OB Rag

Please join Ocean Beach Historical Society as we present The Mystique of Lomaland, with Eric DuVall, Thursday, August 21,  at 7:00 pm, Water’s Edge Community Center – 1984  Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B.

In 1897 some mysterious East Coast “crusaders” purchased more than 100 acres of property on the top of the Peninsula.  The property was hard to get to. There was no community known as Point Loma at the time, and nobody knew who those out-of-towners were. The crusaders, known as The International Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, led by Katherine Tingley,

By Samantha Mason

If there’s one thing we all love about the lovely village of Ocean Beach, it’s the diversity and uniqueness. A little coastal town made up of interesting characters, beach culture, amazing food, and even better drinks. I think the diversity of OB is best showcased through all of the types of stores and businesses you find on every corner. From thrift shops to jewelry shops to hole-in-the-wall eateries, there truly is something for everyone.

I decided to head down to Newport Avenue to check out some of the businesses and see what I could find. My sister recently relocated to San Diego from the central coast, and I figured showing her around OB would be the perfect start to her San Diego tenure. I was correct!

Scoops (4994 Newport Ave)

Our first stop was Scoops, where you can enjoy a myriad of delicious ice creams, coffees, crepes, and more. Your standard ice cream parlor, the decor made for an overall beachy vibe. I was immediately welcomed by the smell of fresh waffle cones. This location has only been open for a few months; they have two other storefronts in La Jolla.

By JW August

Nexstar, the largest local television station owner in the United States, of Nexstar Media, just added more media outlets to their holdings, including two more television stations in San Diego.

As part of its acquisition of Rival Tegna for $6.2 billion, Nexstar will own the two Tegna stations in the San Diego market — longtime local CBS affiliate KFMB and the CW, which Tegna purchased in February of 2018.  They are joining two other stations Nexstar already controls in San Diego — KUSI and Fox 5, making them the single most powerful media company in the region. They will also own the KFMB radio station.

With the Tegna acquisition, Nexstar will now have 265 full-power television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia. The combined company will have stations in 9 of the top 10 markets, and in 41 of the top 50 markets. That accounts for  80% of U.S. television-viewing households.

Call State Assembly Appropriations Committee Members Now!

You have until 3pm on Tuesday, 8.19.25 to make your calls to the Appropriation Committee to voice your No on 79 position:

Senate Bill 79 will be heard by the California State Committee for Appropriations this Wednesday at 9 a.m.  Please call each member of the committee before 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. In addition, it’s suggested that you call Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, who represents San Diego District 77, phone 916-319-2077.  Ms. Boerner voted no on SB 9 so she could be swayed.

Here’s an example of what you can say:

SB 79 is a land grab for investors disguised as “transit-oriented development.” It will ruin existing neighborhoods while heightening wildfire risk, increasing the cost of land, pushing homeownership further out of reach for middle-class citizens, and making California unlivable for the next generation.

Here is a list of members and phone numbers ……..

If Trump is taking tactical advice from Putin about how to hold an election, that doesn’t bode well for the future of American democracy.

This is an adapted excerpt from the Aug. 18 episode of “The Rachel Maddow Show.”

By Rachel Maddow / MSNBC / Aug. 19, 2025

On Monday, dozens of people turned up in Austin, Texas, to cheer on Democrats as they returned to the state amid a huge national fight over redistricting.
Texas has been at the center of an extraordinary demand by Donald Trump that Republican-controlled states, like Texas, draw new congressional maps and effectively guarantee GOP control of Congress for years to come.

It’s not just Texas. Vice President JD Vance flew to Indiana earlier this month to put pressure on the Republican governor there to alter that state’s maps for the Republicans. Politico reported that the White House has been in talks with Republicans in Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida to change their congressional maps as well.

That’s one way Trump’s trying to rig the midterms – by demanding changes to congressional district maps to make it structurally impossible for Democrats to control Congress again.

By Andrew Oxford and Greg Giroux / Bloomberg Yahoo / August 15, 2025 

Top Democrats released a draft congressional map Friday that may lead to Republicans losing five US House seats as Gov. Gavin Newsom pushes to offset possible GOP gains from redistricting in Texas.

The California map released Friday by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee would imperil the 2026 re-election bids of Republicans including Reps. Doug LaMalfa, Kevin Kiley, David Valadao, Ken Calvert, Young Kim and Darrell Issa. It would also bolster some swing-district Democrats who won close 2024 elections.

“We will not stand by as Republicans attempt to rig the election in their favor and choose their voters,” Julie Merz, executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement.

