By Kate Callen
An outspoken supporter of San Diego City Council District 2 candidate Richard Bailey has used her position as a Nextdoor moderator to sanction a Bailey political rival on the social media platform, according to documentation obtained by the Rag.
Margaret Virissimo, a founder of the pro-Bailey group San Diego United Communities, engaged in a tense Nextdoor interaction on March 20 with D2 primary candidate Mandy Havlik. What began as an argument escalated into an official Nextdoor reprimand.
In a screenshot of the exchange sent to the Rag, Virissimo said, “Mandy, you are proving to be exactly who you are, a disrespectful hot head.” Havlik responded, “You’re upset because you are being challenged with the truth.”
Virissimo then filed a formal complaint against Havlik for violating Nextdoor rules. And in her authority as a volunteer moderator on the platform, she voted with Matt Capron, another pro-Bailey moderator, to issue a warning to Havlik about using unsuitable language.
(Disclosure: The Rag endorsed Havlik in the D2 primary. It has endorsed Nicole Crosby in the D2 general election.)
The Rag received the screenshot from a Nextdoor moderator who objects to the use of the platform as a tool for political retribution. The person has requested anonymity to avoid reprisals.
The source said that the abuse of moderator authority for partisan purposes happens too often on Nextdoor. “It is labor-intensive to moderate discussion forums. If volunteers are willing to moderate, it is to Nextdoor’s advantage to let them keep doing so unless their moderation is egregiously biased.”
Havlik confirmed the account. “I was cautioned by another Nextdoor moderator that my posts were being targeted,” she said.
“The next day, Nextdoor warned me about offensive content. Subsequently, the audiences for my posts, which had been consistently good, dropped off abruptly.”
We emailed Nextdoor corporate offices to ask how all-volunteer moderators are vetted and how the platform prevents them from conducting personal vendettas. A representative mailed back a link to a searchable database of press releases. We emailed Virissimo to request an interview but received no reply.
To be clear, this isn’t a simple case of people harassing other people. That would not be news. That would be what journalists call a “dog bites man” story.
This is a story about a corporation worth nearly $1 billion that empowers partisan activists to persecute others who disagree from them. Here in San Diego, the result was the rebuke of a candidate for elected office. We call that a “man bites dog” story.
Nextdoor is aware of numerous complaints about arbitrary censorship by unpaid moderators because that issue has received widespread media coverage. Two examples:
In May 2023, The Atlantic published a story titled “Local Politics Was Already Messy. Then Came Nextdoor” about a Mercer Island (WA) City Council candidate who “became the unlikely target of what appears to have been a misinformation campaign meant to influence the election.” Author Eli Sanders wrote on his Substack account “about nationwide concerns that politically driven moderators are gaming the system on Nextdoor.”
On March 27 this year, the Connecticut Examiner ran a story, “Nextdoor’s Closed Door Policy,” that said the platform’s “moderation structure, which relies on untrained local volunteers, has produced patterns of inconsistent and sometimes prejudicial enforcement that deserve public scrutiny.”
“The platform explicitly bans users from publicly questioning or criticizing moderation decisions, requiring all concerns to be raised privately. … Rules like this create a closed informational loop in which moderators are shielded from community oversight.”
Biased moderators aren’t the only way Nextdoor stacks the political deck. A Nextdoor member who has requested anonymity has told us that Bailey supporters will flood the platform with complaints about an individual who angers them. The practice is called “brigading,” and it’s a growing tactic for online harassment.
“They work in coordination to file multiple reports, and even if the comment is written in a neighborly tone and obeys the terms of service, the comment is automatically taken down,” said the source. “But pro-Bailey comments that clearly violate the terms of service rarely get taken down.”
The irony here is that Nextdoor has built its brand on the concept of community solidarity. Its “About Nextdoor” webpage says, “We know that when neighbors start talking, communities get stronger.” How does stoking discord make communities stronger?
“Nextdoor needs to take responsibility for what happens on its platform,” said Havlik, “to make sure moderators aren’t abusing their authority, because ultimately, the local community pays the price.”
We end with a question for Bailey’s backers: When you unleash venomous assaults on people for exercising their First Amendment rights to speak freely, do you help or hurt his candidacy?
