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

OB Planners: Mariner’s Cove in Ocean Beach to Get Capital Improvements, Not Redevelopment

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:24:57 +0200

Steven Mihailovich of the Point Loma-OB Monthly, a publication of the San Diego U-T, reported on June 9th about a presentation on Mariner's Cove, a residential complex in east Ocean Beach at the most recent OB Planning Board meeting this month. A redevelopment project long planned for the 500-unit Mariner’s Cove apartment complex has been replaced by a capital improvements plan, according to a presentation to the Ocean Beach Planning Board by Barbara Frommell, senior director of government and public relations for property operator AIR Communities, and Ben Haddad of California Strategies, a consulting firm working on the project. The redevelopment plan was presented to the Planning Board in 2020. “The project has changed from when we first approached you with it, when we thought we were going to be building [more than 200] additional units on the same footprint,” Haddad said at the board’s June 2 meeting. “But now we’re … doing capital improvements.” Frommell said the improvements plan includes new siding, roofs, paint color and upgrades to site amenities over the next three years. “It will improve the quality of life for residents and also importantly contribute to the preservation of affordable housing in San Diego,” she said. Mariner’s Cove, built in 1984, is at 4392 W. Point Loma Blvd. on 31 acres leased through the San Diego Housing Commission. It offers 300 units considered affordable, with 100 of them for low-income households earning up to 80% of the area median income and 200 for moderate incomes up to 120% of AMI. The remaining 200 units in the complex are market rate, with no income or rent restrictions. The original redevelopment plan called for demolishing the complex and replacing it with new buildings with additional market-rate units at an estimated cost of $400 million.

The Lowdown on City Council’s Latest Budget; Now Goes Back to Mayor Gloria; Robb Field in Ocean Beach to Be Fully Funded

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:06:15 +0200

Voice of San Diego / June 10, 2026 The City Council unanimously approved a budget on Tuesday to send back to Mayor Todd Gloria. Gloria can now approve it, veto it or use his line-item veto. Even though the budget passed unanimously — it didn’t happen without some controversy and disagreement. Flock contract stays in place: Four councilmembers supported the cancellation of the city’s $2 million per year Smart Streetlights contract. The controversial Smart Streetlights, operated by a company called Flock, provide “AI-powered video surveillance,” as well as license plate reader technology. The councilmembers attempted to pass a budget that eliminated the contract, but it didn’t have the fifth vote it needed to pass.

Anti-STVR Stickers Popping Up on Sidewalks in North OB

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 18:16:54 +0200

Informational stickers appearing in front of OB short term rentals

By Joaquin Antique This reporter recently returned from an extended vacation outside of the bubble to find anti-STVR stickers popping up on sidewalks all over north OB. The numbers of these stickers on almost every street I've walked on since I got back to OB is mind blowing.

Former OB-Based Photographer Jim Grant Honored by Local TV Station

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:45:09 +0200

By Shawn Styles / CBS8 / June 4, 2026 San Diego’s coastal beauty offers endless opportunities for photographers, but capturing the perfect shot often comes down to timing, preparation, and a bit of luck. Local photographer Jim Grant knows that balance well. Grant gained national recognition in 2024 when his image of a rare “Green Flash” sunset earned the grand prize in the American Meteorological Society’s annual photo competition. The photo featured a sailboat perfectly aligned within the glowing sun as a green flash shimmered above it. “It was a shot of the green flash, setting sun with the green flash on top with a sailboat right in the middle of the sun,” Grant said. The award-winning image was not entirely accidental. Grant had been tracking weather patterns and positioning himself between Ocean Beach Pier and the Mission Bay channel, where evening boat traffic increases the chances of capturing a dynamic foreground.

“If I can get at least a good sunset, the sailboat in the image was strictly a bonus,” he explained. “I was just there at the right place at the right time.”

‘Temporary’ Lifeguard Tower in Mission Beach a Multi-Million Dollar Monument to Decades of Neglect

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:09:59 +0200

SanDiegoVille / May 29, 2026 The "temporary" Mission Beach lifeguard tower is a multimillion-dollar monument to decades of civic neglect and a preview of what happens when a city government confuses managing a crisis with causing one. Stand on the Mission Beach boardwalk this summer and take a look at what may be one of the most expensive temporary structures in San Diego history. Rising above one of California's busiest beaches is an industrial steel framework wrapped in chain-link fencing, crisscrossed with exposed bracing and exterior staircases, topped by what appears to be a lifeguard observation cab bolted to the roof. The Giant Dipper roller coaster towers behind it. Visitors from around the world stop, stare, take photos, and wonder if construction is still underway. It isn't. This is the finished product. This is the City of San Diego's replacement for the busiest lifeguard station in its municipal system.

