OB Rag

By Carlos Batara

As the new year dawns, most of us need to reflect where we’re headed, individually and collectively.

Unfortunately, far too many of those active in immigration circles are caught in the “feel sorry for myself” moment. With a new president, one who has articulated strong law enforcement measures, about to take office, the “doom and gloom” sentiments of immigrants and their advocates are deafening.

Yet, stop for a moment and reflect back to 2009 and 2013. What has really changed in immigration law since that time? In the majority of cases, my office helps immigrants under the same rules that existed back then.

Thursday, January 19, 7 pm
Ocean Beach Historical Society Program
Thursday, January 19, 7 pm
at P.L. United Methodist Church, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B.

Maggie Espinosa

Traveler Journalist & Author

Maggie Espinosa embarked on an 800-mile walk to visit California’s 21 missions from San Diego to Sonoma along the El Camino Real. What ensued was the journey of a lifetime to become the 11th person to complete this sojourn.

Here’s the official agenda for the January meeting of the OB Planning Board. (Normally, they meet on the first Wednesday but this month had to postpone it.)

The Board meets at the OB Recreation Center, 4726 Santa Monica Avenue, and at 6pm sharp.

The Ocean Beach Library Friends sent out an online newsletter with their upcoming calendar the other day and we want to share it with our readers:

The OB Library Friends proudly announce that the OB Woman’s Club has awarded us $1,500! We will use the money for programs and the summer reading program. Thank you to the OB Woman’s Club —you are such a backbone for the Ocean Beach community.

For the life of me I cannot understand why there is still going to be an inauguration later this week. The papers regaled us this past weekend – and practically every day – with more and more dishonesty emanating from the President-Elect. The fact checkers are on overload, checking the lies that are being told and yet nothing – absolutely nothing – is being done to prevent this monster from ruining our country.

If you haven’t been following the news, here are just a few samples:

• FEC fingers Donald Trump for $19 million in illegal fundraising- Illegal campaign contributions –

That report dated January 10th, 2017 has also been posted on the FEC official website and is available for public consumption.

• Trump’s most dangerous conflict-of-interest – has nothing to do with money.

“A nation or a civilization that continues to produce softminded men purchases its own spiritual death on an installment plan.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Strength to Love

By Jim Miller

A few years ago, I made use of this space on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to discuss my favorite speech of his, “Where Do We Go From Here?” and ponder its relevance to the present:

When dealing with the issue of poverty, King notes that, “We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life’s marketplace. But one day we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.”

Back during the 1970s, a group of OBceans (although we didn’t call ourselves that then) were looking into whether OB could separate itself away from the City of San Diego and become an independent municipality of our own. We were so disgusted then at how Ocean Beach was being treated by the larger metropolis that engulfed us, that a viable alternative seemed to be to set up the community as its own city.

We looked around for other examples where people were itching to remove their neighborhoods from a large city – and we didn’t need to look far – as we found a similar movement up in the coastal community of Venice –

From Sierra Club

Sierra Club San Diego will rally members and supporters to oppose the Trump administration’s agenda of increased fossil fuel usage and to promote ways of securing a path to 100% clean energy in the San Diego region through Community Choice Energy. The event will provide the public with opportunities to voice their concerns and get involved in local efforts to resist the Trump administration.

3:00 PM, Saturday, January 14, 2017

Mission Valley Public Library
2133 Fenton Pkwy
San Diego, CA 92108

Background:

Restocking the Swamp

By John Lawrence

Trump’s new pick for Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, his top campaign fundraiser, was a Goldman Sachs executive. Mnuchin spent 17 years working at Goldman Sachs where he became a partner.

He also worked for hedge fund manager George Soros, founded a hedge fund of his own and was the lead investor in IndyMac, a failed subprime lender that turned into a “foreclosure machine” during the housing crisis.

It appears that our own Rep. Duncan Hunter has pulled a “Trump-like” distraction in order to manipulate the press away from something else that was embarrassing. It’s a case of Animal House.

Donald Trump has become infamous for making tweets or taking efforts to manipulate the press that are often distractions to more questionable or controversial elements of his campaign and transition. For instance, his press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 11th – the first in 6 months – was a distraction to embarrassing and controversial statements by his cabinet nominees, whose hearings were being held at the very same day in Congress.

And now Hunter has pulled a rabbit out of his Trump hat.

On Friday, Jan. 6th, Hunter pulled down an award-winning but controversial painting from a wall in a Capitol hallway. The painting depicts a street clash between police and protesters, most of whom are Black. The painting shows some police officers and protesters as animals.

We’ve been following the developing story of how the new San Diego City Attorney, Mara Elliott, is targeting high-end restaurants for adding illegal surcharges to customers’ bills – or misrepresenting the additions – all due to the January 1st increase in the minimum wage within the city.

A number of these restaurants are located in the Ocean Beach and Point Loma communities, as they are part of larger chains. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that –

“restaurant industry officials … estimated that about 30 local operators are adding surcharges of about 3 percent to bills in response to the minimum wage hike. They include … the Brigantine chain [and] Cohn Restaurant Group….”