August 4: Indivisible Santa Fe Newsletter

National purpose with local action

Next meeting: August 10, 2026 at 7:00 PM (📣 with Victoria Robledo!)
Christ Lutheran Church
1701 Arroyo Chamiso Road, Santa Fe

August is donation matching month! All donations made to Indivisible Santa Fe through August 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $300 total.

Please consider contributing today!

Drinking Liberally 🍷

Today, August 4, 5:00-7:00 PM, at Boxcar SF, 133 W. Water Street. The action to protect Chaco continues well beyond last week's short deadline. Learn how to get involved.

We are thrilled to begin with researcher and educator of the archaeoastronomy of the American Southwest, Anna Sofaer. For over three decades, Anna’s Solstice Project has coordinated interdisciplinary teams to research, understand, and protect the majesty of Chaco.

The conversation will continue with Kyle Tisdel, Senior Attorney, Climate & Energy Policy Program Director at the Western Environmental Law Center.  He is currently working to help protect Chaco.  He will give an update and provide ways to help protect this land from potential federal changes.

Truth Commission Public Meeting ⚖️

The New Mexico Truth Commission will hold a public meeting August 5 at 1:00 PM, in room 307 of the State Capitol. Remote attendance via Zoom will also be available.

The Commission will present its interim report, summarize its investigative process and findings to date, report on responses to previously issued subpoenas, and discuss next steps.

Unite and Rise

Please come to the Roundhouse west entrance on August 8, 10:00-11:15 AM. Meet others who are working to get out the vote in 2026!

Coordinate our efforts!  Strategize how we will build a stronger democracy! 

Join the national Day of Action! Find out what different groups are doing to get out the vote and learn ways you can make a difference! Invite your friends, neighbors, and colleagues!

Get Involved: Sign up on Mobilize

Speakers
Meredith Machen, LWVNM
House Majority Leader Reena Szczepanski
Lynn Heffron, AAUW
Janet Williams, NOW
Carmen Lopez, Observe NM Elections
Rachel Feldman, Indivisible SOS

Music by the Raging Grannies!

Accessible parking is located near the east entrance. Signs lead to the ramp/stairs facing Paseo de Peralta and the west portal.

For more information contact Meredith Machen: projects@lwvnm.org, 505 577-6337.

Fire on the Mountain Billboard Launch

For those following the Fire on the Mountain work about nuclear waste stored at LANL that is at risk of being spread in case of wildfire, that group is launching some billboards around Santa Fe. The public launch and press event will be next Tuesday, August 11 at 11:00AM at one of the billboard sites. State Rep candidate Sarah Boses and organizer Cynthia Wheeler will be speaking. See the map for details:

Fire on the Mountain | nuclear waste | Santa Fe, NM, USA

Fire on the Mountain explains the danger of nuclear waste stored in a wildfire zone at Los Alamos National Labs near Santa Fe, NM, and recommends moving the waste to WIPP.

Dangers Of Legacy Wa

GOTV: Get Out the Vote 🗳️

The Santa Fe County Democratic Party’s campaign for the 2026 General Election will begin with a kick-off event on August 9 at 1:00 PM at our headquarters, 1420 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe.

Look for the new flags up the pole.

All canvassers, phone bankers and other volunteers are welcome. Campaign orientation, materials and training for new volunteers are all provided.

Speaker Series: Victoria Robledo

Reminder: Victoria Robledo will speak at the Indivisible Santa Fe meeting on Monday, August 10. She is the Voter Protection Director for the Democratic Party of New Mexico, and she'll talk about volunteer opportunities with DPNM's voter protection program.

August 10: Victoria Robledo

Victoria Robledo will speak to ISF on Monday, August 10, about volunteer opportunities with the Democratic Party of New Mexico voter protection program.

Indivisible Santa FeGuest post

Speaker Series: Ivan Cornejo

ISF's Speaker Series continues at the Indivisible Santa Fe meeting on Monday, August 24, with Ivan Cornejo, the Chair of the City of Santa Fe Immigration Committee. He will speak about the Committee's work.

If you want to learn more about ways to help immigrants in Santa Fe, you won't want to miss this one!

August 24: Ivan Cornejo

Ivan Cornejo will visit Indivisible Santa Fe on August 24, to talk about the work of the City of Santa Fe Immigration Committee.

Indivisible Santa FeGuest post

Town Hall with Rep. Leger Fernandez

Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez will host a town hall in Santa Fe on August 11 at 6:30 PM. RSVP to learn the exact location.

