subspaceinterferents

Sunday/Monday... Gonna be a wet one.

**TL;DR: **The author describes taking their first and last ride on the new Pacific Beach "Beach Bug" Shuttle, a service aimed at easing congestion issues in the beach community. Despite finding the summoning process easy and driver friendly, the author felt unsafe riding in the small, slow vehicle without seatbelts or airbags among fast zooming cars. Concerned about the implications of an accident on the shuttle, the author decided to walk home and avoid taking the shuttle again.

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I finally took my first ride on the Pacific Beach "Beach Bug" Shuttle a few days ago. It will also be my last ride. Here's why... In concept, it's a really cool transportation solution for a congested area. Traffic and parking in P.B. is generally challenging, and wholly terrible on weekends and all days June-July-August. Just passing through the place is taking your life in your steering wheel gripping hands. I've been driving there since before there was dirt, have had numerous close calls, and seen myriad instances of outrageous drivertainment. So the BB Shuttle sounds great. It was launched with much fanfare in July ’23 by the local pols, covered by local news media. I installed the app on my phone, and summoned the vehicle. The process works a lot like ordering an Uber/Lyft. You can track the approaching vehicle on a map, and receive estimates of arrival time. The shuttle will be free for the first three months and then cost $2.50 for most riders, which will give them all-day access. I watched my ride approach, right on time and hopped in. The driver was friendly and talkative. "How's business?" I asked. He told me it was booming and the shuttle was popular. We made our way out to Ingraham and headed north. Cars were zooming around us; the shuttle has a top speed of only 25 mph. "People honk at me and flip me off because they think I'm not going fast enough," said the driver. As we sped along, I realized that I was out in traffic, sans-seatbelt or airbags, in an occasionally hostile environment, in a tiny, underpowered vehicle. I've almost been T-boned twice in my car (at Grand and Jewell), and I considered the implications of an accident of that type in this shuttle. I'd likely be knocked like a golf ball into the next world. I disembarked at Trader Joe's, did some shopping and decided to walk back home. I enjoyed the ride and the experience, but considering the ultimate hazards, next time I'll walk to Traders.

Tropical Storm Eugene, about 560 miles to the southwest, at 7:01 pm tonight (8Aug23). A little muggy, cloudy, rainy, for a few days... then back to summer.

Outside my kitchen door at dawn this morning. Hello August.

On July 1, a slate of new laws goes into effect in California that will tighten regulation of the firearm industry, codify a new state holiday and seal criminal records. Here’s a brief overview of the legislation that becomes operative Saturday:

Civil suits against firearms makers

AB 1594, the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, creates a new firearm industry standard of conduct and makes it easier for Californians to bring firearm retailers to civil court.

Firearm dealers will be required to establish and enforce practices that prevent the sale of guns to traffickers, people prohibited from firearm possession under state or federal law and people who a retailer would have reasonable cause to believe is a risk to themselves or others.

The new law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom a year ago, also prohibits the manufacturing, marketing, importing or offering for sale any gun deemed “abnormally dangerous.”

Victims of gun violence, public officials and the Attorney General can file civil lawsuits against firearm industry members for violations of the standard of conduct. Sealing old criminal records

SB 731 will allow almost all convictions on a person’s criminal record to be permanently sealed if they’ve served all terms of incarceration and have been conviction-free for at least four years since.

Eight million Californians currently have an arrest or conviction on their record. An estimated 225,000 will have old convictions automatically sealed on July 1. One million more will be eligible to petition a judge for a seal.

The law’s proponents see it as a way to help people with criminal records regain employment. People will not be able to seal convictions for sex crimes. Other new California laws

AB 2011, the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022, and SB 6, the Middle Class Housing Act of 2022, streamline construction of affordable, multifamily housing developments on areas zoned for office, retail or parking use. The laws also bolster health benefits and wage laws with construction contractors.

AB 1655 comes two weeks too late — the new law adds June 19, or Juneteenth, as a California state holiday. California state offices and courts were notably open this Juneteenth, though the day was declared a federal holiday for the first time this year.

AB 1667, prohibits CalSTRS, the state teachers pension, from requiring teachers to pay back overpayments detected in audit reports. In the past, retired teachers have had to pay back benefits when audits found them to be miscalculated.

SB 301 aims to crackdown on the online sale of stolen goods. Starting July 1, “high-volume third-party” sellers will be required to provide data including contact information and bank account numbers.

AB 2960 allows people in California to request and petition for a restraining order related to domestic violence or gun control electronically.

AB 2043 requires California bounty hunters to be licensed, trained and registered. The new law sprouted from advocacy from a family whose son was killed by a man illegally working as a bounty hunter in Palm Springs in 2021.

This story was originally published June 28, 2023, 5:00 AM.

Author Grace Scullion is a breaking news and politics reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She previously covered health policy at Politico and local news at the Half Moon Bay Review. She graduated with degrees in American studies and data science from Stanford University.

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Green flash sunset from Ocean Beach. I've seen 5 or 6 of them in a lifetime of watching. Best one was from Mt. Soledad. Went up there to watch a full moon rise to the east, turned around to watch the sunset and got the flash. Amazing moment. (Photo by Chris Mannarino)

I stopped to get gas at the Costco in Morena today. The line was short, so I was jazzed about that. As I waited, I noticed a couple of people wearing orange/yellow vests walking up to the cars in line. I assumed they were Costco employees since they had clipboards and were talking to drivers. But it soon became clear these weren't employees at all, but some kind of solicitors. They were going car to car, which held up the lines and distracted people from pulling up to the open pumps. I'm not sure why Costco didn't ask them to leave. Don't be fooled by these guys. Costco put up signs saying no soliciting allowed, in response... General bummer.

The Zion Marketplace in Kearny Mesa is my go-to virtual Asia escape. The sights and smells aren't anything like a trip to Ralphs or Vons. Kinda cool to see your everyday US products with a Korean overlay. Plus stuff you'll usually only find overseas. :: I understand the whole huge lot is scheduled for demolition and reimagination. Zion Marketplace will be rebuilt, along with a constellation of other Asian-themed stores. Seems possible there will be housing in the new complex too. Can't happen too soon. The whole place is a 1960s holdover: giant parking lot, giant box store, everything at right angles. That was how they built'm back in the day. 음, 초콜릿 오레오!

Asphalt surfing the big, empty hills at La Costa, California. Fibreflex skateboard and well-worn pants. That's me at age 19. I still have roadrash scars from those days...

Nobody can not find the Men's Room at Casa Machado restaurant, at Montgomery Field. Can you find it in this photo?

Aldi, the German discount market chain, will finally open a store in San Diego central.

From the article https://www.sandiegoville.com/2023/07/german-discount-supermarket-chain-aldi.html The newest San Diego location of Aldi will open in the 16,000 square-foot building that last housed a Rite Aid on the corner of Genesee and Balboa Avenues in San Diego's Clairemont neighborhood. Like other branches, expect the budget grocery store to sell a variety of low cost produce, meats, cheeses, gluten-free & organic products, and specialty items. The chain is known for its no-nonsense approach with items still in boxes rather than on shelves and shopping carts that require a quarter to rent.

There are lot of views in San Diego, and many of them show the changes of the built environment. This view hasn't changed in hundreds of years. Photo by @[email protected]