“Even if I were inclined to support Mr. Bailey,” a source told us, “the vicious behavior of his supporters would convince me otherwise.”
FYI. Many Bailey supporters have been kicked out of Nextdoor.
San Diego United Communities (SDUC) just started their Podcast and Youtube channel. In part because they were kicked off Nextdoor.
https://youtu.be/QgcOsLnDtaQ?si=hnI7I-3iY8pnImL5
The gentlemen discussing Footnote 7 explained the situation in his neighborhood well. Monica Montgomery Steppe and others are saying that a black man is being racist against other black elected officials. When he is stating his grievances that are being ignored.
As a Mandy supporter for District 2, the people who were Bailey supporters at San Diego United Communities (SDUC) were always very kind and inviting to me at their rally in Balboa Park, and rally for the seniors at Mount Etna with many District 2 candidates.
I am not a member of San Diego United Communities (SDUC), but I think they rock. The main thing is they care and they are organized. If their 3 candidates win, they neighborhoods will get a voice.
Personally, I have been discriminated by Nextdoor many times. Even when I say something nice about Richard Bailey. I am glad I am not the only one who feels bad when they get their Nextdoor post pulled based upon someone reporting them unfairly.
Nextdoor is a private company and can do anything they want. They owe us nothing.
Thanks K. Yet, these days we must acknowledge that Trump has become so toxic and threatening to our democracy, that any current politician from whatever stripe must publicly explain her/his position on Trump and ICE. If one is a Trump enabler, they must also be held accountable to what has become of our country, as their enabling is part of that threat to our democracy — no matter whatever else they stand for.
This is a non partisan vote! Get over yourself. You are blaming every Bailey supported for Trumps actions? Clearly you don’t want the truth.
No one but an ostrich believes the vote is “non-partisan.” Look at who supports the candidates; it’s parties and groups; they wouldn’t be able to run successfully without all that dough.
Exactly what is a Trump enabler? How does one enable the President of the United States?
“Trump enablers” primarily refers to Republican members of Congress who supported or failed to check Donald Trump’s actions.
Legislative Support: Critics and editorial boards frequently cite U.S. Senators and Representatives who voted to confirm controversial appointees (such as Pam Bondi and Pete Hegseth) or backed policies linked to Trump’s agenda.
January 6 Complicity: Many lawmakers, including Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, are specifically labeled as enablers for their roles in challenging the 2020 election results and their conduct during the Capitol insurrection.
Key Figures: Identified enablers in Congress often include Dave McCormick, John Fetterman, Brian Fitzpatrick, and various other GOP representatives who critics argue placed loyalty to Trump above constitutional duties.
Some of the above is with help. I would add any member of congress that puts greed and fear before their oaths of office to support and defend the Constitution
Thanks FJ; it’s fairly self-explanatory. One who enables Trump, either in action or word or both. It’s like those Germans who enabled Hitler; the chickens finally came home to roost.
Those who enabled Trump will be made to be accountable by the rest of us — the vast majority of Americans. They’re traitors to the Constitution and American democracy. And they some day will have to face us.
Lol, here we go! A local election and now you’re invoking Hitler because a candidate won’t rebuke ICE. I can sort of give Gen Z a free pass but it’s amazing to me how adults that have lived through many administrations (Republican and Democrat) are blind to the politics cycle of Washington. How these same adults didn’t blink when Obama was deporting right and left and Hilary supported as well. You are so willing to continue to send San Diego down the shithole because you hate the guy in DC. Makes no sense.
The reasons why people “hate the guy in DC” have little to do with politics. He is crude, cruel, unethical, and a narcissist. There is enough in the man to hate aside from his politics.
I can see that. But you’re so ready to reject local candidates that can be better for San Diego because you hate him. Makes no sense. That’s purely an emotional decisions.
David C — It is amazing to see how adults are blind to Trump’s march to authoritarianism — way more than the normal politics cycle in DC. Where were you when thousands of Trumpists tried to stop for the first time the peaceful transfer of power? Was that the normal cycle too? You sound like you are part of the cult — or why would you object to linking Trump and a local politician-wannabe who won’t denounce the most flagrant violations of civil and human rights in recent US history?
