OB Rag

July 22, 2025

To: California State Assembly Members, San Diego:
Subject: Opposition to SB 79

Dear Assemblymembers:

The San Diego Community Coalition, which represents 25 San Diego communities and multiple community housing-related organizations, strongly urges you to vote NO on Senate Bill 79 (Senator Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco).

While Senator Wiener’s Fact Sheet (Updated 7-07-25) states the City of San Diego supports Senate Bill 79 (SB 79), San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria never announced any
endorsement, and the City Council never discussed the bill or sought public input. Rather, this misinformation originated from a two-page letter written on City of San
Diego letterhead and sent on June 3rd to State Senator Scott Wiener. The letter was signed by Sacramento lobbyist Moira Topp of Topp Strategies.

In truth, San Diego’s Legislative Platform not only emphasizes support of land use regulations that would be eliminated by SB 79, it supports retaining local control over state and federal regulations, in general. Any statement of support, implied or explicit, for SB 79 contradicts these principles.

The San Diego Community Coalition’s opposition is based on the sweeping nature of SB 79 that fails to acknowledge the diversity of California’s geography, topography, infrastructure, and planning needs. More specifically, it fails to consider San Diego’s abundant canyons, extreme wildfire risk, and the myriad far-reaching housing initiatives the City of San Diego has already set in motion. It would mean the loss of local control.

SB 79 would create unjustified chaos, and create far more problems than it would solve. More specifically, the San Diego Community Coalition’s objections to SB 79 are as follows:

By Neighbors for a Better San Diego / July 22, 2025.

The City Council gave its final approval (second reading) of the revised ADU regulations. While the amendments could have gone further, they do provide meaningful reductions in the scale of Bonus ADU projects, as well as recognize and clarify that ADU developments have other legal constraints, such as limits on building on steep hillsides and in fire hazard zones.

The vote was 5 to 1 in favor**, with three Councilmembers not present.

For more details on the changes, click here.

What’s next?: The ordinance next goes to Mayor Gloria. Given that the Mayor highlighted the adopted regulations in his June 23 newsletter, we expect that he will sign them without undue delay.

By City News Service / July 22, 2025

The owner of the Los Angeles Times plans to take the newspaper public in the next year, allowing it “to be democratized and allow the public to have ownership of this paper,” he said.

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong told Jon Stewart on Monday’s episode of “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” that he was “working through” the move with “an organization that’s putting that together right now.”

Soon-Shiong did not say whether the deal would involve an initial public offer to sell shares of the company or another investment arrangement.

By Geoff Page

It appears the development vulture has landed in OB again, at 4620 Adair Street. A developer wants to erect four three-story buildings, with two dwelling units each, on that single family zoned lot. Eight dwelling units on one lot in a residential neighborhood.

Here is what is proposed:

Combination Building Permit for a proposed (4) (N) detached 3-story identical duplex buildings on a vacant lot. The work to include each building with (1) dwelling unit on the first floor and (1) dwelling unit on the 2nd and third floors. The Existing SDU and detached garage will be demolished under a separate permit. Historic: Ocean Beach Cottage Emerging.

Four three-story buildings. Each will have a first-floor dwelling unit and a two-story second dwelling unit on the second and third floors. Want to make a bet at how luxurious the two-story units will be? Eight dwelling units on a residential lot.

It appears the city approved the project without public input. The developer has already paid $12,227.20 in fees.

This one has a curious twist.

By Kate Callen / July 22, 2025

An extraordinary case of seller’s remorse surfaced last weekend when French Gourmet owner Michel Malecot posted an anguished statement about a boycott of his Pacific Beach businesses.

Malecot did not seem sorry that he sold his property to Los Angeles developer Kalonymous for $6.5 million. He claims he was taken by surprise when the buyer announced plans to build a 23-story tower on the site. But he offered no apology to the Pacific Beach community for the blight the project could cause.

The restaurateur expressed one regret. Loyal customers who are furious about the sale no longer walk through the doors of his French Gourmet Restaurant and his Froggy’s Bar next door. That is costing him a ton of money.

In a July 19 social media post, “A Letter from Michel to our French Gourmet Community,” Malecot said he had planned to close the restaurant early this year, but “due to the love for my profession and responsibility to my longtime faithful employees, I chose to keep the French Gourmet open for another year.”

It never occurred to him that his devoted French Gourmet Community wouldn’t be on board with that.

By Nils Gilman / Cal Matters / July 15, 2025

California has finally made real progress on one of its most stubborn problems: the housing crisis. After decades of paralysis, the state has begun to unwind the bureaucratic thicket that made it almost impossible to build new homes in cities. This should be a moment for cautious optimism.

Yet a new and very different problem looms — one that threatens to undermine these hard-won reforms before a single unit is built: a growing national effort to crack down on the very workers California needs to build its future.

