OB Rag

Congress must assert its constitutional authority over matters of war and peace against an out-of-control, rogue president and executive branch, and vote in favor of the Iran War Powers Resolutions.

By Kevin Martin / Common Dreams / March 2, 2026

Once again, the United States and Israel are illegally attacking Iran, as they did last June. It is already a regional war, which will take a horrible toll on ordinary people in many countries, with reports a girls’ school was bombed, killing at least 85 people.

Unlike the limited strikes in last June’s 12-day war, this is aimed not just at Iran’s nuclear or military facilities, but at regime change in Iran, as President Donald Trump declared, and government targets in Tehran have been hit, with Israel claiming Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. Predictably, Iran is firing back at Israel and at US military bases in the region.

Late last week, the Foreign Minister of Oman, who had been mediating negotiations between the US and Iran, stated prospects were good for a possible agreement. However, according to an Israeli official, the talks were apparently a treacherous ruse, as the US and Israel had planned coordinated attacks on Iran for months.

By Lisa Mortensen

Well, the city has concocted another tax proposal to inflict pain on San Diegans and divert attention from the real issue of ballooning staff and salaries that has created an ever-increasing deficit.  The city asks for your input on surveys of community projects that you may want to have implemented, but this is a diversion tactic to take your eyes off of the true culprits; our exploding deficit that is the making of our elected officials at city hall.

These ‘surveys’ are disingenuous and will lead us to be forced to create community foundations to pay for projects on our wish lists; all the while robbing the city’s taxpayer-funded accounts.  This indirectly is a double payment for what we have already paid for in our property taxes and sales taxes. 

By Jeff McDonald / San Diego Union-Tribune / February 28, 2026

When San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria last year asked the City Council to declare three commercial properties within Mission Bay Park as surplus land in order to negotiate new leases, it did not go over well.

The recommendation, based on the requirements of state law, alarmed council members and environmentalists concerned the designation could pave the way for housing and other development on the cherished waterfront.

And it was resisted even after Gloria promised that a developer’s unsolicited effort to build 900 homes there would never be approved.

By the fall, city officials had dropped the surplus-land effort and decided instead to pursue exemptions with the help of state housing officials and lawmakers.

Now Assemblymember Chris Ward, a San Diego Democrat who previously served on the City Council, has introduced a bill that would exempt the city-owned Mission Bay Park from the state law that undergirded the recommendation, and that was designed to prioritize housing on unneeded public property.

Ward’s legislation, introduced as Assembly Bill 2525, would exempt from the Surplus Land Act all of the property included in the Mission Bay master plan — more than 4,200 acres all told.

Planning Group Elections This Week in San Diego

San Diego’s Community Planning Groups (CPGs) hold annual elections every March. Here are dates, times, and locations for in-person voting at some of this week’s elections. Be sure to bring your driver’s license or another form of ID showing your home address.

Tuesday, March 3

Normal Heights will accept ballots from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Normal Heights Community Center at 4649 Hawley Boulevard.

https://normalheightscpg.org/notice-of-election/

Ocean Beach requires voters to download and print a registration form and ballot (available on website below). In-person voting takes place between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Ocean Beach Recreation Center at 4726 Santa Monica Avenue.

Community Coalition Bulletin: This Week at City Hall, March 2 — 6

The San Diego Community Coalition publishes this email bulletin to keep our members and San Diego residents informed about important Council and Planning Commission hearings and other city public meetings.

Tuesday, March 3: City Council, 2:00 p.m.

Agenda:

Item 330: Performance Audit of the City’s Key Performance Indicators

Why it matters: The City Auditor states that “key performance indicators (KPIs) are critical tools to … evaluate the City’s programs and services and deliver improved outcomes for residents.” But the Auditor has found that “the City underutilizes KPIs [and] lacks a cohesive approach to KPIs.” Recommendations include publishing an annual City KPI performance report and creating a publicly accessible dashboard with historical performance data. We can only hope.

Item S501: Consideration of an Empty Homes Tax Ballot Measure

Why it matters: Sean Elo-Rivera’s proposal for a yearly $8,000 tax on more than 5,000 mostly unoccupied homes faces a steep uphill battle.

