OB Town Council

Brighton Ave. Restroom Project Delayed, Over Budget

February 24, 2011 by Andy Cohen
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The anticipated Brighton Ave. public restroom project has suffered a major setback and now may not be completed until well into 2012. That was the bad news delivered to the Ocean Beach Town Council’s monthly public meeting.

The design for the project was approved on June 7, 2010, with contributions and approval from the Ocean Beach Planning Board. Final approvals from the City Council were not given until December when the project went out to bid. The City Engineering and Capital Projects division expected to receive several bids on the project, but received only four by the January 18 due date. Two bids were immediately rejected, one because it did not have all of the proper paperwork completed, and another because it was not presented to the City in a three-ring binder.

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OB Town Council Report: Further Fire Department and Lifeguard Cutbacks Loom

October 28, 2010 by Andy Cohen
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Representatives from the San Diego Fire Department appeared at the OB Town Council meeting last night to give their grim report on the state of San Diego’s emergency service providers. And for the first time San Diegans will start to see noticeable cuts in the department’s ability to serve the community.

San Diego Fire Chief Jeff Carle and Lifeguard Chief Rick Wurts delivered the bad news in a detailed report describing exactly how we got here, what further cuts are likely in the near future, and how it will affect Ocean Beach and beyond.

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The Ocean Beach Town Council of Yesteryear …

August 31, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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Come meet the OB Town Council of yesteryear … of 1972. OB community activists were engaged in a stand-off with the then president Bob Miller. Here is a portion of the front page of the original OB Rag in March 1972.

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U-T: OB Rag publisher removed from town council ballot

August 27, 2010 by Source
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By Christopher Cadelago / UNION-TRIBUNE /August 26, 2010

OCEAN BEACH — It’s official. Frank Gormlie, the activist, lawyer and co-founder of the OB Rag, will not be on the ballot as a candidate for the Ocean Beach Town Council’s board of directors. Gormlie, who hoped to be one of eight candidates – including six incumbents – vying for seven seats on the dais, had been told that because the business was based out of his Lemon Grove home, he was not eligible to run.

At town council meeting Wednesday night, Gormlie said he had secured a lease in Ocean Beach to house his business, but was told he was still not eligible to run because he did not submit the business address by the Aug. 16 deadline.

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Democracy, the OB Town Council, and Grassroots Activism – 11 Years Ago

August 26, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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The following was originally published on August 26, 2010, exactly 11 years ago to the day. It was another time and another moment, but it’s still interesting, I think. Many of my friends on the OBTC are not aware of this ancient history – and I bear no grudges.

[caption id="attachment_23897" align="aligncenter" width="560"]OB Town Council ballot annou Aug 2010 Here is the official OB Town Council Elections announcement, released August 20, 2010. Notice my name, Frank Gormlie, listed as an official candidate.[/caption]

Last night at their packed public meeting, I pleaded with the Ocean Beach Town Council to allow me to remain a candidate on their ballot for the annual Board election which has just begun.

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Frank Gormlie: “I’ve just been kicked off the OB Town Council’s candidate ballot.”

August 24, 2010 by Frank Gormlie

Today, around mid-morning, I received a phone call from Nancy Vaughn, the elections coordinator for the Ocean Beach Town Council. As you may know, the OBTC is having their annual elections beginning tomorrow (Wednesday Aug 25th) with their Candidates Forum – and up to now, I have been an official candidate.

On the phone Nancy Vaughn told me that I am in fact ineligible to be a candidate for the Board. She even told me that the OB Rag is ineligible to be a member. The Rag had joined the OBTC over three months ago and our dues fees were accepted. My name was on the official list of candidates sent out by the Council two days ago. My Letter of Intent declaring my candidacy had been accepted over a week ago. Yet on the eve of the balloting, I’m told I can’t run for one of the 7 seats that are open.

Here is the reason that Vaughn cited ….

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Two Important Community Meetings Coming Up – Good Time to Get Involved

August 24, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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A confluence of events is merging here in Ocean Beach this week that in themselves display a healthy village, a social stage active with its many players: on Tuesday night – August 24th – there is the second in a series of community forums on OB homelessness at the local Baptist Church.

