San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

You are here: Home / Archives for Micaela Shafer Porte

The State of District 2

by

Councilman Faulconer says things are looking good here in San Diego

By Mic Porte

Wednesday April 10, 2013, Paradise Point Resort – Sounds like the name of the sequel of a sci-fi film, but it was actually a fantasy island dream moment with our San Diego district 2 elected official, Councilmember Kevin Faulconer, and his team, at beautiful Paradise Point Resort in the middle of beautiful Mission Bay in beautiful San Diego, on a beautiful evening and with all the beautiful people around, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

And according to Councilmember Faulconer, things are looking pretty beautiful around here, and with a little more bi-partisan effort on the part of the city council and everybody else in San Diego and the great state of California, and regional funding, we might even be able to finally get the crumbling oldest part of the seawall in front of Belmont Park repaired in time for the rising ocean levels, and balance the city budget too, and get back to pursuing happiness, something we do great here in San Diego.

Boys and girls, are we lucky? Yes, thank you.   [Read more…]

Pacific Beach Planning Group and Local Residents Fight Bar Expansions

by

By Sub-committee

Wednesday, April 10, Bill Allen – owner of the Crystal Pier Motel – and other residents called a press conference at the pier to help expose a simmering problem in Pacific Beach to the larger community. Allen and many other concerned residents have over the last while voiced their complaints about Scott Slaga – owner of the 710 Club (ex-Blind Melons) near the Crystal Pier – in his efforts to obtain a sidewalk encroachment variance for his establishment.

Allen and the complaining residents have issues caused, they contend, by encroachments for bars, problems such as the high crime stats and high noise impact, to lowered property values to no room on the sidewalks for people to walk to the beach.

This is all in preparation for the city council vote today, April 11, on whether or not to allow Slaga to obtain his sidewalk encroachment variance.
  [Read more…]

Dying for Free

by

Dying for free

In the familiar comfort of your home, with your own family,

No No No cost of doctors and hospital fees,

No strangers, no logistics, no legal-ease,

Just old age, if you please, natural as can be,

Just dying for free.

“My body is old, and you can’t fix me, so just let me be, with my old tv…

Just dying for free.”

More inside….   [Read more…]

North Park’s Ray @ Night: What is Art?

by

By Mic Porte

The folks on Ray Street, one block just off University Ave. in North Park, on second Saturday evening of the month host San Diego’s longest running ART event: Ray at Night.

Last week’s event (February 9) held on a a crisp San Diego evening, saw the usual friendly crowd of artists and art lovers from all over, locals and tourists alike. Several art and craft galleries, shops and offices turned into galleries for the evening; the Art Center opened their doors, and art spilled out onto the street. Vendors of food, clothing and accessories, and objets d’art sprouted along the sidewalks tempting the passers-by.

Until 8pm, when the band starts up, poets (many of them students from San Diego State) take turns at the open microphone set up in the street, sharing their latest. I would call it a “poetry slam”, but “slam” wouldn’t do justice to the sensitivity, wordcraft , and humor, of the poets. Very cool.   [Read more…]

47th Annual Local Authors Exhibit – Last to be Held at the “Old” San Diego Library

by

By Mic Porte

Friday evening, February 1, 2013, the San Diego Library hosted its 47th annual Local Authors exhibit and reception, one of the last events to be held at the “old” downtown library on E and 9th St.

Four hundred new titles published by San Diego County residents in 2012, both hard copy and e-books, were on display, as proud authors, new and confirmed, accepted their medals and photo ops, shared a delicious buffet, and networked. Many were nostalgic about these old library walls, and the changing era of reading and books, many excited about the future of digital publishing.   [Read more…]

Shout-out at the PB Corral – Residents Fight for Conditional Booze Permits

by

By sub-committee

The corral for easy police DUI checkpoints, and multi-other crime/infractions, from public urination and vandalism, to armed robberies and violence, (sponsored the city penal industry) due to the alcohol party ambiance that been the sustained reputation of Pacific Beach for the past 20+ years , has become the focus for a grassroots citizen protest in the form of, yes, a good old PUBLIC PETITION to request/demand the city and the state to establish local control of alcohol licensing, in the form of the “C.U.P.” (Conditional Use Permit).

