OB Rag

By Colleen O’Connor

Every day this past week, there were wild, unbelievable, sometimes fascinating and often horrific news stories. Wars. Assassinations. Random violence. Politically motivated murders.

Yet, San Diego was different. It exuded a life of meaning, purpose, and even goodness.

The week started with the 110-year-old Festa celebration in the Portuguese community of Point Loma.

By Lisa Mortensen / June 16, 2025

San Diego Council President Joe LaCava does a valiant job of maintaining order at very heated meetings, like the one that will take place today when the Council votes on Bonus ADU program amendments.

But LaCava only does half the job. While he insists that members of the public respect the proceedings, he does not require the same respect from his Council colleagues.

At the June 9th meeting on the Solid Waste Disposal program, LaCava displayed a keen sense of understanding of the public’s passion for this issue. And the audience complied with his requests for order and moderation.

He needs to impose those same standards on the eight people sitting next to him. He should issue warnings to Councilmembers who display anger or disappear for long stretches.

San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board / June 14, 2025

This week, San Diego’s elected leaders completed a three-year con job targeting the bank accounts of a huge chunk of their constituents. On a 6-3 vote, the City Council approved Mayor Todd Gloria’s plan to begin assessing a $43.60 monthly trash collection fee on more than 200,000 single-family homes — a standard fee that is far higher than the $23 to $29 estimate given to voters when they narrowly approved Measure B in 2022. In July 2027, after the initial rate has gone up by an additional 26%, the fee will be $55.

By OB Rag Staff / June 15, 2025

The long-awaited San Diego City Council showdown over the catastrophic Bonus ADU program is in 24 hours. But you can (and should) send in a comment electronically to start the opposition drumbeat.

We know Todd Gloria still wants to cram as many as 10 units on single-family lots. That is unacceptable. Let’s unleash a tsunami of opposition messages on the Council.

Submit a comment on the City Council’s Agenda Comment Form.  After you fill in your personal information, the comment type is “City Council Comment,” the agenda item is “202,” and we “Oppose” the item. Here is a message you can copy and paste into the “Comments” box:

By Neighbors for a Better San Diego / June 15, 2023

Capping the total number of dwelling units is a win/win for everyone. Here’s why FOUR is the right number:

THE BREAKDOWN:

— Existing home
— A converted ADU, such as a garage (State law)
— A detached ADU (State law)
— An Affordable deed-restricted Bonus ADU (San Diego incentive)

By capping the total units on all San Diego residential parcels to 4 TOTAL units (including the main home), San Diego would be

— Complying with State law
— Protecting neighborhoods and homeownership, and
— Fulfilling the Bonus ADU commitment it made to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as part of the 2021-2029 Housing Element Cycle.

It is official, according to the San Diego Police Department and the Union-Tribune: 60,000 plus people demonstrated in downtown San Diego Saturday, June 14, for “No Kings Day!” Times of San Diego and KPBS also repeated this number. Organizers claimed 80,000. Also, police reported there were no arrests.

Meanwhile, literally millions of Americans took to the streets in opposition to Trump and his policies in at least 2,000 actions.

There were also 10 other “No Kings Day” protests across San Diego County, including events in Carlsbad, Del Mar, Chula Vista, Escondido, El Cajon, Mira Mesa, Rancho Bernardo, Civita Park, Ramona and San Marcos. Times of San Diego reported “about 1,000” in Mira Mesa and organizers estimated 3,000 in Escondido.

By Paige Austin and Fernando Haro / Patch / June 14, 2025

Police in downtown Los Angeles declared the massive “No Kings” protest an unlawful assembly and aggressively cleared the remaining protesters. They fired rubber bullets into the crowd as well as tear gas and beat protesters with sticks. Some smaller protests such as an afternoon demonstration in Anaheim were also declared unlawful.

In Los Angeles, the violence erupted suddenly, marking a dramatic shift from what had been a peaceful “No Kings” demonstration with more than 30,000 people [very conservative estimate —  more like 100,000] converging on downtown Los Angeles along with thousands more from San Diego to San Francisco.

Patch witnessed officers knocking demonstrators to the ground, charging into the crowd on horseback, shooting them with rubber bullets and beating them with long sticks. One officer fired rubber bullets into a cluster of journalists at close range, hitting at least one. One elderly man was charged and shoved to the ground by a Los Angeles Police Department officer.

The Rag has been posting photos from today’s “No Kings” actions from downtown.

A massive wave of protests, dubbed “No Kings Day,” is scheduled for this Saturday, June 14, 2025, with events planned in San Diego County and across the nation.
About this event

We’re the group that organized the Hands Off April 5th event at the Civic Center in downtown San Diego — join us again

Check out https://takeactionsandiego.org/hub/ for updates and last minute information.

In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings. NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses. We’ve watched as they’ve cracked down on free speech, detained people for their political views, threatened to deport American citizens, and defied the courts. They’ve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their allies.

On Saturday, June 14, we’re gathering and building a movement to support and strengthen our community

The flag belongs to us. We’re not watching history happen. We’re making it.

On June 14th, we’re showing up everywhere—to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings.

A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.

San Diego County rallies

By Paul Krueger / June 13, 2025

Laura Castañeda, a long-time journalist with a distinguished career in print and broadcast reporting, has been terminated from the Union-Tribune Editorial Board after five years as Deputy Editor/Editorial & Opinion.

Castañeda announced her departure on her Facebook page:

“On the same day a team editorial at @sdutOpinion on the ICE protests was pulled, my position as deputy editor was suddenly eliminated. Thanks to the SD community for allowing me to lift your voices. My next chapter TBA. I won’t be silenced and neither should you.”

The U-T’s staff bio of Castañeda, which was still posted this morning, says this:

By Kate Callen / June 13, 2025

This week’s San Diego City Council 6-3 vote approving trash fees capped another hours-long session before another furious overflow crowd. It’s no wonder the Councilmembers seemed exhausted. They are caught between their irate constituents and an autocratic mayor who scorns their constituents.

The six “Yes” voters looked like patients in a dentist’s waiting room. They have no viable solution to the budget crisis and no prospects for future elected office. They must serve out the rest of their Council terms in a kind of political purgatory.

Here are random observations of a weary Council that must now prepare for another contentious hearing when they consider Bonus ADU reform on Monday, June 16:

Going Through The Motions: The trash fees were rammed through for one reason only: The City is so financially destitute that it will dig money out of any crevice. No Council member could make that case with real enthusiasm. So they put in a token effort. Stephen Whitburn thanked some people and quickly voted “Yes.” Vivian Moreno had nothing to say. Even Henry Foster III, who ultimately voted “No,” seemed disoriented.

Elo-Rivera Fulminates:  One of the “Yes” voters brought firepower, but not about the city’s plight. Instead, Sean Elo-Rivera unleashed a diatribe about the presence of the National Guard in Los Angeles. When an audience member yelled, “That’s not city business,” Elo-Rivera pitched a fit: “I don’t care if you don’t like what I have to say, put your thumbs down, shake your heads, do what you like.” Such a class act.