Re “Plan to tax short-term rentals stalls” (Jan. 29): What I continue to see from this City Council and mayor is the refusal to do what is needed to solve the budget problem. They must force reform in the city’s pension plan and cut high-paying middle- and upper-management jobs. Our city must maintain services and road repairs wherever possible. The answer is not to continue to tax segments of our citizenry, foisting the burden onto them — specifically local owners of vacation rentals and the residents who use our beautiful Balboa Park.

This city has already hammered those of us who own homes into paying additional fees for trash, even though those expenses were already covered by our property taxes. What is next from these guys? Don’t they get it by now? Attention, City Hall: We are sick of you continuing to raise our taxes due to your inept management of our money! Wake up!

— Glen Volk, Point Loma

While Oregon State has traditionally struggled to win games away from Corvallis under Wayne Tinkle, the Beavers grabbed one at the Jenny Craig Pavilion Saturday against the San Diego Toreros. OSU rallied to pick up a 78-76 overtime result to end their recent stretch of contests in the state of California. The Beavers also won at Loyola Marymount earlier this week.

Johan Munch finished as the Beavers’ leading scorer with 15 points, also adding nine rebounds. Guards Josiah Lake and Dez White also recorded 12 points apiece, with Lake dishing out eight assists and grabbing five rebounds.

In the first half, the difference was free throws. OSU went to the line eight times, making seven. Oregon State’s bigs made a significant impact, with Johan Munch, Olavi Suutela, Noah Amenhauser and Jorge Diaz Graham combining for 19 points. San Diego only took two free throws in the opening 20 minutes. The Beavers managed to take a 30-25 lead into the halftime break.

The second half was equally competitive, with both sides struggling on the offensive end. Neither the Beavs or the Toreros had a second-chance point in the second half. With 1:45 remaining in the second half, Oregon State found themselves down by ten, 59-49. However, the Beavs hit three three-pointers and Munch threw down a dunk to tie the game at 60-60. USD failed to tie the game on the final possession of regulation.

In overtime, the two sides traded punches with Oregon State again taking advantage of frequent trips to the free-throw line. The Beavers made ten of their 16 free-throw attempts in the extra period, but only three field goals. That would be enough to close out a 78-76 win, despite San Diego hitting two three-pointers inside the final 30 seconds.

Oregon State finished with a field goal percentage of 40.3 as they added a slight improvement to their resume to end the month of January.

The win moves Oregon State to 12-12 overall on the season with a record of 5-6 in conference play. The Beavers are 3-5 in road contests this year. They won’t have too much time to soak in the SoCal sunshine before returning home to take on Washington State at 8 p.m. PT on Wednesday, February 4.

More Reading Material From Oregon State Beavers On SI

Five years in the making, two long anticipated restaurants, Vulture and its sister diner, Dreamboat, will close in early February, less than a year after they opened in University Heights.

What’s especially notable about the imminent closure is that the venture was a collaboration of two of San Diego’s more prominent — and successful — restaurateurs: Kory Stetina (Kindred and Mothership) and Arsalun Tafazoli, whose hospitality group, CH Projects, is behind numerous projects, including the reinvented Lafayette Hotel and Little Italy standouts Born & Raised and Ironside

Both Stetina and Tafazoli declined to comment on the closure but confirmed that the two vegan-centric restaurants will remain open until Feb. 8. Tafazoli stressed that his participation in the two restaurants is separate and distinct from CH Projects.

Describing the decision to close as “heartbreaking,” the restaurant owners posted a lengthy message on Instagram, speaking of their gratitude for the support they received in creating and sustaining the dual-concept operation.

“High opening and operating costs, combined with the economic realities of today, ultimately made it unsustainable, despite very strong support and real momentum,” the social media post stated. “This chapter is ending far sooner than we ever imagined, and we are deeply grateful for the time, energy, and love these spaces were given. However brief, they burned brightly, and we are proud of what they contributed to our city’s dining culture.”

The post received hundreds of comments from disappointed patrons who lamented the closure and said they would miss more memorable meals.

Making its debut in June of last year, Vulture was designed as an elevated vegan restaurant and cocktail bar that featured fine-dining selections like a tableside Caesar salad for two and a “steak” Diane made from wood-grilled lion’s mane mushrooms. Its much smaller, more casual sister restaurant, Dreamboat, occupies the same building and is a retro vegan diner.

While Stetina and Tafazoli were unwilling to discuss the financial challenges of their joint venture, the project was no doubt impacted by the long delay in opening, in addition to the more than $2.3 million cost of purchasing the two-story building in July 2020, not long after the start of the pandemic. In the years since, food and labor expenses have risen, and consumer behavior has shifted, as fewer people are choosing to dine out.

The building, at 4608-4610 Park Blvd., is currently listed for sale, but the listing shows no asking price, according to CoStar.

Both Stetina and Tafazoli are known for sparing little expense on the design of their restaurants, and Vulture and Dreamboat apparently were no exception. Restaurant broker Nate Benedetto, who was involved in the sale of the building, confirmed that millions of dollars were spent on reinventing the space.

Designed by Brooklyn-based Home Studios, the two dining spots are distinct in size and design. Dreamboat, a micro diner with 10 counter seats, is bright and airy, but just past a velvet curtain, the space quickly transitions to the more moody Vulture. The long, narrow dining room is lined with floral-patterned walls and luxurious carpeting and features oversized head sculptures on pedestals situated above plush booths.

“Vulture/Dreamboat was a super ambitious project, but without meat dishes, I don’t think they had the volume to support the investment that was made,” said Benedetto, founder of Next Wave Commercial. “I don’t think the location was the issue. There’s been a pullback in dining and expensive ticket prices, and it’s hard to translate the vegan steakhouse to drive that investment. They had a fan base but not as devoted as they expected.

“It also definitely took longer than they expected, and it cost them a lot more money carrying all those expenses for several years.”