A loud, passionate crowd asked for answers from U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, at a town hall at Carlmont High School Thursday night.
Many of Mullin’s constituents in attendance were deeply concerned about President Donald Trump and influential advisor Elon Musk’s rapid gutting of the federal government, firing of federal employees and brash attempts at expanding the powers of the presidency, they told him in no uncertain terms.
As voters across the country have come to town halls like these to express their fear and anger — both with the Republican agenda and with Democrats’ inability to unify around stopping it — Mullin was prepared, he said before the event started.
“There is so much anxiety and anger at what folks are witnessing from Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE. There’s a sense of sort of lawlessness,” he said. “I’m something of a face of the federal government to my constituents, so I expect I’m going to hear some pretty pointed opinions about Democrats needing to do whatever we can to hold the president accountable.”
Some constituents in Mullin’s district, which encompasses a majority of San Mateo County, shared personal stories of impact. Jessica Plitt, a San Mateo resident and former civil rights attorney in the Department of Education’s San Francisco Office of Civil Rights, was one of those individuals.
Plitt, along with her entire department, was fired last week after over 20 years of service, she said.
“I could not even contact my recipients that I’ve been working with, I have no way to notify them, no access to my personal work product, and no way to properly end my career,” she said. “What happens in two months when I can’t afford my mortgage because I haven’t found a job? Please tell my story and the story of my colleagues who were wrongfully terminated. We’re everyday people.”
Her story was received with a standing ovation.
Mullin walked a fine line throughout the event, expressing empathy and shared frustrations with his constituents: “I want to be armed with stories like yours, so we can win this fight,” he told one man who was fearful his autistic son’s services would be cut if Medicaid was gutted.
At the same time, he was careful to explain the challenges Democrats are facing — with a minority in both houses, it can be extraordinarily difficult for them to immediately fight back against Trump’s agenda.
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Erika Leydig, a San Carlos resident, expressed two major concerns: first, that Democrats have a leadership issue, and second, that Republicans have mastered communication tools like social media that Democrats haven’t.
“I feel like one thing that the Republican Party has [that] the Democratic Party is lacking utterly is leadership. The Republican Party clearly has strong leadership, unfortunately, that people can rally behind,” she said. “I feel like we have all of the tools, and the right-wing policy people and the Republicans have figured it out.”
It’s integral that Democrats master the media ecosystem in the long term, which is a battle they are currently losing, Mullin said.
Also integral in gaining momentum and capacity to fight for democratic policies, rather than struggle against Trump, is the midterms, he said. He encouraged residents to connect with friends, family and representatives in swing districts.
“We have to get our messaging right, and we actually have to deliver. It’s not enough to talk about … we have to have a democracy that actually delivers for people, and you will see a positive forward-leading agenda emerge as we get closer to the election cycle,” he said. “Right now, it feels like triage. I’ll be honest with you.”
The federal courts offer another check on Trump’s push to expand the powers of the executive branch, Mullin said, noting Democratic and progressive groups taking his administration to court are winning a majority of rulings.
“If the administration ignores those court orders, that is one big step closer to a full constitutional crisis — we are not quite there yet,” he said, a remark that drew ire from the crowd.
“No, we are there,” one individual yelled back. Others simply booed. But Mullin reunited town hall attendees — for the most part — when he insisted batting back such a constitutional crisis would require the public to speak out and unify.
“It’s going to take all of us to have our voices heard and make sure that that administration will buckle to public opinion,” Mullin said. “That may be the call to action of our time.”
(7) comments
This post is an old, tired retread.
I am reasonably certain that Kevin did not vote for Trump and is against everything he is doing as a matter of principle. The problem is not with him, it is the party which support two candidates in both Biden and then Harris, who could not win. Those who supported their nominations (including all who thought Harris was the dream candidate - not one representative but the party bosses) are responsible for Musk being in office along with his stooge - Trump. Until the Dems own up to their responsibility of making two very bad choices and don't repeat it with Newsom or Cortez (god forbid), the other side will and did win. This is the cost of a very bad series of choices and there nothing Kevin or any other Dem can do about it but try to win the mid-terms.
Regarding comments about "gutting the federal government," I am reminded about when Doug Burnam, new Sec. of Interior from So. Dakota, was asked how he felt about DOGE His answer was that in So. Dakota they have lots of 100-yr-old barns. and to clean them out they take everything out, and then put back in only what they need. He said that's what we are doing with the government via DOGE. Putting back only what we need."
If Kevin Mullin is worried about authoritarianism, he should look no further than the progressive wing of his political party. The leftists in our country are fully committed to creating a society based on dependence, and they mask their agenda with claims of being compassionate. At the same time, they would have us believe that any other political movement must be fascist just because they said so. That’s ironic. The left has aggressively tried to control freedom of expression… and the left’s squelching discourse is exactly the tyrannical intolerance they pretend to abhor. The left’s drive to control also takes the form of overregulation. Look at California’s mandates for EVs and electric appliances. Something tells me our governor will soften his stance on those issues the closer we get to 2028. At least our governor will get a chance to win his party’s nomination. Maybe. Last time around, the candidate was selected by the party’s leadership. Hmmm… a central committee choosing who party members will vote for… does that sound authoritarian? If anyone doubts that controlling citizens’ lives with regulations, picking their pockets and giving that money away, plus silencing opinions that do not conform to the left’s agenda does not sit well with John Q. and Jane Q. Public… take a look at what happened last November 5.
I see the collective testosterone of a turkey sandwich in that Town Hall. Liberal men are weak - whiny little babies.
A few observations… I’m betting most if not all the folks attending were Democrats. I’m not sure why Dems are against Musk and his band of merry men rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse. If these folks are truly outraged, why didn’t they ask why Mullin was on the wrong side of every vote for the Laken Riley Act? It’s difficult to support someone who would rather put the interests of invaders to our country over that of American citizens. Why didn’t anyone ask why Mullin didn’t denounce the domestic terrorism against Tesla cars and dealerships? Is Mullin tacitly endorsing these domestic terrorists by not denouncing them? Why didn’t anyone ask about radical left judges creating a constitutional crisis in trying to usurp control from the Executive branch?
It’s hilarious when Mullin says, “It’s going to take all of us to have our voices heard and make sure that that administration will buckle to public opinion.” Hey Mullin, public opinion polls have shown Democrats are enjoying among the lowest, if not the lowest, ratings in their history. The public has spoken and like your votes on the Laken Riley Act, you’re on the wrong side of history. I’d encourage Mullan and Dems to hop on the Trump train and do your part to Make America Great Again. Perhaps Dem approval ratings would rise.
Terence - Good points! I encourage all to view the meeting at https://www.youtube.com/live/f_ZwdGkY7Jg"
In summary, lots of rhetoric, misinformation, fear mongering, no concrete solutions or suggestions and Mullin's big comment that the debt is caused by "tax cuts." A simple search shows that is only a small component. Also, that Republicans don't care about the debt, when "the debt" is Musk's greatest concern for the survivability and future of America, and bringing fiscal sanity is the goal of his efforts.
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