OUR WORK

Impact Litigation In 2024, MoGo filed two lawsuits against the City of San Diego on behalf of harmed community members. We, along with co-counsel Rios Bollinger Law APC, filed a lawsuit alleging several causes of action against the City of San Diego because of their failure to properly maintain the Chollas Creek channel leading to the flooding that happened on January 22, 2024 which displaced thousands of San Diegans. Not only was the flooding foreseeable, it was preventable. Prior to the catastrophic flooding, our clients requested help from various elected officials and members of city staff to unclog the storm drains and received no assistance. They lost everything. This case is about accountability. Our clients are seeking justice for the losses they have endured and to ensure no other families are harmed by similar systemic neglect. As the City of San Diego must address its failure to maintain critical infrastructure, particularly in underserved areas, we are hopeful that this case will lead to meaningful systemic reform and set a precedent for holding municipalities accountable for maintaining essential public systems. MoGo, along with co-counsel Briggs Law Corporation, filed a lawsuit against the City of San Diego on behalf of privacy advocates. The lawsuit alleges the City of San Diego violated its own Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology (TRUST) Ordinance by deploying surveillance technologies, including Smart Street lights and Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) without proper approval or transparency. You can read more about the lawsuit here. Complaints

Community Empowerment Central to MoGo’s efforts is Community Empowerment which is achieved through education and advocacy efforts. These efforts to mobilize the community center on a variety of issues that emphasize fighting for equity, community education opportunities and standing up for vulnerable communities like the unhoused. Community Advocacy: Fighting for Equity City of San Diego Budget When we show up, we win! MoGo along with other organizations and individual community members came together to demand that the proposed budget for the City of San Diego would center equity and reinstate several equity initiatives vital to our communities that were cut by the mayor. With coordinated advocacy and effort, we collectively achieved a variety of important wins. As a community standing in solidarity, we provided valuable insights to our city representatives about the criticalness of the funding we demanded, attended every budget hearing and made over 350 in-person public comments, and met with city council members to secure their support! MoGo will continue to take the lead on equity-focused advocacy in 2025. We know the importance of showing our elected leaders that our communities are united and determined to hold them accountable. Community Advocacy: Defending Vulnerable Communities Unhoused Community Members The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson gives opportunity and legitimacy to local politicians' current and cruel policy approaches to homelessness. MoGo strongly disagrees with SCOTUS: Imposing fines on impoverished people and packing our deadly jails with our most vulnerable community members constitute cruel and unusual punishment, in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The only solution to homelessness is housing. We cannot criminalize our way out of homelessness. This ruling is a judgment and punishment to anyone who finds themselves housing insecure in our country’s most expensive city to live. We recognize that the already overpoliced Black community in San Diego, who despite making up 6% of San Diego County's population is overrepresented in homelessness, is likely to be most severely affected. MoGo remains fiercely committed to combating the policy and moral failures of criminalizing the unhoused. MoGo’s Deputy Executive Director Sebastian Martinez spoke to KPBS (and other outlets) about how the Grants Pass ruling will affect other cities in South Bay San Diego: Here's what the Supreme Court’s homelessness ruling means for South Bay | KPBS Public Media Community Education: Prop 36 Although Prop 36 passed, the fight against its passage underscores the need for MoGo to lead the charge in safeguarding policy gains—because achieving victories is just the beginning; the real work lies in preserving them. Throughout 2024, MoGo was a leading, clear and loud voice against Prop 36. We did this through educating community members on how Prop 47 was a success for Californians. You can read the op-ed featured in Voice of San Diego co-authored by MoGo’s Executive Director Geneviéve Jones-Wright and ACLU-SIDC Senior