There was standing room only at the Balboa Park Club as Bob Filner was sworn in as San Diego’s 38th mayor on Monday, Dec. 3.

Mayor Filner thanked City Council members and outgoing Mayor Jerry Sanders for “reforming city finances and for getting us on the track to financial stability” before reaffirming his campaign promise to focus on San Diego neighborhoods, eliminate homelessness, protect our beaches and expand maritime operations.

“For the first time in a decade, we can see the possibility of restoring city services, of rebuilding our neighborhoods and of planning for our future,” Filner said. “Because the real heart and soul of our city are its neighborhoods. They define our city’s character and our residents’ quality of life.”   [Read more…]

Old Town happens to be my very first home in San Diego. As a baby, I lived on Conde Street in a house that has since been torn down. In fact, a lot has changed in the (muffled)-something years since then. Much of the surrounding area has become a tourist hot spot that is faithfully avoided by the locals, but Old Town proper still remains a charming a step into the past for me literally and emotionally.   [Read more…]

While Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery received its designation in 1934, it has been a burial ground since before 1847. In the early 1880s, it became the final resting place for the fallen in the Battle of San Pasqual, who were transported and eventually reinterred at the hillside cemetery.

In addition to an extensive list of those who have been honored with medals for their service, the cemetery is also known for commemorating the death of 62 sailors who died aboard the USS Bennington after a boiler explosion in July 1905.

According to officials, Fort Rosecrans is currently at capacity for casketed remains, though space is still available for cremated remains. The cemetery overlooks both the sea and the bay and is located on the Fort Rosecrans Military reservation in Point Loma/Ocean Beach.

All photos by Annie Lane.   [Read more…]