Complimentary voters guide: No on Bailey
Great piece, Kate, this kind of story is a service to everyone.
I had my experience with Next Door years ago and figured out what a right wing cesspool the management was. After getting kicked off and reinstated several times, I bailed and have not missed it at all.
Oddly enough, my first experience with Margaret Virissimo was on Next Door when I had the temerity to criticize horse-racing in response to her promoting a day at the races. She and her cohorts attacked me immediately.
Subsequent to all that, I encountered Virissimo on the Peninsula Community Planning Board. She was forced to resign when it came to light that she had lied on her PCPB candidate application claiming a college degree she did not have and work for a Fortune 500 company that never happened. If this is the quality of the people Next Door selects to become moderators, they are either not vetting these people or they like these kinds of people.
The whole purpose of San Diego United Communities has been to advance the candidacy of Richard Bailey. Their tactic has been to generate anger and enmity among others via social media, including Nextdoor, in order to cultivate their support for Mr. Bailey. Unfortunately, the city has witlessly given them plenty of source material to work with. But much of what they present is inaccurate or incomplete, and deliberately so.
In addition to ganging up on Nextdoor commentors who disagree with their positions and candidates, they will also personalize their attacks in order to solicit a response that can be construed to violate Nextdoor’s community standards, resulting in either an account suspension or cancellation. It’s a very effective strategy to control the narrative.
WRONG!
Frank and Kate, you have completely debased yourselves. I just imagine the two of you giggling away that you wrote such idiocy. Your accusations are baseless but are strictly because you have a vendetta against SDUC. This is your issue and you are so obsessed, but you do not have the receipts to prove your comments. This is no different than the meaningless scandal sheets that used to be at checkout stands at the grocery store. Only mindless idiots would believe the snake oil you are selling. Sadly, to be able to publish this trash talk makes labeling this platform The Rag very appropriate.
I know my comments here will not be published but I know you two will read this and that is my point. You are both shameful individuals who are fearmongering and have a blind spot on anyone who is not Democrat.
Lisa, you helped lead SDUC into its Bailey obsession. I could see a year ago that the coalition efforts could break apart along partisan lines — and that’s what happened. Bailey supporters didn’t want non-Bailey supporters help lead the multi-community coalition, so you jettisoned the former leadership and formed your own network that ended up being a front group for Bailey and some of his early issues.
Well, that was a whole bunch of verbal dysentery unsupported by any actual, specific criticism of what Kate wrote. That’s not a discussion. That is the refuge of someone who really has nothing to say.
Might be time for you to know your place move on Lisa (or is it Karen?).
I’m a Bailey backer & I’ve been kicked off Nextdoor and never learned why. I can only guess that it was the opposition. There are certain vial, lying people that comment there, that I’m sure are using a different account & name to post. YIMBYdemssd.org member Saad Asad was using the name Richard Greer, with a ridiculous photo, for a while. I guess his “work” is done because I haven’t heard from him in a while. Some people get super heated, lie & say nasty things, about the opposition.
I’d rather hear why they think their candidate would serve San Diego better.
Try to remember that these are just people trying to do their best. Margarette Varissimo started San Diego United Communities so that the different communities could have a voice, and be heard, at City Hall. These communities had similar complaints, so why not gather them together? Margaret is the only person that would take this on. Nay sayers might be a bit jealous, are afraid, or just like their game.
We vote for a reason. Let the people have their voice & calm down.
Oh, Richard Bailey is not a “Member” of San Diego United Communities. You could have easily asked for facts. Nobody is shutting out.
Several years ago I disagreed with a post or comment from Margaret Virissimo on Facebook. She was very quick to block me from seeing any of her future posts.
I’m not surprised that the Rag makes this Nextdoor problem out to be only caused by Bailey supporters. That’s just not true. I’m a Bailey supporter who was attacked by a group of aggressive Crosby supporters and spent two weeks on vacation from the site. It was a gang attack as described in the article above. It’s unfortunate that this author and publisher didn’t present the full story, though not surprised.
Note: I’m not affiliated with any person or organization mentioned above.
