The Fight for Democracy Is Everywhere

What’s happening at Palomar College isn’t isolated, it’s part of a larger story unfolding across the country: a story about power, accountability, and who gets to decide what “the people’s business” really means.

At recent Board meetings, students, faculty, and staff have spoken up with courage. They’ve demanded transparency, fairness, and respect from a Board increasingly comfortable operating behind closed doors and beyond public will.

If this feels familiar, it should. Nationwide, we are witnessing elected leaders undermine democratic norms, silence dissent, and rewrite rules to keep power concentrated in the hands of a few. The parallels are unmistakable. When decision-makers stop listening to the people they serve, democracy doesn’t collapse overnight, it fades slowly, one flickering light at a time.

And yet, there is hope. The recent national elections showed what happens when working people organize and communities refuse to be silenced: democracy reignites.

That same spark burns here at Palomar. Every member who speaks at the podium, every student who demands accountability, every worker who stands in solidarity is part of that movement for justice.

Across the country, people are talking about an economic blackout, a deliberate refusal to fuel systems that harm us. It’s a powerful metaphor for our own fight for COLA, dignity, and respect. When those in power refuse to act in the public interest, collective action, community organizing, and political engagement become not only justified but essential.

Because the truth is simple: Power never truly belongs to the Board. It belongs to the people who make this college and this country run.

Flipping the Switch, Nationally and Locally

Join the National Economic Blackout: November 25 - December 2, 2025.
Note: CCE is sharing this information for awareness. Participation is voluntary and at the discretion of each individual.

This is a coordinated economic shutdown; a collective refusal to participate in a system that profits off our pain, exploits our labor, and buys our politicians. 
  ~  Blackout The System

This national grassroots action encourages communities to rethink how and where they spend their economic power. It reflects a widespread call for accountability, economic justice (affordability), and worker respect.

This coordinated, nationwide economic action calls for:

• No shopping/eating at corporate chain stores or restaurants.
• Withholding labor if possible: if you cannot take time off from work, do only what is needed to serve our community; do not take on extra, non-urgent tasks or projects that week.
• If you must spend: support small, local businesses only. Pay in cash.

Local Implications

While CCE is not calling for a work stoppage or strike (yet), we are continuing to organize for COLA, transparency, and respect at Palomar. The Board must be reminded, consistently and visibly, that the real power of this institution lies with:

• The workers who run it, and
• The students who give our work purpose.

As we escalate our advocacy for fairness, rights, and democracy here and nationally, remember: when power refuses the public interest, people come together to restore it.

Get Involved

Join COPE, if you haven’t already! 

• Now: Boycott Starbucks to Support Baristas - Unionized locations will strike until Starbucks finalizes a fair contract and ends its union-busting campaign. Let’s help them take back their power by boycotting Starbucks until their strike ends.
• 12.16.2025: COLA Rally and Governing Board meeting — Save the date, more information will be coming soon!

In Solidarity,
Palomar CCE/AFT Local 4522 Communications Team

Anel Gonzalez, President | Jena Kruhmin, VP Membership
Krista L. Lough, PhD: Communications Officer
Ben Arboleda, Communications Rep | Omar Mendoza, Communications Rep