San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

Restaurant Review: Surf Check

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Surf Check (An Apparition)
Corner of Sunset Cliffs and Pt. Loma Avenue
Ocean Beach

You are quickly approaching one of the most scenic areas of San Diego, when, out of the blue, on a piece of cement no bigger than 40 feet wide, you are met with a blue and white trailer sporting a yellow surf-board on the top, and, in a wide array of colors, a “menu” featuring coffee, acai, smoothies and hot dogs.

This is just down the street from the Little Lion and at the south end of the parking lot where the new mechanic plies his trade. What is this trailer? you ask. Funny that you should ask that question, because I asked it also. I watched it being set up, wondering just what would develop and today the suspense was just too much so Hitomi and I sauntered over to find out what was going on.

The Surf Check is owned by someone that has been in San Diego – more importantly Sunset Cliffs – for years. His name is Richard Aguirre; he is the president of “Save Sunset Cliffs” and a dedicated, concerned person – concerned about so many things.   [Read more…]

Geo-Poetic Spaces: Surfing Lessons

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Meditate on ocean
before hitting surf
let the break find you

Calculate the interval
between sets

Keep your stick
pointed toward breakers
when paddling out   [Read more…]

The Russians Are Coming! And Other Last Minute Election Tales

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The 2016 election season is almost over. And even for a guy like myself who considers himself a political junkie, it’s been too much.

I wish the campaigns would be over come November 9th, but there’s increasing evidence to suggest that isn’t going to be the case.

Here are today’s rumors, planted stories and breaking news.   [Read more…]

Residents of Gateway Inn Sued. National City’s Mysterious Letter

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Rachel — who lives with her nine children at the Gateway Inn, along San Ysidro Boulevard — was served with a lawsuit yesterday. She is being evicted, but has nowhere to go. She is being told by other residents that the manager might turn off the lights and water soon.

You may remember how back in August, residents of the Gateway Inn received 60-day eviction notices. The building, which some have called an “abomination” due to its terrible conditions, had criminal misdemeanor charges filed against it in February 2015. The complaint cited five violations, including failure to keep the property free of waste.

The owner, listed in public documents as Francis Lin, submitted a permit to the City of San Diego to demolish the two-story hotel.

In a new phone interview, Rachel explained that many tenants are still living at the Gateway Inn, despite the eviction notices. She tried to give the managers her rent today, but he refused to take it.   [Read more…]

What’s in Our Mailbag?

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Welcome to the San Diego Free Press’ newest column! We don’t make a habit of publishing press releases and, because we are all-volunteer run, we simply don’t have the resources to cover every event or topic of interest. What’s in our Mailbag? is a consolidation of information we’ve been sent from organizations or individuals we think is important to share.

Inside:

Police Presence in School Has Negative Effect on Students

Vote No on Measure B, a letter to the editor from the League of Women Voters

Legislative Hearing on Progress of Law Allowing Community Colleges to Offer B.A. Degrees

  [Read more…]

A Fifth Column Inside the FBI

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The Daily Beast’s Wayne Barrett has written a blockbuster of a story detailing the rebellion going on inside the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

It’s a tale of active and former agents, many of them with ties to former NYC Mayor Rudy Guliani, whose actions amount to a law enforcement thumb on the scale of democracy.

Guliani’s law firm has long been general counsel to the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA), which represents 13,000 former and current agents. The group’s leader, agent Rey Tariche, resigned from the FBI New York office on Monday following Director James Comey’s release of a memo saying the agency was once agin looking into Hillary Clinton.   [Read more…]

Remembering Ramon ‘Chunky’ Sanchez: Memorial Services, Corrido to Nuestro Héroe

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By Staff

Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez, whose music and voice chronicled the struggles and victories of the barrio, died a few days before his sixty-fifth birthday. A viewing, ceremony and celebration of life the weekend of November 4-6 are an opportunity for the extensive community of family and friends to pay their final respects.   [Read more…]

Hope on Wheels

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By Linda Hutchison / head wind journal

A few years ago, in between jobs, I started hanging out at nearby Mission Bay during the day when I needed a break from my computer. I’d take a beach chair or blanket, a sandwich, a notepad and pen and sit under a tree for an hour or two. Peaceful, balmy, fewer distractions than at the oceanfront beach (also nearby). If people came along, they kept a respectful distance, cycling or strolling by on the path, arranging a lunch picnic at one of the many tables. Kayakers glided by on the glistening water.

I began to notice that several large RVs ringed the outer edges of the parking lot. How cool, I thought. What a great idea. Roll on down for the day. Bring kids or grandkids and your own kitchen. Play ball, fix whatever you want to eat whenever. Memories of my in-laws parking their RV at Disneyland so we could duck in out of the heat and then head back into the maddening crowds.

Around that same time, I also began to notice an old green and rusty orange van parked on my street. Specifically, I noticed the owner, craggily dark and handsome, in a seedy-around-the -edges way. The exact type that made my heart leap 20 years earlier. What caught my eye one day was him dragging clothing and bedding from a neighboring house to his van. (Since I was out of work I had more time to look out my window.)   [Read more…]

Flying Lessons: Centenarian Bill Gibbs’ Path from Logan Heights to Montgomery Field

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By Maria Garcia and Connie Zuniga

Bill Gibbs loved airplane flight so much that by the age of twenty-two he had developed barren scrub land in San Diego into his own airport and established a flying service there. Bill, who grew up in Logan Heights, recounted a remarkable story to us at his Mt. Soledad home. He spoke of family hardships during his youth, of hard work and how his passion for flying ultimately led him to develop what is now known as Montgomery Field Airport and a flying service that continues to operate today.

Bill’s story is also a remarkably long one– he will be 105 years old in October.   [Read more…]

November 2016 Election Progressive Procrastinator Cheat Sheet

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So you’ve put off getting your act together about the election because it’s not as fun as watching cat videos on Facebook, right? Or you’ve been off the grid for six months. Or you just can’t stand all that political bullshit but need an “I Voted” sticker to impress your co-workers.

Now it’s time to vote and you have no friggin clue as to what’s what and who’s who. Or you’ve got questions. Or you’ve realized that it’s really, really, important to vote all the way down the ballot because not voting is how bad candidates get elected.

Fear not. We’re here to help. And if you don’t like our choices, we’ll tell you where to go for further information.   [Read more…]

The Dakota Access Pipe Line: The Latest Last Ditch Stand

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Oil Corporation Tramps on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights

Finally, there is an alliance of a major ethnic group – US Indians – and environmentalists who are taking a stand to prevent the furtherance of fossil fuel interests. Bill McKibben of 350.org says we must stop now insofar as building more fossil fuel infrastructure, which is what a pipeline represents, if we are to have a hope and a prayer of saving the planet from the effects of global warming.   [Read more…]

Why Does San Diego Have Such Bad Air Quality?

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It’s Worse than You Might Think…

By South OB Girl / OB Rag

There is a lot of discussion these days about climate change. Global warming. Carbon emissions. The Climate Action Plan. You no doubt have friends talking about going electric, or who are proud owners and drivers of electric vehicles. Or friends or family members who devoutly bike everywhere. You may know some folks too who use public transportation.

The majority of San Diegans are dissatisfied with public transpiration. San Diegans prefer cars — it’s our way of life. Not necessarily across the board — many satisfied bus riders in OB take the 923 bus downtown for work and are quite satisfied — doing work, reading, or playing games on their bus ride.   [Read more…]

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