2026 in Elections and Opportunities

By Angie Barrios Mackepeace (they/them), Editor-In-Chief of Gente Cuaderno

Pomona has been hit with the threats from the federal government to our safety and rights for months. We’ve felt the effects of ICE in our streets, terrorizing workers and families and leaving gaps in our communities. We’ve felt the panic and financial stress of food stamp delays caused by a partisan gridlock in Congress. We’ve come to know racism and fear as rhetorical weapons meant to diminish opposition and set our country back by decades.

The 2026 elections mean time for increased public advocacy and the type of change that millions of unsatisfied Americans are looking for. While national politics continue to demoralize the people it’s meant to serve and hinder societal progress, local and state organizing can offer redirection. By honing in on the shortcomings of present administrations, the public can work towards uplifting legislation that doesn’t favor the 1% while disparaging the working class. 

Pomona voters approved the implementation of Measure Y, the Pomona Kids First Initiative, back in 2024. The measure outlines the establishment of the Department of Children and Youth which, when implemented fully, will directly service the youth of Pomona and their families during these unpredictable times with dedicated funding, resources, and program development. 

In June, a depreciating amendment to the measure, Measure Z, will be on the ballot. The proponents of Measure Z detail a plethora of supposed fiscal challenges resulting from the budgeting alterations needed to enable Measure Y’s allocation of General Fund money to the Pomona Children and Youth Fund. Measure Y is an example of a direct approach to helping youth and families– to supporting the people who are most affected by funding cuts, immigration policy, and rising healthcare costs. The scope of Measure Y’s impact has not yet been realized, but the city has created a pressure to retreat that is heavily based on fear and a lack of faith in the positive impacts of a youth-first funding framework. The parallel we can see here in our local government with the national government implies that Pomonans, too, are going to let the will of the people fall to weak civic integrity.

The City of Pomona can and should be working towards defensive measures that ensure the futures of our youth. The model that Measure Y creates is one that focuses on the education and well-being of young constituents long-term. The social, economic, and political consequences of the current federal administration are going to be felt for years to come. However, what will help protect the intentions behind the measure is a strong majority to oppose the amendment. Show up for the youth and for yourself by keeping City Council accountable to the will of their city. 

On the national political stage, the inefficiency of our 119th Congress has led to similar, but much greater, disservices to the populations in the U.S. that need the most aid. The Trump administration has benefited from a Republican majority in Congress, from passing the Laken Riley Act to repealing many of the Biden administration’s Executive Orders and actions. Although Trump’s preferred method for passing legislation is the Presidential Executive Order (signing 225 in 2025), one of his most significant legislative packages, the Big Beautiful Bill, was enacted by Congress back in July. Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress have been scattered, unable to form a coherent oppositional framework, and severely lacking the messaging and policy to ground our failing bipartisan system.

ICE funding and tax cuts for billionaires have almost single-handedly created the political conditions that disparage vulnerable communities. The results of these provisions do not reflect the will of the population in their final form, but those who voted in favor of them at the time, either didn’t see or, more likely, didn’t care. We have the tools to take more immediate action instead of waiting for representatives in Congress to get it right. City municipalities in California, like Pomona, have the opportunity this year to protect their constituents from further harm. 

There are many ways to show up for your community while exercising a fundamental Constitutional right or, outside of the polls, by advocating for change. 

Voting

• June 2nd: City of Pomona Primary Municipal Election 

  • Districts 2, 3, and 5

  • Measure Z: Pomona Kids First Amendment 

• November 3rd: City of Pomona General Municipal Election

Grassroots Organizing

• Here at Gente, we’ve taken action in supporting ICE Out of Pomona initiatives, continuous development and education of our youth, and investigation into Pomona Police Department action 

• Demanding Accountability from our Mayor, City Manager, Council members, and Commissions that decide the direction for our city: we want to know how our tax money is being spent and what our city can do to protect our most vulnerable

Pomona voted in favor of our youth in 2024. We did our part last summer during No Kings. We’ve banded together for the families of street vendors that were taken by ICE. We can continue to advocate for the progress of our city and state. Government officials mustn’t get comfortable in their compliance while Americans live in a dysfunctional governing state. 

Angie Barrios Mackepeace is a proud member of the Gente Organizada & Pomona community, currently working as Narrative Change Organizer & Editor and Gente Cuaderno’s Editor-In-Chief. She studies Creative Writing and Political Science at Chapman University.