United States Sen. Bernie Sanders called for an end to “oligarchy” at a Saturday rally in downtown Los Angeles.

Around 36,000 people attended the event, which Sanders described in a speech as the largest rally he has ever hosted. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – as well as several high-profile local figures, union leaders and members of Congress – joined Sanders, who hoped to present a different vision for America than that of the current administration.

“We’re living in a moment where a handful of billionaires control the economic and political life of our country,” Sanders said in a speech. “We are living today in an oligarchic form of society.”

President Donald Trump – whose net worth as of Thursday is $4.7 billion, according to Forbes – has appointed more than a dozen fellow billionaires, including Elon Musk, to government positions since being elected in November.

Simone Faulkner, a second-year philosophy and political science student who attended the rally with friends from UCLA, said she agreed with Sanders that changes need to be made when it comes to the influence of money in politics.

“That’s not how democracy should work,” Faulkner said.

The crowd swayed as Joan Baez sang John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Audience members also cheered as singers Maggie Rogers and Neil Young joined Baez for several songs, including one urging rallygoers to “take America back.”

Although the main speakers began at 1 p.m., people started to crowd the Gloria Molina Grand Park at 9 a.m., with some arriving even earlier to secure a spot close to the stage.

“Some of us have been here since five in the morning,” said Bryan Burkhardt, a fourth-year political science student. “We’re still feeling just as much energy, if not more, than when we first came here.”

Gabriel Ross-Reich, an attendee, said he hopes rally attendees can channel their anger with Trump’s administration into a productive pathway for a better future.

Throughout the rally, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez spoke in favor of universal health insurance and labor unions. They also spoke about fighting climate change.

In his speech, Sanders called for tuition-free public colleges, universities and trade schools. He also spoke about the recent attacks on the higher education system, criticizing schools such as Columbia University for conceding to Trump administration demands in order to regain federal funds – which had been pulled because of the university allegedly allowing antisemitism.

The Trump administration has also revoked federal funding from five other Ivy League schools.

However, Harvard University announced in a Monday statement that it would not comply with the administration’s demands, making it the first university to publicly announce it would not cooperate with the new administration. Later that day, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in funding for the school, and on Tuesday, it threatened Harvard’s tax-exempt status.

“The function of the university … is to pursue the truth, not to cave in to an authoritarian president to protect the federal grants they get,” Sanders said in his speech.

Burkhardt said he agreed with Sanders’ position, adding that federal funding for universities is especially important when it involves lifesaving research.

“We need this funding to promote a better society for most of us. We’ve seen this suppress in free speech. We’ve seen a suppression in student organizing,” he said. “We’ve seen the attempts to attack students for just evoking their First Amendment rights as student organizers, as student protesters.”

Some of the speakers also spoke about the danger that international students face under the current administration. At least 19 international students and recent alumni from UCLA – and nearly 1,500 nationwide – have had their visas revoked in recent weeks.

“We must acknowledge the terrifying moment that we are in right now – and that what we are hearing and seeing with our own eyes is, in fact, happening,” Ocasio-Cortez said in her speech. “We are watching our neighbors, students and friends being fired, targeted and disappeared.”

Ocasio-Cortez also suggested banning the trading of individual stocks by members of Congress.

“How can anyone possibly make an objective vote on health care, energy or war when their personal money is tied up in pharmaceutical, oil and gas, or defense companies’ stocks?” Ocasio-Cortez said. “They can’t.”

Faulkner said she left the rally energized to take action by going to city council or union meetings.

The rally ended with a message of unity, but Sanders said the work ahead was going to be difficult.

“The people of this country do not want oligarchy. They do not want authoritarianism. And they want a government that works for all of us – not just the 1%,” Sanders said.

Contributing reports by Madeline Woo, Daily Bruin staff.

Students and community members woke up early to participate in UCLA’s annual Volunteer Day on Saturday.

Approximately 2,000 Bruins registered to volunteer at 37 locations across Los Angeles and the United States, according to a written statement from UCLA Media Relations. Held annually by the UCLA Volunteer Center since 2009, Bruins have dedicated over 353,000 hours to serving at Volunteer Day, contributing a value of over $9 million, according to the statement.

Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt helped kick off the day in De Neve Plaza, where over 120 people gathered to clean up around Westwood. Hunt said he hopes students will learn the value of community engagement from their volunteer experiences.

“This ethos will drive us forward and help our students become the leaders and the contributors that they were born to be,” Hunt said.

Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Monroe Gorden Jr. said he found the engagement indicative of students’ proclivity for leadership.

“The fact that students would get up early to be out here to celebrate giving back, I think, says a lot about all UCLA students and our entire community,” he said.

Stephanie Chacon, one of the program coordinators, said the event shows that many Bruins are passionate about serving others. She added that the event was a challenge to organize, with planning beginning months in advance and alumni volunteering around the state and even as far away as Honolulu.

Around 9 a.m., volunteers gathered in De Neve Plaza as organizers made speeches about the value of community service. Afterward, participants set out toward Westwood Village, picking up trash along the way.

“Everyone’s coming out early in the morning. It’s pretty early. We’re all tired,” said Mathew Dinh, a second-year biochemistry student. “It’s a good community-building experience, and we’re also helping make the environment cleaner and nicer.”

Jaylin Henderson, a third-year sociology student, said she volunteered with members of her sorority, Alpha Sigma Theta.

“A lot of students in Westwood come out here, and sometimes it’s not as clean as we would want it to be,” she said. “We want to be able to help our community and help our students feel welcomed in a clean environment within Westwood.”

Volunteers said they found a large amount of trash along Gayley Avenue from parties held the previous night. Yuvraj Walia, a first-year human biology and society student, said he wants people to be more mindful of the amount of waste they are generating.

“Pick up after yourself because we don’t want to be doing it for you,” he said.

Elliot LeBlanc, a first-year economics and mathematics student who volunteered alongside Dinh and Walia, said he would also like more people to use trash cans instead of leaving garbage in parking lots, as they saw throughout the morning.

Volunteer Day is particularly geared toward building community among new students, although all Bruins are encouraged to participate, Chacon said.

Events this early in the year are a unique opportunity for students to experience something new, she said, adding that she hopes Volunteer Day can help people make friends and establish themselves as members of the community.

Azlan Alam, a first-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, said his group had exchanged Instagrams and bonded over the course of the morning.

“It feels good to get to see other students at UCLA helping the community, getting to explore Westwood a little bit, too,” he said.