ISF Book Group 📖

Join us on Wednesday, September 16, at 10:00 AM, to discuss The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee, highly recommended by Indivisible National for its analysis of how racism and economic inequality intersect and reinforce each other.

Meeting place is to be announced. Everyone is welcome. Please contact Gary K for more details.

Regular protests & events

• Speakers' Corner - August 8, 10:00-11:00 AM – we'll be testing out a new location on along the rail; meet near Sky Coffee shortly before 10. Details on the Speakers' Corner page.
• Banner Drop - August 10, 7:30-8:30 AM at La Cienega. RSVP to Linda F.

Fridays: Southside HONK and WAVE Protest

Fridays 8:00-9:00 AM on the corner of Zafarano Dr and Cerrillos Rd, on the sidewalk in front of the Target. Bring your signs! Support your neighbors! A Tale of February 6 We were protesting on February 6th, with a small group on the corner of Zafarano and

Indivisible Santa FeGuest post

Walk the Talk Wednesdays

Come wave signs, Wednesdays 11 AM to noon at St. Francis & Cerrillos

Indivisible Santa FeDonovan Kolbly

Thursdays: Whole Foods Leafletting

Join SFBT each Thursday, 5:30-6:30 PM, to distribute leaflets at Whole Foods, Cerrillos Rd.

Indivisible Santa FeGuest post

The No Trump Immunity Act

In 2021, Capital One closed roughly 300 Trump Organization accounts for anti-money-laundering reasons.

On May 19 of this year, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche granted President Trump and his family extraordinary protection from IRS investigations.

On July 30, New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Luján introduced the "No Trump Immunity" Act. It would prohibit DOJ from granting immunity to the President, the Vice President, their immediate family members, trusts, related companies, or affiliates.

If Democrats win control of the Senate in the midterms, this bill could play a small part in strengthening the rule of law in the United States.

Luján Introduces Bill to Ban DOJ Immunity for Presidents - Senator Ben Ray Luján

Luján Legislation to Protect DOJ Independence Comes as Trump’s Personal Defense Attorney Todd Blanche is Considered to be Next Attorney General Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the No Trump Immunity Act, legislation to prohibit the Department of Justice (DOJ) from granting immunity to the President, the Vice President, their […]

Senator Ben Ray Luján

A Busy Week for ISF 🐝

Last week brought many opportunities for action. Indivisible Santa Fe stepped up! Here are a few examples.

USPS Demonstration 📫
On Tuesday, on very short notice, Will S printed signs and recruited a group to join a demonstration by the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). The union was raising awareness and pushing back against harmful proposed changes to the USPS.

There was a lot of support from passers-by, and two of them even joined the demonstration!

Protecting Chaco Canyon ✋
ISF members joined hundreds of thousands from across the nation in submitting public comments to oppose the revocation of federal protections around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

On Wednesday, Dave V attended the Rally for Chaco at BLM headquarters in Santa Fe. The rally was organized by the Diné Pueblo Solidarity Coalition. It had a great turnout with powerful, informative speakers.

ISF members recently developed recommendations for where to focus the organization's efforts. Two proposals relating to Environment/Public Lands were to join allied groups for public events, and to partner with indigenous nations and to follow their lead. Thanks to Dave for getting us started!

Call with Staff of Senator Heinrich 📞
Also on Wednesday, Melinda H, Jane S, and Debra E held a call with Senator Heinrich's staff. Topics included:

• The Senator's votes to confirm Trump admin cabinet secretaries who have since acted against the interests of New Mexico
• What can be done about the horrible conditions at Torrance County Detention Facility, including mold falling on beds, and rashes from contaminated water
• The Senator's work on developing a different, more dignified, congregate-living model for detention facilities, similar to refugee camps

City Council Meeting - ICE-Free Zones 🚫🧊
Also on Wednesday, several ISF members came to support the city's Immigration Committee at the regular City Council meeting. They held signs and spoke during the public comment period, encouraging the council to create an ordinance that would bar ICE from using city-owned property to stage ICE raids.

Thanks to everyone who put so much work into last week!

🎤 Indivisible Santa Fe Radio

Why are some people rich and others poor? Because that's how the system has been structured, to put more and more wealth into ever fewer hands. The consequences for democracy have been disastrous.

In the latest episode of Indivisible Santa Fe Radio, Donovan and Gary speak with Samuel Bowles, Professor Emeritus of Economics at UMass Amherst and head of behavioral sciences at the Santa Fe Institute, who has spent his career studying the problem and the way out. For insights, tune into "Wealth Inequality and Economic Democracy."

