OB Rag

OB Has Long History of Bias Against Large Mega-companies

By Frank Gormlie

It’s axiomatic that residents and businesses in Ocean Beach have an anti-corporate bias. OB is known for this attitude of distrusting huge, mega-companies – and it goes back a long ways. At least back to the 1970s.

And this anti-corporate bias has now translated into a stiff wind of opposition to the plans by Target to open up one of its Express stores right here on Newport Avenue, the main commercial street of the bohemian enclave.

By OB Planner

On social media, in news articles, and at City Council meetings on the topic of Short Term Vacation Rentals, a constant complaint has been the lack of meaningful data on the topic. Occasionally a map is highlighted, or members of Save San Diego Neighborhoods share data they have paid for on the issue. Other than that, the conversation is severely lacking useful data points. The City is playing catchup, and has not requested a detailed study by local economists.

Meanwhile Short Term Rental websites, like AirBnB and VRBO continue to closely guard information which is confusing local elected officials.

DETAILS INSIDE

Dusty Rhodes Recreation Council Addresses Concerns

By South OB Girl

The above looks like a photo of a tree on a dreary day in a cold winter climate. But guess again. It is a photo of a dead coral tree on a recent warm summer day at Dusty Rhodes Park.

There are a number of dead coral trees at Dusty Rhodes. Just sitting there dead, with their bare branches stretching into the sky and looking even more like pieces of coral than if the trees had leaves. The trees are old and break easily in stormy weather. They don’t fare well in a drought or in storms. And also don’t fare well if they aren’t watered. Watering of the grass and trees at Dusty Rhodes Park were stopped this year due to the City’s drought restrictions.

One of the great pleasures of San Diego in the summer is joining the gaggle of tourists and bike riders for the short trip across the bay from downtown to Coronado.

Like Allen Ginsberg who, in his poem “A Supermarket in California,” touches on Walt Whitman’s book and feels absurd–but wanders through the aisles dreaming nonetheless—I stand in line with young couples holding hands and whole families grinning and gabbing in the midday sun and muse about that which connects us all without our knowing it.

Planning Board to Meet at Masonic Center
UPDATE: See Agenda here

The OB Rag has just learned that the Ocean Beach Planning Board will be taking up the issue of a Target Express coming into OB.

Taking up Target will occur during their regular monthly meeting to be held Wednesday, August 2nd. In anticipation of a large crowd, the Planning Board meeting has been moved to a different venue, the OB Masonic Center, located at 1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd.

OB Town Council Met in Muggy Masonic Center on Wednesday, July 26

By Brett Warnke

On Wednesday, July 26th OB’s Town Council met in the muggy Masonic Center, though there was not much hot air from delighted grant recipients or special guest, 78th District’s Democratic Assemblyman Todd Gloria.

In President Gretchen Newsom‘s absence, newly-selected Vice-President Marcus Turner led the meeting before an audience of over 50 people.

The San Diego City Council went ahead on Monday, July 24, and by a 8 to 1 vote, passed a law allowing looser rules for so-called granny flats, in its effort to deal with the city’s housing shortage and affordability crisis.

Many hail granny flats as the panacea to the whole mess in this city, where the average 2 bedroom goes for $1700 a month and where less than half of the residents can afford a median-priced home.

By Brett Warnke

At last night’s July 26th Ocean Beach Town Council meeting, Vice-President Marcus Turner announced the winners of the Board’s Community Grants program.

So, here they are:

By Bob Dorn / San Diego Free Press

I’m not a patriot. I’m just a citizen.

A citizen who pays taxes on time, and watches out for people attempting to cross busy streets by way of blinking crosswalks placed as memorials to those once killed by a sports sedan driven by someone in a hurry.

I haven’t been a patriot for a very long time. Not since Vietnam, when a leading general was caught in the crosshairs of a confusion so profound that he actually said:

In order to save the village we had to destroy it.

Santa Cruz Pocket Beach Now Protected by Lifeguards

It’s an historic move by San Diego lifeguards – for the first time ever, the beach at the foot of Santa Cruz Avenue now has a lifeguard “station”. Two lifeguards staff the cliff top stand, overlooking a beautiful, yet dangerous pocket beach with waves crashing on a narrow beach and tide waters sweeping through the labyrinth of rocks and tunnels. When this reporter visited the beach on a mid-week July afternoon, I found dozens of people on the beach, hitting the waves, or jumping off rocks into oncoming waves. Because of its inherent dangers, this pocket of OB needs first responders, and now it has them.

Come Inside for Much More!

By Beau Grosscup

With American claims abound both in the media and during the recent Presidential campaign that Iran is the de-stabilizing force in the Middle East (unchallenged by any presidential candidate) in mind, I recently accepted an invitation to speak at Tehran University’s Human Rights Conference.