Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs hosted an in-person town hall meeting Wednesday night at Madison High School in Clairemont, fielding questions on topics ranging from the Israel-Palestine conflict to domestic and local San Diego issues.
The congresswoman, who represents California’s 51st district covering San Diego, opened with pointed remarks about recent congressional proceedings.
“I’m very, very happy to be home right now, very happy. Let me say that one more time. But let’s be clear, Speaker Johnson canceled Congress because he was so afraid of having us vote on the Epstein files,” Jacobs said.
Following her opening remarks, Jacobs dove right into answering questions from constituents, with the the first inquiry focusing on what tangible actions Democrats are taking against the Trump administration.
Jacobs laid out a four-part plan to push back against the Trump administration but first reminded attendees that Democrats are playing zone defense, not man-to-man.
“Each one of us individually isn’t going to be able to do everything that we need to do, but all together, all of us are going to do what we need to do,” she said.
Part one was introducing legislation, even if it won’t be passed. Litigation was part two, and oversight was the third aspect she discussed. Getting out and asking questions is key, she said, because “when we show up and ask questions, there are behavior changes.” And lastly, she emphasized the importance of public pressure and people gathering and voicing frustration.
Jacobs expressed the importance of planning for the future. She said it’s not just about putting Democrats in power and building legislation for when that time comes, but also looking at ways to rebuild and restructure democracy because “we also need to recognize that the status quo was not working.”
She took on some international policy topics as well, the main focus being the conflict between Israel and Palestine. During her response to the conflict question, the crowd burst out with a mixture of reactions.
Claps, jeers, chants and more could be heard over Jacobs as she tried to respond. Many applauded her stance not to provide offensive weapons to the Israeli government, but others were upset that she would not deem the crisis in Gaza a genocide.
Jacobs would not specifically call it a genocide because “genocide” is a legal term that has not been applied to the situation in Gaza, she said. But she did note the large displacement “could amount to ethnic cleansing,” and that Palestine should be a free state.
She also addressed concerns over changes to the military and the people who can serve. She encouraged veterans and active-duty service members to share their experiences because “real human stories are what we need.”
She had the same sentiment regarding most issues discussed at the meeting, encouraging constituents to share their stories because it puts a real face to a real problem for lawmakers.
“I think all of us here in San Diego have a responsibility to talk about the role the border and immigration play in our lives,” she said.
She called the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement “horrific” but explained that Democrats are in the minority and though there are things she wants to fix legislatively, it just isn’t feasible at the moment.
“I think we have a really important role here as San Diegans, because we are a border community, right? Like we know better than most how important our immigrant community is to our economy and the fabric of our society,” she said.
Jacobs ended the meeting applauding attendees for showing up and doing the “most important thing you could be doing right now.”
“It is the honor of my life to get to represent you, even amidst all the chaos, even amidst all the craziness, and I’m really, really grateful that you all have been perfect and trusted me to be your representative right now,” she said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
