Locals fear Trump's new immigration policies

Author

Carly Heltzel
March 05, 2025

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and I’m reading about the world’s oldest llama who spends his numbered days comforting chronically ill children in NorCal. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

In the wake of Trump’s immigration crackdown, SLO County residents are experiencing “anxiety, fear, stress, uncertainty, as well as a sense of breathing,” one nonprofit director said. Her nonprofit, Mujeres de Acción, has gained 1,900 new members since Trump’s inauguration. About 10% of SLO County’s population are immigrants, with an estimated 9,000 who are undocumented. Also, SLO Unified school district has seen a dip in attendance from English Language Learners, citing a fear of being separated from their relatives, an ELL teacher said. There are no confirmed immigration raids in SLO County as of now.  

2.

A nationwide bus driver shortage is taking root in SLO. Spaced out scheduling, lack of weekend services and persistent overcrowding all plague SLO Transit’s bus lines, especially those serving Cal Poly. Across the country, there are 12.2% less bus drivers than in before the pandemic, and while SLO Transit has been able to hire drivers, the lengthy onboarding process means riders won’t feel any improvements for some time. In the meantime, students are often forced to default to other transportation. “I specifically don’t take the bus because of how long I have to wait,” one student said.

3.

With temperatures dropping and rains flooding the creekbed, SLO’s homeless population is more vulnerable in the winter. Nonprofits and churches offer nighttime warming centers, and outreach groups aid with temporary relocation from the hazardous slopes of SLO’s creek. But some homeless people remain skeptical, seeing help as a ploy to uproot them. “I wouldn’t say they push us to where we need to be — we’re being pushed where they want us,” a resident who has been homeless for 15 years said.

4.

Caltrans pulled a $7.8 million grant that was the final puzzle piece to funding an extension to the Bob Jones trail. The proposal would connect the Bob Jones trail section along highway 101 in SLO with the main trail to Avila Beach. Now saddled with a funding gap, local officials must either secure a cool $7 million, start phase one of construction without a guarantee of finishing it or abandon the project completely. One planner said Caltrans only looked at the half mile extension of the trail, rather than the connectivity it would provide when deciding.

5.

Thirty Juvenile Hall officers were charged for overseeing “gladiator fights” among minors in an LA detention facility. The victims were 143 children aged 12-18 who participated in 69 violent clashes. Several one-on-one fights happened in a designated unit, which resulted in a broken nose and other injuries. Some officers were said to egg the kids on, one told them to refuse medical attention after the fights and one said the fights helped them control the youths in their care. After footage of one brawl was leaked in January 2024, the feds swiftly investigated.