Category: San Diego

Dear Friends:

We hope your summer is off to a good start. Here is a news round-up about the Coalition’s recent activities and future priorities:

This Week at City Hall: We appreciate the feedback on our weekly bulletin that highlights significant Council agenda items. Thanks to your involvement, City officials are feeling pressure to serve constituents and not just special interests. Let’s keep that up by speaking out at Council meetings – in-person, virtually, and in writing – to remind them that they work for us.

Jack McGrory Coalition Forum: If you missed it, check out Jack McGrory’s no-holds-barred analysis of City Hall in the OB Rag (Part I and Part II). The willingness of some civic leaders to deliver straight talk at our town hall events is encouraging. Our speakers’ series resumes in the fall.

By Kate Callen

In the news profession, journalists are supposed to be fired for breaching ethical standards. They are not supposed to be fired for upholding them.

Terence Shepherd is suing his former employer, KPBS, for doing just that. In a lawsuit filed in May in Superior Court, Shepherd, who was KPBS News Director from August 2021 until September 2025, alleges he was terminated for wanting to comply with rules set down by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The incident in question was KPBS Reporter Alexander Nguyen’s TV news report of a September 17 event at Encinitas City Hall protesting the tactics of U.S. Immigration, Customs, and Enforcement (ICE).

The lawsuit states, “Shepherd became aware that [Nguyen] had apparently staged a protest scene about which KPBS was reporting. One of the protesters that [he] staged behind the live shot [carried] a placard that prominently displayed ‘FUCK ICE.’”

Believing that a display of the word “FUCK” would violate FCC rules governing broadcast content, Shepherd alerted KPBS Chief Content Officer Nancy Worlie. He wanted to audit Nguyen’s past work. Worlie “vehemently disagreed” and said that Shepherd was “grossly overreacting.” Soon after, he was fired.

It is indeed the last four days of the OB Rag writing contest. Given that we’re nearing the 250th anniversary of American independence, the topic is: “What the 250th anniversary means today … living under Trump.”

Send 500 to about 1,000 word entries to us at our email: obragblog@gmail.com  (The best way is to simply paste the essay into the text of an email and send it to us.) All entries will be judged by a panel of citizen journalists and professional writers. The deadline is 9 p.m. Saturday, July 4th. (Maybe you weren’t inspired until the actual day was upon you — .)

Every Saturday at 10:30 am. San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings.  July 4th,11th, 18th, and 25th. Keep up to date on climate issues and Climate Action events. To register email Jon Findley at jon@climatemobsd.org.  More info: https://www.facebook.com/SDClimateMobilization/

Every Saturday 10 am – 12 pm Peace Vigil for Palestine: Advocate for Peace and Justice in Gaza and Everywhere Join CODEPINK SD, San Diego Veterans for Peace, and Palestine Pals every Saturday at 10:00 am at Ocean Beach Gateway Plaza, on the corner of Sunset Cliffs Blvd. and W. Point Loma Blvd.  Wear pink and bring a peace-related poster if you have one!  Contact: Nathanael sandiego@codepink.org  More info:  https://www.instagram.com/codepinksd/

Every Sunday 1:30 pm – 3:15 pm Otay Mesa Vigil Otay Mesa Detention Center 7488 Calzada de la Fuente San Diego 92154 Event recommended by Peace Resource Center Peaceful gathering Bring a sign, friends, music and your voice in honor of the thousands of innocent human beings separated from their families, please join us at our weekly action at Otay Mesa Detention Center. Our movement grows stronger every week- but we need more voices out there with us. The inhumane and deplorable conditions our loved ones are forced to suffer through at OMDC cannot be accepted or tolerated. Please join us to bring HOPE and Solidarity.  Every week a different group brings us food – plenty of parking and good vibes always.  More info: https://www.instagram.com/borderlandsequity/

July 1st, 15th and 22nd. Resist Trump Flash Banner Action Wednesdays 4 pm – 5:15 pm– North Park Event by SanDiego 350   Landis St. and the I-805 3424 Landis St, San Diego 92104 The Raise the Alarm Team continues our Flash Banner Actions (FBAs) because resistance to the Trump administration remains as important as ever. So too is keeping climate change and the need for climate action before the public. We calculate that we are reaching about 5 to 10 thousand vehicles for each hour that our banners are up and the response from motorists is mostly positive. By our count, since 2025 we’ve held more than 30 FBAs in North County, Central SD, and the South Bay! We will banner on the Landis St. overpass of the I-805. We’ll meet on the overpass at 4:00 pm. Local street parking is available. Stay tuned for upcoming events! More info:  https://sandiego350.org/event/civi_event_1831/?instance_id=1496

July 1st Wednesday 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Monthly Social for Makers, Tinkerers and Creatives Event by Zero Waste San Diego

By Kate Callen

Where else but San Diego would you see a Councilmember disrespect a community leader just minutes after the Council passed a measure to strengthen community engagement?

Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera’s flippant response to a public speaker during a June 29 Council meeting exposed the root rot that plagues constituent relations at City Hall. No amount of tinkering with meeting logistics will fix that problem.

For months, the Council has worked to comply with Senate Bill 707’s overhaul of the Brown Act to embrace modern meeting technologies. The result was outlined in a report from City Clerk Diana Fuentes titled “Information Guide on Group Participation Updates and Council Determination of Community Engagement Efforts.” Her recommendations were adopted in a unanimous vote.

Changes regarding public input to Council go into effect July 6. Citizens will face a steep learning curve on organizing group presentations and offering virtual testimony. Once they get the hang of it, they will discover that their second-tier status will be, to quote the great David Byrne, “the same as it ever was.”

