Ryder Christ
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — From immigration raids and soaring tariffs to school board battles and sweeping federal job cuts, President Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in office are already reshaping life on California’s Central and South Coasts.
Former State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson and former Santa Barbara City Councilmember Dale Francisco joined KEYT for political commentary, offering opposing takes on the rapidly changing national landscape and its growing local consequences.
Immigration Crackdown and Local Arrests
One of Trump’s earliest campaign promises — to close the border and launch the largest deportation operation in U.S. history — is now underway. Border Czar Tom Homan says 139,000 people have been deported, with border crossings down 83%, marking the lowest monthly totals since the 1960s, according to FactCheck.org.
In Santa Barbara County, 39 people have been arrested by ICE since January, most in Santa Maria, according to the 805 Undocufund.
Primitiva Hernandez, with the 805 Undocufund, said, “They’re really going after anyone who is here undocumented, regardless [of] whether they have a criminal record or not.”
Immigration attorney Vanessa Frank added that the enforcement campaign is sparking widespread fear:
“Whenever a government has asked that everybody in the country sign up to be registered… it never ends well.”
Public opinion remains deeply divided. A PBS poll found that 87% of Republicans support Trump’s immigration policies.
Francisco defended the crackdown, citing what he sees as long-overdue enforcement.
“He absolutely has kept the promise,” Francisco said. “Illegal immigration is down to some of the lowest numbers ever recorded in history. That’s a testament to enforcing immigration law. The damage has been done under the last administration. But this is not about mass deportations. We just heard — 39 arrests in all of Santa Barbara County. We’re enforcing the law.”
Jackson strongly disagreed, accusing the administration of overreach.
“If you have an injury on your finger, you try to cure that injury — you don’t cut off the whole hand,” she said. “We are going after people who’ve been here for 25 or 30 years, who are contributing members of our community.”
She warned that such policies betray American values.
“This is not about safety. It’s about fear. These are the people who pick our food, who work the hard jobs. The notion that we are cleansing ourselves is absolutely wrong.”
Tariffs Shake Wall Street, Raise Prices
On “Liberation Day,” April 2, President Trump’s announcement of a 10% blanket tariff on all imports and a 145% tariff on Chinese goods sent the S&P 500 tumbling more than 10% — the worst week for Wall Street since the 2020 COVID-19 recession.
A Reuters poll found 57% of Americans oppose the tariffs, and 73% expect prices to rise on everyday goods. Even locally, the Assistance League of Santa Barbara says prom and wedding dresses are becoming more expensive or harder to find, due to disrupted imports.
UC Santa Barbara economics professor Peter Rupert called the policy economically damaging:
“You would be hard pressed to find an economist that thought tariffs helped,” Rupert said. “Tariffs do nothing but hurt. They hurt consumers. They hurt businesses.”
According to Rupert, the biggest import disruptions so far have been seen in avocados and steel-based goods.
Key price changes during Trump’s first 100 days:
Eggs: up 17% due to bird flu
Meat, poultry & fish: up 1.1%
Gas: down 7.8% this quarter, over 10% compared to this time last year
Jackson criticized Trump’s tariffs as reckless and harmful.
“This is a totally bonehead move by this president — creating chaos throughout the world, disruption in our food supplies, in services, and in international trade without any justification,” she said. “Business requires certainty, and all these tariffs have done is create greater uncertainty. It’s a bad decision. Prices are going up — they are not going down.”
Francisco defended the strategy as a necessary step toward economic independence from China.
“It will undoubtedly be painful because of how intertwined our economies are, but we have to do this.”
Biologist Reinstated After Firing Under Trump’s Efficiency Mandate
Alongside tariffs, Trump’s push for government “efficiency” is being felt in a wave of federal job terminations and budget slashes, recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk.
Among the local casualties was Benjamin Vizzachero Viza-Caro, a wildlife biologist working in the Los Padres National Forest. In February, Vizzachero received notice of his termination. The official reason given was “poor performance.”
Vizzachero defended his record, saying he helped create fuel breaks to prevent wildfires and had earned strong praise from supervisors. He was just weeks from completing his probationary period as a new hire.
“I was stunned to lose the job I loved,” he said.
After public outcry and internal review, Vizzachero has since been reinstated.
Farmers and Food Banks in Crisis
In Carpinteria, farmer Juan Osorio says he feels “overwhelmed” after Trump canceled the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), a federal program helping small farms sell produce to food banks.
“What’s going to happen is I won’t be able to provide for my family,” Osorio said.
The Santa Barbara County Foodbank expects to lose more than $4 million in support, including:
Over 1.5 million pounds of food
A $24,000 FEMA emergency food grant
A $500,000 loss from LFPA alone
The SLO Food Bank is also losing $600,000 annually, with a proposed 20% cut to federal food aid threatening to increase hardship across rural communities. Officials say SNAP reductions could double local demand.
Transgender Policy Sparks School Board Tensions
Meanwhile, a Trump executive order targeting transgender athletes and students has ignited heated debate in Arroyo Grande, where a recent Lucia Mar School Board meeting drew national attention.
Arroyo Grande High School student and track athlete Celeste Duyst shared her experience using the same locker room with a transgender student, whom she referred to as a “biological male.”
“What about us?” cried Duyst. “We can’t let our rights be given up to cater to the individual.”
“It’s sad that members of our community are willing to show hate to children who just want to feel comfortable in their own skin,” said another public speaker.
Some San Luis Obispo County parents now say they’ll keep their children home unless school districts follow the new federal guidelines. But district leaders say state law still protects gender identity, including participation in sports and access to facilities.
So far, there have been no campus walkouts or major absences reported.
Francisco highlighted that cultural issues like this one is why Trump’s supporters believe the country is moving in the right direction:
“Trump agrees with most Americans on this,” Francisco said. “These aren’t fringe concerns — they’re about restoring fairness and common sense to public policy.”
Jackson countered that more than half of the public would disagree that President Trump is doing a good job at this point.
Tracking the Promises: The MAGA-Meter
According to the Poynter Institute’s MAGA-Meter, President Trump has kept key campaign promises, including:
Pardoning Jan. 6 rioters
Leaving the Paris Climate Accord
Designating drug cartels, such as MS-13 in Santa Maria, as foreign terrorist organizations
Closing the border on Day One
The largest deportation operation in American history remains a work in progress, but his administration says it’s on track.
Polls Reflect Deep Division
While nearly 130,000 people in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties voted for Trump last November, national support is more divided.
Pew Research, Reuters, and CNN all show Trump’s approval at around 40% — the lowest of any newly elected president at the 100-day mark. Pew also found 59% disapprove of the tariffs, and 55% disapprove of federal cuts.
Francisco believes the president is delivering results.
“From the point of view of people who supported Trump… things are going in the right direction now.”
Jackson warns of lasting damage.
“Trump is not king… He’s cutting services for people who need them so the rich can get tax cuts.”
KEYT will continue tracking how President Trump’s second-term agenda unfolds in the months ahead — and how Central Coast residents are responding.
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