OB Rag

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.

The Ocean Beach Planning Board Project Review Committee will meet on Tuesday, August 19 at 6pm at the Ocean Beach Rec Center.  There are two projects on the agenda.

4870 Voltaire St

Construction of a new detached 3-story building with commercial space on the 1st floor, office space on 2nd, and dwelling unit on the 3rd.

By Francine Maxwell

San Diego’s push to add density through ADU incentives has landed hardest in Encanto — and the consequences are becoming concrete. A private developer-driven proposal to place 24 ADUs on the basketball court site in front of the Boys & Girls Club on Imperial Avenue (branded online as “Lisbon Vista Village”) is the latest example. That proposal arrives in a neighborhood already reporting serious infrastructure and parking stress, and without a public plan to add basic retail like a grocery store to serve new residents.

Facts on the table:

• Multiple news reports and community meetings show that Encanto has become a focal point for large bonus-ADU projects — scores of units proposed on a small number of parcels across the neighborhood.
• The City has been actively reconsidering the ADU Bonus Program and “Footnote 7” (the code provision that changed lot-size rules for southeastern neighborhoods), with council action and planning reports in 2025.
• Local residents have raised consistent concerns about traffic, parking capacity, stormwater/ infrastructure impacts, and loss of open recreational space — including the potential loss of the basketball court used by youth at the Boys & Girls Club.

WANTED: Writers and reporters to work on assignments. Assignments to be assigned by editor. Some journalism experience preferred. Payments range from $35 to $50 per article of 500 to 1,000 words. Camera needed. Contact Editordude at obragblog@gmail.com

WANTED: Restaurant reviewer. Want to try your hand or tastebuds on reviewing restaurants and eateries in Ocean Beach and Point Loma? Some experience preferred. Earn $50 per article. Your choice of target but be open to suggestions by staff. Contact Editordude at obragblog@gmail.com; enter “restaurant reviewer” in subject line.

WANTED: Guerilla artists and banner hangers.

The Rag staff is proud to announce that our recent annual fundraiser has broken all of our records — and produced the largest one-time donation in our history.

Overall, the fundraiser that we began 2 weeks ago has exceeded our goal of $3,000 — over 3 times. At this moment, we have received $9,350 in contributions — we are closing the campaign but there may be some checks to our PO Box still to arrive.

By Donna Frye / Op-Ed San Diego Union-Tribune / August 15, 2025 

Mission Bay Park is one of the most magical and wonderful places in our city. I remember in the late ‘50s asking my dad what the boats were doing in Mission Bay and he said they were dredging it to make parkland for all of us.

In 1962, when Mission Bay Park was dedicated as public parkland in perpetuity, I asked my mom what the word “perpetuity” meant and she told me it means “forever”.

So imagine my reaction after reading a story in the OB Rag last month that said the city wanted to declare parts of Mission Bay Park as “surplus” land. Let’s just say the words coming out of my mouth reminded me of a recent sticker that read, “Mermaid Soul, Pirate Mouth, Always Salty”.

I could not understand how or why anyone with any common sense would want to declare any portion of Mission Bay Park as “surplus” land so I started doing a bunch of research.

Plaintiffs of a lawsuit and residents of the City of San Diego will hold a rally downtown San Diego to continue to express their strong opposition to trash fee at 10 a.m., Monday, August 18 in front of 101 Ash Street.

This past week the plaintiffs dropped a quick trial request and instead asked for an injunction to delay San Diego billing plan. They will file their motion supporting the request on Thursday, August 22, and the city has until September 19 to respond. The lawyers representing San Diego homeowners will get 10 more days to respond to the city’s opposition filing.

On October 10, the judge will convene a hearing to review the various arguments before making a decision on whether to temporarily block the trash fee.

The matter involves a trash collection fee being imposed on residents, many who are elderly and without sufficient funds, billed by the County Tax Assessor such that they will be made to pay before the matter is heard unless the case is specially set for trial or hearing.

By Ben Higgins / 10News / Aug 15, 2025

The center of the pickleball universe is at the Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma this weekend as the Major League Pickleball playoffs make their first-ever stop in San Diego.

“Pro pickleball is here,” said Samin Odhwani, commissioner of Major League Pickleball. “The amateur game is taking off. There’s so many people playing. There’s courts being built. So it was only a matter of time for pro pickleball to finally arrive on the scene, and I feel like it finally made it.”

The professional circuit is attracting a host of celebrity team owners, even with a $15 million franchise fee.

“Drew Brees, a great example, he’s going to be out here this weekend, supporting his team, the L.A. Mad Drops. You’ve got LeBron James, Tom Brady, Kim Clijsters, some amazing team owners all across Major League Pickleball and it’s really fun for us to get an opportunity for them to join in on the growth of the sport,” Odhwani told ABC 10News.

Many of the top players, like Texas Ranchers star Eric Oncins, were former tennis players who made the switch after seeing pickleball for the first time.

By Patty Ducey-Brooks / Presidio Sentinel /  July 9, 2025 

In US History, tenement housing referred to multi-family dwellings, often poorly constructed and overcrowded, that housed working-class families, particularly immigrants, in late 19th and early 20th century urban areas. These buildings were characterized by cramped living conditions, inadequate ventilation, and contributing to urban poverty.

Though the “affordable housing” structures that are being built today in San Diego may have a larger footprint, they do not provide adequate outdoor recreation facilities, parking and the infrastructure to make them desirable or beneficial to families and children. They are also not affordable, renting at $2,878 (including utilities) for a one-bedroom unit.

We have recently learned that there is a trio operating in San Diego who are driven to build big and tight and have taken advantage of the elderly who are one of their primary targets for home sales.