By Paul Krueger

I used to zone out when politicians debated the strengths and weaknesses of policy proposals, especially when I covered government meetings for NBC 7. Revisions, compromises, and continuances left me frustrated. I’d think, “Come on, just agree, vote, and move on.”

But my six years as a community advocate have given me a new appreciation for the value of policy debates and public disagreement among our elected officials.

I’ve seen how a philosophical split on the County Board of Supervisors — with three liberal Democrats and two conservative Republicans — gives us a better understanding of policy issues and exposes the possible pitfalls of proposed legislation.

Pointed but civil disagreements between the Supervisors have revealed important details — pro and con — about proposed reforms to the county charter and the use of reserve funds to expand programs and hire more employees.

That’s why I grimaced when Mayor Todd Gloria described the city of San Diego’s recent budget negotiations as “more collegial” than last year’s. “I don’t think anyone at the outset of this process would have envisioned a unanimous adoption of the budget and no line-item vetoes,” Gloria told the U-T’s David Garrick.

That “Kumbaya” moment is good example of what’s wrong at City Hall. This go-along-get-along attitude enables our elected officials to avoid scrutiny for their votes. And it deprives residents of the information they need to assess their representatives’ performance.

“San Diego will start allowing lengthy group presentations by online participants at City Council meetings next Monday,” David Garrick at the UT reports. He surmises that it’s “a fundamental policy change that could make meetings significantly longer.”

But that’s not all the changes it would make. And it’s all supposed to boost “public participation.” The City Council approved it Monday, June 29.

Garrick states:

“The council was forced to change its policy for group presentations by a new state law – Senate Bill 707 – that seeks equal rights for people submitting testimony online versus in person. The goal is leveling the public participation playing field for working families, homebound residents, people traveling and others who can’t conveniently attend public meetings in person.”

By JW August / Times of San Diego / June 28, 2026

The city of San Diego has spent years trying to build a new fire station in the Mid-City area that would address a glaring weakness in the city’s emergency response system.

But environmental and community groups have opposed the specific location the city has settled on, arguing it would remove precious open space from a neighborhood that’s already starved for it.

The city selected its preferred site — on a hillside in the Webster neighborhood of City Heights, at 47th Street and Fairmount Avenue near a mobile home park catering to seniors — in 2015. That was five years after an outside report by a consultant identified the area as the most significant gap in the city’s fire response. Another report, in 2017, confirmed the need.

Project opponents — like Charles Rili, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s local chapter, and Leslie Reynolds, executive director of Groundworks San Diego-Chollas Creek — share the desire to plug that gap. But they argue the chosen location would permanently scar current open space and lead to the destruction of habitat in the Chollas Creek watershed.

Rilli said the the city is “digging its heels in” and refusing to recognize the location as one of the few open spaces for residents in the urban environment.

From Neighbors for a Better California

The latest public records released this past week confirm that Project Vela remains under active City review. No final decision has been made on the project’s requested height, scale, incentives, or waivers.

Before the City can make those determinations, the developer must still resolve key technical issues identified during the review process, including floor area calculations, fire protection, stormwater management, and the legal basis for the project’s requested waivers.

Rather than becoming clearer as the review has progressed, the records show that important questions remain unresolved across multiple technical areas.

NFABC has submitted an additional Public Records Act request for missing documents referenced in the file. Our volunteer team brings experience in law, city planning, community planning, public communications, and state housing legislation. This expertise allows us to analyze complex records, ask informed questions, and help hold the City’s review process accountable so Project Vela is not approved for more height, density, or scale than California law and the San Diego Municipal Code allow.

What the Latest Records Show

Fire Safety Review Continues

The City’s Fire Suppression reviewer stated that, after multiple rounds of review, proper and complete responses had still not been provided for the issues identified. The reviewer noted that little progress had been made and advised the design team to resolve the outstanding issues before additional reviews continued.

‘What the 250th anniversary means today … living under Trump.’ Rag writing contest second entry.

By Anonymous #2

On this 250th anniversary of our country, while being under the control of Donald Trump, I am reminded of those men and women who fought to allow the birth of this county in the first place: the original patriots.

I am reminded of patriot George Washington who understood the importance of healthcare within a military, thus mandated inoculations of the troops.

“The small pox has made such Head in every Quarter that I find it impossible to keep it from spreading thro’ the whole Army in the natural way. I have therefore determined, not only to innoculate all the Troops now here, that have not had it, but shall order Doc Shippen to innoculate the Recruits as fast as they come in to Philadelphia. They will lose no time, because they will go thro’ the disorder while their clothing Arms and accoutrements are getting ready.” – George Washington

I am reminded of patriot John Adams who understood, not just the importance of healthcare wtih a military, but of commerce and a country, thus advocated for universal healthcare with a government run system.

Editordude: This is the first entry in our Rag writing contest, a contest asking writers to express ‘What the nation’s 250 anniversary means today … living under Trump.’ Our panel of judges will determine the winner after the July 4th weekend; the contest runs until then and is open to anyone living in the City or County of San Diego. The winning essay will be awarded $100.00. (All entries will be published anonymously. Applicants should email us the essay to obragblog@gmail.com)

By Anonymous #1

“The arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Philosophers, reformers and leaders often talk trajectory, making reference to progress like the kind seen in comforting movements of an arc. A line following that unfamiliar path ultimately expected to bend in the proper direction. So very appealing a concept – geometrically speaking.  A simple shape reassuringly capable of reflecting empirical truths.

Most of us have previously encountered the above famous quote, long attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who included it in a 1956 speech addressing the Montgomery Bus Boycott. However, the original concept came from 19th century Unitarian minister and abolitionist Theodore Parker. In an 1853 sermon, Parker stated…”I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways…But from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.”