Fired Los Padres National Forest wildlife biologist confronts Elon Musk
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A local wildlife biologist fired last month by the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE and Elon Musk, witnessed history first-hand during Tuesday's Congressional address in Washington, D.C.
Benjamin Vizzachero, former assistant wildlife biologist with Los Padres National Forest, attended as a guest of United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and found himself face-to-face with the man responsible for cutting his job.
"Although it was not exactly fun to sit through the speech, this event gave me a platform, a chance to speak out and tell my story," said Vizzachero. "And when Trump says 'We're firing the lazy bureaucrats' I turned to the person next to me and I said, 'Hey, that's me! But I'm not a lazy bureaucrat. I'm a hard-working biologist and I do what I do for this country out of love.'"
Vizzachero, trained on how to encounter mountain lions while on the job in the local forest, found himself face-to-face with Musk at Tuesday's Presidential address.
"I said, 'Mr Musk, am I waste?' And he said, 'Who are you?' And I said, 'I'm a wildlife biologist. I work for Los Padres National Forest.' And he said - with this smug grin on his face - 'What exactly is it that you do here?'"
An exhausted Vizzachero shared his experience late Tuesday night on instagram. He said he felt compelled to speak out for himself and other federal workers "going through hell right now."
"I told him I protect communities like the city of Monterey from wildfire. I manage the Big Sur Coast which is an international treasure and a landmark. I told him I love this country. I love this place and I work hard to keep it beautiful and he said, 'I don't think we need you here.' And I said, 'I love this country and why are you destroying it?'"
Wednesday morning, Vizzachero reflected on the encounter via Zoom with Your News Channel.
He called the president's speech and boasts of federal jobs cuts "demoralizing" as three-fifths of the room applauded. And, plenty of people were there for his confrontation with Musk.
"They weren't happy with the things I was saying. There were jeers but I'm glad I made my peace heard. I knew that if I didn't speak up I'd regret it for the rest of my life."
Vizzachero stood with the U.S. Capitol off in the distance during the Zoom call, sharing his message for Americans.
"Anyone that's listening, I urge you, now is the time to fight to preserve the places that make America beautiful like Big Sur and San Rafael Wilderness, Los Padres to across the nation."
Vizzachero also applauded ongoing efforts by Representative Jimmy Panetta and Congressman Salud Carbajal for supporting public lands and, the National Federation for Federal Employees.
