How are we feeling?

The Sebastopol Times asked people around town, "How are you feeling about the first few weeks of the new administration in Washington, and what, if anything, are you doing about it?"

Our new reporter Albert Levin and I went out and asked people around town the following question: “How are you feeling three weeks into the new administration, and what, if anything, are you doing about it?”

---

I didn’t think it would be this bad this fast

Stephen Rose, 41

I knew it would be bad. I didn’t think it would be this bad this fast.

There’s sort of a tricky thing where here in Sonoma County, we are safer than in other places. But I think that is a bit of an illusion—we don’t even know the ways that this is going to impact us directly.

There’s already a very delicate and yet dynamic relationship between homeowners in Sebastopol and the affluent in Sebastopol and our immigrant community … this ecosystem doesn’t work right without the diversity that we have here.

Clearly it’s immigrants and people of color and queer folks that are first on the chopping block, right?

For all the fear and worry and anxiety about what’s happening—I’d encourage people to jump over that divide of starting conversations with people or showing up at a protest. It’s really empowering when you can help somebody else. And there’s a sense of safety and control in that. So make the jump. Speak up for somebody.

---

A Christmas present every day

Sue (last name withheld)

“This new administration is like opening a Christmas present every day, with the positive things that are happening.”

---

I don’t read the news anymore

Gary Abreim

I’m doing my spiritual practice more deeply—that equanimity is essential to stay balanced with all this chaos and to really watch and be more mindful of when it lands on me and I’m feeling it in my body—I have to work on that.

Another thing is that I make it a point to not read the news—just my email and my newsfeeds. I mean I don’t go to CNN or anything like that. That isn’t news for me. But

I don’t read my news feeds at night. I don’t read it after 6 pm. I don’t want it to affect my sleep. Also, I’ve started not reading it in the morning. I try to wait till noon time so it doesn’t affect my day.

And I watch and am mindful of if I’m in a reactive or an irritable place so that my actions and my words don’t leak out onto other people.

---

A lifelong Democrat makes a change

Robyn, 56

I was a lifelong Democrat. The 2024 election was the first time I voted Republican for a president.

Since supporting Trump, I have been labeled many things. The intolerance I have experienced from the Left, including my close friends, has surprised me. I still support many causes on the Left and disagree with many on the Right.

I’ve watched the weaponization of the DOJ against a leading candidate, candidates stopped from being on the ballot by the DNC (Kennedy and Phillips) and fought against ideology in my sons’ schools. I was a never-Trumper, but could no longer vote for a Democrat.

I am ecstatic about Elon Musk. DOGE is exposing corruption and saving billions of taxpayer money, which benefits all Americans. USAID’s purpose is to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms, not paying $70,000 for a DEI musical in Ireland. Once DOGE identifies the waste, then funds from USAID can be used for their intended purpose. The only outrage should be about how the government was spending our money, with no accountability. For people screaming there is no proof, just search. Not only are there receipts, but DOGE cannot change anything. DOGE has “read-only” access to all data. We also see the waste of our money in our community: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approves $500,000 to support immigrant communities, but where is the money going? It is going to lawyers, not immigrants or taxpayers.

We now have transparency in the White House. We don’t have to guess what Trump is thinking, or who is running our country. I’ll take this kind of leadership over a president who reads prepared speeches from a teleprompter and only answers pre-scripted questions. For all Americans, I am rooting for Trump, DOGE, and all of the administration to be successful.

---

A much worse position

Joey (last name withheld), 15

I feel that our country is going to be in a much worse position with Trump as President. Most of my family are the same as me; they don’t think Trump is a good person or president. I think most prices—like in any convenience store or grocery store—will go up regardless.

---

---

A lot of things are very troubling to me

Timothy Adams, 24

Because so much has happened in such a short amount of time, it’s difficult to keep up with it. But it’s important not to let that make it so that you ignore things and gloss over them…they’re kind of trying to overwhelm everybody with everything they’re doing.

There are a lot of specific things going on that are very troubling to me, most of them regarding Elon Musk in his role in the Trump administration. The richest man in the world is coming in and gutting programs that feed the poorest people in the world in the name of some false, righteous government-efficiency program. It’s scary

A lot of these actions that Donald Trump is doing, things like the Gulf of America, renaming the Panama Canal—these are not things that Donald Trump knew himself in his own small collection of knowledge. He’s surrounded, unfortunately, by evil, intelligent advisors who are just telling him what he needs to do and what they want him to do. He’s just following along and abusing his power.

As soon as Trump decides that he’s done waiting around, he has some pretty broad authority to declare either a state of emergency or martial law. [He could] direct those agencies that he controls to come over… ICE is going to have more jurisdiction or authority than the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

So while it’s good that we’re preparing and whatnot, there is a very real threat. I’m trying to think of other things he could do, but it’s mostly his executive power—and also the lack of lawmakers doing anything about it.

And it’s actually really frustrating that the Democrats themselves are not really doing anything about it. Honestly, it’s really frustrating as a Democrat myself.

---

A turn in the right direction

Linda (last name withheld)

I think the country’s turning around now. It’s being saved actually from what it might have been. And I think the majority of Americans believe that’s a good thing.

---

Not sure what to do

Bernie Hovden, 77

I’m feeling apprehensive and determined and still, you know, trying to figure out what to do. One of the things I’m doing is standing out here on the corner on Fridays and signing petitions, but I know that we’ll need more than that.

---

Three weeks of hell

Alicia Sanchez, 73

Well, after three weeks of what I call the beginning of hell, I am trying very hard not to get feeling powerless or even judgmental of the people who voted a certain way. I decided that instead, what I was going to do is just build my own power, my own sense of unity—a sense of trying to find more unity, extending a hand, and trying to be more understanding. Instead of just being angry and upset about it, what I’m doing is really trying to do is find a thread of unity, focusing on what is it that we have in common, and stick with that and try to create unity through that, instead of trying to focus on the differences.

