Category: San Diego

By Dave Maass / Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF / June 2, 2026

People around the world are pushing back against the mass surveillance that undermines privacy and free expression for everyone.

One of the people who joined the fight for digital rights is EFF client Will Freeman. Will created the website DeFlock.me to reveal the dangers of automated license plate readers (ALPRs)—cameras that collect location data on every vehicle they see and upload that to a massive nationwide police database. Deflock.me turns the tables by enlisting ordinary people to track the locations of tens of thousands of ALPR cameras.

But when the police spy-tech company Flock Safety went after Will’s website with legal threats citing trademark law, he saw it for what it was: an attempt to silence critics and dim the light on mass surveillance.

Help Make Sure Gloria’s “Homes for All of Us” Includes “All of Us”

By Paul Krueger

The Mayor’s Planning Department is hosting a June 9 “community input” meeting on his “Homes for All of Us” initiative on Tuesday, June 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the Malcolm X Library at 5148 Market Street in Valencia Park.

If you care about the impact of new housing development on your community, please plan on attending. And be prepared to cut through the bureaucratic spin by asking pointed questions.

Gloria says Homes for All of Us “…will create clear pathways to build townhomes, duplexes, and small-scale multiple homes … and provide more homeownership opportunities.”

Such a program would be a positive step towards providing much-needed for-sale housing, as opposed to the high-rise, cookie-cutter, $2,750/month studio and one-bedroom apartments (with no parking) that are blighting our neighborhoods.

But there’s a very real danger that this potentially valuable initiative will morph into yet another program that serves developer and investor interests by ignoring community input,

With the clarity of the morning after, the California Primary results of 2026 show that Xavier Becerra — the top Democrat in the slugfest that was the gubernatorial race — will be the first Mexican-American to be elected governor of the state. This will be the first time since 1846 when the last Mexican governor, Pio Pico, fled to Baja as American military forces swarmed into Alta California after war between the U.S. and Mexico began.

A bold assertion? Just look at the numbers. Steve Hilton, the top Republican, received 27.8% of the total vote to Becerra’s 25.4%. But if one adds up the percentages for Tom Steyer, Katie Porter and Mike Mahan — you get 28.3%, and coupled with Becerra’s, you have 53.7% of the vote available for Xavier. That smashes Hilton even with Bianco’s numbers — a total of 39.1%. (A Republican has not won a state-wide race in California for years.)

Absent some unforeseen upset or crisis or calamity, Becerra will journey to the General Election in November — and win it.

This victory 6 months away will result in the first Mexican-American elected as governor for California — the first time since the state has been in the Union.

by Katheryn Rhodes

On June 10th of this year, the California Coastal Commission will hear the case of Coastal Development Permit (CDP) 6-26-0202 (Item w17c-6-2026) to revise vehicle parking restrictions at 35 Coastal Public Parking Lots and public access areas with a consolidated CDP.

These consist of approximately 9,255 off-street parking spaces the City manages, including parking lots from Sunset Cliffs to the Torrey Pines Gliderport, and beach and bay access in Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Mission Bay Park, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla.

San Diego Gas & Electric wants to lay down a 140-mile, 500-kilovolt high-voltage transmission line that would cut through California’s largest state park, the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. They call it the Golden Pacific Powerlink and it would run from the Imperial Valley to the Orange County border.

The proposed line has also sparked massive opposition from environmentalists and local communities who are strongly against the overhead route. They are demanding the project be entirely rerouted away from protected environments and population centers.

Opposition to the line is lead by the Anza-Borrego Foundation, which is fighting to keep the lines out of California’s largest state park. Opponents point out that a previous proposal (the 2008 Sunrise Powerlink) was rejected for its park path, and warn that nearly 200-foot-tall towers would ruin dark skies, impact endangered bighorn sheep, and destroy fragile cryptobiotic soils.

Rag Writer Signed Up for Nonpartisan Voter Assistance

By JW August

3:18 p.m.  Kearny Mesa Rec Center

Much more activity compared with other stops.  Can’t say if it’s the time of day or location. All 5 check in spots are busy. Small line of voters on occasion.

My Common Cause Partner Jo Curcio is watching the check in desk. Monitoring the exchanges. They all have praise for the county registrars hotline

Site manager Olena tells me her parents were from the Ukraine.  She speaks passionately about the war and its toll.   “They are dying, they want to be able to vote as we do.” To be able to vote.

One poll worker smiled and nodded “we are ready for November. Hope the country is.”

2:27 p.m. San Diego – At Islamic Center of San Diego

When we arrived it looked like election day coverage as its supposed to be. Lots of people moving around.

But then I find out their midday service just ended.

Nearly 100,000 Impacted in San Diego County; 665,000 in California

New federal rules will go into effect Monday, requiring some San Diego County residents who receive CalFresh food benefits to meet work or volunteer requirements to get or keep benefits.

State-wide, the updated CalFresh work rules impact approximately 840,000 recipients, with state officials estimating that up to 665,000 Californians are at risk of losing their food benefits if they do not meet the new requirements.

The updated federal rules apply to certain Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents, or ABAWDs, who are applying for or renewing CalFresh benefits. Those affected are individuals who:

• Are between 18 and 64 years old;
• Are not living with a child under 14;
• Do not meet a federal exemption;
• Are physically and mentally able to work; and
• Are not pregnant or disabled.

VOTE TODAY

VOTE TODAY

With Election Day upon us and uncertainty in the governor’s race, let’s recap some common election questions to prepare you.

[Go here for all links from below, at Times of San Diego]

Why are so many people running for governor?
It’s a wide-open field in part because the big names in the Democratic Party — former Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla — passed on running for governor. Democratic voters in early spring appeared to be coalescing behind former Rep. Eric Swalwell, but he withdrew from the race following allegations of sexual misconduct.

by Ernie McCray

Turning on my TV
and hearing news
that there had been a shooting
at the Islamic Center of San Diego
caused my heart to grieve immensely
and my breathing
didn’t come easily
as the first thoughts
that came to my mind
were of my many visits there
and how I would be met
with a “Hello, my good brother”
kind of greeting at the door
by a friendly guard
who I heard had been killed
along with two other members of the center’s staff
and I nearly crumbled

By Corey Washington / Patch San Diego / May 31, 2026

Just days before voters will cast their ballots in California’s contentious primary election, a record 23.1 million Californians have already registered to vote, according to figures released on Friday by the Secretary of State’s Office.

The latest Report of Registration, released by Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, found that 23,155,447 eligible Californians were registered to vote as of May 18, the highest total in state history.

“California’s record voter registration numbers show that our democracy is alive and well, powered by millions of Californians who are excited to take part in shaping both the future and values that strengthen our state,” Weber said in a statement. “Our voters are not only staying engaged, they are stepping forward with purpose.”

Democrats continue to make up the largest share of the state’s electorate, with nearly 10.4 million registered voters, or 44.9 percent of the total. Republicans account for about 5.8 million voters, or 24.96 percent, while 5.28 million voters, or 22.82 percent, are registered with no party preference.

By Jim Varnadore

Now that we’ve begun making sense of the trash fees and the hateful parking fees at Balboa Park, you might give sober consideration to the suggestions your constituents sent you for bringing city expenses down to match its income.

One very helpful suggestion is to cut your personal staffs in half, eliminating the higher paid half but not increasing the lower paid half – neither numbers nor pay.  Your constituents would no longer pay staff members whose main job is to win your next election.