Thousands of teachers and union activists, wearing red, marched down the streets of LA in rainy weather on Monday, demanding from the district and the state to raise their pay by 6.5 percent immediately, to “fully staff” schools with librarians, nurses, counselors and other support personnel, and to reduce class sizes. The union also wants guarantees that public school funding won’t be affected by privatization.

“Here we are on a rainy day in the richest country in the world, in the richest state in the country, in a state that’s blue as it can be – and in a city rife with millionaires – where teachers have to go on strike to get the basics for our students,” said Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA).

The protests drew sympathy and support from Democrat politicians in the state legislature, Hollywood writers, Black Lives Matter, and even from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York).