I helped start Nextdoor many years ago in OB. I can’t remember my title, but I left just a year or so ago. It became a bastion of conservative agendas and no one could be nice to each other. Now, if I post Crosby’s next meet up, Margaret goes on every FB group I post on and makes comments with outright lies about Nicole. I back my stance up with facts. Like, many of Bailey’s donors are real estate developers. It’s public record. But, like most Trump supporters, Bailey’s followers just believe every word that comes out of his mouth without doing ANY research. I feel like you could spoon feed every one of them some vile substance and if he says it’s good, they would just gladly ingest it themselves.
That is about the best description of Bailey supporters that I have run into. I think the person who wrote the article needs to understand ND moderation a bit better. But I can certainly vouch for the description of Margarette V. She isn’t the only one. I started to think something was amiss when I noticed the whole bunch of the SDUC people had the team logo in place of their header photo. It does seem like the right-wingers are dominant on the platform.
Some points of clarification: This story is about a Nextdoor moderator who abused her authority to sanction members who didn’t agree with her. That is a fact, and no one has refuted it. The story doesn’t say Nextdoor’s problems are “only caused by Bailey supporters,” and it doesn’t say that Bailey is a member of SDUC, only that he has received their outspoken support.
And we have no vendetta. In fact, the Rag admires how SDUC pushes back against predatory development. In an Oct. 7 story, we wrote, “We respect the work of SDUC in fighting for sustainable growth in residential neighborhoods. But we are saddened by their scorched-earth tactics.”
If La Playa Heritage is correct that SDUC has been kicked out of Nextdoor, then I really wish Margaret had accepted my invitation to talk. I would definitely have reported that, and this would have been a different story.
All of this rancor makes me really glad that I have no social media presence.
You have a lot in common.
San Diego United Communities (SDUC) have many people all over the City of San Diego that are motivated to push for change. They want City Council Members to push back against Strong Mayor Todd Gloria’s hurtful policies.
Can the OB Rag create their own Youtube Podcast, like San Diego United Communities (SDUC) Youtube Podcast ?
https://youtu.be/QgcOsLnDtaQ?si=4EjQoD3EI2UeU0XZ
The SDUC Podcast was very informative. Especially for the drama surrounding Footnote 7 where a black member of the public was called racist by elected officials.
Maybe we can all get together after the Mid-terms.
?It is laughable that anyone thinks Verissimo is a moderator on NextDoor. She has been suspended multiple times herself.
As for Randi’s comment, we all have the ability to block anyone we choose.
While Crosby backers are pointing the finger at those of us touting Bailey’s many qualities we suffer the imaginative tales of the likes of Ryan Clumpner.
San Diego United Communities is a group of civic minded citizens fighting the egregious policies at city hall. They were instrumental in collecting signatures on both the trash fee and Balboa Park parking fees petitions. They held a press conference at the senior housing on Mt. Etna bringing attention to the many violations from both Chelsea and their property manager. I could go on. All of this led by Verissimo.
Don’t we all want the most qualified elected to get us out of the financial ruin and infrastructure debacle Gloria has put us in?
Too bad you didn’t verify facts before publishing.
Why does anyone even go on Nextdoor at this point, unless to just get in fights?
There are some pretty significant factual problems with this post. It repeatedly conflates Nextdoor’s volunteer moderators with Nextdoor staff and attributes powers to the named moderators that, according to Nextdoor’s own documentation, they simply don’t have.
Volunteer moderators can vote on whether reported content should be kept or removed. They cannot issue warnings, suspend or ban users, or take action against someone’s account. So the claim that two moderators “voted to issue a warning” appears to be false. Likewise, the assertion that multiple reports automatically cause an otherwise compliant comment to be removed isn’t supported by Nextdoor’s documented moderation process.
Politically biased or coordinated moderation could certainly be a legitimate story. But if you’re going to publicly accuse specific people of abusing their authority for political purposes, you should first accurately establish what authority they actually have and how the moderation system works.
Margaret V is not a moderator on Nextdoor. Where did you get this information? I’ve always really liked OBRag but this is a hit job. Your examples are months old and failed to mention that the opposition to Bailey has been flooding ND with random posts and accusations. It seems like nasty politics to me. Couching it as a ND Moderator abuse story is not only inaccurate, it’s dishonest.