Newsom (D) said he will ask California voters to approve new congressional districts in a special election on Nov. 4 if Republican lawmakers in Texas or any other state go ahead with redrawing congressional maps at President Donald Trump’s urging. The governor was joined by other federal and state Democratic officials Thursday at an event to build support for the plan.

By Mike Lewis / The Coast News Group / August 13, 2025

If you’ve spoken up at a city council meeting lately, you may have noticed something strange.

If you raise questions about fire safety, infrastructure or water supply, you’re not met with dialogue, you’re met with a label: “NIMBY.”

Not a neighbor. Not a taxpayer. Not a citizen. Just a “NIMBY.”

This label is more than lazy rhetoric. It’s a calculated attempt to discredit residents who dare to question the wisdom of Sacramento’s high-density housing mandates. And it’s part of a larger strategy to make it politically toxic to care about your neighborhood.

The YIMBY movement, short for “Yes In My Back Yard”, and now also known as WIMBY (Wall Street In My Backyard)  likes to claim the moral high ground. They speak of equity and affordability while pushing policies that, in practice, produce thousands of market-rate rental units, often in cities already grappling with overburdened infrastructure.

The following is a reposted letter to the Editor at the U-T by one of our writers, Paul Krueger.

Re: “$10-an-hour-parking comes to Petco Park next month” (Aug. 5): San Diego’s “surge pricing” at downtown parking meters for Padres’ games and special events will benefit city hall financially. But working people will shoulder the costs.

Sports fans and music lovers have a choice: pay $10 an hour for meter parking, use a public lot, or take a bus, trolley, or ride-share. But thousands of low-paid hospitality workers and night shift employees don’t have those options.

By Mary Cairns / President, Ocean Beach Friends of the Library and Co-Chair, Expansion Committee

Good news on the activities for the Ocean Beach Library expansion project!

As of last week, the project is continuing to move along with minimal delays. The city has the necessary funds, and is now going through the process to get to the final selected firm for the work.

In March the Request for Qualifications went out and were due in May. The City selected the top three firms to move forward with Request for Proposals (contract language will be finalized in September) and interview process to determine the final design-build firm. A January 2026 contract award is anticipated.

The Port of San Diego is hosting a public meeting on Kellogg Beach Sand Replenishment.

To help maintain and protect Kellogg Beach from natural erosion, the Port of San Diego is planning to replenish the sand at the beach beginning on or shortly after September 8. The work is anticipated to take 2-3 weeks to complete, and beach access will be limited during construction hours.

The public is invited to attend a meeting at the Southwestern Yacht Club on August 26 at 4 p.m. to learn more about the upcoming sand replenishment project, preview the sand that will be used, and ask any questions about the project.

By Neighbors for a Better California Board

Sacramento, CA – Senate Bill 79, a contentious piece of legislation aimed at increasing housing density near transit stops across California, has ignited fierce debate among lawmakers, local governments, and community advocates. While the bill seeks to address the state’s housing crisis by mandating up-zoning within a quarter to half-mile of transit hubs, critics argue it undermines local governance, threatens affordable housing, and risks displacing vulnerable communities.

Introduced to boost housing supply near transit corridors, SB 79 categorizes areas into tiers, allowing building heights of 45 to 75 feet, and a 20-foot bonus when immediately adjacent to a transit stop. Moreover, additional density bonuses already in state law can be stacked and allow the developer to double these heights and density. Neighbors For A Better California (NFABC) analysis of the bill’s amendments reveal significant concerns about its clarity, affordability mandates, and impact on lower-income neighborhoods.

One major criticism is the bill’s vague language regarding bus routes, which critics describe as “convoluted” and prone to loopholes. This lack of precision could allow developers to exploit ambiguities, undermining the bill’s intent.

By Paul Krueger

Standing in the shadow of the vacant 101 Ash St. building, attorney Michael Aguirre on Monday, August 18, denounced the San Diego City Council and Mayor Todd Gloria for their “mismanagement” of city finances and their “illegal” effort to backfill the city’s budget deficit by inflating the new fee for trash pick up at single-family homes and small apartment and condo complexes.

Pointing to the vacant Ash Street building, which cost taxpayers more than $150 million to purchase and maintain, Aguirre said “that’s where the money is going, to fill that hole for places like Ash Street” and other city property debacles.

Aguirre and his law partner, Maria Severson, represent a cross section of homeowners challenging the new $46 monthly trash fee.

The lawyers argue that the city cannot legally charge more than the actual cost of service, which they claim the city has inflated to erase its budget deficit and cover the costs of mismanagement, including the pension fund deficit and the lack of storm drain maintenance that led to last year‘s devastating  winter floods.