OB Rag — Grassroots and Progressive views on local, national and world news

When Mission Bay Had a Floating Stage

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 19:41:46 +0200

By Debbie Sklar / Times of San Diego / August 25, 2026 Today, Mission Bay is known for beaches, boats, hotels and recreation. In 1949, however, the area was still being developed into the recreational destination San Diegans know today. To celebrate the official opening of Mission Bay Park, the city staged a three-day festival — and one of its most unusual attractions was a floating barge that served as a stage for musicians and entertainers. Fiesta Bahia, or Festival of the Bay, was held Sept. 3-5, 1949. The city of San Diego’s Digital Archives preserves a photograph of the floating stage taken Sept. 4. The Sept. 3-5, 1949, celebration officially opened Mission Bay Park. The 3-day event included the use of floating stages, a Central Labor Council water parade, showing the movie ‘Man’s Conquest of the Air’ each night, vaudeville shows, and aquatic exhibitions by the San Diego Swimming Association including water ballet, high- and comedy-divers, and water ski, boat and paddleboard races. The festival was built around the water.

Muggy Weather Has Arrived!

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 19:14:34 +0200

Donald Trump – Todd Gloria: More Alike Than Different?

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 18:49:13 +0200

By Mat Wahlstrom It's astonishing, the extent to which political norms and the rule of law have been perverted by an elected official who imagines himself a king and has a cabal of cronies and an entire political party enabling his madness. There's no level of government or public policy where he won't intrude for personal gain, no grievance too petty to express, no punishment too harsh for those who oppose him. Any engagement with him that is less than fawning is met with insult (if not also litigious and/or paramilitary measures). No one is allowed to tell him "No." But while a majority of Americans disapprove of the current federal regime for these reasons, what is interesting is how long it has taken people in San Diego to recognize a variant of this same derangement in our "strong-arm mayor" form of government and his neoliberal party machine. While I am certain that there are those at this point thinking this comparison is hyperbole, I contend that any difference in lawlessness is one of degree not of kind. The rumblings were abundant in 2024. Todd Gloria's 'irrational exuberance' in going on a hiring spree to fund a redundant layer of YIMBY-identifying city staffers as his personal enforcers finally ran into the iceberg of budget reality. Middle-manager positions swelled from 70 in 2011 to 393 today; and the personal cost of city services to individual San Diegans increased by 29% -or $346 more per year.

Schooled! Public Commenters Teach ‘Professor’ La Cava a Lesson

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 17:56:12 +0200

OB Rag Staff Report When the San Diego City Council returned from a month’s hiatus on August 24, Council President Joe La Cava quickly laid down the law about what he would and would not allow public commenters to discuss. But those commenters quickly taught him a lesson about why elected officials who run meetings need to do their homework. The afternoon’s second agenda item was a formality, a vote to remove Measure C from the municipal code. The initiative would have let the Midway Rising project exceed the city’s 30-foot coastal height limit. But it was struck down in court on environmental impact issues, so the Council vote was procedural. Midway Rising has sparked a furious battle between elected officials who are hell-bent on pushing it through, and community activists who are hell-bent on stopping it. Mayor Todd Gloria, who has staked everything on this project, flew to Sacramento to lobby for special legislation that will green light it. So, it was no surprise when public commenters addressed the environmental risks of Midway Rising, including flooding from rising sea levels and soil liquefaction. But the Council President wasn’t having it. He interrupted several speakers and chastised them because they didn’t strictly limit their remarks to the defunct Measure C.

“I’m going to ask you to speak on Measure C,” La Cava told Angela Vedder, “to talk about whether or not we should repeal Measure C.”

Lori Saldana noted the irony of repealing Measure C while pushing state bills to negate existing height limits.

Scott Peters on Turquoise Tower: ‘Right Now the Priority Is to Stop This’

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 17:44:14 +0200

By Marcella Bothwell and Karen Ventimiglia / Special to the OB Rag The Pacific Beach Town Council and Pacific Beach Planning Group hosted a community Town Hall with Rep. Scott Peters focused on the proposed Turquoise Tower and the broader housing policies reshaping San Diego’s coastal communities. The discussion made clear that Peters remains strongly supportive of building more housing, but he also acknowledged that California’s current approach can be too blunt. Peters described the political momentum behind state housing mandates as a ‘sledgehammer approach.’ He said Turquoise Tower shows what can happen when those laws are applied without enough nuance. On Turquoise Tower itself, Peters reiterated that he does not believe the 23-story project should move forward as proposed. He pointed to his previously issued letter opposing the project and said he was willing to help facilitate discussions with the California Coastal Commission about how housing laws should be applied in coastal communities. When asked what height he would consider acceptable, Peters said that under the density-bonus framework he believes should apply, the project would be closer to roughly 60 feet, or about six stories, and said he did not believe it should be higher than that.

