Remember when Trump went through that temper-tantrum stage when he’d yell, “No federal funds!” every time someone progressive did something he didn’t like? And we all laughed and said, “Poor, crazy Trump. He doesn’t know how government works”?
Well, he seems to be making good on his promises now.
- A preview of the new administration’s budget proposal that leaked this week shows a 25 percent cut in nationwide EPA funds. Of what remains, the Bay Area gets next to none of it. If the leaked budget is accurate and goes into effect, the $4.8 million dollars the Bay Area used to receive for conservation, primarily for protecting its waterways and marshes, will evaporate. Rumor has it that the new EPA also has its eye on the 1963 Clean Air Act and its ruling that California can write its own emissions standards. But really, who needs clean water and air when you’ve got health care to protect you? Oh, wait.
Is this all because Berkeley didn’t roll out the red carpet for Milo? Because there’s more of that Bay Area protest aggression where it came from. San Francisco joined the rest of the country with a very successful “Day Without a Woman” rally. But in true San Francisco form, the city also saw an onslaught of funkier forms of protest this week, more in line with its historic vibe. Here are some recent protest gems that make me proud to live in the Bay:
- At Home with Peter Thiel: A pro-immigration rally took place on Saturday outside the home of the Silicon Valley billionaire, whose data-analytics company, Palantir Technologies Inc., may be used for deportation-focused surveillance. Forty protesters and a cable car showed up to voice their solidarity with immigrants, as well as a fearlessness about invading personal space. Next stop: Mar-a-Lago?
- Pi Day Protests: The tech community left their tablet screens on Tuesday for long enough to rally against Trump. Yes, Silicon Valley is easy to make fun of for their frequent disconnect from reality, but as a community that is built on immigrant labor, they are also under direct attack by the president’s crackdown on H-1B visas. Not exactly a Marxist revolution over here, but the wrath of the techies should not be underestimated.
- Greetings from the City That Rejects You: The Booksmith on Haight Street hosted a postcard party on Monday, where San Francisco’s more eloquent angry constituents came together to send Trump some not so pleasant “greetings.” Don’t mess with the fourth-most well-read city.
- Art for Protest’s Sake: A large boulder-like sculpture was seen tumbling around Hayes Valley this week. The moveable art, later revealed to be the work of local artist Rachel Higgins and the Hayes Valley Art Work’s pop-up exhibit, Uneasy Structures, is meant to reimagine our relationship with public space.
- Alec Baldwin’s Version of Trump rejoiced at the news that the state of California had been vaporized by aliens on SNL this week.
More on Trump and the Bay Area:
