& OBREL
SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE pages 9-16
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
www.SDNEWS.com Volume 26, Number 21
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011
GO WITH THE GLOW
Economic guru: slow recovery, still more shockwaves to come Bullard tells PLNU gathering investment hamstrung by housing glut, sliding prices BY PATRICIA WALSH | THE BEACON
Who needs a lava lamp when you have Mother Nature for a beach show? Phosphorescent plankton, above, made for an amazing late-night light show for photographer Don Haake, who caught the luminescence of the underwater phenomenon. Although Haake actually took the shot in Del Mar, many locals have reported seeing the same phenomenon in Ocean Beach. At left, Beacon staff photographer Jim Grant captured a shot of a surfer at the Ocean Beach Pier riding a wave of the same “red tide” plankton that has no luminescent qualities in the daytime.
Dr. James Bullard, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, was in San Diego last week to deliver the keynote address at the fifth annual Fermanian Business & Economic Institute at the Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) Dealmakers of the Year Awards. In his speech “U.S. Monetary Policy at Another Crossroads” at the Sheraton Harbor Island, Bullard said he didn’t think “the Fed is out of ammunition” to help prop up the economy if it continues to weaken. “The Fed has potent tools at its disposal and is not now, or ever, out of ammunition,” said Bullard, who is at the forefront of debate on U.S. monetary policy. Last year, Bullard had the second-greatest impact on financial markets behind only Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, according to Macroeconomic Advisers. Noting that the pace of Dr. James Bullard, president economic recovery has been and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, told disappointing, Bullard said a gathering at Point Loma most components of real Nazarene University last week gross domestic product — that he expects the country to like real consumption see modest economic growth expenditures by consumers over the next year, but pointed — have recovered to or to the housing glut and falling beyond their levels in the home prices as a primary cause fourth quarter of 2007, for the lack of investment curwhich was the beginning of rently. Courtesy photo © Marcus Emerson 2011 the recession. However, he said, investment continues to hover about 16 percent below its 2007 fourth-quarter level, mainly because of weakness in residential investment and investment in nonresidential structures. “This looks like a collapsed real estate bubble,” Bullard SEE PLNU, Page 5
Newport Avenue’s sidewalk squatters draw contrasting opinions A thread in OB’s unique tapestry or a frustrating business deterrent? BY BIANCA KOCH | THE BEACON Although summer is officially over, Ocean Beach remains a top destination for shoppers, tourists and surfers. But they are not the only ones enjoying the vibe of Ocean Beach. The town is also a top stop for “trainhoppers,” a phrase referring to long-term, houseless travelers from across the globe with no particular place to go. For many of these transients, Ocean Beach is a final destination. The rather large groups of itinerants are often accompanied by several famished-looking dogs and — the newest trend lately — cats or kittens on leashes. Personal belongings in backpacks are carried along at all times. So are guitars, bongos and other instruments. For some people, it is a colorful picture. “[It] totally belongs to OB,” said Chris Ehrsam, 52, who has been coming from
La Mesa to Ocean Beach almost every day for the last 35 years. Ehrsam has no problem with the “houseless globetrotters,” as he refers to them. “That’s what made OB famous. Those guys ARE Ocean Beach.” Not everyone agrees with that observation, however. Some local business owners with storefronts along Newport Avenue say they are at their wit’s end. One local store owner, who preferred not to be identified, gave his own take. “Personally, I don’t have a problem with them [the travelers] hanging out in Ocean Beach. But while they hang out on the sidewalk in front of my shop, my business is really suffering. It’s disturbing to some of my customers. They [customers] literally have to fight their way in, stepping over people and sleeping dogs. My employees constantly remove trash, cigarette butts and empty alcohol con-
tainers from the entryway. I even sweep up vomit at times.” He said it’s the drunken individuals he minds the most. Other merchants, like Julie Klein, who is also an active member of the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association (OBMA) echoes the latter concerns. “Laying around intoxicated in the middle of the public sidewalks and in front of stores or eateries looks bad for everybody,” Klein said. “We all want a clean OB. We all need to respect one another.” Klein provides “No Loitering” signs to local businesses and members of the OBMA. Signs are posted outside nearly every storefront on the 5000 block of Newport Avenue. The signs advise that — under San Some in the Ocean Beach community view the street squatters along Newport Avenue as Diego Municipal Code section a part of the unique “live and let live” image of OB and a part of its unique character. Not everyone subscribes to that viewpoint, however, pointing to daily nuisances and the interfer-
SEE STREETS, Page 6 ence with the daily operations of local businesses.
Photo by Bianca Koch I The Beacon