For years, I’ve devoted my time to local issues in San Luis Obispo County. I’ve done so not because I’m apathetic to national politics, but because I’ve believed—and still believe—that our most direct influence lies in our own backyard. While the media machine churns 24/7 content about Congress, cable news spats, and whoever former President Trump is threatening this week, I’ve wanted to cut through the noise and focus on where we can make an immediate difference.
But increasingly, it’s impossible to ignore how the chaos seeded by the Trump administration and the rise of far-right political movements are no longer just national disturbances. They are now deeply embedded in the daily lives of San Luis Obispo County residents—in our economy, our neighborhoods, our classrooms, our courts, and even in our conversations with one another.
What used to feel far away is now at our doorstep.
Tariffs imposed during the Trump years didn’t just “hit China,” they hit local retirees on fixed incomes struggling to afford groceries and small businesses trying to stay afloat as the cost of supplies skyrocketed. Those policies, built on slogans rather than strategy, damaged consumer confidence. We see the wreckage in boarded-up storefronts, strained food banks, and families forced to make impossible choices.
The cruelty didn’t stop at the border wall.
Ask anyone who’s dared to display a yard sign supporting LGBTQ-plus rights or racial justice. The harassment and threats they’ve received aren’t random—they’re symptoms of a culture war imported into our neighborhoods from Trump’s national stage. When citizens like Kilmar Abrego Garcia are snatched up and deported on questionable grounds, that’s not just bad policy. It’s a betrayal of due process. And it sends shockwaves through communities built on trust, labor, and decades of quiet resilience.
Locally, we’re seeing fringe far-right actors emboldened enough to target transgender students in our schools—children, who have every right to exist and be protected. These protests aren’t just misguided. They are calculated attacks meant to instill fear and erase visibility. Meanwhile, federal cuts to health care, mental health services, and housing assistance—all championed by the Trump administration—are turning cracks in our local safety net into craters.
This isn’t about partisan disagreement. It’s about whether we will allow a toxic political movement—one centered on power, ego, and exclusion—to unravel the very systems that allow diverse communities like ours to thrive.
Trumpism is not a passing storm. It’s a scorched-earth campaign to dismantle institutions of accountability, compassion, and community—whether those are courts, schools, nonprofits, or neighbors helping neighbors. It is anti-science, anti-dialogue, anti-democracy. And worst of all, it has convinced too many of its followers that cruelty is a substitute for conviction.
We can no longer pretend this movement only exists in Washington, D.C. It is right here in San Luis Obispo County.
It was evident in the energy behind the Hands Off Our Courts demonstration on April 5, where thousands gathered at the SLO County Courthouse to voice their outrage at the increasing slide into authoritarianism. That protest wasn’t about any one judge or decision. It was about defending the very idea that no one is above the law. It was a collective affirmation that communities must resist together, not just react individually.
What we need now isn’t a return to “normal.” Normal got us here. What we need is a civic uprising—not driven by political parties, but by people who still believe in the Constitution, in dignity, and in the right to build a future not ruled by fear.
We must reclaim our voice, not just in national discourse, but in local action. That means fighting for affordable housing, accessible health care, and justice for marginalized residents—not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because those battles are now existential. They are the front lines in the war against authoritarianism.
And if we don’t push back loudly, consistently, and together, we risk losing more than a political fight. We risk losing the community we’ve worked so hard to build and thrive in. Δ
Aaron Ochs writes to New Times from Morro Bay. Send a response for publication to letters@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Best of SLO County 2025.
Most reasonable people would support your concerns, but when asked how to pay for any of it, they immediately turn their back.
When your local, blue, neighborhood is targeted for a low income housing project or homeless shelter, the knives come out. Out the window go all the platitudes about inclusivity and diversity and in come the usual shrill concerns about traffic, safety, and congestion. This of course, is just liberal code for poor people moving into the neighborhood and lowering property values or their fears of seeing brown people and foreign cultures taking root.
God forbid poor people should get a break. How fast a certain ethnic group forgets that a mere two or three generations ago, their relatives disembarked in rags, onto Ellis Island to begin the same journey many people themselves are about to take.
Aaron: A couple of points.
Where were your concerns about rising prices when Biden’s inflation was soaring? And saying tariffs caused “boarded up store fronts” is a bit of a stretch, as the tariffs have only been in effect for less than a month. Can you cite a business which has failed because of tariffs?
Referring to Kilmar Abrego Garcia as a “citizen” misses the point. He not only isn’t a citizen, he is here illegally, and has been subject to a deportation order since 2019, which was only “temporarily” stayed.
Those “offenses” against transgenders that you cite are just straw men. Nobody challenges their right to exist or to be protected. They have the same rights as everybody, but just not the right to force us to remake out language, science and sports. Live and let live.
You don’t need to “reclaim your voice”. We’ve been hearing it loud and clear all along. Reaction to your voices is much of what has been driving the Trumpism which you so despise.
Good article Aaron
Fly and John, as usual, creates false premises, distortions or lies
How to pay for it Fly? HINT EFFECTIVE TAX RATES ON THE RICHEST WERE 60%-70% IN THE 1950’S INTO THE 1970’S
Today the richest pay effective rates about 20%
Low income housing Fly? Look to where they are, which party is gutting spending on it and other social programs, as they blow up DOD spending. WooHoo
John, Biden’sinflation? Oh right that thing that happened, AFTER Trump ignored covid and claiming it was the flu? Will betaken care of in the spring when it wrmed? WORLD WIDE INFLATION BECAUSE TRUMP AND THE RIGHT WING, WORLD WIDE, IGNORED IT.
Trump did kinda help with the inflation when he increased spending to help win 2020 election with his Covid rescue. Too late of course.
USA had the best economy in the world post Covid, the “envy of the world” according to Forbes and WSJ. Supply chains were disrupted , of course Trump is changing that, FAST
9-0 SCOTUS SAID TRUMP WAS WRONG ON GARCIA
Tariffs? LOL, Sure, only about 95% of economists say Trump’s wrong, he lies about EVERYTHING. He just recently said after his first round of tariffs (first term) , the US brought in hundreds of billions in new revenues, each year. Don’t let facts get in the way with Trump’s “reality”. He Never got $100 billion in a year, sure he doubled it, but gave about 90% of the new “revenues” to the farmers via welfare.
When Trump sinks the economy, remember Biden and the Democrats had ZERO power to do anything to block him, like Dubya/GOP 2001-2007
Jon K:
As Stephen Miller just pointed out at what I consider to be one of the most exhilarating press conferences I’ve ever seen, if members of a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a drug cartel from the neighbor to our south, or member of MS-13 moved into the house next to a liberal, they would immediately be screaming for their removal. And they should be removed from the US immediately.
Stephen Miller’s comments are a response to all the chaos my late parent’s generation created in their haste to tear down the family structure, our borders, our economy, and society. Everything we see is a result of their generation working out it’s subconscious resentment at the values their parents had and as they did, got rich in the process. As their generation sunsets, I hope they’re happy because their efforts worked. Our economy is in ruins and going outside is dangerous
All their generation’s dog catchers, landscapers, letter carriers, had to do was buy a generic wooden cracker box house here on the coast in the 70’s, have a basic, defined benefit pension, and Viola! Millionaire! Now, these three professions find themselves delivering pizzas at night as a side job, with a scam 401k in a declining economy, and downwardly mobile.
Here’s Stephen Miller’s epic presser, you’re welcome:
https://www.youtube.com/live/wSnzXepmJBc?s…
Buy American products, support American farmers, and support American commerce first. If this means a decade or so of being unable to buy cheap, Chi___e, plastic garbage, so be it. Our grandkids will be thanking us.
Fly, IF i wanted to watch a NAZI, I’d just go to the history channel. You keep up the cheering for Trump, he’s got your back
Stripping Power from Independent Regulatory Agencies. After all, Trump is ALWAYS right.
DOGE Access to Government Payment Systems. Sure, what could go wrong with teens in charge like Big Balls.
