South SFV Today

U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, who currently serves the 17th district of California, took to social media on March 28, 2025, to express his concerns over the recent mass layoffs affecting several industries. Khanna, born in Philadelphia in 1976 and educated at the University of Chicago and Yale University, is known for advocating for working-class Americans.

In his post, Khanna emphasized the need for Democrats to support rural communities affected by past deindustrialization policies. He wrote: "For Democrats to be the party for working-class Americans, we cannot turn our backs on the thousands of rural communities devastated by 20th-century deindustrialization policy." He noted that this week saw 142 workers laid off due to mass layoffs at three factories.

Compounding the job crisis in the sector, Khanna shared another development involving the electric vehicle industry. He stated: "15 workers were laid off from electric vehicle manufacturer Cruise LLC in San Francisco, California, as the first round of layoffs of nearly 2,000 after merging with a larger auto manufacturer."

Highlighting significant layoffs in the aerospace sector, Khanna pointed to the situation at Collins Aerospace. He reported: "The largest layoff was in Chula Vista, California, where aerospace and defense manufacturer Collins Aerospace fired 119 workers. Eight workers were also laid off from their El Segundo, California, facility. These layoffs come after the company reported an operating profit of $4."