Chanting “This is what democracy looks like,” roughly 1,000 protesters marched through downtown San Diego on Saturday to deride President Donald Trump’s environmental policies, including his recent efforts to prevent California from phasing out gasoline-powered cars by 2035.
The line of protesters stretched more than two city blocks and was flush with people holding signs whose messages extended beyond the environment to cuts in science funding and Elon Musk’s elimination of about 280,000 federal jobs through the Department of Government Efficiency.
Trump says he opposes California’s efforts to get rid of gas-powered cars because he believes it sets caps on carbon use that are impossible to meet and that it impedes domestic production of oil, natural gas and nuclear power. He also has called climate change a “hoax.” The president also defends DOGE, saying that it will save taxpayers billions of dollars and boost the economy.
One sign featured a picture of Trump golfing above a caption that said, “Fire this lazy probationary worker.” Another depicted flames flickering beneath the words “We are all trapped in a burning Tesla.”
There also was a touch of humor; one women held up a sign that said, simply, “I want a hot date not a hot planet.”
Saturday’s protest was organized by SanDiego350, an environmental group that heavily focuses on fighting climate change. The group’s guest speakers included state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat from Encinitas.
“Here in California are we powerless? No!,” Blakespear said, drawing cheers. “We know that every voice matters, every banner raised matters … Our planet is not a resource to burn through. It is a home to protect. In California, we are leading the clean energy future.”
A few minutes later, four of SanDiego350 performed a brief skit in which they depicted themselves as being under attack by the oil industry. One of their colleagues poured a fake form of oil on top of each’s person’s head.
“We’re doing a lot of work here in California to continue to hold our lead as a climate leader,” said Emma Weibel, one of the four young people who got drenched. “California just ed Japan as the fourth biggest economy in the world. So we have a lot of power here in California.”
Saturday’s speeches resonated with Lisa Eyler, a psychiatry professor at UC San Diego who attended the event.
“I feel like that we are in a climate emergency right now,” Eyler said. “Trump’s actions are just making things worse. Any break that we have in going full force to mitigate climate change is going to be something that my daughters and their children will have to deal with.”
