SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) announced how she would be observing the days around the swearing in ceremonies of President-Elect Trump.
“Several people have asked me what I will be doing when the 45th President of the United States takes the oath of office,” said Limón. “My plans are simple, but all too necessary in light of the tenuous tone and rhetoric our nation has been hearing over the last year. On inauguration day, I will visit a grade school, reassuring anxious students that they matter to our country and that their families are important.”
As a Santa Barbara Unified school board member, Limón introduced the idea of a resolution declaring the district a safe zone for all walks of student life and to uphold federal law guaranteeing a free K-12 public education to all children. This resolution was introduced, and approved by the school board, after an uptick in reports of racially-motivated hate speech, groping, and violence, and a general sense of uncertainty amongst several populations of students.
“All our students and their families see the results of the presidential election through a very different lens and I am unequivocally committed to protecting everyone equally,” said Limón.
Earlier in the week, Assemblymember Limón spoke to hundreds of women and men on the steps of the Capitol at a rally for Planned Parenthood. With supporters wearing pink, Limón reminded the crowd how crucial the health services Planned Parenthood clinics provide are for communities and how devastating drastic funding reductions would be.
A Nationally organized Women’s March in Washington D.C. will occur the day after President Trump is sworn in. Several local and regional marches have also been formed to as avenues to protest what the Trump presidency means for women. Assemblymember Limón is scheduled to attend and speak at both the Ventura and Santa Barbara women’s marches.
“I, like so many other women in our nation, was aghast at how gender played a role in this election,” said Limón. “I won’t be marching in Washington, D.C. or even Los Angeles, where historical marches will occur with record numbers of attendees. I will be here in my own backyard; walking with the women in our community to make sure it is known that our rights are paramount. We will stand in solidarity with the larger marches, but we will make our voices known within our community.”
Along with other democrats in the Assembly, Assemblymember Limón signed onto a letter to the new administration outlining their commitment to protect California’s gains and goals. “I signed this letter not just as a symbolic gesture, but as a pledge to protect the values the letter outlines from the uncertainty that lies ahead,” said Limón. “Our unity becomes our strength when each individual and each group commits to supporting the vision of California.”
The 37th Assembly District includes the cities of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Goleta, Carpinteria, Ojai, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Buellton, Solvang and part of Oxnard. Visit https://a37.asmdc.org for more information.