TAKE ACTION
ACTIONS FOR Monday 07/13/2026 – 07/26/2026
2026 Midterm Elections
1. Get Skilled Up for Phone Banking with Commit to Democracy
As primary elections conclude, we are gearing up to get out the vote (GOTV) leading up to the November midterm election. Making phone calls to potential Democratic voters in critical swing districts across the country is one of our most effective tactics for winning back the House and taking the Senate. Commit to Democracy (CTD) offers virtual training sessions on Tuesdays from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm for phone banking volunteers to learn about the Scale to Win Dialer system, and acquire the skills you need to join phone banking events during this election season.
Take action: Sign up for CTD phone bank training here and get started by joining the Monday and Wednesday phone bank sessions for the latest GOTV campaigns.
2. Protect the Vote – Learn Your Rights
The prospect of election interference from the current administration looms over the midterm elections, making voting rights a hot topic in American politics right now. But beyond the basics, few Americans really understand their voting rights. Where do they come from? Who protects them? Who can take them away? What rights have we lost under Trump, and what other rights are at risk? Exactly what did the Supreme Court do to the Voting Rights Act, and what does it mean to us in California and elsewhere?
Indivisible Santa Barbara is planning a series of virtual forums to inform community members about issues related to election interfernence and what we can do about it. The first session is scheduled for Thursday August 6 at 7:00pm with a presentation on Voting Rights: Beyond the Basics. In a compact hour’s time, you’ll learn what you need to know to be an active, knowledgeable defender of voting rights—yours, and your neighbors’.
Take action: Plan now to attend ISB’s Voting Rights forum on August 6. You can register for this event here.
ASSIST
DEFENDING OUR NEIGHBORS
3. Support 805 UndocuFund
The latest, unjustified killings at the hands of ICE agents are just the most extreme instances of ongoing violence and intimidation by federal agents in Trump’s mass deportation campaign. ICE continues to show up unannounced in our community, spreading fear and chaos. 805 UndocuFund is a local organization dedicated to aiding undocumented individuals and families by mobilizing resources for families whose loved ones have been detained or abducted by ICE, by providing short-term financial relief, and by engaging the immigrant community to advocate for long-term system change. They are also a lead organization in the Rapid Response Network, monitoring, verifying, and reporting local immigration enforcement activity to keep the community informed and safe.
Take action: Go to this link to learn about 805 UndocuFund, register for alerts, and find opportunities for volunteering. You can also donate to support their services.
DEFENDING OUR COAST
4. Gather to Oppose Sable Oil
Time and time again, Sable Oil disregarded our local government and our community right to protect our coasts and say NO! to big oil and protect our coasts. The Trump administration has added further fuel to the fire by exercising extreme federal overreach to allow Sable Oil to continue to violate the law and threaten the health and safety of our communities and local sea life. This is not just an environmental justice issue; this is an issue of community self-determination and liberation from corporate manipulation
The Fund for Santa Barbara and a coalition of environmental advocates are hosting an Ocean Protectors Summit Tuesday July 28, 5:30 pm -8:00 pm, to mobilize the Santa Barbara community in the effort to stop Sable and the 5-year offshore drilling plan. The event will include dinner and speakers from a statewide coalition organizing to protect our coast.
Take action: If you want to join the dinner and program being held on the upper floor at Paseo Nuevo, you can RSVP here.
RESIST
U.S. CONGRESS
5. No to War in Iran and Reckless Military Spending
Trump’s war on Iran has run through the already-expanded budget Congress provided, sending Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Capitol Hill last week to ask Congress for an additional $67 billion to get the Defense Department through the end of September. If you’re having trouble figuring out the funding for the Iran War and funding for the military in general, you’re in good company. The administration has obfuscated that funding so thoroughly that Representative Joe Morelle (D-NY), the top-ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee and a member of its defense subcommittee, revealed that Hegseth could not and would not give Congress an accounting of where the money is going.