What’s With 820 Fort Stockton in Mission Hills?

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 20:22:53 +0200

By Doug Poole What is going on with 820 Fort Stockton? I'll break it into sections for ease of reading. Status of the Permit There has been no activity on the permit since February/ March 2026. The same 17 deficiencies remain, the most critical being the number of affordable units and the building height. There has been no communication from the Development Services Department (DSD) to our attorney, DeLano & DeLano, nor any response to repeated requests from Ralph Teyssier — a very experienced structural engineer who, together with me, tried to arrange a meeting with the DSD engineers and the project manager. Fees and Why Developers Love Micro-Units City records show the developer paid several permit fees on 6/6/2025, totaling $52,000. These fees so far are based on what was on the site — the six units in the three buildings Stockdale demolished. The Development Impact Fee (DIF) portion of that appears to be about $33,000. For a Complete Communities project in Uptown (which includes Mission Hills), DIFs run about $16,000 per unit, as long as each unit is under 500 square feet — versus roughly $28,000 per unit for regular units over 1,301 square feet. Complete Communities projects also get a 25% DIF discount, largely because they're “near transit.” DIFs are meant to fund parks, mobility (bike infrastructure), libraries, and fire service

‘What the Flock Is Going on?’ — An Update on Americans’ Pushback Against the Mass-Surveillance Company

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:56:59 +0200

By Michael Angelo Hernandez

What the Flock is Going On?

Mass-surveillance tech company Flock Safety made the news again here in San Diego recently. This time, due to an appearance before the San Diego City Council from the infamous villain of the widely popular Star Wars franchise, the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader. Or at least someone dressed like him, to mockingly defend the city’s use of Flock surveillance cameras. It was during a Public Safety and Liveable Neighborhoods committee meeting on Wednesday Aug. 19, that “Vader” took the podium and proclaimed “The emperor is a fan of flock”. In his comments throughout the meeting, the Vader impersonator called for a stronger police force in San Diego and the continued use of Flock Surveillance technology “so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium, because we all know that the Flock Cameras are not only following the license plate readers, they are following children, they are following children in parks, and gymnasiums, and we need this, I need this so I can stalk my ex-girlfriend.”

A Canadian View of Trump’s Trade War With Canada

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:24:06 +0200

By Marc Snelling / Special to the OB Rag California’s winery casualties continue to mount as the Trump Trade War escalates. The near blockade of the Strait of Your Booze has resulted in layoffs and closures amongst California wineries, Kentucky distilleries, and other industries with Canadian export markets. The senseless damage to cross-border businesses grows along with White House rhetoric. The trade war against Canada started with a MAGA regime lie about fentanyl streaming across the Northern border, is now a year and half old. This week the Canadian negotiating team walked away from US talks in what media are calling an escalation to an all-out trade war. Canadian’s views remain largely unchanged by recent events. Any so-called “negotiations” with the White House have long been seen as extortion through sovereignty threats. Canadians questioned not only if a deal was possible, but if a deal with the current White House would be the worth the paper it was written on. After all the deal on paper now is not being followed and it has the current president’s sharpie on it. The end result of US bluster and tariffs is a sharp drop in Canadian trust of US government. A drop so steep that for the first time ever, Pew Research Center polling shows the average Canadian now views China (44%) as a more reliable trading partner than the USA (33%). The result is hard to fathom considering the centuries-long US-Canada alliance and that views of China were near historic lows during the COVID pandemic.

Rules Committee Approves Proposal for Free Parking at San Diego Beaches and Mission Bay

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:08:24 +0200

City News Service - CBS8 / August 26, 2026 The San Diego City Council's Rules Committee unanimously approved an ordinance Wednesday, Aug. 26, that would maintain free parking at local beaches and Mission Bay "in perpetuity." The ordinance must go before the full council before it becomes law. Committee members Council President Joe LaCava and Councilman Raul Campillo authored the ordinance, while the full committee restricted it to city residents only and removed a 10-year sunset clause.

"Councilmember Campillo's initial proposal aligned with my held belief that beaches and Mission Bay should be accessible and free to San Diegans," LaCava said. "By repositioning this from a ballot measure to an ordinance, I saw the opportunity to save taxpayers nearly $1 million through council action and not a public vote. Advancing this proposal ensures that these prized public parking spaces will be available at no cost to San Diegans."

San Diego does not charge for city-owned beach and bay parking lots. Wednesday's proposal is intended to ensure that they remain free of charge for San Diego residents.

