Category: Civil Rights

By Frances Vinall, Arelis R. Hernández and Maria Sacchetti / Washington Post / Jan. 22, 2026

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo instructs agents and officers that they can enter a person’s home to arrest them without a judicial warrant, a move that immigration lawyers and advocates say violates the Constitution.

The memo was included in a disclosure to senators by Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit legal organization, based on information provided by two of their clients, government employees who are not named in the document. It requests that lawmakers investigate its claims. The memo was separately shared with The Washington Post and was first reported by the Associated Press.

Several people with direct knowledge confirmed the directive existed but said they did not know whether it was widely shared within the agency.

The policy was issued in May and has been carried out in places such as Texas, the disclosure alleges. The Post could not independently confirm where it has been put into practice.

The memo, signed by Todd M. Lyons, acting director of ICE, gives the agency broad authority to enter homes to arrest immigrants. Officers are instructed that they can use a Form I-205 to force entry into a private residence. A Form I-205 is signed by an immigration enforcement official and authorizes an arrest following a final order of removal.

ICE OUT FOR GOOD — San Diego County Solidarity Actions & Nationwide Minnesota Day of Action

Friday, January 23, there are coordinated rallies and calls for boycotts across San Diego County as part of “ICE Out for Good”, aligned with the broader Minnesota Solidarity Day of Action opposing recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and demanding accountability, community safety, and human rights protection.

These local actions are connected to nationwide demonstrations and economic solidarity efforts responding to the federal ICE enforcement surge in Minnesota and the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renée Good — an unarmed civilian killed by a federal ICE agent during heightened immigration enforcement activity earlier this month — which has sparked widespread protests and national outrage.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY ACTION SCHEDULE — JANUARY 23, 2026

There are more and more calls to invoke the Constitution’s 25th Amendment as Donald Trump’s poor mental state becomes more and more obvious. These calls have accelerated since Trump’s deranged statements and efforts to seize Greenland. The 25th Amendment allows for the removal of a president if certain substantive criteria are met.

As Josh Fiallo at the  Daily Beast on Jan. 20 reported

Trump, 79, posted 33 times in 45 minutes on Tuesday [Jan.20], claiming he “has done more for NATO” than anyone and sharing conspiracies about Dominion voting machines, non-existent voter fraud, and a clip of his 2017 Inaugural address, among other things.

The flood of posts, which come as he threatens to shatter relations with longstanding European allies by demanding that the United States seize Greenland from Denmark, immediately renewed calls for his removal from power.

Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger asked on BlueSky, “Are we watching a real-time mental health crisis with Trump?” shortly after Trump’s mad barrage ended. “Seriously.” …

The last time the president confronted chatter about the 25th Amendment, it was in the immediate aftermath of Jan. 6.

Here is text of message Trump sent to Norway’s leader:

Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT

By  Steve Benen/ MS Now / Jan. 20, 2026

It was a message that might as well have been written in crayon. A day after Donald Trump announced new tariffs on several European countries — economic penalties that would remain in place, he said, until his demands to acquire Greenland were met — the president sent a truly ridiculous message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, in which the Republican suggested part of his Greenland crusade is rooted in his failure to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

In fact, according to Trump, because Norway hurt his feelings by failing to give him an award he wanted but did not earn, he no longer feels “an obligation to think purely of Peace.”

In a written statement, Støre said that he’s tried to explain to Trump “on several occasions” that the Norwegian government is not responsible for the decisions made by the independent Nobel Committee. The American president, however, continues to insist that Støre is lying, that the Norwegian government is secretly in charge of the honors, and that all of this has something to do w

Stop the development of the Turquoise Tower/Vela project in Pacific Beach

The Issue

The proposed Turquoise Tower/Vela project has raised significant concerns among the residents of Pacific Beach. Bird Rock, La Jolla and surrounding beach communities. Plans for this 23-story structure, at 970 Turquoise Street, pose multiple threats to the community’s well-being and local character.

Before any approvals are issued, the public deserves transparency and a fair opportunity to review the facts. We’re are asking the City of San Diego to publish the baseline calculations and assumptions being used to justify the project’s size and intensity and state in writing the approval path being used (ministerial vs. discretionary) and the basis for that decision. The city must not issue approvals until this information is public and the community has had a reasonable opportunity to review it.

Traffic congestion is a serious issue that this massive project will only make worse. The area is already challenged by heavy traffic and the addition of such a large development on a narrow two-lane road will bring more vehicles, leading to longer commutes, increased pollution, and a heightened risk of accidents.

By Miriam Raftery / East County Magazine / Jan. 16, 2026

CalAware Founder and open government champion Joseph Terrence “Terry” Francke died December 24 with his wife, Carolyn “Muffy” Francke at his side.

As cofounder and long-time general counsel of Californians Aware (CalAware), Francke fought for the rights of the public and press to access information, court actions and public meetings of government bodies.His legal advice led to numerous reforms across California, including interventions that led to improved public access at boards and agencies in San Diego and East County.