From the Desk of Indivisible Santa Fe

Debra argues that, if and when they regain power at the federal level, Democrats need to be ready with plans for improving the general welfare of the country and for showing that the rule of law still means something.

Democrats with a Plan

As the midterm elections approach, there is an obvious question to consider. Yes, there’s the fear of what Republicans will do to try to steal the election. Yes, we need to have plans in place and do our part in securing our polling places from violence or other craziness.

Indivisible Santa FeDebra Efroymson

You can't make this stuff up – well, not all of it. 😉

Justice or Just ICE?

Global Satire News Service, July 30, 2026 Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche today announced that the 9,200 attorneys he oversees to enforce federal law and prosecute wrongdoers would merge effective immediately with Customs and Border Patrol to be reorganized as the Department of Just ICE. As the Department of

Indivisible Santa FeGary Kowalski

Check out our resources page with lots of links to useful information, constantly being updated as we find new web resources to help fight for democracy and the rule of law.

You can help our effort to expand our digital presence, including social media on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram by following us and liking and re-posting our messages, or sharing our website with people who might be interested – they, too, can sign up and get this newsletter! 🎉 Help us get the word out!

For those looking to build a Democratic Party that fights, the next 8 days are jam-packed: six Indivisible-endorsed candidates face primary voters across four states. We’ve traveled a long road to get here:

• 19 months ago Trump came into office with the Laken Riley Act sitting ready for his signature. The bill empowered ICE and stripped immigrants of their rights. It passed with all Republicans on board as well as nearly 60 congressional Democrats. (Indivisible strongly opposed it as bad policy and bad politics.)
• 17 months ago 91% of Indivisible leaders voted for Chuck Schumer to step down from leadership after he surrendered leverage in high-stakes negotiations with Trump.
• 14 months ago was the then-largest protest in American history -- No Kings.
• 10 months ago was (again) the then-largest protest in American history -- No Kings 2.
• 9 months ago Schumer led Senate Dems to collapse over ICE yet again. We launched Indivisible’s largest primary campaign ever the next day.
• 5 months ago was the (still reigning) largest protest in American history -- No Kings 3.
• 3 months ago we notched our first primary win in Georgia.
• 2 months ago we notched more wins in California, New Jersey, and New York.

We're just picking up steam.

This primary campaign has always been about one thing: building a party that fights. 

We can get behind a fair amount of ideological diversity -- it’s a big country, and people voting in Texas might want different things than people voting in Minnesota. That’s OK! What we shouldn’t get behind though is cowardice or corruption -- no voter is looking for that. To convince voters that the Democratic Party is worth believing in, we need to elect primary candidates who push for new leadership, who commit to using congressional power to hold Trump and his cadre accountable for their crimes, and who build grassroots campaigns that reject money from AI, crypto, AIPAC, and corporate PACs. 

That describes every Indivisible-endorsed candidate, and it turns out that’s what Democratic primary voters want too. “Washington’s candidates grapple with Democrats’ hunger for anti-establishment fighters” blared one of many such headlines this summer. 

And we’re not done yet. Up next in Michigan on August 4, we’ve got Donavan McKinney (MI-13), William Lawrence (MI-07), and Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan Senate); in Tennessee on August 6, Justin J. Pearson (TN-09); in Hawaii on August 8, Jarrett Keohokalole (HI-01); in Minnesota on August 11, Peggy Flanagan for Senate. Pick a couple and help them get to Congress!

Up next: crushing Trump in the midterms. In the next month we formally close out the primary campaign and pivot to the general. Then we electorally decimate Trump in the midterms. Then we protect the results from his sabotage. And then a new generation of grassroots Democrats takes the majority, leading an opposition party that fights back like we've not yet seen.

If you want to be part of building this wave, we’ve got some ideas for how to do it this week!  

