Eureka, CA – Over the past two months, a community members have been voicing their serious concerns over Bill No. 1040-C.S., a bill that would make camping and resting in public spaces punishable by misdemeanor. It would also put law enforcement in charge of a “rehabilitation” program called LEAD, or Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, which could lead to the misdemeanor being dropped if the arrestee completes the program.

San Jose, CA – On May 17, around 150 people gathered in James P. McEntee Plaza in San Jose to celebrate Palestinian Cultural Day. This was the 24th year that Santa Clara County has held the event, which is sponsored by the county supervisors and the Palestinian Heritage Committee. The celebration honors the local Palestinian community and its contributions to the county’s civic life, and the historical and cultural contributions of Palestinians.

Santa Ana, CA – About 25 people gathered on the afternoon of May 3, at Community Service Organization Orange County’s (CSO OC) May Day teach-in in downtown Santa Ana. Steph Dorantes introduced the event: “We are excited to have you here together for International Workers Day so we can strengthen our understanding of how we are impacted by police in our communities and how we are impacted by immigration status and what we can do to fight back against repression.”

Oakland, CA – On the afternoon of Thursday, May 1, more than 2000 community members took to the streets of Oakland in celebration of May Day.

Themes of international working-class solidarity ran through the event, starting with a youth rally in Fruitvale Plaza followed by a march to San Antonio Park where a closing rally and resource fair took place. 25 unions, grassroots organizations, and nonprofits united behind Oakland Sin Fronteras’ call, “All Power to the Workers.”

San José, CA – After a weekend of negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng announced on Monday, May 12 that the United States would roll back its tariffs on Chinese imports by 115%, from 145% to 30%.

The Chinese agreed to match this tariff reduction, reducing China’s tariffs on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. China did not agree to any of the U.S. trade demands and many U.S. news reports had to admit that China did well, with one headline from Bloomberg News reading, “Xi Defiance Pays Off as Trump Meets Most China Trade Demands.”

Santa Ana, CA – Chants of “No hate, no fear! Immigrants are welcome here!” resounded on the afternoon of May 1 as roughly 300 protesters took to the streets of downtown. The march commemorated International Workers Day. Those in the streets lifted handmade monarch butterfly puppets and signs demanding police accountability, justice for immigrants, and protection for workers’ rights. The event program featured speakers who talked about the history of May Day and the oppression of workers.

By Sebastian Salinas and Philip Nguyen

San Jose, CA – On May 1, over 1500 people gathered in San Jose for the annual International Workers Day march and rally. The event, organized by the San Jose May Day Coalition, called for a “Day Without an Immigrant” in response to recent attacks on workers and immigrants under the Trump administration.