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United States Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are bringing their national “Fighting Oligarchy” tour to Folsom on Tuesday, April 15, after a venue change prompted by growing attendance demand.
Originally scheduled to take place in Auburn, the event has now been relocated to the outdoor athletic track at Folsom Lake College, located at 10 College Parkway in Folsom. Gates will open at 3:30 p.m., and the speaking program is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
After concerns that the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn could not facilitate the event’s expected attendance. The Sander’s tour sought out alternative locations and chose to rent the athletic field from Folsom Lake College and the Los Rios Community College District.
“We are happy to provide this service for our community partners,” said Kristy Hart o Folsom Lake Community College. “We are very happy to serve our civic duty as well.” Hart added that all of the event details and plans will be managed by the Sander’s tour team and not involve the college district.
Security for the event will be a collaborative effort amongst the Los Rios Community College Police Department and the Folsom Police Department for the event’s traffic control and security needs. Final plans are currently being worked out amongst the agencies who just learned of the venue change as well. Folsom Mayor Sarah Aquino joined the Folsom Times Facebook discussion on the announcement, noting that city officials are being told as many as 10,000 could be expected.
“The Folsom Police Department is meeting with the Los Rios Police Department to assist by ensuring people can arrive and leave the event safely and efficiently, ” said Commander Andrew Bates of the Folsom Police Department, explaining that plans are still being worked on among the parties involved. “We will assist as needed for security at the event. We have meetings today and tomorrow and should have a better idea by Friday.”
The tour, led by Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, and Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat representing New York, is part of a national push to challenge what they describe as a “growing consolidation of wealth and power by billionaires and political elites.” The campaign has taken aim at President Donald Trump and tech magnate Elon Musk, accusing both of “undermining federal jobs and government accountability.”
As with other stops on the tour, the Folsom event will focus on economic equity, labor rights, and democratic participation, according to the tour announcement.
The public gathering is free, but attendees must RSVP in advance through the event’s official website HERE.
The outdoor event has a few guidelines: no bags, signs, or firearms will be allowed, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets. Free parking is available on-site on a first-come, first-serve basis, with additional street parking likely being permitted nearby.The stop in Folsom is one of several across the country. Earlier the same day, the Sander’s tour will be stopping at Dignity Arena for a similar event in Bakersfield and will depart for Montana for an event the following day.
“Over the course of the next few weeks I’ll be hitting the road to have real discussions across America on how we move forward to take on the Oligarchs and corporate interests who have so much power and influence in this country,” Sanders said in a statement as he announced his recent cross country tour.
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