But more important for me is that I made a commitment to myself, that I have to say, ‘What is it that I want and work for?’ And of course, for me, being ‘A Woman in Black’ [editor’s note: this is a worldwide network of women opposed to injustice, war, militarism and violence]—that has always been to work toward peace, right? And so what I tried to do now is not get distracted…So all these things are going on right now, I feel like, ‘Don’t get distracted. Don’t turn around and forget the road you’re trying to do.’

And so for me, it’s just to keep coming here [editor’s note: at the corner of 116 and 12], you know, like I’ve been doing for so many years, being on the corner here in Sebastopol, with my message of peace, trying to say ‘Have compassion.’ And when somebody wants to make a big fight or something, it’s like, you know, let’s just talk to each other. Maybe we have something in common, you know—like, let’s not focus on our differences.

I feel a lot of hope still because I see a lot of people really reacting in a positive way, you know—they’re doing something. They’re not just accepting it; I see a lot of movement. Many years ago, I remember when Ronald Reagan got elected, a lot of people were devastated. And I said, ‘No, this is a time where he kind of woke us up, and now we are fighting.’ We resisted and we were being proactive.

So that’s what I feel like, after all these years, I’m gonna do the same thing again. There’s no retirement from social movement, you just have to learn how to pace yourself, because it’s a marathon. You just gotta pace yourself and never give up. Don’t ever let yourself get depressed or feel powerless or hopeless. Don’t ever get to that level. Surround yourself with people who are like you in many ways, but at the same time, don’t get so closed in; reach out to those other people that have differences. We’ve got to find some unity.”

---

Cautiously jubilant

Chris Coulombe, 43

My initial feeling on the new administration is cautiously jubilant.

A new era of prosperity appears to be unfolding in America. Our once lethargic leviathan of a federal bureaucracy has shed significant weight and sprung forth with new verve and focus—and the world has taken note. We have record investments and cooperation coming from countries and companies around the world. Women and children have received protections that should have never been required in the first place. Our nation can know that drugs and criminal activity are not flowing into our country unchecked.

To be sure, it is too soon to measure most of the actions and performance of the new Administration. Propaganda and counter-propaganda muddies the waters. That said, business owners, parents, and many more on the North Coast have expressed a sigh of relief and are very happy at the Administration’s initial proceedings.

Many of the calls I receive concern the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). I am encouraged by its initial direction and believe that its success will ultimately depend on delivering tangible, constitutionally sound results. I am hopeful that the obstructionists of Congress allow this long-overdue modernization to occur, as it could present one of the greatest windfalls for the average American in terms of individual rights and economic opportunity. Not to mention the safety and overall health of the nation from the broader actions of the Administration.

However, not all changes are without challenges. Economic imbalances are inevitable as artificial supports are removed. Using physical exercise as an example, there will be some pain if and when tariffs are implemented, but as the body (read: economy) adapts to the changes and begins to carry itself, it will become stronger and less reliant on outside sources. Thus, ensuring long-term independence and self-reliance. Just as Biden and the Democrats received in 2020, America has given Trump and the Republican Party a mandate to reform America and the people cannot afford another administration that falls short. Thankfully we are off to a good start.

Editor’s note: Chris Coulombe, who lives in Sebastopol, ran against Congressman Jared Huffman for the 2nd District Congressional seat in 2024.

---

I call my representatives every day

Jo Lauer and Mary Kowatch, over 70

We do something called LezResist. It’s a gathering of elder lesbians, and we’re on the street once a month in Sebastopol, down by CVS with our placards and signs just stating our resistance and our support for various things, anything that has to do with the well-being of women and children, particularly, but humankind in general. So we have a lot to say right now.

We do postcard writing and the getting-out-the-vote thing.

I've been to some Indivisible meetings. I’m just sort of dipping my toes in right now. I call my senators and representatives every day.

I get Indivisible’s newsletter, MoveOn’s newsletter—I get a bunch of different information that way. There’s a whole list of places that you can check into, as far as where you go for your information and what to do and how not to feel powerless right now.

---

Calm yourself, then act

Mary Radu, 73

So there are two pieces to what I’m doing right now. One of them is making sure that I keep my inner peace. I’ve been saying nobody’s going to take my joy away from me. So if I wake up in the middle of the night, I’m using breathing and I’m doing some calming practices…just to to get my system to calm down when I need to.

And I’m keeping up on the news to be aware of what’s happening, but only to the extent that I don’t get upset. When I sense myself getting upset, I shut it off. And when I’m around others—when I get a sense that they’re just going down the rabbit hole—I just excuse myself from the conversation or say ‘I can’t go there. I need to just think positive and do what I can.’ And then finding other local people who I can talk with about our concerns and also, what are we doing?

I’m doing things large and small—and I’m looking at those things with the same philosophy I use with philanthropy in general, which is looking at how to use my time, my talents, my ties and my treasures.

I’m continuing to work with Sister District [editor’s note: a grassroots organization that tries to get Democrats elected to state legislatures across the country]…The best way for people to get on our mailing list is to go to the national website, sisterdistrict.com, and click to find the local chapter and sign up as a volunteer. That gets them on our mailing list so that they can find out about meetings and ways to get involved with fundraising, phone banking, with postcarding candidates in Red states. Because that’s going to be even more important.

One of the things that I said in a Sister District meeting last year is ‘What are you going to tell your grandchildren you did when this time happened? Were you a part of a solution, or did you just sit back and complain and cry?’