Over 100 members of Jewish Voice for Peace Sacramento and their allies staged a sit-in in the lobby of Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in Sacramento on August 27 as U.S. Senator Alex Padilla participated as a featured guest in Politico’s corporate funded inaugural California policy summit. The protest was part of a Jewish-led day of action across the state calling on both U.S. Senators from California to stop voting to arm Israel.

"At today’s sit-in and rally, JVP is calling on Senators Padilla and Schiff to listen to the majority of Californians and Americans who do not want their tax dollars to be spent on bombs or mass starvation," according to the group. Participants held banners proclaiming "Sac To Padilla - Stop Funding Genocide, "Let Gaza Live," and "Never Again Now." They also wore identical black t-shirts emblazoned with "Jews Say Let Gaza Live" and "Let Gaza Live" on the front and "Stop Arming Israel" on the back.

On July 31, both Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla voted no on Senator Bernie Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block weapons to Israel, going against the majority of Senators in their own party and the voice of their constituents, according to the group. Recent polling shows 60% of Americans do not approve of Israel’s military actions.

Over 100 Sacramento Jews protest Senator Alex Padilla as part of actions against genocide in Gaza