SAN DIEGO — Today, in response to his State of the Union address, Alliance San Diego issued a letter to President Biden calling on him to ‘defend our democracy’ by protecting human rights here at home so that all of us can live with dignity. Alliance was compelled to write this letter because of tragic and ongoing violations of human rights in the United States.

What: With days before the March 5th California Primary Election, San Diego has the highest voter turnout so far of the ten largest counties (filter by county in the vote turnout tracker). As of yesterday, 14% of voters had turned out in San Diego County, the second-largest county in terms of registered voters. Turnout in other top-ten counties was significantly less: Los Angeles (7%), Orange (12%), Riverside (9%), San Bernardino (7%), Santa Clara (11%), Alameda (8%), Sacramento (11%), Contra Costa (10%), and Ventura (9%). 

SAN DIEGO — Today, flood victims who are going to get kicked out of their hotels on Valentine’s Day are holding a press conference to call on the City and Mayor Todd Gloria to extend hotel vouchers to provide desperately needed housing for survivors. Flood survivors cannot return to their homes as they are uninhabitable from severe category 3 water damage caused by failed city infrastructure. Hundreds of survivors were given temporary hotel vouchers, but they expire tomorrow and unless Mayor Gloria works with the necessary agencies to extend adequate alternative housing, these victims will be turned out onto the streets. Their condition is dire and they are demanding the Mayor act now.

SAN DIEGO — Today, Alliance San Diego announced it has received a “cy pres” award of $263,392.51 after being nominated by a preeminent social justice and workers rights law firm, Mallison & Martinez, based in Oakland, California. 

GENEVA, Switzerland — Today, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC) issued its concluding observations after reviewing the United States' compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a treaty signed and ratified by the U.S. more than thirty years ago. Across multiple issues, the HRC concluded that the U.S. is not in compliance and raised particular concerns about racial profiling, excessive force, and impunity by U.S. law enforcement.

SAN DIEGO — Today, Alliance San Diego and voters filed an appeal to the California Supreme Court to protect the integrity of the March 2020 elections from interference from elected officials. This appeal comes at a critical moment when the country is still grappling with the attempts to manipulate the presidential election from that same year, and is girding itself for further assaults on our democracy. To protect the rights of voters to decide elections here at home, Alliance has challenged the City in court for its election manipulation.  

Mexico City, MEXICO – Representatives of organizations defending the human rights of migrants stressed the urgency of finding new strategies to address the migration phenomenon, ensuring that order does not imply violence, as has been the case at the U.S.-Mexico border. During a virtual meeting organized by Alliance San Diego and its network of allies, they reflected on the current context of crisis at the border and ways to combat police brutality and human rights violations in the United States, which affect disproportionately Mexican and Central American immigrants and people of color.

SAN DIEGO — Today, the California Appeals Court ruled against voters in an election protection case against the San Diego City Council brought by Alliance San Diego and voters Isidro Ortiz and Michael McConnell. The case challenged the manipulation of an election on Measure C, a tax measure on the March 2020 ballot to expand the convention center. Although the lower court had ruled that the San Diego City Council had violated the due process of voters by delaying the outcome of the election for a year and then changing the vote threshold required to win, the Appeals Court today chose to disregard those concerns, undermining our democracy.