A Look Forward to 2026
Some 22 million Americans can expect lumps of coal in their Christmas stockings this year in the form of massive health insurance price hikes, barring a miracle by New Year’s Day.
IIn San Luis Obispo County, an estimated 13,000 residents are enrolled in Covered California (“Obamacare”), each facing premiums that, on average, will more than double. In addition, about one in four(68,000) SLO County residents covered by Medi-Cal (Medicaid) face steep program cuts. In sum, up to 81,000 SLO County residents will see consequentially negative impacts to their health care coverage in 2026.
By passing their big ugly bill, the largest health care cut in history, Trump and his Republican handservants have betrayed tens of millions of Americans who either rely on ACA tax credits or depend on Medicaid to help pay for their healthcare.
Republicans repeatedly ignore Americans’ basic needs in service to tax cuts for the rich. They just did it again. They must answer for that affront.
This entirely avoidable health care fiasco should be pinned to every elected Republican who supports Trumpism, whether in Congress, state legislatures, county seats, city councils, school boards and even special districts.
The governing principles of elected Republicans still enthralled by Trumpism are simple: tax cuts for the rich, lumps of coal for the rest, implemented by incompetence, cruelty, lawlessness, self-dealing, scientific ignorance, religious extremism, racism and violence.
And what of trying to solve real problems for real Americans?
Tried to fill a prescription lately? In Morro Bay, you have to travel to SLO or Atascadero and wait, because Rite Aid went belly up and abandoned the community. Tried scheduling a medical appointment lately? New appointments are several months out. It’s clear these are problems only Democrats care to take on.
Republican actions speak to their priorities:
Support for murder on the high seas with no public accountability,
Support for violently abducting immigrants AND American citizens with no due process, accountability or adherence to the rule of law,
Support for obstructing the release of the damning Epstein files,
Support for withholding food subsidies as a political bargaining chip.
Every elected official in SLO County who identifies as Republican – and refuses to speak out – must be held to account in 2026 for supporting this tyrannical regime. This should be the defining issue in SLO County’s 2026 election cycle.
You can make a crucial difference here. Saying the right things makes you part of the resistance to Trumpism, and that’s fine. But stepping forward to do something bold is what our country – and SLO County – need most right now.
Please consider running for office, especially if you share our core values of justice, honor, decency, compassion, forgiveness, mercy, truth, service, respect for the law, science, modern medicine and competence.
Talk to those who have taken that important step and you’ll hear about the satisfaction of truly making a difference. Know that our greatest elected officials throughout our nation’s history started local and connected with issues they cared about. You can do the same.
The SLOCDP is calling on pro-democracy citizens to run for every local elective office on the ballot in SLO County in 2026. Your community – and your republic – need you now more than ever.