Point Loma Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Attempted Murder of Police Officer with Vehicle

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:58:45 +0200

William Stephens, 66, of Point Loma was sentenced June 8 to 12 years in state prison after he had pleaded guilty to attempted murder for striking a San Diego police officer with his vehicle in 2025. Stephens had admitted to driving his Jeep toward Officer Matthew Salisbury on Jan. 23, 2025, when several officers responded to his home after receiving a report of domestic violence. From our report in May this year:

Prosecutors allege that as Officer Matthew Salisbury approached the home’s driveway, Stephens sped toward the officer, who attempted to evade the vehicle by moving behind a bush located near the driveway’s entrance. Stephens then turned his Jeep toward the bush, striking Salisbury, then crashed into a mailbox and another vehicle parked on the street, as 10News reported.

Navy to Give Briefing on Redevelopment Plans for NAVWAR at Peninsula Planners’ Meeting — Thursday, June 18

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:41:08 +0200

Eric Law, the chair of the Peninsula Community Planning Board, has just announced that Navy representatives will provide a briefing to the community on Navy plans for the redevelopment of the NAVWAR Old Town Campus. The update will be at the Peninsula Community Planning Board monthly meeting on Thursday, June 18th, 2026 — 6PM at the Point Loma Hervey Library Community Room, 3701 Voltaire St, San Diego, CA 92107. Law stated, "The NAVWAR Old Town Campus (OTC) Revitalization program manager and the Navy Region Southwest Public Affairs Officer have confirmed that they will provide a briefing to the community on the OTC program ...."

Portrait of a Brewer: Jim Millea, OB Brewery

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:21:10 +0200

SDBeerNews / June 8, 2026 There are hundreds of talented brewing professionals giving their all to help maintain the San Diego beer industry’s storied reputation. While these industrious practitioners share numerous similarities, each is their own unique person with individual likes, dislikes, methodologies, techniques, inspirations, interests and philosophies. The goal of San Diego Beer News’ Portrait of a Brewer series is to not only introduce readers to local brewers, but dig in to help them gain a deeper appreciation for the people making their beer and how they have contributed to the county’s standout craft-brewing culture. Today’s featured brewer is…Jim Millea of OB Brewery What is your current title? Head Brewer Where did you grow up? I grew up in Beverly, Massachusetts, a small-ish but not tiny coastal town about 25 miles north of Boston. What brought you to San Diego? I first visited San Diego in the summer of 1998 on my way back to Massachusetts from a semester abroad in Australia. My cousin Lisa was living in Ocean Beach on Cape May Avenue just a couple blocks from the beach. After parking in front of her apartment, I’ll never forget stepping out of her car wide-eyed and beholding the view of the sand and the ocean beyond. I thought, “Oh yeah, I could do this.” A couple years later, after working in and around Boston, a great buddy and I decided to make the move. We quit our jobs, packed up my truck with camping gear, kayaks, bikes and all the other belongings we could fit, and hit the road. We spent six weeks exploring the country with San Diego being the end goal.

More on the Dangerous Housing Project of Fanita Ranch

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 20:57:21 +0200

In Dual Decisions, California Courts Strike Down Unpopular San Diego County Sprawl Project

From Center for Biological Diversity / June 8, 2026 Two California courts have rejected a dangerous housing project proposed in the wildfire-prone hillsides of Santee. The latest rejection is the fifth time a court has ruled against Fanita Ranch since the risky development was first proposed in 1999. [Please go to original for important links]

“It’s about time the city of Santee listens to its own residents. Poorly planned projects that increase wildfire risks can no longer be justified given our climate reality,” said John Buse, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The latest court opinions are a strong rebuke against cities and developers who try to skirt the state’s zoning and environmental laws. San Diego County deserves safe and sustainable development. I’m hopeful this finally puts an end to Fanita Ranch.”

DUI Driver Who Hit 5-Year-Old at Liberty Station Sentenced to 8 Years Plus in Prison

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 20:42:41 +0200

Patch San Diego /June 5, 2026 A woman who drove drunk, then struck and seriously injured a 5-year-old girl riding a scooter at Liberty Station, was sentenced Thursday to eight years and four months in state prison. Savannah Monique Taylor, 22, drove onto a pedestrian path on Sept. 6, 2025, striking the girl, along with a bench and plants near the USS Recruit, according to prosecutors.

