OB Rag

Zapf Votes Against Measure to Allow Pot Industry Local Supply Chain

The San Diego City Council voted 6 to 3 Monday evening to legalize marijuana cultivation, manufacturing and testing within city limits and voted to create a total cap of 40 such businesses for the city.

This historic vote will set up regulations allowing a full cannabis industry and local supply chain including farms, manufacturing plants producing pot products and testing facilities – including one such facility in Ocean Beach.

By Sher Watts Spooner / Daily Kos

Let’s look at the other set of natural disasters that is being exacerbated by climate change.

Major wildfires are burning in British Columbia in western Canada and in at least nine states throughout the American West: California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. California, Montana, and Oregon are bearing the worst of it.

So far in 2017, more than 8 million acres have burned.

The Memories of Our Readers Keep the Spirit of Love and Peace Alive

By Frank Gormlie

As we approach the official end of the Summer of 2017, we offer our final tribute to the 1967 “Summer of Love” with memories from our readers of that summer 50 years ago, whether from Ocean Beach, San Diego or other parts of the country.

Why 1967?

Here’s the September Calendar of events to be held at the Ocean Beach Green Center, located at 4843 B Voltaire Street, Ocean Beach 92107 oceanbeachgreencenter@gmail.com 619.225.1083

September 13th Wednesday 7:00 p.m. Film night at the Ocean Beach Green Center – “1984”

Director Michael Radford’s adaption of George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984. This British film, made in 1984, stars John Hurt, Richard Burton and Suzanna Hamilton. “Orwell’s portrait of a government that manufactures their own facts, demands total obedience and demonizes foreign enemies has never been timelier” quotes the United States of Cinema. Free of Charge :-)

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By John Thickstun

Short term vacation rentals fall into the Commercial Uses category, Visitor Accommodations – San Diego Municipal Code (SDMC) section 131.0112(a)(6)(K) which reads,

“Uses that provide lodging or a combination of lodging, food and entertainment, primarily to visitors and tourists.”

Hotels, motels and Bed & Breakfast Establishments are also defined in the Code as visitor accommodations. Visitor Accommodations is a use category in the Use Regulations Table for Residential Zones (SDMC section 131.0422).

As the Trump circus keeps people focused on daily scandals along with assaults on immigrants, transgender folks, and a myriad of other battles, the right is busy trying to quietly win the long war. Last week in my Labor Day column, I noted how the upcoming Janus v. AFSCME decision will help make it possible to gut public sector unions and the labor movement as a whole in order to change the power structure of the entire country and rig American politics in favor of the interests of the rich and our corporate oligarchy.

There is s strange case out there of a Wall Street fraudster who was recently featured in a San Diego Union-Tribune article about being wanted for assault and kidnapping – and the case has some strange connections to Ocean Beach.

Vladislav ‘Steven’ Zubkis, an Ukrainian immigrant and dubious Wall Street investor, has a long history over the last 20 years of committing white collar crime in this country. A number of years back, Zubkis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering in a San Diego federal court. He was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution.

In April of 2010, Zubkis got out of prison, and despite being a deportable felon, immigration officials didn’t know what to do with him as he had immigrated from Ukraine while still part of the Soviet Union.

Restaurant Review

The Pho Shop
3760 Sports Arena Blvd., Suite 3
San Diego, CA 92110
619-222-1447

I am always delighted when someone that has read my reviews asks if they can do one with me. I want to encourage my readers to do just that. And today, I met a “new friend” – Kareen, who agreed to try out The Pho Shop – (where the Mandarin Plaza Chinese Buffet used to be, behind the Red Lobster.)

In talking to Michael, our server, we found out that the restaurant is family owned and many of the recipes are from different members of the family. Michael, by the way, knew his menu and his food, and was a delight to have as our server.

OB Town Council Sets Up Online Poll – “No Target in OB” T-shirts Available

The group “No Target in OB” is holding an organizing meeting tonight, Friday, September 8th at the Ocean Beach Green Center, 4843 B Voltaire Street at 7:00 p.m.

Coming off a major rally and march down Newport on August 30th and a smaller protest rally outside the Sports Arena Target on Sunday, September 3rd, the network is regrouping to discuss future action items, more outreach ideas, etc.

Here’s an update on Ocean Beach businesses and projects – in a photo gallery. Who’s new and what’s the status of upcoming merchants, storefronts and development projects.

Voltaire Street

Car’s Jars

Car’s Jars at 4161 Voltaire had their big opening in July. Kelsey said they’ve been an online business for 3+ years…

The Upper Voltaire Project

Yes, the Upper Voltaire development has seen some progress after months and even years.

Wednesday night, September 6th, the Ocean Beach Planning Board approved a map waiver to allow 4 condos, approved a newly-designed project for a run-down house on Voltaire, and critiqued Councilwoman Barbara Bry’s proposed City ordinance on short-term vacation rentals.

The all-volunteer board meets on the first Wednesday of the month in the OB Rec Center and makes recommendations to the City and Planning Department on development projects that come before it. It also carries out and tries to enforce the OB Community Plan – recently renewed 3 years ago after a bitter fight with the San Diego Planning Commission.

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican

An editorial in The San Diego Union Tribune says that Democrats in the Trump era see themselves as protecting the disadvantaged but that’s not true when it comes to schools. The editorial claims, “When it comes to public education, however, there’s fresh evidence that state Democratic leaders are the ones siding with the powerful forces over the disadvantaged.”

Those powerful forces – in an era when billionaires like Carrie Walton Penner, Reed Hastings and Eli Broad flex their financial muscle to privatize schools – are teachers and their unions. The evidence presented is bogus and the conclusions reached are based on willful ignorance.