South “O” Living is a blog by and for South Oceanside residents who hold similar values and visions for our community. That community extends from the Oceanside Blvd to the Lagoon, and from the Coast to El Camino Real which includes Fire Mountain. In general, we agreed that:
* South “O” is unique, with it’s own character and culture. We will be persistent advocates for the preservation of that culture.
* Pedestrian-friendly, well-designed commercial and residential development is encouraged, as long as it’s scaled to the community.
* Open space is strongly supported. A balance of nature and development preserves natural systems, protects waterways from pollution, and protects property values.
* Knowledge is power, hence the blog.
South “O” Living is a resource for locals to learn of events, share opinions and express concerns. We’ll be blogging on planning issues, public safety, politics, graffiti, noise abatement, gangs, traffic, I-5 widening, business … anything that affects our quality of life in South Oceanside.
Thanks and don’t forget to contribute to the conversation!
Hi Ric,
Just curious why you have Rocky for Mayor on Blogroll? He is absolutely going to be the worst person to keep putting in office. He is not neighborhood friendly and has voted for every terrible project that impacts neighborhoods and the environment.
Just wondering?
Great blog. Looking foward to reading more!
Nadine Scott
ps- http://www.lomaaltacreek.org website by Friends of Loma Alta Creek
Only two sites were posted because at the time, that’s all I could find. We are re-evaluating how to deal with political websites, and for now, have pulled all. Thanks for the feedback.
Great job . . . very cool.
Ken
Since you’re a private blog, why not support the candidates who are good for your neighborhood?
So who are those candidates? Certainly I have my favorites, but I have neighbors who think their candidate(s) has been equally good for the neighborhood. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. This is a new blog and we’re trying to build an audience. If the blog becomes overly partisan, those who don’t agree won’t participate. The goal is constructive conversations among South Oceanside residents. In two months this discussion about why the blog doesn’t endorse a candidate will be mute, but the issues we have here in South Oceanside will still be here. Let’s work on those.
Everyone from your area should plan on going to the City workshops regarding potential changes to your area.
See the City Website for more information.
Ric: I wanted to give a public thanks for all your hard and creative work concerning our new blog. IT looks great!
Please support your nieghborhood friendly candidates, Esther Sanchez and Chuck Lowery for Council and Jim Wood for Mayor. Jack Feller and his cronies will kill off any quality of life you have and don’t listen to Rocky saying he’s neighborhood friendly. Remember the lagoon hotel fiasco and the concrete plant he wants to put on a creek?
No on Rocky. No on Feller and No on Gibson. Gibson is a clone of the pro-develpment crowd.
Rocky said in a forum Thursday that he want to privatize/outsource many City services. This would include paramedics and ambulance service. I lived somewhere that tried that and service was so bad people and families just drove themselves to the ER and hoped they’d live. No one can seriously be supporting this guy. He’s rude to most people, argumentative and has no place being our leader in the City.
Feller and Gibson are both against rent control- that means they don’t support seniors, limited income folks and mobile home parks. If they had it their way, they’d get rid of the rent-control ordinance. They also said that they welcome any and all businesses and development, regardless if they are good for our coastal community or not.
C’mon folks. Voting this November is easy. Vote Feller out and get neighborhood friendly candidates Wood, Sanchez and Lowery in. We can’t survive without this change. (Audience member at Sept. 16th Forum jointly sponsored by South O neighborhood.)
Has anyone heard about the Lemon Tree restarant being town down for 4 story condos?
Nothing here. Seems like an odd location for condos although anything to replace the buildings along there would be an improvement. Have you walked along that stretch? It’ really gross. In an earlier post, the one with the very large Feller sign, I suggested we find who owns those buildings and request, at the minimum, they clean up the trash.
The point of that post however was that the person in that unidentified office is obviously a big Feller supporter. Big sign = big supporter. If that’s the case, Feller should be a friend to our neighborhood by requesting from his donor, whether it’s an owner or renter to cleanup.
Feller will NEVER be a supporter of your neighborhood. What does it take to convince you? He’s all about going up and mass development footprints. Wake up, please. You don’t replace a one story coastal highway building with 4 story condos that block views and use every available inch of lot. Who out there wants 4 stories on Coast Highway?
Please Ric..say it ain’t so…we need this blog..wait until the election is over. We’ll probably need it more than ever!
Yep, the results are in…the South O folks got 7000 votes for Beck that would have put Lowery on the council. Watch for special favors all along the coastline to the council majority, KFC, and their buddies. Height up. Building Up. Traffic Up. Respect for Community Down.
Hi all,
Just to clarify for Mandy – post Oct 6. The current zoning is 3 stories (35ft) all the way down Coast Highway. What is there now is no indication of what could be there.
That means that anyone can put up a really ugly 3 story building that meets all the requirements and there is nothing you can do about it. The only time you really have a chance to fight it is either by rewriting the zoning rules or if the developer asks for a variance. If a landowner meets all requirements, they can build.
This is why it is so important for regular folks to get involved in the planning process. A 3 story wall all the way down Coast Highway from one end of town to the other is what is expected in the plan. To change it, we need to embrace concepts like the Coast Hwy plan that would put height in specific places and lower it in others.
The recession just means that no one will build for a while but it will not change what is allowed if someone wants to build. South O needs to get organized and start working on this during the financial lull.
We’re trying our best over at OCNA.
Oh Joan- unless you’re prepared to finance a lawsuit the council majority will do any darn thing they please.
Ric,
Thanks for this blog! I pastor Generation Church (on Whaley st), I live in South o and my kids go to South O Elementary. I love this neighborhood! thank you for this blog and your efforts to preserve the beauty and culture of South Oceanside.
Hi Ric,
Is it possible to post the upcoming Fall Carnival at South Oceanside Elementary School? It is the school’s biggest fundraiser of the year and this year’s theme is Area 51. I can send you a jpg of the carnival poster…just let me know!
It is Saturday, Oct 29th from 12pm-4pm on the fields of South Oceanside Elementary School. Entrance is at the Cassidy Gate.