Demonstrators hold signs during the “No Kings” protest at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.
PAUL KITAGAKI JR.
Sacramento Bee file
Another wave of “No Kings” protests is expected in mid-October as protesters across the country prepare to voice frustrations about President Donald Trump.
“No Kings is a movement to stand up to a president who is attempting to sabotage the midterm elections, and voting early is the next step in that fight against an authoritarian government,” Steve Murphy, co-chair of Indivisible Yolo, wrote in a statement.
As of Saturday, more than 10 such protests had been scheduled for Oct. 17 in the Sacramento area.
Sacramento-area protests include those in East Sacramento, West Sacramento, Elk Grove, Roseville, Placerville, Marysville, Davis, Woodland and Fair Oaks. The “No Kings” Coalition reports new events are added daily across the country.
Thousands of these protests are expected Oct. 17 across the country. As of Saturday, other California protests include Modesto, Fresno and Santa Maria, which is south of San Luis Obispo.
The upcoming protests aim to encourage people to vote early, according to the organizer’s website.
“We must turn our people power into voter power,” Murphy wrote. “We hope everyone will come out to one of our nonpartisan No Kings Vote Early community events with their ballots.”
“Dinosaur for democracy” reads a sign at the Roseville “No Kings” protest on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. RENÉE C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com
Next month’s “No Kings” protests come as Trump’s approval rating fell to 32% — the lowest of his political career — amid rising cost of living and the Iran war, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday.
These factors are seen at the gas pump. According to AAA, the average price for gas in Sacramento is nearly $6.27 a gallon compared to $4.56 this time last year.
“No Kings” protests aren’t new to Sacramento. This would be the fourth wave of such protests to occur in the region.
In late March, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting, hundreds of people gathered on the banks of the Sacramento River before walking across. Tower Bridge down the Capitol Mall to the state Capitol.
Many signs at the March protest in downtown Sacramento read, “Love your neighbor.” It defined people of all different types of race, religious creed, sexuality and ability as a “fully human neighbor.”
The March protests followed increased attention on Trump’s mass deportation efforts, particularly Operation Metro Surge, an operation in Minnesota that started in early December and ended in Mid-February. Federal officials killed two Minnesotans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during that time.
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Corey Schmidt is a watchdog reporter for The Sacramento Bee, focusing on Folsom, El Dorado Hills and Sacramento County’s eastern suburbs. Previously, he was the government watchdog reporter for the St. Cloud Times in Minnesota. Schmidt received his bachelor’s degree from DePaul University in Chicago and his master’s degree from Yale University.