Appointed appellate counsel for indigent defendants (retired.) I have lived in Big Sur since 1984, first on the north coast, and on the South Coast since 1989.
It seemed like so much of the news was depressing this week, so I want to offer some reasons to take heart. If there are any significant developments on the invasion of LA I will post here today.
This was Tuesday night, from X (formerly known as twitter) oh, and it is a screen shot taken from a video so I don’t have to link to X, for those of you who boycott or simply don’t go there
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BREAKING: In a bold act of defiance, a U.S. military service member joined an anti-ICE protest in Dallas following Trump’s deployment of Marines to Los Angeles, declaring:
“We will not be pawns in the dismantling of constitutional rights.”
Glendale (one of the many cities lumped into LA for people not from SoCal) City Council voted this on Wednesday:
When I started this blog, back in 2008, my intention was to get accurate and timely information on wildfires out to an audience who seemed to need and want it. Then it expanded to include landslides and road closures. Those have always been my primary focus. I often threw in lost or found dogs (I can’t help myself) and non-profit events and miscellaneous Big Sur Information. I have almost always stayed away from politics — especially since it has become so polarizing.
Unfortunately, since this administration has invaded — yes, invaded — California, I feel this fight for our sovereignty and for freedom of speech and right to peaceably assemble is important and I support all efforts by Californians to retain these rights. It is not really about immigration, that is just the way the administration wants to frame it so it is likely to find support. The real goal, as the majority of us know, is really a play to do away with our current government. This will not stop with LA or California. We are just the test balloon to see if it will fly with what is left of the GOP and his base and the courts. I will be covering these events until the invasion of California ceases. I will continue to cover Big Sur as well, and definitely am keeping my eye on fires in MoCo, SLO, and Santa Cruz counties for you and as a reporter for Watch Duty. That is still my focus, but if it is relatively quiet here, I will be bringing information about the invasion to your inbox, FB, X, blue sky, threads, instagram, etc as long as it is necessary. Once the invaders retreat (remember, TACO), I will avoid politics once again in this space. FB, on the other hand, has always been fair game. Thanks for putting up with my recent tangents.
I subscribe to a Substack by Terrence Goggin, a history professor from The West Point. His post this morning is particularly helpful and hopeful. He equates Trump with the Wizard of Oz.
”What is this guy really up to?
He is using a clever fantasy OF “SEIZING POWER” to create fear in the American people. To get his way without real force, but use a “pretend” force. Like a few thousand solders, Marines and ICE agents sent to LA and, drum roll….a Russian Style Birthday Military Parade in the Capitol. He wants to scare the hell out of us. Just like the Wizard of Oz.
It’s not working! California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has called his bluff. In a nationally televised address he stripped away the curtain to see a scared little man punching buttons, yelling in a microphone and ringing bells.
People are massing in protest against this ridiculous man. As is their constitutional right. They are not afraid of this little man. He has said that any protests against his $150 million Parade in the Capital on Saturday will be meet with “very big force”. Really? The DC National Guard again? This “fear thing” is one gigantic farce to instill fear. Just what FDR warned us against:
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself..nameless unreasoning unjustified terror that paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance”.
And that’s what Governor Newsom, the citizens of California and the National Latino community are doing. They are shucking off Trump’s fantasies of “seizing power” and daring him to stop them. “See you in Court!”. And “See you in the parades of protesting military veterans all over the country shouting Shame On You! “
If interested subscribe to: The West Point History Professor on Substack for a different perspective. This man is a nice addendum to Heather Cox Richardson.
The militaristic response to the ICE protests in L.A. have rattled a few of us and strengthened the resolve of many of us.
This attempted suppression of our First Amendment right to peacefully assemble is a predictable stage in the authoritarian playbook
There are many ways you can safely participate in the No Kings protests – and for those who are unable to attend in person for any reason, there are some alternatives below that I hope you will consider.
CALLS: PREPARING FOR JUNE 14 NO KINGS
For those of us who want to show up in person, or want to support those who do, I recommend signing up for these two calls – one today and one on Thursday:
Tuesday, June 10, at 4pm PT/ 7pm ET:Know Your Rights training with the ACLU. Whether you’re marching, rallying, or supporting from the sidelines, you’ll learn how to protect yourself, your community, and stand up for your rights. We’ll make sure you know your rights during protests and law enforcement encounters and are prepared to take action safely, powerfully, and together.
