🎉 Looking Ahead & Back
We have a busy year ahead of us, and I’m excited for what’s to come. We have townhalls, food drives, national protests, a primary and midterm election ahead of us — all critical for getting our country back on track. Check out updates on our website for our mission statement and resource info about your elected representatives.
Our chapter accomplished a lot this year. We’ve grown from a handful of protestors to hundreds. We now have 1.2k followers on BlueSky and a quarter of the town subscribed to our newsletter. Our core volunteers have generously contributed their time, talents, and resources to build an online presence and meaningful community events.
🤝 Community Impact
We pressured Rep. Fong into responding to previously unanswered letters, engaged and registered voters to support Prop 50, gathered thousands of dollars’ worth of food for the Salvation Army, and hosted protests with hundreds of participants. But, most importantly, we’ve helped restore hope in our community for the future.
🎶 Organizational Update
We’ve decided not to establish ourselves as a 501c4. After weighing the requirements, the benefits did not justify the limitations. Instead, we’ll use our funds to support music at events — something our members value. The city has confirmed we can play music without a permit, and remaining funds from 2025 will be used to secure ASCAP music licensing.
🏢 Cal-City ICE Facility Hearing Recap
The 2nd public hearing for the ICE Facility permit included powerful public comment from people who have been detained there and from their families. There were also people from the surrounding area and all over California who took the time to oppose the facility. The permit process requires 2 public hearings 180 days before the permit is awarded. The facility has been operating illegally since September. These hearings appear to be mostly a charade for Cal-City to go through the motions of their own permit process to look like they are doing something—all while continuing to allow the facility to remain open the whole time.
📅 What’s Next
The Planning Commission stated that all comments were recorded and will be passed on to decision-makers. The next Cal-City Council meeting is 1/13 at 6pm. January will be the last opportunity to protest the permits before the final decision is made. Please join us Saturday 1/10 from 10am–12pm at Ridgecrest and China Lake Blvd.
🏛️ Ridgecrest City Council Recap
Several members gave public comment regarding the Flock cameras. While officials rarely respond, this meeting resulted in notable engagement from city leadership.
🚓 Clarifying Our Position
Ridgecrest 50501 opposes the Flock company — not the Ridgecrest Police Department. We have worked with the RPD from the beginning of our protests and it has made planning events in Ridgecrest easy and safe. With mutual respect, we have been able to give the people in Ridgecrest a safe space to practice their 1st Amendment rights.
🧠 Moving the Conversation Forward
The Chief provided a detailed defense of the system, though much of the information came directly from Flock. He invited us to sit down with him to talk, but that would be a disservice to everyone who signed the petition. The topic needs to get on the agenda so everyone can express their concerns with the system. Until then, we will be forced into a prolonged exchange with the city over weeks or months.
📢 How You Can Help
We believe it will be more likely to get on the agenda with more participation and after City Manager Ron Strand retires in January. Visit deflockridgecrest.org to read articles outlining the many reasons—over a dozen—why the Flock system needs to be shut down. If you’re uncomfortable speaking during the meeting, even sitting in the audience still puts pressure on the city. The next City Council meeting is Wednesday 1/7 at 6pm, 100 W California Ave.
🙌 A Positive Sign
A city official thanked us for organizing community participation through our petition. While 115 signatures may not sound like a lot, it represents far more engagement than the city is accustomed to seeing.
🗳️ Civic Participation Matters
Civic engagement looks different for everyone — signing petitions, protesting, calling representatives, having difficult conversations with friends, and even running for office. And of course, everyone eligible must vote. It takes all of us—at every level—to move the needle and create change.
🚫 Free America Walk-out
Ridgecrest 50501 will not participate in the January 20th walk-out. An on-the-job protest is a Harsh Act violation and would create legal issues for government employees. Much of our membership is made up of retirees and government workers, so it doesn’t make sense for us to join this 50501 event.
Government workers can strike over safety concerns, and that decision must come from their own experience and judgment. Hegseth continuing to demand cuts to staffing will eventually create unsafe conditions for people in the DOD. When the time comes, people will need to step up to cast their “No Vote” to prevent an accident from happening. Ridgecrest 50501 will not push for a strike. I believe this will help ensure that real concerns regarding safety can’t be dismissed as being over politics. I really do fear someone is going to get hurt due to short staffing at China Lake.
Ridgecrest 50501 