And then on Wednesday night -the 25th – there is the OB Town Council meeting and its annual Candidates Forum up at the Masonic Center.

With these two important neighborhood meetings conjoined closely in time, we have a strong indication here of a an active – hence healthy – social and political life underwriting this coastal village.

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OB Town Council Candidates and Their Statements

August 23, 2010 by Staff
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The Ocean Beach Town Council is having an election starting this week to fill 7 seats that are being opened. And there are eight candidates running for those seats, six of them incumbents.

The Council is sponsoring a Candidates’ Forum during their regular public meeting, this Wednesday, August 24th, at the Masonic Center located at 1711 Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.

Here are the names and statements of the candidates, provided to us by the OBTC …..

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OB FLASHES – News, Calendar, and Whatever – August 12, 2010

August 12, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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ALL LINKS AND DETAILS INSIDE:

Jolly Roger Pirate Captured by Lifeguards
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OB Town Council Candidates Needed – Apply by August 16th
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Community and Alley Clean-Up on August 21st
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Second Community Forum on Homelessness – August 24th
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Candidate Forum for Town Council – August 25th
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Point Loma – Midway Community Meeting on Transforming the Post Office
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Peninsula Planners to Review Bylaws on August 19th

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Shadowy “Great Schools” Group To Address OB Town Council Meeting – Wed July 28th

July 28, 2010 by Doug Porter
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Scott Himelstein, the spokesman of the newly named “San Diegans 4 Great Schools”, has been visiting various civic groups around the city spreading the word that his group is disappointed with test scores in San Diego Unified schools and that “governance” is the problem. Tonight, Wednesday, July 28th, at 7 pm, he is slated to address the OB Town Council in a meeting to be held at the OB Masonic Temple (1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd).

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Education “reformer” scheduled to speak at OB Town Council not received well in Tierrasanta

July 23, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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The same guy who will be speaking about “education reform” at the next OB Town Council meeting on July 28th, spoke at a Tierrasanta community meeting Wednesday night (7/21/10). He wasn’t received all that well by local residents there.

Scott Himelstein, the leader of the newly named “San Diegans 4 Great Schools”, told the residents gathered at the Tierrasanta meeting that his group was disappointed with test scores in San Diego Unified schools and that “governance” was the problem. “Governance” is a cloaked term for “how the school board works”.

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Ocean Beach Town Council Is Accepting Applications for Grants

May 14, 2010 by Staff
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The OB Town Council is now accepting applications for grants that the Council will fund for the year 2010. Through the Ocean Beach Tree Festival Committee, the OBTC provides organizations and groups an opportunity to receive funds, raised by its Annual Tree Festival.

Last year the OBTC provided over $15,000 to a wide variety of organizations.

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OB Town Council Supports Keeping Fire Rings

April 29, 2010 by Staff
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Nearly a dozen residents who support keeping OB’s fire rings showed up at the Town Council’s regular meeting, Wednesday night, April 28th, and about half of them spoke up at the Masonic Temple meet before the very attentive Council on maintaining the community’s icons.

And even though the Town Council did not take a vote during the meeting, those members of the Council who spoke on the issue gave strong indications the Council would vote during their next meeting in support of the fire rings. About two years, the Council had passed a similar proposal in support of the pits.

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Save OB’s Few Remaining Fire Rings – Come to the Town Council Meeting Wed April 28th

April 28, 2010 by Frank Gormlie
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Show the OB Town Council – and everybody else (like the Mayor) – that you want to save the fire rings of Ocean Beach. They’re on the agenda tonight, April 28th, of the Town Council.

They meet at 7 pm at the Masonic Temple, corner of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and Santa Moncia Ave.

Mayor Sanders is threatening to begin removing all 185 of San Diego’s fire rings, including the remaining eight here in OB, beginning July 1. (We used to have 16 during the summer months.)

The City says the is no more funds to maintain them, that it costs $120,ooo to clean all the pits every week.