When Ocean Beach Danced on the Sand

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 19:56:21 +0200

By Debbie Sklar / Times of San Diego / June 5, 2026 Back in the day, the sounds in Ocean Beach carried a little differently. You might have been walking near the shoreline and heard it before you saw it — music drifting from wooden pavilions set directly on the sand, where people gathered to dance within sight and sound of the Pacific. Surviving photographs from the early 20th century show more than one pavilion-style structure associated with beachfront recreation in the Ocean Beach area, including buildings identified as dancing pavilions and bathhouse facilities positioned near the shoreline. These were not informal gatherings on open sand. They were designated structures built for recreation and public leisure at a time that Ocean Beach was emerging as one of San Diego’s growing coastal destinations. Historical planning references and community records suggest the “New Ocean Beach Dancing Pavilion and Bath House” stood near the foot of Newport Avenue during the late 1910s. In addition to the primary pavilion structure, the beachfront area included related bathhouse and recreation buildings that formed part of an organized system of coastal leisure facilities. Over time, the main pavilion was repurposed as a skating rink before eventually disappearing as shoreline development and land use patterns changed.

When Midway and Rosecrans in Point Loma Went From Ugly to Uglier — World War II’s Frontier Housing

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 19:44:17 +0200

By Margot Sheehan / San Diego Reader Archives / Republished June 6, 2026 The Frontier Homes Housing Project — 3500 “temporary” dwellings constructed in the first nine months of 1944. One of the largest developments of its kind ever built in the USA — Designed to last for two years and enduring (parts of it, at least) for 20. Was there ever such a project, so grand, so ghastly, and so successfully erased from civic memory? Don’t look for Frontier in the Journal of San Diego History or in any of those big picture books that Neil Morgan used to crank out. The only people who really remember the project are the people who lived there. Old timers who didn’t live there, even folks who drove past Frontier every day, will give you all kinds of cockeyed answers when you ask about it. “Oh, yeah, you mean those military barracks.” “Frontier? That was Navy housing.” Someone might even offer that 1950s misconception that Lait and Mortimer provide in USA Confidential: “a low-income housing project for Mexicans and Negroes.”

Community Coalition Bulletin: This Week at City Hall: June 8–12

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:42:48 +0200

The San Diego Community Coalition publishes this email bulletin to keep our members and the general San Diego public informed about important Council and Planning Commission hearings and other city public meetings.

Monday, June 8: City Council, 10:00 a.m.

Agenda: Items 600, 601, 602, 639, 643, 644: Proclamations Why it matters: We must ask again for an explanation of how and why honorees are chosen. The last three were added to a very packed agenda in the last few days. The last two (including a Scripps Health administrator who is a Rotary Club officer) have no supporting documents. Everyone agrees that Council meetings run too long. These performative agenda items add extra time but little civic substance. Item 613: 2026 Update to the San Diego Municipal Code (Land Development Code) Why it matters: Staff report notes that one of the amendments “would increase … the City Council appeal fee [on project and environmental appeals] from $1,000 to $2,380,

Compost and Mulch Giveaway — Dusty Rhodes Park June 6

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 01:03:25 +0200

Appeals Court Blocks Massive Fanita Ranch in Santee: Rules City and Developer Pushed Project Through Despite Knowing It Violated Laws

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 22:37:30 +0200

Developer HomeFed's 3,000+ Project Halted After Its Appeal Denied

by Dorian Hargrove / Times of San Diego / June 4, 2026 An appellate court on Thursday denied an appeal from the developer looking to build a massive, 3,008-home project in Santee known as Fanita Ranch. In the ruling, the appellate court said that the city of Santee and developer HomeFed pushed the project through despite knowing it violated state planning and environmental laws. The ruling now puts the massive residential development, which was first proposed in 2017, on hold, once again, and likely for good, barring any petition to the California Supreme Court. The appellate court judges found Santee and HomeFed improperly tried to push the project through without the city amending its General Plan. The plan had allowed for the construction of 1,395 homes on 2,638 acres in Northern Santee.

Name, Image, Likeness at the White House

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 22:16:55 +0200

By Steve Rodriguez Preface

Major college sports are dominated by the concept of Name, Image, Likeness (NIL), which allows student-athletes to control how their name, image or likeness is commercially used. Since 2021, college athletes have been allowed to monetize their personal brand without losing a scholarship or team eligibility. In many cases, star athletes can make millions of dollars.

