OB Rag

A looming decision by the San Diego City Council could threaten the presence of a well-known marijuana testing lab in Ocean Beach that has been here for 6 years.

PharmLabs on Cable Street is reportedly “one of the first internationally accredited testing labs for marijuana in the world,” and “the premier business of its kind in the region”, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

But it’s possible that the lab will be closed by new City rules on dealing with marijuana legalization and have to move out of metro San Diego. In early February, the City Council voted to authorize medical cannabis dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana after California guidelines are completed, probably in late 2017.

Egypt Also Excluded – Major Recipient of U.S. Military Aid

By John Lawrence

Why did Trump try to impose tighter vetting on 7 nations in the Middle East without including Saudi Arabia and Egypt? Could it be that it’s because Saudi Arabia which is a hotbed of terrorism is also an ally of the US and an enemy of Iran?

Fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers were Saudis. Osama bin Laden was a Saudi. The machete wielding attacker at the Louvre recently was Egyptian. Neither Egypt nor Pakistan nor Afghanistan were included on the so-called President’s list. Pakistan harbored bin Laden. Afghanistan is the home of the Taliban. If Trump had wanted to keep terrorists out of the US, surely he should have included these countries in his ban. But terrorism is more about U.S. alliances than it is about morality or human rights.

Tonight, Wednesday, Feb. 15th, there are 2 meetings of Indivisible San Diego, one in North Park and one in Point Loma.

Indivisible San Diego Central will be bringing together people from all five local districts at Queen Bees, 3925 Ohio St, San Diego, CA 92104, (619) 255-5147 – at 6:30. This would be an opportunity for OBceans and Point Lomans to participate in the exploding Indivisible movement and networks. OB and Point Loma are in Scott Peters’ 52nd Congressional District.

For San Diegans who reside in the 53rd Congressional District of Susan Davis, there is an Indivisible San Diego East District 53 meeting at the Loma Riviera Clubhouse, 3115 Loma Riviera Dr, Point Loma (CA 92107). It begins at 6:30 PM.

In an upfront effort to replicate the effort by folks up in Ocean Beach of San Francisco to spell out the word “RESIST”, locals are now organizing a similar move here in Ocean Beach, San Diego.

In a definite move to up the ante, San Diegans want to spell out the word “IMPEACH” on the beach just north of the OB Pier on Saturday, March 4th.

The plan is to march up the beach from Dog Beach and in a ‘putting your body where your mouth is’ kind of thing, spell out in hundred foot letters the word “Impeach”.

Thousands of protesters gathered on San Francisco’s Ocean Beach on Saturday, using their bodies to send a political message. To spectators on the beach, the purpose of the protest may have seemed unclear.

But from the sky, there was no question. Thousands of people spelled out “RESIST!!” on the sand.

Organizer Brad Newsham wrote on Facebook that “a close study of a high-resolution overhead shot shows between 4,600 and 5,600 participants.”

“Resist Trump Tuesday” Rallies Across County Draw More than 700 Protesters

By Indivisible San Diego Media Team*

Indivisible San Diego rallied with the ACLU Tuesday, Feb. 14th outside City Hall to call on the San Diego City Council to get off the sidelines and join the lawsuit against the Trump Muslim ban. And then they did.

The Council voted 8-1 to authorize City Attorney Mara Elliott to file an amicus brief on behalf of the City of San Diego to join the lawsuit initiated by Washington State against the ban. Indivisible applauds this historic vote.

This was the first time on “Resist Trump Tuesday”, that Indivisible San Diego had targeted city officials to demand leadership in opposition to Trump’s policies.

In addition to the downtown rally, there were rallies at the offices of U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, and Representatives Darrell Issa and Duncan Hunter.

The Project Review sub-committee of the OB Planning Board meets Wednesday night, February 15th and on their agenda is a 4-condo project for the empty corner of Abbott and Muir. (Maybe it’s only 3 units as the Action Item has it both ways.)

This is the same, controversial project that has see-sawed back and forth with the Planning Board.

The last time (that we know of) the project was before the full Board was on May 4th, 2016. And although we don’t have a report from that meeting, the approved minutes from that date state:

“The Board did not take action on project as proposed for exceedance of FAR and lack of
evidence that supports LEED certification and net – ero building design.”

Concerns have been raised about the possible opening of a liquor store in the building that holds Karen’s Consignment Gallery.
The site at 4051 Voltaire Street, at the corner of Voltaire and Wabaska Drive, is in a small mall that has other businesses, the owner of one at least is so concerned that he is organizing neighbors and other concerned people to the upcoming local Point Loma planning committee meeting.

By Tyson Siegle, SanDiego350

On February 15th, San Diegans will have an opportunity to take a huge step forward on clean energy.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors will vote on implementation for some or all of the San Diego County Comprehensive Renewable Energy Plan (CREP).

Many of the steps outlined in the plan save the county money and promote a healthier environment, but one particular piece of the plan could do more to promote clean energy and lower costs than all the rest combined: Community Choice Energy (CCE).

By Bob Dorn

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, …

William Butler Yeats “Second Coming“

Turning and turning over malls and freeways
The drones outrace their wireless signals;
Houses fall apart; grocery carts are filled with gear;
Mere starvation is loosed on half the world,
While others eat designer foods and
Protest they’re entitled to deny the real.

Neighbors and passersby know about it. On the 4500 block of Newport Avenue, there is a fairly large demolition and construction project underway. Nothing has been built yet, just the initial beginnings of the take-down of an older 2 story and the chopping of a couple pine trees – one of which was a Torrey Pine.

Five new houses are coming in after the old building is demolished, on the 0.4 acres at 4537 Newport Ave. A Process 2 Coastal Development Permit application was filed on January 19th, 2017 by Tony Struyk for five units each with 2,275 square feet on the 5 contiguous lots perched up on a commanding plot of land.