Children Under 12 Would Be Banned

By Esmeralda Perez / CBS8 / February 25, 2026

San Diego may soon implement electric bike regulations, as Councilmember Raul Campillo has proposed an initiative aiming to address growing safety concerns about misuse and excessive speeding on e-bikes throughout the city.

The proposed regulations would ban children under 12 from riding Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes. The proposal also restricts passengers to bicycles specifically designed with a permanent second seat.

“We’re seeing a lot of young people show up to ERs, we’re seeing a lot of seniors who are walking down the sidewalk who get hit by irresponsible e-bike riders that are going way too fast and so we’re really just trying to preserve public health, safety that’s really at the heart of what we’re doing,” Campillo, who represents District 7, said.
Campillo shared that state law empowers San Diego to add e-bike regulations to its municipal code.

By Alex Cheney / CBS8 / February 27, 2026

A Navy investigation has determined that human error caused an E/A-18G Growler military jet to crash into San Diego Bay during a training exercise on Feb. 12, 2025, according to information the Navy shared with reporters today. The two crew members safely ejected from the aircraft and sustained only minor injuries.

The investigation revealed that unfamiliar software triggered warnings during aerial refueling, complicating the crew’s approach to Naval Air Station North Island. Pilots contended with a wet runway and a tailwind while attempting to land, employing an aero brake in an effort to slow the aircraft. However, investigators determined the measures proved insufficient.

Gregory Feith, a former senior investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said naval air traffic control should have directed the pilots to use a different runway. “In aviation we try to never land with a tailwind,” said Gregory Feith.

“The Future of Balboa Park: A Community Conversation”

When: Saturday, March 28, 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Where: Mission Valley Library Community Room

“The Future of Balboa Park: A Community Conversation” will invite members of the San Diego public, who are the real stakeholders of the Park, to begin exploring new strategies for effective park stewardship and responsible park management.

The town hall, organized by the San Diego Community Coalition and Neighbors for a Better San Diego, will be facilitated by two foremost Balboa Park advocates, landscape architect/urban planner Vicki Estrada and former City Architect Michael Stepner.

With increased public interest in San Diego’s “Crown Jewel,” Estrada and Stepner will lead this public discussion of critical issues, including:

• How do we ensure that the park has the resources it needs to provide the services and benefits San Diegans deserve from this regional asset?
• How can we unify Park stakeholders to work together toward common goals?

Every Saturday at 10:30 am. San Diego Climate Mobilization Coalition Meetings March 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th

Every Saturday 10 am – 12 pm Peace Vigil for Palestine

The San Diego River Park Foundation has volunteer opportunities in Ocean Beach:

Every Sunday 1:30 pm – 4 pm Otay Mesa Vigil Otay Mesa Detention Center

March 2nd Monday 4 pm San Diego Townhall on Mental Health Programs in County Jails.

March 2nd Monday  12 pm – 1 pm Interfaith Vigil For Earth Justice

March 5th Thursday 2:30 pm and 6 pm Critical Incidents: Death At the Border Film Screening

March 6th Friday 5 pm – 8 pm Active Duty Social Event by Vets for Peace

March 7th Saturday 12 pm – 2 pm Election Volunteer Fair: Preparing for 2026 Elections

March 8th Sunday 10:30 am International Women’s Day Event by Women’s March Waterfront Park

By Luke Garrett  / NPR / March 2, 2026 

Congress is set to vote on bipartisan war powers resolutions this week meant to limit President Trump’s military operations in Iran.

The dual efforts in the House and Senate face uphill battles to become law, as previous efforts have failed in asserting congressional authority to declare war.

But most Democrats and a handful of Republicans on Capitol Hill still support the effort to curb Trump’s use of military power in Iran, after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran over the weekend that have already claimed the first American casualties.

“The Constitution says we’re not supposed to be at war without a vote of Congress,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a cosponsor of the Senate resolution, told NPR’s Weekend Edition. “This is important. The lives of our troops are at risk. We ought to come back to Washington right away and vote on this.”

The war powers resolutions had been scheduled for debate and votes before the surprise attack on Iranian military and political leaders. Now that the war is ongoing, it’s unclear how or if any successful war powers resolution would immediately change the reality on the ground.