Loma Portal Spanish Colonial Revival House Designated as Historic

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:38:09 +0200

By Roma Chang / Hoodline / August 21, 2026 A nearly 100-year-old Spanish Colonial Revival home on Kingsley Street in Loma Portal has officially been designated a historic property, a status that also opens the door for its owners to seek a significant property tax break. The San Diego Historical Resources Board voted unanimously, 7-0, to approve the designation on its consent agenda during its May 28 meeting, with the motion made by Boardmember Farley and seconded by Boardmember Woods. The home at 3111 Kingsley St., known historically as the Union Trust Company of San Diego Spec House #3, was built in 1927 by the Pioneer Construction Company, though its architect remains unknown, according to city planning records. As reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune, the property is currently owned by Eric and Katie Singh, and the historical nomination followed research submitted by Ginger Weatherford. City records show the home falls within Council District 2 and the Peninsula Community Planning Area.

The Supreme Court needs to remind Trump he has no power over elections

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:59:32 +0200

By Erwin Chemerinsky / LA Times Commentary / August 26, 2026 The Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday allowing President Trump’s executive order on mail voting to go forward is stunningly insensitive to the context: Trump is trying to exercise control over elections when he has absolutely no authority to do so. In one sense, the justices decided nothing, simply saying it was too soon for federal courts to get involved. But in a more important way, the court could have and should have put an emphatic end to the president’s efforts to try to regulate voting operations that are legally the domain of state governments. The context for the Supreme Court’s ruling is Trump’s repeated assertion that noncitizens are illegally voting in the United States. However, many studies done on this topic have come to the same conclusion: Instances of noncitizens voting are extremely rare. One study from 2017, by the Brennan Center for Justice, looked at 42 jurisdictions across which more than 23.5 million votes were cast, and found only 30 instances in which there were investigations into noncitizens voting — or 0.0001% of ballots cast.

ICE Sets New Record — Arrests 50,000 People in July

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:38:29 +0200

By Vanessa Romo / NPR / August 26, 2026 Immigration and Customs Enforcement recorded 49,571 arrests in July, setting the highest monthly arrest total in President Trump's second term, according to recently released government data provided by ICE to the Deportation Data Project based at U.C. Berkeley and UCLA. The total surge averages out to 1,599 apprehensions a day, and tops June's record-breaking number of 43,021 arrests by 15%. Since taking over in March, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has pivoted from the confrontational style of immigration enforcement of his predecessor, Kristi Noem. The former head of DHS often accompanied ICE officers on high profile raids, including Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, which left two American citizens dead at the hands of federal agents. Instead Mullin pledged to fulfill the Trump administration's deportation goals while keeping the department out of the headlines. The latest data is reflective of a strategy that is working. Graeme Blair, co-director of the Deportation Data Project says the uptick is due to Mullin's change in tactics. "What we're seeing is an expansion in all of the different ways that ICE is detaining people," Blair told NPR. "They're arresting people at airports, at ICE check-ins, at immigration courthouses and this is the result of that."

Todd Gloria’s Staff Need to Get Him in Front of San Diego Citizens Besides Photo-Ops

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:26:06 +0200

By Paul Krueger / Letter to the Editor, U-T / August 25, 2026 Re “Can Gloria break San Diego’s mayoral curse?” (Aug.16): Thanks to Carl Luna for his insightful take on the unforced errors that define Mayor Gloria’s second term. But I disagree with Luna’s speculation that the mayor’s staff has been “keeping him in the bunker of City Hall.” A cursory review of the mayor’s daily social media posts and newsletters confirms he spends significant time outside his office. We see him marching and smiling at the Gay Pride Parade, singing and smiling at the start of a 5K race honoring military members, shaking hands and smiling at an affordable housing summit.

Emerald Hills Resident Sues San Diego Over Controversial Housing Development

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:02:43 +0200

Resident Kenny Key Is Well-Known Activist

By Katie Hyson / KPBS / August 21, 2026 An Emerald Hills resident is suing the city of San Diego over a housing development coming to his neighborhood. It’s the latest challenge to the development in a years-long debate. Residents have been asking for a park on the hilltop for decades. Their appeal to stop the new development was rejected by the city council last month. Kenny Key, who lives next to the lot, is challenging that rejection in a new lawsuit. “It's just a proud Black neighborhood that I grew up in,” he said. “I feel an obligation to stand for my community.” He’s a retired heavy equipment operator for the Department of Public Works, he said. He was trained by CalTrans and worked on a striping crew. In other words, he knows roads.

