Santa Monica residents will join what organizers describe as the largest single-day mobilization since President Donald Trump returned to office when the "No Kings 3" rally takes over Palisades Park on Saturday, with a featured speaker, community fair and road closures expected to draw a large crowd along the oceanfront.
The protest, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Montana Avenue and Ocean Avenue, is part of a nationwide day of nonviolent action spanning more than 1,400 cities across all 50 states. Ocean Avenue will be closed to vehicles beginning at 10 a.m.
Political strategist Steve Schmidt, founder of the Lincoln Project and co-founder of the Save America Movement, is set to speak at the Santa Monica event. Schmidt previously served as a senior adviser to President George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
A Democracy Fair will be set up at picnic tables north of the Rose Garden inside the park, featuring representatives from organizations including the ACLU, Indivisible, Meals on Wheels, Stonewall Democrats, Field Team 6, Rapid Response West LA and others. The performing group Singing Resistance will perform at the south end of the Ocean Avenue road closure.
The city of Santa Monica said it is closely monitoring the event and will uphold participants' First Amendment rights while warning that criminal behavior will not be tolerated.
"The city respects everyone's First Amendment right to peaceful protest and wants to ensure our community can do so in a safe manner," the city said in a statement. "Individuals taking advantage of the situation with criminal acts will be subject to arrest and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
City officials released an extensive list of prohibited items for protest participants, including firearms and replicas of any kind, knives, lumber, baseball bats, glass and metal bottles, body armor, laser pointers, aerosol sprays, chains, torches and open flames, bricks and rocks, and helmets of any type. Umbrellas are prohibited unless it is raining, and must be 16 inches or smaller when collapsed with a blunt tip.
Residents witnessing a crime in progress are asked to call or text 911. Non-emergency incidents can be reported to dispatchers at (310) 458-8491. The city also encouraged residents to sign up for emergency alerts by texting SMVISIT to 888-777 or registering at santamonica.gov/alerts.
Event organizers said all No Kings events adhere to a shared commitment to nonviolent protest and that organizers have been trained in de-escalation techniques.
The Santa Monica gathering is one of more than 3,000 events taking place nationally Saturday under the No Kings banner, with the largest regional demonstration expected in downtown Los Angeles.
More than 50,000 people are expected to rally and march at Gloria Molina Grand Park, across from Los Angeles City Hall at 200 N. Spring St., beginning at 2 p.m. The march is scheduled to begin around 3 p.m. along a 1.5-mile route and is expected to conclude by 5 p.m.
The Los Angeles event is being organized by 50501 SoCal in partnership with more than 30 organizations, including SEIU, the ACLU, the Human Rights Campaign, Black Lives Matter Grassroots LA, United Teachers Los Angeles, the California Federation of Teachers and Indivisible, among others.
Scheduled speakers include Dr. Melina Abdullah of BLM-LA Grassroots, Becky Pringle of the National Education Association, and Frank Meeink. Musical performances will be provided by Iman Jordan, recipient of the 2025 Grammy Harry Belafonte Award, and San Diego-based hip-hop group The Neighborhood Kids. The rally will also include a land blessing and drum circle by representatives of the Gabrieleño Nation, comprising the Tangva, Khiz and Tataviam indigenous tribes.
Among the planned visuals: a 20-foot-tall helium balloon depicting Trump in a diaper, a 15-foot-tall balloon depicting Trump in a Russian military uniform, and a 20-foot-wide banner reading "No Kings for U.S."
Organizers said the Los Angeles march is a direct response to federal immigration enforcement activity in the region, including ICE raids and the deployment of National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps personnel, and frames its demands around the impeachment and removal of the Trump administration and the abolition of ICE.
"A lot of people want to help, they just don't know where to start," said Emily Williams, a lead organizer for 50501 SoCal. "No Kings is that starting point. It's about community, about showing up for each other, and about turning concern into real action."
For a full list of national events, visit NoKings.org. For information on the Los Angeles march, visit mobilize.us.