In solidarity,
Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

Your weekly to-dos

1. Join our Immigrant Justice Summer call happening THIS Thursday, August 6 to learn rapid response strategies for mobilizing when an ICE surge hits your community (8pm ET/5pm PT). After a surge of ICE brutality in July, now is the moment to learn how to create a safe, immigrant-aligned response plan. Join this week’s call to explore the components and roles of a rapid response activation. Hear from organizers building rapid response against a detention center in Hagerstown, MD, and the mutual aid network Rochester, MN, built in the wake of Operation Metro Surge. (If you missed the first two trainings, no worries -- you can watch both on YouTube and download the Immigrant Justice Summer workbook to get a headstart.)
2. If you have a Democratic US senator, call them to demand they oppose the CLARITY Act, the toothless and inadequate “crypto regulation” bill that would continue to enable Trump to amass massive wealth from crypto corruption. It’s possible that the Senate will try to vote on the CLARITY Act before leaving for August recess on Friday -- faux crypto regulation legislation that would let Trump build on his $1.4 billion profit from the industry in 2025. This bill doesn’t protect consumers, doesn’t close money laundering loopholes, and doesn’t stop Trump’s crypto bribery machine. 78 House Dems voted to pass it last year -- we can’t let the Senate force it through before recess.
3. Sign up for Hands Off Our Vote, our national program to protect the midterm elections. Last week, the Senate confirmed election-denier Jay Clayton to serve as Director of National Intelligence. Trump has another lapdog to carry out the dirty work of election interference, but we’re countering their chaos with robust preparation to block election subversion in all 50 states. (If you’re ready to jump in headfirst, check out our Election Protection 101 and 201 trainings later this month and our toolkit to get involved no matter where you live right now.)
4. With just six days left until his primary, phonebank this Thursday for Indivisible-endorsed candidate Jarrett Keohokalole, running in Hawaii’s First District (9pm ET/6pm PT/3pm HST). Keohokalole is a leading voice for constitutional rights, running against a MAGA-friendly Democratic incumbent in a deep blue district. Working families in HI-01 could be represented by a true progressive fighter in Congress -- but we need to dial up the people power in this race to fuel Keohokalole across the finish line. Paid for by Indivisible Action. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

P.S. With six Indivisible-endorsed candidates competing in primaries in the next eight days and the general election just around the corner, we have a LOT of organizing to do. Every donation fuels our work to build a bold Democratic Party filled with leaders who fight, not fold, when faced with authoritarian threats. If you’re able, please chip in today to help us get a head start on August fundraising and build the momentum we need to power us through the next three months.

All eyes on the Senate: What we're watching this week

The Senate leaves for August recess on Friday, but they’re trying to pack a whole lot into the next four days. Before we get into the legislative fights our team is watching, bookmark this page of recess resources so you can plan an in-district visit or event to demand accountability and action.

• After a tumultuous weekend of will-he-or-won’t-he, the Senate is trying to cram through Todd Blanche’s nomination for Attorney General -- after Trump’s personal fixer made a “deal” to rescind his $1.8 billion slush fund to gain the support of a few holdout senators. Notably, the deal leaves parts of the corrupt settlement in place. 
• The Senate may vote on a bipartisan short term funding deal this week. Unlike the version passed by the House last week, the Senate deal would remove a loophole that could be used to shift even MORE money to Border Patrol; it would also temporarily delay implementation of Trump’s radical plan for politicizing federal grants. Regardless of whether the deal passes the Senate, the House won’t be back until September -- and Democrats should stay ready to maximize their leverage here.
• We’re still watching to see if the Senate will vote on the faux crypto regulation CLARITY Act, which would continue to allow Trump to amass corrupt crypto wealth on top of the $1.4 billion he made last year. (If you have a Democratic US senator, you can call them to demand they oppose this bill right now.)
• Trump is still pushing the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act, his odious voter suppression bill to make it harder for people to vote. It still lacks the votes. 
• And finally, Trump and Hegseth are relentless in their demand for more money for war. The Senate must use every possible mechanism to deny this funding and end Trump’s illegal war on Iran. (Find resources here to contact your Members of Congress.)

Good News for a Change

Last week, Fox News dropped polls showing Democrats leading in key Senate races in Texas, North Carolina, Iowa, Georgia, and Ohio -- all states Indivisible is focused on in our Battlegrounds program to win and protect elections in states particularly vulnerable to GOP tampering.

Notably, in the Fox June/July polls, James Talarico leads in Texas by three points, Jon Ossoff leads Georgia by thirteen points, and Roy Cooper leads in North Carolina by nine points.

Polls are just polls, especially this far out, but don’t let anyone say taking back the Senate this year is beyond our reach. If Fox of all outlets has Dems leading in five crucial races, we have more than a fighting chance -- and now it’s up to us to deliver this November by turning out every voter we can and protecting the results.

 Upcoming events + Election shifts

These nationwide events, calls, training sessions, and electoral volunteer opportunities are coming up soon. For even more Indivisible happenings, check our national calendar and get in touch with Indivisible groups near you!

Follow Indivisible National on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads to keep up on the latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to their text messaging program, where they send rapid response actions a few times a month.