OB Rag

By Kate Callen / August 22, 2025

What is up with Joe La Cava?

The District 1 Councilmember was the skunk at the picnic when he cast the only “No” vote July 29 on a motion to delay classifying part of Mission Bay Park as “surplus land” available for development.

Being the lone holdout was awkward enough. But La Cava, unanimously elected Council President last December, wasn’t just out of sync with his colleagues. He was personally out of sorts, clearly irked with constituents who keep testing his patience.

La Cava opened the Council meeting under a cloud. As President, he was responsible for placing the Mission Bay item on the Consent Agenda. If an anonymous OB Rag tipster hadn’t spotted it and contacted Frank Gormlie, Mission Bay Parkland would have been rubber-stamped as “surplus land” by the Council with no public review or discussion.

When the resulting Rag story by Geoff Page caught the attention of former Councilmember Donna Frye, she mobilized San Diegans as only Donna can. Eight Councilmembers took notice. In varying degrees, they wanted to slow down deliberations and give the public more time to weigh in.

But La Cava was in no mood to wait, and he was openly dismissive of the need for debate: “You either love this or you hate this. There is no middle ground, no refinement that can come out of more public discussion. I am very concerned about us not pursuing new revenue to finance the Mission Bay Park.”

Let’s take a closer look at that.

By Aaron Pellish / Politico / August 20, 2025

Former President Barack Obama is supporting California’s mid-cycle redistricting effort as a “responsible approach” to Republicans drawing new maps in Texas.

Obama praised California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ballot measure proposal to redraw congressional districts and tilt at least five congressional districts in the state towards Democrats at a fundraiser on Tuesday for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

“I believe that Governor Newsom’s approach is a responsible approach,” he said, according to excerpts obtained by POLITICO. “I think that approach is a smart, measured approach, designed to address a very particular problem in a very particular moment in time.”

STATEWIDE RALLIES TO PROTEST SB 79: EXPERTS WARN BILL PUTS PROFITS OVER SAFETY AND HOMEOWNERSHIP

August 23, 2025 — San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Marin

On Saturday, August 23, Californians in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other cities will rally against Senate Bill 79, which allows developers to build large-scale housing projects within a half-mile of existing or proposed transit stops. Critics say the bill overrides local safety standards, infrastructure limits, and community input.

The San Diego rally begins at 10 a.m. near the North Clairemont Recreation Center, corner of Genesee andBannock Avenue.

State Senator Aisha Wahab told a group of California smart housing growth advocates during a recent Zoom call that “tech billionaire and developer money funneled through YIMBY lobbying is misleading younger legislators into thinking this is a simple fix for affordability.” She urged lawmakers to focus on protecting a pathway to homeownership, not locking Californians into high-cost rentals.

By Sara Jacobs / Op-Ed San Diego Union-Tribune / August 20, 2025

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a special election this November in California. Our state isn’t supposed to have another statewide election until 2026, but Newsom recognizes the urgency of this moment.

Why? Because Donald Trump and Texas Republicans are making an unprecedented power grab to steal congressional seats and rig the 2026 election before a single vote is cast.

Trump knows that if the midterms are a fair fight, he and his friends in Congress will lose. The start of Trump’s second term has been an unmitigated disaster. He has imposed sweeping tariffs that have hurt California families and businesses, denied much-needed disaster aid to fire victims, and ordered inhumane immigration raids that have left families torn apart and businesses without a workforce. Across the board, his approval ratings are tanking. And he knows that if House Democrats retake the majority, we’ll put an end to his disastrous agenda.

by Noah Goldberg / LA Times / August 20, 2025 

After a tense and sharply divided debate Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to oppose a state bill that aims to vastly expand high-density housing near public transit hubs, arguing that the state should leave important planning decisions to local legislators.

The council voted 8 to 5 to oppose Senate Bill 79, which seeks to mitigate the state’s housing shortage by allowing buildings of up to nine stories near certain train stops and slightly smaller buildings near some bus stops throughout California.

“A one-size-fits-all mandate from Sacramento is not safe, and it’s not responsible,” said City Councilmember Traci Park at a news conference before the vote.

Park, who was joined at the news conference by Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and John Lee, said the bill was an attempt by its sponsor, state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), and other state legislators to “hijack” local planning from the city.

Lee, who authored the resolution opposing the bill, called it “not planning” but “chaos.”

By Tanja Kropf / Explore Clairemont / August 19, 2025

If the City of San Diego has its way, the single-family home landscape that has been a part of the fabric of Clairemont for decades is about to dramatically change.

On August 4, city planners unveiled their proposed 30-year plan for Clairemont at the Clairemont Community Planning Group (CCPG) meeting. The 101-page document was released to the public less than two hours before the meeting.

The new Clairemont Community Plan proposes up to 17,100 additional residences and a more urbanized ‘City of Villages’ neighborhood design where commercial, retail, and residential units will share higher density spaces.

Additionally, the 30-foot height limit the City Council adopted in 1989 for most of Clairemont will go away. This will clear the way for, at a minimum, 65-foot height limits in certain areas.