Thursday, June 12, at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET:Join the No Kings team for a pre-mobilization call. This will be a strategic call designed to give you timely updates about the state of play, walk through key messaging guidance, and share best practices on how to participate in this mass mobilization. If you’re wondering how we show up to protest safely, peacefully, and joyously in the face of the Trump administration’s escalations, this is the place to be.
Effective?“Movements, and their protests, are powerful because they change the minds of people, including those who may not even be participating in them, and they change the lives of their participants. In the long term, protests work because they can undermine the most important pillar of power: legitimacy.” – The Atlantic
Why Me? Remember that some folks – for example People of Color, immigrants, green-card or visa holders, religious and other minorities may be carrying more of a burden of being targeted, and so those of us who have more privileges may need to recognize that we can take up space in their place and in their honor.
Alternatives: If you are not physically or emotionally ready and able to join a protest, there’s much you can do in support. First, here are some great suggestions from “Together We Will, Albany/Berkeley”, things you can do any day this week!
Grab a friend and make some cardboard signs and stand on a busy street corner by a traffic light at rush hourtoday. Just the 2 of you! People will see that something is happening.
Write a big message in sidewalk chalk on a well traveled sidewalk and also in front of your house.
Stick up 20 post-its with your chosen message in visible places.
Let’s make sure objections to this are widespread, non-violent and normal. Take a photo of what you do (you don’t have to show any faces) and send it to the media organization of your choice or post it on any social media platform or share it with a dozen people you know so more people know it’s happening. Invite them to do the same.
You can also:
Make signs for friends who are able to go, spread the word, host a sign-making party, give a ride to or from the protest, be an emergency contact, provide sustenance before or after to foot-weary protestors.
Contact Governor Newsom and/or AG Bonta and tell them you support their lawsuit against the unconstitutional deployment of troops in California.
Print out Know Your Rights cards for protestors and for immigrants. There is a “red card” version of this that you can urge your group, faith organization or library to or and have available for distribution, or you can download red cards to be printed at home/locally.
I’ll be sending out another newsletter with more suggestions before the weekend, but in the meantime, please take a look at the message below from Indivisible and No Kings organizers and think about how we can all step up at this moment in history.
This may offend some of you, and it may cause bigsurkate to lose followers, but after watching what unfolded over the weekend, I can not be silent.
Several of my retired lawyer friends and I discussed whether we should volunteer, but none of us were immigration lawyers, and that is a specialized field. They are going to protests, and I am posting this here as my way of reaching out to people asking all my friends on whatever side of the aisle or wherever you are on the political spectrum to engage in thinking — critical thinking for yourself. Deflection and distraction is the way the current administration deals with loss of face or any loss or challenge, as with Musk, China, Putin, and even the GOP not passing that fascist spending bill immediately as he demanded. It is all getting out of hand for him, so he does what every bully does: escalates matters. Check all claims for accuracy.
“ Trump and his regime still don’t get it. You cannot build a country on fear, deception, and brute force and expect it to last. You can shout about greatness, parade your soldiers through the streets, jail your critics, and bulldoze every institution that stands in your way—but none of it will hold. Because power built on violence is always unstable. Power built on lies always collapses. You can rig the courts, rewrite the rules, and gaslight the people for a while. But eventually the foundation cracks. And then it all falls.” (Brent Molnar, Voice of Reason)
Don’t think it can’t happen here. We are a sanctuary county with a high population of Hispanic workers in our fields and service industries. They are our friends and neighbors and family. Attend the NO KINGS day protest on June 14th. It is a start, but only a start. Protests will be happening all over the country. It will mar the military parade that the orange ego demands. That’s one reason he started these high profile raids and also so he could have a reason to escalate and push federal armed forces to act against its own citizens. Hopefully, our governors will unite and assert sovereignty under the 10th Amendment.
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We all need to be informing ourselves and preparing for peaceful protesting every time we get a chance, if necessary. Remember, violence is what he wants so that he can claim his actions are justified. Don’t give him that. Keep it peaceful and encourage others to do so as well. As Joyce Vance says in Civil Discourse: “We are in this together.”