Despite the lack of accountability, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that included $1.15 trillion in new military spending along with several controversial provisions, including a new U.S.-Israel cooperation initiative and portions of the SAVE act’s restrictive voter ID requirements. That bill now goes to the Senate where it faces opposition.
Take action: Contact our Senators Padilla and Schiff and tell them we want democratic Senators to stand united in voting NO on the NDAA as currently written.
The House is now in recess, and the Senate will recess after August 7 and not to reconvene until September 14. The August state work period is a good time to get in touch with our congressional representatives in their home offices to let them know what issues are of most concern to you.
PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST
6. Join Us on Saturday Mornings to Stand Up for Democracy
Santa Barbarans have taken to the streets several times this month to participate in national days of protest in response to actions of the Trump administration. On July 18, we gathered on Cabrillo Blvd. to honor John Lewis and the fight for voting rights in a celebratory “Good Trouble Lives On.” On a more somber note, we convened again this Saturday morning ito honor the memory of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sabastian Guerrero, who were shot and killed by ICE agents in July, and to demand justice for all those who have been murdered by ICE.
Each protest brings us together and strengthens us as a community and that is why we will continue to demonstrate every Saturday morning for the foreseeable future.
Take action: Contact our members of Congress to demand congressional action to rein in ICE and to independently investigate the murders of Lorenzo and Johan.
Then plan to join us on Saturday mornings from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at State Street and Hitchcock Way to keep our voices heard.
CALL YOUR REPS DAILY!
Senator Adam Schiff Washington, DC: (202) 224-3841; San Francisco: (415) 393-0707; Los Angeles: (310) 914-7300; San Diego: (619) 231-9712; Fresno: (559) 485-7430; Email
Senator Alex Padilla Washington, DC: (202) 224-3553; Sacramento: (916) 448-2787; Fresno: (559) 497-5109; Los Angeles: (310) 231-4494; San Francisco: (415) 981-9369; San Diego: (619) 239-3884; FAX: (202) 224-2200 Email
Congressman Salud Carbajal Santa Barbara/Santa Maria: (805) 730-1710; San Luis Obispo: (805) 546-8348; Washington, DC: (202) 225-3601; Email
CALIFORNIA Senator Monique Limón (D), CA State Senate, District 19 Sacramento: (916) 651-4019; Santa Barbara: (805) 965-0862; Oxnard: (805) 988-1940 Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D), CA State Assembly, District 37 Sacramento: (916) 319-2037; Santa Barbara: (805) 564-1649 Program your representative’s local AND DC phone numbers into your phone. Republicans outnumber Democrats in calling 4-1, and 11-1 on hot button issues. If you are still grappling with how Obama’s administration were not able to get anything done, this is how they did it. We MUST constantly call and continually exert pressure. If you can’t manage daily, pick a day, mark it recurring on your calendar, and call weekly.
DAILY CALLS:
- Call your senators about an issue of concern EVERY DAY.
- Always provide your ZIP CODE,
- Call about ONE subject only, per call.
- Call once per day, or multiple times per day with one ask for each call.
- Leave a message if you can’t speak to a person.
- If you can’t get through, try again later.
Failing that, DO send an email, one ask per email. Both Schiff’s and Padilla’s offices have said they tally emails as well as phone calls.
CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS
It is helpful for our Representatives to hear a large outpouring of support from his constituents. Our Representatives become bolder when they hear from a lot of us. To see what is happening on the floor throughout each day, bookmark the Office of the Clerk. This site also has a live video stream of floor proceedings, and guides about how the legislative process works. It’s an amazing resource. Govtrack is a website that makes it easy to track certain legislation, you may sign up for alerts. It also can help you find your representative. Their twitter account @govtrack posts all the legislation as it passes, live. congress.gov is an incredibly useful resource, which has every position on every bill.
DAILY ACTIONS
Resistbot (text your number to automatically write your Member of Congress) 5 Calls (provides numbers and scripts for issues)
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
MoveOn.org ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union
