother.

The memorial, installed on Wednesday, features two benches and a plaque just blocks away from where Steve used to live in Ocean Beach.

“He’d be pretty emotional about it, he’d be moved, obviously very grateful,” Jeffrey Krueger said.

Steve Krueger died in 2021 while delivering mail for UPS on the same route he had worked for decades when a plane crashed into his truck and two homes in Santee.

Couple Hundred Local Residents and Supporters at Town-hall Meeting at Pt Loma Assembly

By Jillian Butler
A proposed 56-unit apartment complex at 1004 Rosecrans has sparked fierce opposition from Point Loma residents, who say the project violates zoning rules, threatens public health, and endangers the neighborhood’s historic character.With residents of other San Diego neighborhoods faced by the same issue, and former Coronado Mayor turned policy advocate Richard Bailey given a platform, this meeting of a couple hundred folks at the Point Loma Assembly on Tuesday, September 30 served as a rallying cry to fight for the interests of the citizenry and against the push of shadowy developers and their political backers.

Protect Point Loma is a grassroots 501c4 organization which aims to protect the often overlooked interests of Peninsula residents and preserve the rich history and heritage of the Point Loma area. Their mission is “making certain that our community projects are built with responsible guidelines and community input.”

by Trena Turner / Cal-Matters / Sept. 19, 2025

As a California redistricting commissioner, I have witnessed firsthand the careful, deliberate and transparent process that drew our congressional lines to reflect the real people of our state. The work was not easy, but it was honorable — and it safeguarded the principle that every community deserves fair representation.

Which is why I am both alarmed and deeply disappointed at the way conversations around Proposition 50, California’s mid-cycle redistricting measure, have often been reduced to a single, shallow question: “What will it cost?”

Yes, this special election carries a financial cost. But if we view it only through dollars and cents, we ignore the greater risks. An estimated 3.4 million Californians stand to lose health care coverage due to Medicaid cuts, and another 3.1 million people — children, veterans and families — face the loss of vital nutrition assistance through SNAP.

There are measurable consequences of this moment that will reshape the health and stability of our state, while steadily eroding the foundations of our democracy.

We cannot ignore the reality that this year’s map-redrawing in Texas and other states, at President Trump’s urging, has been widely challenged as racial gerrymandering. This continues a generational pattern in many states where lines are drawn to weaken Black, brown, immigrant and working-class voices so politicians can pick their voters.

by Dave Schwab / Times of San Diego / Oct. 2, 2025

Ocean Beach residents are beginning to wonder when – or even if – their community’s landmark pier will ever be replaced.

The old pier was closed to the public since October 2023 because of its deteriorating condition.

“Us old-timers would like to see the pier rebuilt in our lifetime,” said Mark Winkie, a former member of the now-disbanded Ocean Beach Pier Task Force. “That would be a good goal.”

Noting he “used the pier almost every day,” when he first moved to OB in the ‘80s, Winkie added that the pier is special to OB residents.

“It gives people who can’t get out on the ocean an experience of connecting to the water and the natural environment: It’s a public resource,” he said, “It’s one of the crown jewels of the city and county.

“We want to see it rebuilt and put back to its former glory.”

Another former OB Pier Task Force member, Ralph Teyssier, who is a structural engineer and the son of Leonard Teyssier – who built the OB Pier – said he is as concerned with finding funding to replace the pier as he is with the timeline for the project, which he noted continues to be extended.

by Ernie McCray

Oh I wonder if we will ever solve this gun problem
that hangs over our nation
like a vicious thundercloud,
the latest tragedy
involving Charlie Kirk’s life being taken,
an assassination
that apparently has triggered,
no pun intended,
a few celebrations
which kind of chills me to the bone.

A Plea for Residents of Other Neighborhoods to Stand With the College Area at the Upcoming Planning Commission Hearing — Oct. 9

By Robert Montana

With San Diego’s proposed update to the College Area Community Plan, we are witnessing the complete negation of professional urban planning in the City of San
Diego. And this proposal on our eastern edge matters mightily to all citizens throughout the city because if appointed and elected officials don’t come to their senses, this
updated plan will become the blueprint for all future ‘planning’ efforts from city staff.

The College Area Community Planning Board (CACPB) needs the assistance of everyone who believes that good urban planning matters to us today and to those who
will come to our region in the future with hopes of a brighter destiny for themselves and their children. Specifically, the San Diego Planning Commission will hear the proposed plan update on October 9, 2025, in their new location at 7650 Mission Valley Road in Mission Valley. And the CACPB needs people from all the communities within San Diego to stand, speak and declare that growth is important, but that it must be accompanied by improvements in basic infrastructure that meet expected demand in a timely manner. The glaring problem with the proposal is the lack of any nexus between development and infrastructure.

Let’s dive into some specifics.

By Jillian Butler 

The Ocean Beach Woman’s Club (OBWC), a century-old San Diego institution, drew crowds of players and spectators to its Fifth Annual ‘Battle for the Paddle’ charity ping pong tournament, raising more than $5,000 for local causes.

With the current clubhouse being established in 1944, the OBWC is in its 101st year of operation despite clubhouses surviving a multitude of natural disasters from fires to being crushed by waves during a high surf advisory. This organization has spearheaded a multitude of charitable ventures, ranging from providing a center of refuge for servicemembers during the second world war to advocating for year round life guards to raising money for homeless pets. The Battle for the Paddle ping pong tournament is one of their larger annual fundraisers.

The Tournament was spearheaded by the OBWC Project Lead, Susan Winkie, and Christine Freeman, the Project Lead of OBWC’s Philanthropy and Social Justice branch. Ms. Winkie commanded a strong presence as she emcee’d the entirety of the event.