Dendromecon rigida, also called bush poppy or tree poppy, is a shrub or small tree of the Papaveraceae native to California and Baja California. This photo is one that is on South Coast Ridge Rd. The young man who does my weed eating found one hidden among the grasses and it is now exposed and getting all the sun it needs.
Allison Sandoval in Templeton says this: “I am looking for people that are looking to foster or adopt a dog. Maybe a 4h kid that needs a dog for a project? These dogs need more time than what I have to offer. Don’t be afraid to ask me more questions.” (Everyone knows I have a soft spot for dogs and especially BCs or GSD.)
05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties
Contact:
Kevin Drabinski or Celeste Morales
Phone:
(805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3237
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UPDATE #45
FULL OVERNIGHT CLOSURE OF HIGHWAY 1 AT ROCKY CREEK
SET TO START SUNDAY, JUNE 8 AT 10 PM
MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans is continuing with emergency repairs to Highway 1 near the Rocky Creek Bridge, 12 miles south of Carmel.
Travelers will encounter a full overnight closure of Highway 1 at Rocky Creek starting Sunday, June 8 at 10 pm. Highway 1 will reopen Monday, June 9 at 6 am.
Crews will take advantage of this closure to erect a crane that spans both lanes of the roadway and which will deliver materials to the shore below as part of a seawall restoration project.
Overnight Traffic Control at Rocky Creek Set for June 22 thru June 26
Travelers will encounter overnight flagging control for five consecutive nights to allow crews to perform final paving and sealing of the lanes of the northbound viaduct structure.
Starting Sunday, June 22, and for five consecutive nights thru Thursday, June 26, travelers on Highway 1 will pass through Rocky Creek under flagged traffic control from 8 pm thru 8 am the following morning. Travelers can expect delays of up to 20 minutes. This flagged traffic control is being implemented in place of any full overnight closures.
The North and South Coast of Big Sur Remain Open and Accessible Via Hwy. 1
Travelers are reminded that over 100 miles of Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast remain open and accessible. Travelers from northern California will find easy access to historic bridges, waterfalls, restaurants, and lodging amenities. Travelers from southern California will find that the highway brings them directly within reach of the unparalleled views, lodging amenities, and natural wonders of Lucia, the Camaldoli Hermitage, Gorda, Treebones, Ragged Point, San Simeon, and Cambria. Highway 1 remains closed at Regent’s Slide, 40 miles south of Carmel.
The estimate for final completion of the Rocky Creek viaduct is summer 2025, with that date dependent on conditions encountered during construction. The contractor for this project is Gordon N. Ball, Inc. of Walnut Creek, CA.
Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: X/Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.
05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties
Contact:
Kevin Drabinski or Celeste Morales
Phone:
(805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3237
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UPDATE #44
REMINDER: FULL OVERNIGHT CLOSURE OF HIGHWAY 1 AT ROCKY CREEK
STARTING SUNDAY, JUNE 1 AT 10 PM
MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans is continuing with emergency repairs to Highway 1 near the Rocky Creek Bridge, 12 miles south of Carmel.
Travelers will encounter a full overnight closure of Highway 1 at Rocky Creek starting Sunday, June 1 at 10 pm. Highway 1 will reopen Monday, June 2 at 6 am.
Following the successful installation of six concrete girders on May 16 and 17, crews will pour the concrete bridge deck during this overnight closure as work continues to advance on the southbound viaduct structure.
The North and South Coast of Big Sur Remain Open and Accessible Via Hwy. 1
Travelers are reminded that over 100 miles of Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast remain open and accessible. Travelers from northern California will find easy access to historic bridges, waterfalls, restaurants, and lodging amenities. Travelers from southern California will find that the highway brings them directly within reach of the unparalleled views, lodging amenities, and natural wonders of Lucia, the Camaldoli Hermitage, Gorda, Treebones, Ragged Point, San Simeon, and Cambria. Highway 1 remains closed at Regent’s Slide, 40 miles south of Carmel.
The estimate for final completion of the Rocky Creek viaduct is summer 2025, with that date dependent on conditions encountered during construction. The contractor for this project is Gordon N. Ball, Inc. of Walnut Creek, CA.
Just a reminder: People often confuse Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. On Memorial Day we honor those who gave their lives in the fight for our country. We honor our dead. Veteran’s Day, we honor the living.
This post is dedicated to all of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and for us…In memory of all of them, in all our many wars.
