Issa protesters take last stand at Congressman’s Vista office

April 25--They were often animated, sometimes spectacle and frequently loud.

On Tuesday, the weekly protests outside U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa's Vista office came to an end.

Protesters staged a final rally with a mixture of satisfaction at Issa's upcoming retirement and sadness at the prospect of parting with a community of like-minded activists. Now they will focus their attention on getting out the vote to flip the 49th Congressional District from red to blue.

For about 65 weeks, primarily North County residents reeling over the election of President Donald Trump and frustrated with Issa's support of Trump vented their outrage at the weekly rallies.

There they decried Republican efforts to end the Affordable Care Act, dismantle environmental regulations and build a border wall, adding levity to their message with songs, chants and props such as a 20-foot-tall inflatable chicken with a Trump-esque coiff.

On Tuesday, about 150 regulars held what they said will be their last stand at the site, featuring signs including a surfboard-shaped poster predicting a "blue wave," and others declaring support for Planned Parenthood or gun control.

The crowd skewed toward retirees, but also included younger up-and-coming politicians, including Vista School Board member Cipriano Vargas, 26, and Congressional candidate Sarah Jacobs, 29, one of several Democratic contenders for Issa's seat. Issa's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Part swan song for their grassroots effort, and part launch pad for voter turnout drives, Tuesday's rally was a turning point for many who have joined the weekly ritual.

"I've gone almost every time," said demonstrator Erin Tracy. "This is it. It's bittersweet. We accomplished our goal, to get Issa to retire. But this is therapy. This is family."

Even their counterparts, a handful of pro-Trump activists who gather on the opposite side of the street, shared the sentiment.

"I'm going to miss coming out on beautiful days like this," said James Hawkin of San Marcos, who said he comes to the events to support Trump and Congressional Republicans. "I've had some good discussions with people on the other side."

The demonstrations began in 2016 with a few dozen people who responded to a Facebook invite or word-of-mouth invitation from organizer Ellen Montanari. They swelled as residents from North County and beyond sought a chance to raise their voices with kindred spirits.

They were spectacles at times, with protesters dressing up as zombies one week, and inflating the 20-foot-tall chicken another. In March, attendees held a "die-in" in which people lay on the ground, using signs protesting health care changes as grave markers. On Halloween, billionaire Democratic activist Tom Steyer -- heading a campaign to impeach the president -- was a guest speaker.

"I like the fun," said retired Marine Brigadier Gen. David Brahms, of Carlsbad, who describes himself as a Boston-born "genetic Democrat" whose Jewish father and Irish Catholic mother shaped his political views. "I like the energy. And I love these women. My mother would have loved this, and my grandmother even more."

Brahms said he wanted to call attention to veterans' issues, and complained that Issa "doesn't give a rat's patoot" about his constituents.

Amy Wiwuga, a Los Angeles resident who works for Health Access California, said she made a habit of driving down every couple weeks to demonstrate against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and other health issues.

"I came out here to keep awareness that the government is trying to take our health care away, and we need to fight it," she said. "These people will fight for everything."

Issa occasionally greeted the crowd, and attended a town hall meeting before an unfriendly crowd in March of last year. As the crowds swelled, the Vista City Council imposed restrictions on where they could gather and how loud they could get. The limitations only fueled the resolve of protesters.

Political operatives seized on the crowds. By one count, they grew to a peak of 850, and averaged about 350 per week, said Tim O'Healy, a retired Marine corporal who made it his task to count heads at the events. O'Healy, 71, a Vietnam veteran, said the weekly rallies were his first venture ever into political activism.

"The protesters were on the other side," he said of Vietnam War protests. "I was being protested against. So it never occurred to me (to join protests.)"

Trump's election, however, marked a tipping point that galvanized him into action, he said.

"The minute that Trump was elected, it was evident that the sovereignty of our country, our democracy, was in danger," O'Healy said.

Counter-protestor Steve Hasty, a wedding DJ who has made up for the lower numbers on his side with higher volume sound equipment, sees a different danger from the left.

He joined fellow Trump supporters a few times last year, but said he made it a point to come regularly after some Issa protesters posted negative yelp reviews about his business. Using professional audio speakers, and what he admits are deliberately provocative comments, he has tried to drown out what he considers censorship in the name of political correctness.

"You're racist if you believe in American patriotism," he asserted over professional speakers during the final rally.

In January, after a year of demonstrations at Issa's office, a couple hundred protesters threw the nine-term congressman a tongue-in-cheek "retirement party" outside his Vista office to celebrate his decision not to run for re-election, a decision that stunned rally participants and political observers.

In 2016, he won re-election by a razor-thin margin, topping his opponent by just 1,621 votes.

The weekly rallies continued for several months, but with midterm primaries approaching, protesters decided it was time to put their energy elsewhere. They plan to join efforts, including "Flip the 49th," a SuperPAC formed by Montanari and others to elect a Democrat to replace Issa.

"I feel victorious but we still have a lot of work to do," said Marjorie Bramwell, a retired nurse from Vista, who said she plans to focus on election efforts, and issues including health care, education and the environment. "Our work has just started."

Over the coming months, the Issa protesters will conduct voter registration drives, walk precincts and organize events to boost Democratic turnout in November. At a post-rally brunch featuring regular, meatless and gluten-free breakfast burritos, Montanari exhorted them to remain politically involved.

"For those of you who say 'I don't have time,' I'm giving you time," she said. "I'm giving you Tuesday mornings. We have activated a group of people who are unstoppable. And that's each and every one of you."

Some confessed concern that Issa's opponents haven't unified behind one Democratic candidate. As Democrat Doug Applegate slipped from front-runner to second place behind Assemblyman Rocky Chavez (R-Oceanside,) they worry about splitting support for the party. But most expressed exuberance at their more than year-long exercise in free speech.

Even their opponents saw a bright side to the Tuesday protests. Despite his vociferous differences with the Issa protesters, Hasty said he sees some common ground.

"I appreciate that they're here," he said. "The idea that you love your country and are here is the same reason why I'm here."

Amid a contentious political climate and some unpleasant exchanges between the demonstrators and counter-protesters, Hasty noted that they all enjoyed freedoms that other parts of the world envy.

"This is what makes America great," he said. "We can have a rally on each side and yell at each other, and go home. Nobody was shot. Nobody was arrested."

[email protected] Twitter@deborahsbrennan

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