The elimination of height limits aligns with California Senate Bill 79. SB 79 would override current single-family zoning restrictions in favor of multi-family residential developments (condos, apartments). The bill would allow buildings up to 95 feet high in areas with access to transit within a half mile (as the crow flies).

By Steven Mihailovich / Point Loma-OB Monthly SDU-T / August 20, 2025 

The Ocean Beach Community Foundation is trying to take on the homelessness problem with the formation of an Unsheltered Subcommittee, and it’s seeking support from the community.

In announcing the new committee at OBCF’s public meeting Aug. 14, board member Phil Cenedella categorized homelessness as three types of conditions — mental illness, circumstantial and criminal — and said the committee’s goal is to assist with all three, including incarceration for the latter.

“The elephant in the room in OB has been the unsheltered, security and mental illness issues,” Cenedella said. “That’s why we’re taking it seriously as a board and try to address it. … We know what’s going on. Now we need to find solutions. … We don’t want kids and their moms scared walking to school. That’s unacceptable.”

Tamara Kohler, chief executive of the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, was on hand to offer the support of her nonprofit organization.

See Schedule of ‘Surge Pricing’ Beginning Sept. 1

Editordude: The following is from local grassroots policy advocate Lisa Mortensen’s Wednesday, August 20 email blast, written in response from to Jay Clevenger, Community Representative of Councilmember Stephen Whitburn’s office, to her inquiry about changes to parking fee structures downtown within the Ballpark District. This is what’s referred to as “surge pricing.” Clelvenger’s original email follows Lisa’s questions. The email was edited for brevity purposes. 

By Lisa Mortensen

My first question is, will the pricing go into a specific account that will be audited to make sure the funds are directed at the specific infrastructure and maintenance uses that you mentioned in your message below? Or will the funds be placed in the general fund?

I read the IBA report and it states: “FISCAL AND POLICY DISCUSSION – While many administrative reforms are being presented, some of the changes in the parking reform are anticipated to result in additional revenue for the City, including the General Fund.”

This concerns citizens because we know that funds that are placed in the General fund can be used at the mayor’s (and council’s) discretion and not for the original stated intent. Assertions about intended uses and benefits that have been made in the past have not always been honored,

by Dave Schwab / Times of San Diego / Aug. 20, 2025

Some residents are pushing back at plans by AT&T to install a 30-foot “faux eucalyptus” cell tower with 12 antennas, 9 radio units and a large ground equipment box.

Those opposed to the proposal, at 2315 Soto St. on public land in Collier Park, have requested that the city deny a conditional use permit for it in its fenced-off area. They’re arguing that public land is inappropriate to build a new cell tower on, disguised or not, contending it should be used for another purpose.

Disguising cell towers as trees, often eucalyptus or other types, helps them blend into the landscape, making them less noticeable and reducing the feeling of visual clutter. Faux trees are primarily used to address public concerns about visual pollution and to make towers more acceptable in residential areas.

These disguises help mitigate the aesthetic impact of cell towers, which can be perceived as eyesores, especially in areas where they might clash with the surrounding environment.

Eric Law, chair of the Peninsula Community Planning Board, speaking for himself, said residents oppose the cell tower project for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that some view Collier Park as a sacrosanct recreational community resource.

Law noted AT&T, a publicly traded company, not a public utility, is seeking to upgrade its 5G telecommunications system in the area.

Washington DC, America’s bluest city, is building more homes per capita than Houston—not with bottom-up zoning reform but with top-down government action.

by Brian Shearer / Washington Monthly / August 14, 2025

Since Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s book Abundance was published, the policy world has debated the causes of our current housing supply drought. Abundance argued that zoning laws are the culprit, as part of its broader thesis calling for liberals to embrace a policy vision oriented around building more of what we need (i.e., “abundance”) primarily through targeted deregulation of private industry and de-proceduralization of government.

Other analysts believe that it is consolidation in the housing market that slows development. But both camps aim to expand housing supply, and solutions are not always derived from the causes of the problem. Cancer isn’t caused by the absence of chemo drugs or radiation, but that is often the treatment. Instead of debating causes, focusing on what policy solutions work best might be a better approach.

The controversial Harmony Grove Village South (HGVS) project is front and center again, because the San Diego County Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the project during their August 22nd monthly hearing, starting at 9:00a.m.

Opposition to the project has only grown in recent months, stemming mainly from its lack of a secondary wildfire evacuation route. The housing development, as currently designed, would only have one viable evacuation route for 453 new homes and 70 legacy homes, in violation of current state fire code. The previous Board of Supervisors allowed the developer to bypass this crucial fire code requirement by identifying an unimproved dirt path that might serve as a backup evacuation if the main exit were blocked. That vegetation-choked path, which winds through numerous properties, is impassable by passenger vehicles and cannot reasonably be used for evacuation in an emergency.

by Ernie McCray

I met with some good folks
on a beautiful warm and sunny day
to just unify
with people of like minds.
And it was well worth my time
as we sang a few songs
and opened a mic
to prose and rhymes
after taking a little time
to burn sage
to purify our bodies and our minds,
giving reverence to the
ideals of the indigenous cultures,