Executive Order Freezing Federal Grant Funding. Cancer smancer
Executive Order Ending Birthright Citizenship. Silly Constitution.
Closure of USAID. Let China become buds with the rest of the world.
Rollback of Affordable Drug and Insulin Pricing Policies . More of the GOP’s ”die fast’ agenda’.
Executive Order Removing U.S. from WHO. Science isn’t real, Trump will tell US what we need.
Executive Order to Dismantle the Department of Education. Let’s go back to where 90% of disabled kids weren’t in school. We care about them though.
You like NAZI’S, just remember that you are who YOU back
Stephen Miller Egregiously Misrepresented a Supreme Court Order While Trump Nodded Along
No, the Supreme Court did not give Trump free rein in the case of a wrongly deported man.
“Birthright citizenship is the biggest, costliest scam in financial history,” Miller ranted. “An illegal alien could come here nine months pregnant, or on a tourist visa nine months pregnant, have a baby. That baby is then declared an automatic citizen, which then entitles the entire family to come here and live here, and every one of them get welfare … unlimited welfare, applying as the custodian of this citizen—so-called—child.”. BIG LIE
”Stephen Miller is credited with shaping the racist and draconian immigration policies of President Trump, which include the zero-tolerance policy, also known as family separation, the Muslim ban and ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Miller has also “purged” government agencies of civil servants who are not entirely loyal to his extremist agenda, according to a report in Vanity Fair.
Through the conscious use of fearmongering and xenophobia, Miller implements policies which demonize immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, in an apparent effort to halt all forms of immigration to the United States.” LAST TWO FROM SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER
Jon K:
You do realize neither party lives up to their platforms right? I’m assuming you voted for Joe Biden’s party, do you agree with 100% of their platform? Do I agree with 100% of the opposition’s platform? Answer: No.
There are plenty of rational Americans who voted for the Republican party because they weighed the issues and on the main, had to vote for the Republican party. I voted Republican not because I’m a big fan of their party but because I was driven to do so after decades of Democratic rule found myself in a country I couldn’t recognize nor it’s values.
You want more Democratic voters? Have a better platform and better candidates than an alcoholic or geriatric. I’d be happy to return to your party if your policies made any sense.
Your party is the WAR party. Your party, through it’s Democratic former Commander in Chief, was providing the missiles and targeting data to the corrupt Ukrainian junta and literally launching missiles deep into the Russian heartland. As an army veteran and son of late, old school hippies, by December I was showing my wife and 19yo son what appears to me like a great bomb shelter that is actually a small concrete tunnel with a creek running through it and we were stockpiling water and food. Russia would be within its rights to nuke us.
So, Jon, you can take your WAR party and value system and …it.
I would prefer to do business with Russia than engage in a terrible proxy war on behalf of American defense contractors.
Fly, STOP WITH THE RUSSIAN TALKING POINTS. IT’S ALL YOU HAVE,THE COUNTRY THAT MADE A DEAL WITH UKRAINE, TO RESPECT IT’S BOUNDRIES, THEY GAVE UP THOUSANDS OF NUKES.
RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE. PERIOD.
Zelenskyy won almost 75% of votes in 2019, before Putin invaded MORE lands of Ukraine (first in 2014). Just because the past Putin Ukraine (tool for Putin) Prez they kicked out, AND HE FLED TO RUSSIA, doesn’t make Ukraine a “coupe” led Gov’t
60% of Democrats opposed Dubya’s war of choice in Congress. 95%+ OF THE GOP SUPPORTED IT.
PROXY WAR? LOL, I GUESS THT 3 DAY WAR PUTIN SAID WOULD HAPPEN WHEN HE INVADED, DIDN’T WORK OUT?
Trump isn’t anti war, he supported Iraq war BEFORE he was against it. He let loose 5,000 Taliban prisoners, without even working with the the Gov’t of Afghanistan. He said he’staking Greenland and the Panama Canal, one way or the other
GET OFF RUSSIAN TALKING POINTS
Sure, Trump will take care of everything for you, Russia within their rights to Nuke the US for supporting a nation that was invaded? LOL
I THOUGHT TRUMP WAS GOING TO END IT DAY ONE?