“After years of protest to the officials in both state and local agencies, including our own judicial forum, and getting no responsible answers from them to a problem that was getting worse and worse, we have decided to organize THE PEOPLE,” said Scott Chipman, one of the chief organizers of this grassroots endeavor.   [Read more…]

Free Miracles at the Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla

by

By Mic Porte

Thursday, January 17, 2013 is the last “free evening”, (free third Thursdays evening 5-7pm) of the current art exposition, Behold, America!,  at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, and the place to get yourself a miracle.

Artist Paul Kos , in 1989, created a multi-media, inter-active installation artwork to surprise and delight folks of all ages.   Called “Guadalupe Bell,” his intention is to create that “aha!” moment, “witnessing the miracle” of the appearance of St. Guadalupe to the native Mexican people in 1573, to assuage the pain of the Spanish invasion.   It is always a joyful miracle when you laugh in delight, as I did, visiting the expo recently with my two nieces.  Under the watchful eye of the museum “angels”, some of the nicest museum guards you will ever meet, go ahead and ring that bell, and get your miracle moment.   [Read more…]

Entreaty to Politico Spouses

by

Entreaty to Politico Spouses

Please, please let your politico spouse

Do some decoration at the house!

Choose the new towels or buy kitchen tiles

Instead of re-development contractor files….

more inside…   [Read more…]

SDFP Exclusive – Jean Marc Barr: Cruise Control, Soul Grind, and Jack Kerouac

by

By Micaela Shafer Porte

Jean Marc Barr, international French/American film actor and director, and part-time Pacific Beach, California local, loves Pacific Beach for its mellowness and great skateboarding.  “San Diego is the place where ‘nothing’ is supposed to happen.  It is a nice break from my hectic life, living out of suitcase, travelling around the world. “  He is here for the holidays, in preparation for attending the Sundance  Independent Film Festival 2013, in his latest role as Jack Kerouac  in the film, Big Sur, which is being presented on January 23.

“I started skateboarding late in life, at the age of 42, because I was inspired by my nephew, Oliver, and I needed a physical activity to keep me in shape during my stays with my family in California.  Entering my 40’s, I felt “vulnerable,” so wanted to try a new sport, a dangerous one, as a challenge…”   [Read more…]

A Poem for Thanksgiving

by

We’re taking the day off. Enjoy! Poem By M. Porte   [Read more…]

The Beach is My Church. Giving Thanks for the Great Pacific.

by

The beach is my church.

Standing barefoot and humble in the sand, looking out past the crashing breakers to the big blue beyond, my mind and heart vibrating with the sound of eternity in the song of the ocean, I am filled with peace and gratitude (and respect) for the strength and the forever-ness of the great ocean, our birth waters.

A poem by Robert Frost says it well: “The heart can think of no devotion/ greater than being shore to the ocean/ holding the curve of one position/ counting the endless repetition.”

The yin/yang of geography: shore and ocean forever and ever.   [Read more…]

Pacific Beach Sub-Committee Report: October 2012

by

By Sub-Committee/Special to the San Diego Free Press

The Destiny of Density

Shoulders were shrugged as the Pacific Beach sub-committee for commercial and residential projects approved a new 4 bedroom+den/4 bath single family town house, with 2 “carport” parking spaces, on Oliver Avenue by the bay. No closed “garage” as to allow the maximum square footage for the habitation. Minimum required “yard.” Discussion as to how many cars will actually be “living there” ensued, but as the plans were in compliance with the existing building codes, shoulders were shrugged, and plans were approved. All expectations are for an increase in density in this zone.   [Read more…]

©2010-2017 SanDiegoFreePress.org

Code is Poetry