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Another Report of the OB Town Council Forum On the Homeless

February 25, 2010 by OB Cindi
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by OB Cindi

For those of you who need to be brought up to speed, last night from 7pm to 9pm there was an OB Town Council Meeting.

Earlier yesterday (Wed 2/24) I walked around Ocean Beach and handed out a flier to a handful of people under the pier. My flier had a map giving directions to the Masonic Temple, the time of the meeting, and a request for those the OBRag Ad Hoc Committee were representing to add their voices to the Town Council’s issue on homeless.

I asked about a dozen youth to come to the meeting to talk about their experience and to help push for a local shelter/camp city and more restrooms.

As the meeting started, I took a seat amongst the youth as I had promised–I practice and preach tolerance and coexistence.

The meeting kicked off with people running for various districts pushing their platforms.

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Impressions of OB Town Council Forum

February 25, 2010 by Dan Morales

by Danny Morales

The day of the community journalist has arrived in Ocean Beach. The blogger/activists of the OB Rag gave the Ocean Beach Town Council and the community at large a healthy dose of solutions, unity and peoples advocacy.

Last night’s meeting – double-billed as a forum for Ocean Beach Planning Board candidates and homeless discussion – started its civic booster rockets in red glare style. Firing up with a pledge of allegiance and a lineup of the usual suspects, the meeting had me looking over my shoulder from the get go. Not that I was wary of who was using the bathroom for what but when the mooks from the “I agree with everything the police do to get the varmints outta town” society got up from chuckling about the “Trolls Verboten” flier to stand at my rear, did the hair on my neck stand up.

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OB Town Council Takes on Lifeguard Station and Restrooms

October 2, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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OCEAN BEACH, CA. Every now and then, an Ocean Beach organization takes one of the community’s problems head-on. This is happening with the old OB lifeguard station and its public restroom facilities. Recently, the OB Rag complained about the state of the restrooms.

Stepping up to the problems, the OB Town Council has “adopted” the public building – built sometime in the late Sixties – and plans to shepherd through some improvements with the facility.

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OB Flashes: Community Bulletin Board: September 22-29

September 22, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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OB RAG Community Bulletin and sometimes Discussion Board for the week of September 22nd-29th, 2009.

News and views, community events, thoughts, musings – it’s all here. Discuss anything that is bugging you, or exciting you, or of interest. Or just something you want to share with the rest of us. Do it in the comments section.

Not only that, if you or your buds are having a meeting or event you would like to inform the rest of us about, do so here. If you are having a GARAGE or YARD SALE this week, let us know.

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City pressured to conduct new traffic study on Sunset Cliffs Blvd

September 3, 2009 by Source

by Anthony Gentile / Peninsula Beacon

The nagging issue of traffic calming on Sunset Cliffs, spearheaded by the Slow Down Sunset Cliffs effort started a year ago, became a key topic of the Aug. 26 meeting of the Ocean Beach Town Council (OBTC).

A representative from the city’s Traffic Engineering Division was on hand …

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Slow down Sunset Cliffs – Come to OB Town Council Aug 26th

August 28, 2009 by Source
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by Dan Allemeier

It has been well over a year since we started this effort to slow down traffic on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, but we are still here and working to get something done to calm the traffic and provide more safety to all OB residents that try to cross Sunset Cliffs whether by foot or car.

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Ocean Beach and the Police in the mid-1970s: demand grows for that strange and foreign concept of civilian review

March 10, 2009 by Frank Gormlie
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It may be true, as someone has suggested, that young people of Ocean Beach today have no idea of the on-going, daily tension between the police and the youth of OB a generation ago. Things are taken for granted.

Take the concept of police review, of the idea that civilians with some authority review the activities of police officers through an independent process. Heh? What’s the big deal? you ask. Of course, there should be some sort of civilian monitoring of and control on how police act and behave toward citizens.

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Locals Convince Ocean Beach Town Council to Back Safety Measures for Sunset Cliffs Blvd.

August 28, 2008 by Staff

Editor: In late May of this year, local Ocean Beach residents approached the O.B. Town Council with their concerns about the dangers of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, the main drag into the community from the freeways. The Town Council promised that they would address the issues at their August meeting, which was held last night, August […]

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