About 85 people showed up for a meeting convened by the Santa Barbara Progressive Coalition, reincarnated by the election of President-elect Donald Trump after an eight-year hiatus, to hammer out local actions they could take in response to political changes promised by the new administration. The group, meeting at La Casa de la Raza, broke into five sub-groups that focused on immigrant rights, health care, reproductive choice, the environment, and what, if any, counter-inaugural action would take place in Santa Barbara.
To date, the Women’s Political Committee has chartered 10 buses — enough to carry 585 people — to the Million Women’s March in Los Angeles on January 21. The Santa Barbara Independent chartered four more. As of deadline, there’s been talk of a rally taking place at De la Guerra Plaza at 3:30 p.m. on January 20, with those assembled marching from City Hall to the County Administration Building a few blocks away.
Those focusing on immigrant rights announced they will ask the county supervisors to declare Santa Barbara a “sanctuary county” and the City College Board of Trustees to declare the campus there off-limits to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
