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www.SDNEWS.com Volume 27, Number 13
Thursday, February 5, 2015
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
Preserve Point Loma group opposes Jessop estate project
SDPD briefs Ocean Beach Town Council on crime spree
A grass-roots group announced Feb. 2 it is organizing the Point Loma community to convince the San Diego City Council on Feb. 9 to deny a proposed four-lot subdivision on the old Jessop estate at La Crescentia Drive. Preserve Point Loma, which claims to have 700 members including a wide range of civic leaders, will be lobbying against the Point Loma Summit project at the City Council hearing on Monday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. in Council Chambers, 12th floor, 202 C. St. in downtown San Diego. The Council is expected to make a final decision on whether to approve the project. “The site contains environmentally sensitive steep lands and unstable hillsides and sets a bad precedent for future deviations and variances to the San Diego City land use policies. At issue also is a steep, narrow and windSEE JESSOP, Page 5
BY ANTHONY S. de GARATE | THE BEACON David Surwilo, community relations officer for the San Diego Police Department’s Western Division, is scratching his head a bit over this one. There’s been a rash of burglaries in Ocean Beach. During a roughly three-week period between Christmas and mid-January, eight residences or cars were broken into, with victims reporting their belongings riffled through or stolen. But when they’ve taken reports, it turns out the crimes were probably preventable. Police have been quite baffled at the seemingly lax attitude from victims that has allowed the thief to be successful. SEE OBTC, Page 10
Ducks bringing pucks to Valley View Center Fan Fest for new AHL team will be Feb. 22 BY SCOTT HOPKINS | THE BEACON After a nine-year absence, professional ice hockey is returning to San Diego and the Valley View Casino Center this fall. The local team will be the top minor league affiliate of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL), who play their home games at the Honda Center, about 90 miles north of San Diego. Moving to San Diego will be the current Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL), whose home games are 2,702 miles east of the Honda Center. The much closer distance will allow the Ducks to move players quickly between Anaheim and San Diego, something that couldn't be done from Norfolk. SEE HOCKEY, Page 8
The unfinished structure at 1676 Plum St. in Point Loma has been in a state of perpetual remodel for more than seven years. PHOTO BY DAVE SCHWAB
Decision looms for Plum Street ‘eyesore’ Owner given 30 days to demolish, develop or sell property BY DAVE SCHWAB | THE BEACON The owner of a huge abandoned home on Plum Street in Point Loma has been ordered by a judge to fix, sell or demolish it. Francisco Mendiola owns an unfinished mansion at 1676 Plum St. that has been in a state of “perpetual remodel” for more than seven years. He’s pled guilty to obstructing a public right-of-way by building a perimeter construction fence that enclosed city sidewalks and a stop sign. Mendiola now has 30 days to tell the court whether he plans to demolish, develop or sell the structure at the corner of Plum and Lowell streets, said Gerry Braun, City Attorney spokesman. “If he elects to develop it — meaning he would complete the job that was first per-
‘This is a pivotal moment for a neighborhood effort to remove an eyesore ...’ JON LINNEY PENINSULA COMMUNITY PLANNING GROUP mitted in 2007 — he must adhere to a strict timetable or be in violation of the terms of his three-year probation,” said Braun in a released statement. The saga of 1676 Plum St. has long infuriated neighbors in the Point Loma community, both because the stalled remodel created an eyesore and because Mendiola placed stairs on a public right-
of-way and built a perimeter construction fence that enclosed city sidewalks and a stop sign, the City Attorney's office said. The Code Enforcement Unit of the City Attorney’s Office filed a lawsuit against Mendiola in August 2014. Point Lomans hailed the judicial decision as a major step forward. Two Peninsula Community Planning Group members, Don Sevrens and Jon Linney, respectively, weighed in on the decision. "The legal documents set a specific course,” said Sevrens, cautioning, “But given seven years of ignoring the law, compliance will always be a concern to the neighbors until it is all over. The solution is stronger Municipal Code provisions to prevent such abuses.” SEE EYESORE, Page 9
'Revenge porn' site operator found guilty, faces 20 years Following 14 hours of deliberations over three days, a jury convicted a Pacific Beach man Feb. 2 of six extortion charges and 21 identity thefts in connection with his operation of a “revenge porn” website, which KEVIN BOLLAERT displayed photos of nude women and required fees ranging from $299 to $350 for their deletion. The eight-woman, four-man jury deadlocked on a conspiracy charge and another identity theft count against Kevin Bollaert, 28, but he faces 20 years in prison at his April 3 sentencing for the 27 guilty verdicts he received. Testimony began Jan. 16. San Diego Superior Court Judge David Gill initially said he had leaned toward letting Bollaert remain free on SEE GUILTY, Page 9
BUSINESS
FEATURE
SPORTS
Harbor Town Pub is Point Loma’s friendly neighborhood hub
Why are winter sunsets so spectacular in San Diego?
Lily Lutz (14) helps lead the Pointers over the Vikings
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