Greater OC Actions This Week (Jan 12-Jan 18, 2026)
What's happening this week in Orange County CA
Dear Greater Orange County:
Here are your opportunities this week to get out, make connections, and start taking action!
We are expanding this weekly roundup beyond protests and city council/school board meetings to include more community-oriented activities and mutual aid drives. Did we miss anything? Hit reply and let us know. ✌️
Please note that for the usual Sunday 2-4pm slot in Irvine, organizers are still finalizing details on location. Keep an eye out for our weekend update email this Thursday or Friday! Scroll to the bottom of this email for more info about our 2026 direction survey results and action plan.
🗓️ MONDAY, JAN 12
All Over Orange County
Ongoing 24/7 – ICE Neighborhood Watch
📍 Everywhere
👥 Hosted by: You – Grab a friend, some chairs, and a whistle. Monitor your local Home Depot/car wash for ICE.
📢 Focus: ICE Out of Orange County. Keep our neighbors safe!
Tustin
8:00–10:00 AM – [Weekly] Moral Mondays Banner Drop
📍 17th and 55 Freeway (Meet at Mimi’s)
👥 Hosted by: Community organized
📢 Focus: Immigrant rights & advocacy, release the Epstein files
Brea
5:00–6:30 PM – [Weekly] Protest Rally
📍 Imperial Hwy & State College Blvd
👥 Hosted by: Indivisible CA 45
📢 Focus: Immigrant rights & democracy
🗓️ TUESDAY, JAN 13
Orange
5-6:30PM – [Weekly] When We Unite We Win
📍 Glassell x Chapman
👥 Hosted by: Indivisible Orange
📢 Focus: Immigrant rights
🤝 Mutual Aid: Yes, bring nonperishable food and essential household basics to contribute towards community aid efforts
Anaheim
5-8PM – Candle Vigil & Community March
📍 Anaheim City Hall
👥 Hosted by: Community Organizer
📢 Focus: Immigrant rights, ICE Out of OC
🗓️ WEDNESDAY, JAN 14
Mission Viejo
11:00 AM–1:00 PM – [Weekly] Defend Democracy, Demand Accountability
📍 La Paz Rd & Marguerite Pkwy
👥 Hosted by: SouthOC4Democracy
📢 Focus: Defend democracy & voting rights
🤝 Mutual Aid: Yes, bring nonperishable food and essential household basics to contribute towards community aid efforts
🗓️ THURSDAY, JAN 15
Irvine
3:00–5:00 PM – Weekly: Abolish ICE & End the Occupation Banner Drop
📍 Almond Tree Ln & Michelson Dr
👥 Hosted by: OC Banner Drop for Pali
📢 Focus: Banner drop for Palestine; abolish ICE. Masks strongly recommended for safety & health
Lake Forest
4:00–6:00PM – Weekly “Stand Up for Our Rights” Rally
📍 El Toro Rd & Trabuco Rd
👥 Hosted by: Indivisible CA 40
📢 Focus: Immigrant justice & civil rights
La Habra
5:00–6:30 PM – Weekly “Save Democracy” Protest
📍 Imperial Hwy & S. Beach Blvd
👥 Hosted by: Indivisible La Habra
📢 Focus: Protect voting rights in Orange County
🗓️ FRIDAY, JAN 16
Villa Park
8:00–9:30 AM – [Weekly] No Hate, No Fear! Immigrants Are Welcome Here
📍 Villa Park Rd x N Wanda Rd
👥 Hosted by: Indivisible CA 40
📢 Message: Immigrant rights & advocacy
🗓️ SATURDAY, JAN 17
Newport Beach
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM – Weekly “Defend Democracy” Protest
📍 PCH & Jamboree
👥 Hosted by: Newport Indivisible
📢 Focus: Immigrant rights, voting rights & democracy
San Clemente
12:00 - 1:30 PM – Banner Drop for Democracy
📍 Ripcurl-Trestles Pedestrian Overpass
👥 Hosted by: Community Organized
📢 Focus: Defend democracy; tell the world what’s happening is not ok
Aliso Viejo
11:00 AM–12:30 PM – Weekly “Defend Democracy” Protest
📍 26501 Aliso Creek Rd (at Enterprise)
👥 Hosted by: Aliso Viejo Resistance
📢 Focus: Fight oligarchy & corporate power, boycott Tesla
🤝 Mutual Aid: Yes, bring nonperishable food and essential household basics to contribute towards community aid efforts
🗓️ SUNDAY, JAN 18
Fullerton
12:00–2:00 PM – Weekly: Abolish ICE & End the Occupation Banner Drop
📍 Over the 57 Freeway (Deerpark Dr. & Yorba Linda Blvd)
👥 Hosted by: OC Banner Drop for Pali
📢 Focus: Banner drop for Palestine; abolish ICE. Masks strongly recommended for safety & health
Huntington Beach
1:00–2:30 PM – Weekly Protest Against #47
📍 Huntington Beach City Hall
👥 Hosted by: HB 4 Democracy
📢 Focus: Immigrant rights, voting rights & democracy
🤝 Mutual Aid: Yes, bring nonperishable food and essential household basics to contribute towards community aid efforts
CITY TBD
2:00–4:00 PM – Rally for Democracy
📍 Location TBD
👥 Hosted by: 50501oc & OC Indivisible
📢 Focus: End executive overreach. Uphold the Constitution.
🤝 Mutual Aid: Yes, bring nonperishable food and essential household basics to contribute towards community aid efforts
2026 Direction Survey Results & Volunteer Info
After the Pol.is survey concluded at the end of November, those results left us with a solid sense of the direction in which volunteers and participants want the movement to take. This includes:
continuing our mutual aid work
supporting the actions of other groups doing things like banner drops, ICE watch, attending city council meetings, boycotts, etc
building local community
participating in civic engagement and local politics
There were a variety of competing ideas about whether we should continue protesting and, if so, how often and where. We compiled these open questions and posed them to our active volunteers in a follow-up poll. The results of that poll follow:
Folks want to protest just twice a month, and meet every Sunday for some sort of activity. They want to meet at rotating locations that include cities other than Irvine, and they overwhelmingly do not want to pay for permits. A majority of folks think our theme should be “Rally for Democracy” every week that we do protest.
As a result, we will be moving to holding protests on every 1st and 3rd Sunday, and hosting community-building activities on every 2nd and 4th Sunday, all taking place at varying locations throughout Orange County. For months with 5 Sundays (Mar, May, Aug, Nov) we will play it by ear. Keep an eye on this space and on social media for updates.
View the original data & tallies here; complex multiple-choice questions were analyzed via both ranked choice voting & weighted response. In each case the results were the same for both methods.
Now what? We need your help!
To carry us forward in the movement using these survey results, there are jobs that need active owners!
Chat Admins: We do our planning on the Signal app. Help us set up and moderate our weekly planning chats.
Location Scouts: Research and propose locations for protest or activity for a given week.
Activity Planners: Adopt a favorite non-protest activity (Really Free Market, social picnic, skills workshop, sign-making, etc) and help make it a success.
Mutual Aid Coordinators: Manage our food/essentials drive, coordinate drop-off, recruit & schedule volunteers.
More volunteer roles are available, no matter your skills or availability! Get started here: 50501oc.com/volunteer
Smart pivot to twice-monthly protests with rotation becaus esustainability beats frequency when it comes to grassroots longevity. The mutual aid integration into multiple events transforms these from just demonstrations into actual community infrastructure buildng. One overlooked detail is the ICE neighborhood watch setup, organizing local monitoring without formal structure is exactly how effective mutual protection networks scale in communities facing enforcement pressure.