Fly,
Russian talking points, linking to THE right wing racist, Stephen Miller, who is the lead guy on EVERYTHING Trump is proposing on his racist talking points and agenda?
Suporting Russia to Nuke the US after Russia invaded a free nation, BECAUSE Putin “believes” it’s historically HIS country? Wonder if you support Mexico taking over California or Russia and Alaska? Maybe France should claim the ” Louisiana Purchase” territory?
Your beliefs don’t matter to me, FACTS DO
“In 2022, Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine, claiming it was to support the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk and to “demilitarize and denazify” the country. He also denied the legitimacy of the Ukrainian state and claimed the Ukrainian government was controlled by neo-Nazis and was committing genocide against Russians in Donbas. “
Putin questioned Ukraine’s legitimacy as a sovereign nation.
Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom are signatories to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum political agreement, providing security assurances to Ukraine. China and France gave somewhat weaker individual assurances in separate documents. Russia reaffirmed this assurance in 2009
,
Jon K:
Start reading books.
Fly,
After you link to the NAZI Stephen Miller, and repeat Russian talking points? LMAOROG
Transcript: Stephen Miller Rages on CNN as Musk’s DOGE Lie Implodes
An interview with writer Jill Lawrence, a sharp observer of Elon Musk’s DOGE, who argues that the lies from Musk and Stephen Miller reveal how untenable MAGA’s larger “deep state” mythology has become
…On Tuesday, top White House adviser Stephen Miller unleashed a wild, angry rant on CNN after getting triggered by tough questioning from CNN’s anchor about Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency. This comes even as one of Musk’s silliest lies yet—the idea that he had found rampant fraud and Social Security—imploded rather spectacularly under basic scrutiny.
The through line here is that the great illusion that Musk, Donald Trump, Miller and others are trying to push—that they’re rooting out immense amounts of waste, fraud, and abuse in the government—is collapsing all around them, which shows how flimsy all the MAGA mythmaking has truly become
https://newrepublic.com/article/191677/tra…
SORRY COMRADE
Stephen Miller
“..The Department of Justice is also coordinating with state and local law enforcement to fight child abuse in our school systems.
It is child abuse to change a child’s gender, particularly if you do not inform the parents.
In other words, if a five-year-old or a six-year-old goes to school, or a seven-year-old goes to school and the teacher tries to turn the boy into a girl or the girl into a boy, that is child abuse.
And this administration is treating that as child abuse, and it is a gross violation of parental rights.
This also includes the administration’s message to our hospital systems that they cannot and will not be allowed to use taxpayer dollars to perform chemical castrations and sexual mutilations of children.”
SURE FLY, LET’S “BELIEVE” MILLER, KIDS ARE GOING TO SCHOOL ONE GENDER BUT GOING HOME ANOTHER, LOL
Jon K:
“Russian talking points?” lol. Peter Griffin says it best: https://youtu.be/RaWWTKTQr5E?si=nulUxR37zu…
Hrmmm… this county has failed it’s middle class and poor it has only benefited the rich as it always does.
Tell me when the blue collar of this county own nothing, why should we care if it burns down?
You want us to stand in solidarity to keep an entrenched old system of local oligarchy around? U had chances to pass rent control, you had chances to elect a DA that would hold law enforcement and corporations accountable, u had chances to build low income housing and shelters for the people who keep your county running. You all said not in my backyard.
The well off of this county have told the blue collar to eat cake for decades, so I say to them now, let them eat crow.
We can talk about helping them when they pass a minimum wage of $25, remove the height limitations on apartments, and put in rent control for the county.
Otherwise I say let it burn, the blue collar have far far less to lose than the wealthy and we have been surviving on crumbs for a long while now. We know how to tighten belts and make do with less.
TOSHOGU:
“…we have been surviving on crumbs for a long while…”
Who is this “we?” If you own your own house, you aren’t a member of “we.”
We are going to start needing price controls, it’s going to be worse than COVID shortages. Corporations are licking their lips at how high they will be able to raise their prices with tariffs shortages.