There will be “tea party” events in Pleasanton and San Francisco today to protest the passage of the recent federal health care bill and to call for lower taxes.
The events coincide with the deadline for filing federal income taxes.
The Pleasanton Tax Day Tea Party will be held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
A number of political candidates are expected to speak, including former Hewlett Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Barbara Boxer.
A tea party event also will be held at Union Square in San Francisco from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Another tea party event is scheduled to be held at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., according to a tea party Web site, but organizers couldn’t be reached to confirm the event.
Bridget Melson, the organizer of the Pleasanton event, called for tea party participants to protest peacefully, saying, “I believe the Tea Party Movement should maintain a level of integrity.”
Melson said, “Yes, people are angry and fed up with new taxes, the health care bill, the economy and many members within the current administration, but to display that anger with disrespectful signs and inappropriate language – that is not the answer.”
Melson said she expects at least 5,000 people to attend the Pleasanton event. She said about 2,500 people attended the tea party event in Pleasanton last year and she expects a crowd at least twice as large this year.
Organizers say “tea” stands for “taxed enough already.”