Jeff, thanks for writing. The screenshot I have shows Margaret reporting Mandy and then, as a moderator, voting with another moderator to take action against her.
As for what volunteer moderators (so identified throughout the story) can and can’t do, I sought that information in multiple requests to Nextdoor. If they had replied to my requests, they could have explained their processes.. Sending me a searchable database of press releases was a dodge.
This story is about specific people abusing their authority for political purposes. I think we agree that more coverage is needed on that. Again, thank you for writing.
Kate, with all due respect, Nextdoor doesn’t owe you anything. They are a private company and can run their site, and respond to inquiries like yours however they want.
To an extent I agree with your comment: “This story is about specific people abusing their authority for political purposes. I think we agree that more coverage is needed on that.” but there are a few issues with it:
The authority these people have, in this context, is entirely within the bounds of a private company. That company can run their site however they want. They appear to have thoughtful, documented processes to prevent abuse like you are describing, but even if they didn’t they would be fully within their rights to run their site however they want.
“They appear to have thoughtful, documented processes to prevent abuse..”
“Appear to have” and “have” are very different. What do you have to substantiate that statement? My personal involvement with Next Door, and that of others, saw nothing of the kind.
I am not going to do your work for you, but these links are a start. Just like the original post, you appear to be conflating the fact that you don’t know something with the fact that it doesn’t exist.
https://www.nextdoorneighborhoodteams.com/home/resources/moderator-academy-the-basics
https://blog.nextdoor.com/2021/02/10/how-moderation-works-on-nextdoor
https://www.nextdoorneighborhoodteams.com/home/resources/moderator-academy-voting-appeals
https://www.nextdoorneighborhoodteams.com/home/resources/moderator-academy-reporting-content-accounts
can’t we all just get along!
Nextdoor absolutly turned into a political cesspool and Margaret is as toxic as they get. I don’t agree with her but also get she is an individual acting on her own. I have also seen multiple people who are paid operatives of the unions such as Ryan Clumpner who played the same game and seems to have been silenced. We are in strange times and need to do a lot of research to truly know who these people are.
This was an eye opener to me as it shows who is scared, link from the league of women’s voters:
https://followthemoneysandiego.org/year/2026/office/city-council/2
https://followthemoneysandiego.org/year/2026/office/city-council/2
I have to disagree with the suggestion that Bailey supporters are “weaponizing” Nextdoor. I think this article is pretty one-sided. I also don’t believe the SD United Communities groups were created simply to support Bailey. My understanding is that they were formed to bring neighbors together to discuss issues affecting our communities everywhere in San Diego.
And let’s be fair, I’ve seen some pretty disrespectful comments made about Bailey by Nicole Crosby supporters, and they’ve had comments removed as well. This isn’t just happening to one side.
There have been repeated comments here that these things are happening on both sides. It is an age-old, defensive claim. So, Kate did this informative, thoughtful piece examining what Baily supporters do. If the other side is acting just as badly, then it should be easy for someone to write that story. My guess is that editor dude would run that.
It seems like the reporting is about a garden variety cat fight between two women ?
How does the OBRag select which candidate it supports ?
Was there a reader poll which I missed ?
Most will agree DC2 needs a fresh approach from the last Dr. Doolittle eight years.
OA; that’s a rather sexist comment, boiling a political disagreement being manifested by a supposedly “neutral” social media platform down to a phrase that is often used to describe women arguing.
Readers keep the Rag going but we don’t decide articles, issues by a vote.
If it were two men, would it be a bro fight ?
The clawing and scratching was rather feline ? Or am I just imagining a cat fight ?
But there was no sexist intent on my part.
Nextdoor seems like a waste of time to me.
I was disappointed to see my name dragged through the mud as part of this supposed Nextdoor conspiracy. The article makes a big deal out of one post I may have voted on roughly six months ago. That is a long time to wait to turn a single, routine moderation vote, something volunteer reviewers do regularly under Nextdoor’s own system, into evidence of coordinated political weaponization.
This reads like yellow journalism: taking a minor, months old action, pairing it with anonymous sourcing and a charged narrative, and presenting it as proof of a broader plot. The screenshots you claim to have should be made public so people can judge for themselves.