However, one gets the impression NIL at the White House means the current President of the United States aggressively seeks like a king of old to unashamedly stamp his name, image and likeness on numerous objects, institutions and concepts as a way of signaling success and legitimizing his legacy. Proposing his own image be placed on a commemorative two hundred and fifty dollar bill – though federal law bars living people from appearing on U.S. currency – is just one example.

Name, Image, Likeness at the White House

Plaster his face on a two-fifty note? Name, Image, Likeness goes beyond game day. Needy king keeps weighty ego afloat.

Shelter Island Continues as Major Center for San Diego’s Waterfront Culture

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 22:01:50 +0200

By Katherine Clements / the Log / June 4, 2026 Tucked along the north end of San Diego Bay near Point Loma, Shelter Island continues to serve as one of the region’s most active centers for recreational boating, marine services, and waterfront culture. While longtime boaters still recognize the area for its marinas, sportfishing fleet, and working waterfront atmosphere, the harbor district continues evolving through new upgrades, changing boating trends, and increasing demand for marine services tied to modern boating lifestyles. For many boaters, Shelter Island functions as far more than a place to dock a vessel. It has become a full-service boating ecosystem where owners can outfit, repair, provision, upgrade, launch, and maintain their boats within just a few blocks of one another. That concentration of marine businesses continues making Shelter Island one of the busiest boating corridors in San Diego Bay. Recent years have brought growing interest in electronics upgrades, stabilization systems, lithium battery conversions, modern navigation equipment, and comfort-oriented improvements designed to support longer stays aboard. Local marine businesses increasingly are seeing boaters invest not only in performance and reliability, but also in onboard livability. As more owners use their vessels for extended cruising, overnight trips, and remote work flexibility, demand has expanded for upgraded interiors, refrigeration systems, air conditioning, solar integration, and connectivity improvements.

Sitting Shiva for my Beloved Country, America

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 21:33:45 +0200

By Sam Halpern In the Hebrew tradition, when a family member dies, first order relatives (husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters etc.) mourn for seven days (Shiva means seven) beginning with the day of the deceased’s death. This is the first part of a mourning process which extends to about a year. I am a secular Jew, and the last of my generation died long ago. With so many gone, for whom would I sit Shiva? That brings me to my country, America. In a way, America is like a beloved family member for me. America took my young parents in, made them citizens, and I was born in this great land. She has given me a home, safety, freedom, a good life. I cannot believe how lucky I have been. My family has risen from sharecroppers to property owners, and in one generation, has allowed one of their children to become a professor at one of the great teaching institutions of the world.

Primary Results and Recent Poll Show San Diego Establishment Just How Unhappy People Are with City Hall

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:23:30 +0200

Reporter David Garrick at the Union-Tribune today wrote an article entitled, "Public displeasure with San Diego City Hall boils over in early election results." He wrote that the primary results "show notable voter backlash against San Diego City Hall, with outsiders leading in three out of four council races as some well-funded insiders struggled and incumbents fared worse than usual." He's right, of course, as 'public displeasure' with City Hall has been building dramatically over this last year or two. All one has to do to survey this building displeasure -- or even rage -- is to peruse the pages of the OB Rag. From the devastating San Diego extremist rules for bonus ADUs, the increased fees for paid parking, the trash fee debacle to the paid parking in Balboa Park quagmire, the budget crisis and threats to libraries and rec centers, the cuts to arts funding, to the general sense by the San Diego public that city hall is trying to "nickel and dime" them to death. This "displeasure" with downtown San Diego political leaders has finally surfaced in results that the establishment can recognize -- voting tabulations and results.

‘We’re Fighting Mass Surveillance Tech — and Winning’

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 20:06:47 +0200

By Dave Maass / Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF / June 2, 2026 People around the world are pushing back against the mass surveillance that undermines privacy and free expression for everyone. One of the people who joined the fight for digital rights is EFF client Will Freeman. Will created the website DeFlock.me to reveal the dangers of automated license plate readers (ALPRs)—cameras that collect location data on every vehicle they see and upload that to a massive nationwide police database. Deflock.me turns the tables by enlisting ordinary people to track the locations of tens of thousands of ALPR cameras. But when the police spy-tech company Flock Safety went after Will's website with legal threats citing trademark law, he saw it for what it was: an attempt to silence critics and dim the light on mass surveillance.