Exactly 133 Years Ago Today — August 26, 1893 — 600 People Went to Pacific Beach for a Day of Fun

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:43:40 +0200

By Debbie L. Sklar / Special to the OB Rag Pacific Beach looked very different in the summer of 1893. The seaside community was still developing, with a hotel, a large dance pavilion and a railroad that brought visitors from San Diego to the beach. For San Diegans looking for a summer escape, Pacific Beach offered music, surf bathing, picnics and dancing. On August 26 -- exactly 133 years ago -- it offered something else: an all-day outing organized by the Elks that drew about 600 people. San Diego Lodge No. 168 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks had been established just three years earlier, in 1890. By 1893, the lodge was meeting at the B.P.O.E. Hall in the Fisher Opera House.

Man Fatally Shot by Police After Standoff in Point Loma

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:45:24 +0200

A possible burglary suspect was shot to death by police after an hours-long SWAT standoff in Point Loma Tuesday night, August 25th. The unidentified male was shot after he emerged from the home with a gun in the 2700 block of Nipoma Street. No one else was injured. Police responded around 4:40 pm for a welfare check at the house but the call was later upgraded to a report of a residential burglary in progress. Police contacted the homeowner when they arrived and were told that firearms were inside the residence and that no one had permission to be inside.

Pacific Beach Town Hall with Rep. Scott Peters — Wed., Aug. 26

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:16:44 +0200

Where’s the ‘Community’ in the Midway District Community Planning Group?

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 19:56:01 +0200

By Lu Rehling What does the “Community” in “Community Planning Group” (CPG) mean when corporate interests govern? And why is the Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group ("the Group") so invested in the current plan for Midway Rising, despite urgent environmental and infrastructure concerns that have been raised by the CPGs that are the Group's geographical neighbors? The answer is that while those other CPGs, like most in our city, have primarily residents on their boards, the Group's board members are almost entirely owners and representatives of businesses and business-use properties. And the Group operates in ways that suggest it intends to keep things that way, at least well past the time for major Midway Rising decisions. In fact, right now the Group is gearing up to fill the 5 vacant seats on its 15-member board with mostly reps of business and non-resident property owners, even though there already are more of those kinds of members and way fewer of residents than its city-approved operating procedures require. (In fact, there’s only one single resident board member now!) How can the Midway District planning group get away with that? By loving a loophole: the Group’s city-approved operating procedures allow it to fill, by appointment, resident board seats for the completion of full 3-year terms with other types of members. Conveniently, the Group reports having only one potential resident candidate on deck for its consideration, along with multiple non-residents. And since the Group has committed to filling its empty member seats quickly, it’s reasonable to guess that the non-resident majority on the board will look favorably upon their own kind and appoint accordingly. Notably, those same operating procedures also require that the Midway planners first make “diligent efforts” to recruit resident members, but that ain’t been happening.

City Council Repeals Measure C Which Allowed Midway Rising to Bypass Coast Height Limit But With Anticipation that State Law Will Okay Project

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 19:25:27 +0200

San Diego City Council unanimously repealed Measure C, but state affordable housing law could still allow the 48-acre Midway Rising project to bypass coastal height limits.

By Allison Ash / 7SanDiego / August 24, 2026 The San Diego City Council unanimously voted to repeal Measure C, eliminating the voter-approved law that allowed the massive Midway Rising project to circumvent the city's 30-foot coastal height limit. The repeal adds another wrinkle for Midway Rising, a proposed 48-acre redevelopment of the Sports Arena area that would include a new 16,000-seat venue, restaurants, shopping and more than 4,000 homes. Nearly half of the homes would be designated for low-income residents. Measure C was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2022, allowing developers to move forward without being bound by the coastal height limit. Courts have since ruled that the measure may violate California's environmental impact rules. City Council President Joe La Cava said the council had an obligation to remove the Measure C language from the city's municipal code.

Supreme Court Lifts Injunction Blocking Trump’s Attack on Mail Voting — But Did Not Rule on Its Legality

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:56:38 +0200

By Jacob Knutson, Jim Saksa / Democracy Docket / August 24, 2026 In a victory for the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump’s sweeping attack on mail voting to go forward, bolstering his long-running effort to restrict voting access ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The Court Monday granted emergency appeals filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and a dozen Republican-led states against a lower court’s order blocking the implementation of the president’s March executive order, which sought to increase federal control over mail voting.* The decision brings the Trump administration one step closer to implementing the order ahead of November’s midterm elections. However, the Court only stayed one of the two court orders restricting the government from effectuating Trump’s decree, a permanent injunction applying to 23 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C. A separate, nationwide injunction remains in place. The Court’s three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson writing that the Court’s decision could wreak havoc on the upcoming elections, which are less than three months away. “This ruling violates well-established precedents concerning this Court’s equitable discretion and needlessly injects chaos and uncertainty into the upcoming midterm elections,” she wrote.