Hundreds rally in SLO County against Trump administration actions. See the photos
Hundreds of people gathered in Los Osos on Saturday afternoon to protest the Trump presidential administration and its actions.
People gathered at the intersection of Los Osos Valley Road and South Bay Boulevard to protest, according to organizer MaryAnne Meyer.
Meyer — who lives in Los Osos — said the group registered with the larger grassroots organization Indivisible three weeks ago. That advocacy group has offered resources and support to local activists who wish to speak out about Trump’s agenda.
“We do not approve of the majority of the things this administration is doing,” Meyer said.
This isn’t the first time this group has showed up. Protesters also marched during their first protest back in January, according to Meyer, adding that the turnout gets bigger each time.
Meyer said she has gotten the local community involved through local media and emails.
One protester was fired from his National Forest job
One man in the crowd, Benjamin Vizzachero, said he was just fired from his National Forest job.
“I used to work for Los Padres National Forest, but I lost my job a week ago,” Vizzachero said.
Vizzachero said Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Santa Cruz, who represents parts of Santa Clara, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, invited him to Congress for the State of the Union address on Tuesday.
“I’m doing everything I can to raise awareness about this issue,” Vizzachero said. “We’re so dedicated to everything we do, and on top of that they’re dismantling our system of public land.”
Before being let go, Vizzachero said he was working on installing fuel breaks in the forest, which helps manage wildfires by getting rid of combustible vegetation.
“If you’ve ever been to a trail and been like, ‘Oh no, the trail’s closed, the gate’s closed, why are there gigantic ruts in the road?’ They’re firing people that fix that,” Vizzachero said.
The Tribune interviewed Vizzachero last week about losing his job as a forest biologist amid Trump administration layoffs.
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 4:08 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story had the wrong location for the protest. It was in Los Osos.