He also served as general counsel to the First Amendment Coalition and as legal counsel for the  California Newspaper Publishers Association, as well as a newspaper editor, school district information officer, and public affairs officer for the U.S. Marines.

JW August, a past CalAware president,  former investigative producer for NBC 7and senior producer for the investigative team at ABC 10 News, [and current writer for the Rag] praises Francke as a “warrior for the First Amendment,” as well as a friend and mentor who helped “smaller publications and bigger ones that may have run into a legal wall…Any reporter, any editor, any citizen could call him and get experienced help.”

Intro by Rag Staff:

In a speech to House Republicans earlier this month, January, Donald Trump cast the coming midterm elections in existential terms, declaring Democrats would impeach him if they won a majority in Congress. He then supposedly joked about canceling the midterms, but muttered he’d be accused of being a dictator if he did.

But as Patrick Marley and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez report in a sweeping and important piece in the January 12th issue of the Washington Post they assure us that “Trump can’t cancel elections and he lacks the authority to carry out some of his most far-reaching plans because local and state officials oversee elections, rather than the federal government.”

That’s a relief, isn’t it?

But they hammer away: “Trump has already ignored those constraints and signaled he will continue to do so, which means courts will probably have to determine what rules are in place for the midterm elections.” With the way courts operate, that’s downright scary.

To make their case, the reporters checked out documents and interviewed more than three dozen election officials and experts over the past year “at how Trump and the administration are trying to reshape how the midterm elections will be conducted.” Check the following out, it’s extremely important that we citizens grok what they’re doing — but remember these reporters work for Jeff Bezos, a Trump billionaire supporter who owns the Post, so they’ve also minced their words (which means things are even worse).

Here are the key methods:

Pushing states to redraw House districts

What has Trump done? Trump pressed GOP leaders in several states to take the unusual step of redrawing their congressional maps for partisan gain in the middle of the decade. Ordinarily, states draw new maps once every 10 years, after the census is completed.
Where is it happening? Republicans made nine districts more favorable for themselves across Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina and Texas and are considering redrawing districts in Florida.

What does this mean? If successful, Republicans could gain enough seats to protect their thin House majority, even if Democrats have a good year and pick up other seats. Republicans lead the chamber 218-213, and a handful of races could determine control after 2026.

By Pam Kragen / San Diego Union-Tribune / Jan. 14 -15, 2026

Stan Levin, a Korean War veteran who spent the later years of his life as a passionate anti-war activist and helping San Diego’s homeless population, passed away Jan. 8 at a local hospital. He was 96.

The longtime San Diegan worked as an acrobat, in airplane manufacturing, as a schoolteacher and in the real estate industry. But he became best known for his volunteer work with San Diego Veterans for Peace, a vocation that began around his 80th birthday in 2010. He participated in demonstrations, protested at the Miramar air shows, spoke at public events and wrote many essays and letters to the editor that were published in this and other local newspapers and on news sites.

Levin’s daughter Annie Revel said her father loved talking to people on virtually any topic, but over the past 20 years he increasingly became an outspoken anti-war activist.

“He was opinionated and very engaged in life,” Revel said. “He always had a twinkle in his eye and he had a great sense of fun. He was very curious and inquisitive and always learning.”

By Brad Reed / Common Dreams / Jan. 14, 2026

A broad coalition of Minneapolis labor unions and community organizations is calling for a general strike to take place next week with the goal of forcing federal immigration agents to leave their city.

According to a report by Workday Magazine, the groups announced their plans on Tuesday to create a day of “no work, no school, no shopping” on Friday, January 23.

JaNaé Bates Imari, representative of the church Camphor Memorial UMC, said that next Friday would be “a day when every single Minnesotan who loves this state—who loves the idea of truth and freedom—will refuse to work, shop, and go to school.”

“We are asking every single person, every family member, every teacher, every bus driver, every childcare worker, to come together, to be in community, to stand with one another,” Bates Imari added.

Land Use and Housing Committee Meeting: Preservation and Progress Package A Approved to Move Forward for Review by the Full City Council

By South OB Girl

On Wednesday January 14, the Preservation and Progress Package A went before the San Diego City Council Land Use and Housing Committee.  Package A involves controversial proposals regarding preserving and protecting San Diego’s historic housing ideals and districts. Council Member Sean Elo-Rivera was absent.  This left a LUH Committee of three: Committee Chair Kent Lee and committee members Stephen Whitburn, and  Vivian Moreno.

There were 49 speakers in Council Chambers downtown –a mix of those in favor and those opposed, and many in attendance ceded minutes to others who were speaking.  Bruce and Alana Coons spoke, representing Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO).  Mission Hills Heritage also spoke, as did local OBceans including Kathy Blavatt and Coastal Caretakers.