Santa Barbara Town Hall Draws Hundreds to Protest Trump Agenda

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Hundreds of community members gathered Saturday morning for “Stop the Coup,” an emergency town hall organized by Indivisible Santa Barbara and Commit to Democracy.

Speakers included U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, state Sen. Monique Limón, and Assemblymember Gregg Hart.

“Donald Trump’s radical agenda is illegal and likely unconstitutional on many fronts,” Carbajal said. “I am part of the congressional investigation into the scope of Elon Musk’s access to government systems and data. We will not take this invasion of privacy lying down.”

Carbajal urged attendees not to react to Trump’s actions daily but instead to focus on taking meaningful action.

“What can you do? Organize, resist, engage and keep speaking out loudly. That’s what you can do,” Carbajal said.

Organizers reported that nearly 1,000 people attended the event, with crowds filling the courtyard of the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara and hundreds lining the block to listen to the livestream.

Signs opposing mass deportations and the Trump administration were displayed outside.

“Both of the rooms in the church are full to capacity—honestly, a little more than expected,” a town hall member yelled.

“Everything is full inside. Everybody’s here because we know something is wrong, and we’ve got to do something about it,” said Joyce Wycoff, a town hall attendee.

“We are a culture of compassion. The services continue—all the meals, all the support for seniors, all the support for kids. We have to stand strong,” said Laura Capps, a member of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.

Cheering and applause echoed through the stained-glass windows and across the packed seats.

Following the speeches, a Q&A session was held for community members to voice their concerns.

During the session, Carbajal reportedly said he believes the Trump administration will make cuts to Medicare. Limón outlined protections passed by the California Legislature to prevent state funds from being used to enforce immigration laws and reaffirmed that access to abortion and marriage equality are enshrined in the state constitution.

“I’ve just been so stressed out with all these shutdowns of our institutions, the grabbing of our personal information, and all the other things that Trump and his phony guy Elon Musk are doing,” said town hall attendee Kristen Santiago. “It’s really awful.”