This summer, Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed through a pair of bills — Assembly Bill 130 and Senate Bill 131 — that amount to the most significant overhaul of California’s development rules in more than 50 years. In particular, the reforms are massively curtailing the California Environmental Quality Act, which for decades has allowed opponents to block urban housing with endless lawsuits and reviews.

Urban infill projects near transit are now largely exempt from CEQA litigation. Developers are, for the first time in a generation, preparing to build at scale.

But just as California removes the red tape, it may find itself caught in another bind: a lack of construction workers. And this time, the cause isn’t homegrown.

By Francine Maxwell

The San Diego Human Relations Commission is supposed to represent all of us. That’s what the municipal code says. That’s what the mission says. But that’s not what’s happening.

Under its current chair— nicknamed by some as the “unofficial mayor of Hillcrest”—the Commission is quickly becoming a personal political platform rather than a public service body. Week after week, meeting after meeting, the agenda points in one direction: advocacy that centers almost exclusively on Jewish and LGBTQIA+ issues. Important communities, no doubt— but they’re not the only ones in this city. Not by a long shot.

Where is the Commission’s voice when it comes to anti-Blackness, anti-immigrant rhetoric, Islamophobia, or the rise in violence against Asian Americans? Where is the engagement with working-class families, seniors, veterans, refugees? It’s hard to find, if it exists at all.

Hundreds of Pacific Beach and La Jolla residents turned out to protest the 22-storoy skyscraper known as the Turquoise Tower on Saturday, July 19. Critics say that developers are using loop holes to build the monstrosity in North PB. They were joined by allies from across San Diego. 30 members of the San Diego Community Coalition and aligned groups turned up in support of the protest.

Hosted by the local group Neighbors for a Better California, founded by Marcella Bothwell who is also on the PB Planning Group, the event began with a short march from Dunn-Edwards Paint parking lot on Mission Blvd east to the 970 Turquoise Street site.

Eric L. reported that there were, “Lots of support from passers-by on Turquoise and merchants along the street. The only ‘issue’ of note was the police — already present to handle a traffic accident — asked our throng to move out of the road so cars could safely pass.” Eric also commented, “I was told that there were counter-protesters — I never saw them — but that they turned out to be “also” protesters: they weren’t in favor of the tower either.

Erik B said he saw “5 yimbys observing from behind the wall by the street.”

Fox5 reported that the high-rise “has sparked fresh demands from residents to shut it down for good, and that the “developer, Kalonymus, faces growing pressure to address the community’s concerns about its plans.”

by Lynne Miller

Point Loma Library Conference room was the venue for a small meeting of the PCPB.

If you ever want an overview of information related to City and State government take some time on the 3rd Thursday of the month to attend the Peninsula Community Planning Board.

The organization is efficient and gives well-researched reports, fields audience questions, and takes action designed to serve our community. From my vantage point in the audience of about 8, the board members are prepared with facts and capable of sharing with a focus that is refreshing.

Senate Bill 79 will have an Assembly vote today. The State Senate has already passed this bill, which was described by a PCPB member as “the worst bill every written”.

Mahena, Aguilar Weber’s assistant, told us that the Senator voted YES on SB 79 and offered some reasons for that vote. Several people spoke about the local problems with the bill, and the final word to the assistant was, “There will be a final vote, tell the Senator to vote NO on SB 79.” The 41 recognized local city boards are speaking out against the bill, and elected officials voting YES on SB 79 are not listening to their constituents. Tasha Boerner is the representative for PL and contacting her directly about this and other issues was advised.

From Neighbors for a Better San Diego

Third Time’s the Charm?

After being delayed two times, the final approval of the ADU regulations is on the City Council’s consent agenda for Tuesday, July 22, at 10 a.m.

We’re confident the item will be approved, so we won’t be making any lengthy public comments.

Although there’s still room for improvement, these regulations will put meaningful constraints on the Bonus ADU program.

We ask that you take the time to submit a simple statement of support to the City Council.

By Martha Abraham

It’s hardly a coincidence that Council Member Henry Foster appeared jubilant immediately after the vote to approve the Klauber Project. His two close allies, Vivin Moreno and Sean Elo-Riviera, were the ones who proposed and seconded the motion to move the Klauber Project forward, Henry did not object. When it was Henry’s turn to speak, he didn’t plea to stop the project, nor did he call for a new motion.

Instead, he merely expressed a vague hope that, next time, the developer would engage more meaningfully with the community.

Henry Foster himself has been largely unengaged, attempting to govern District 4 as if he’s the ruler rather than a representative. His approach has been dismissive, consistently limiting access for his constituents and ignoring our voices. If Foster truly supported our community’s interests, his social media posts and public comments following Tuesday’s meeting would have echoed disappointment or frustration with the council’s decision. Instead, we’ve heard nothing. His silence speaks for itself.