SACRAMENTO — On Friday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation that allocates $50 million to assist the state in defending its policies against challenges from the Trump administration and to protect immigrants in light of the president’s intentions for mass deportation.
One of the bills pays $25 million to the state Department of Justice to fight legal battles against the federal government. Another measure sets aside $25 million for legal groups to defend immigrants who are facing probable deportation. During his first term as president, Trump clashed with California over issues such as climate laws, water policy, and immigrant rights. The state has initiated or joined more than 100 lawsuits against the government. The same arguments are coming back to the surface during the early days of Trump’s second term.
In a statement made earlier this week, Robert Rivas, the Democratic Assembly Speaker, said, “Californians are being threatened by an out-of-control administration that doesn’t care about the Constitution and thinks there are no limits to its power.” “This is the reason we are providing legislation that will allocate resources to protect Californians from this urgent threat.”
The day after the Democratic governor returned from Washington, where he met with Trump and members of Congress to seek federal disaster help for the Los Angeles-area wildfires that tore through neighborhoods in January and killed more than two dozen people, the move was made.
In mid-January, Newsom expanded a special session to “Trump-proof” California values by asking legislators to make the response to the Southern California wildfire a priority. Last month, the governor signed a $2.5 billion package into law to provide assistance for fire relief. This funding will help the state respond to disasters by evacuating people, providing refuge for survivors, and removing hazardous material from homes. According to his administration, they anticipate that the federal government will reimburse the state.
Republican lawmakers have expressed their disapproval of the money for lawsuits, arguing that the focus on Trump is a distraction while the Los Angeles area is recovering from the fires.
Earlier this week, Brian Jones, the Republican Senate Minority Leader, stated, “This slush fund isn’t about solving any real problems — it’s a political stunt designed to distract from the urgent issues our state faces and it won’t bode well for fire victims.”
Critics have also stated that the Act does not guarantee that funding will not be used to defend immigrants who do not have legal status and have been convicted of major felonies.
Newsom stated that the money was not meant to be utilized for that purpose after signing the funds into law. He also encouraged lawmakers to pass additional legislation if further clarification is necessary. He stated in a statement that the cash will help legal groups “safeguard the civil rights of California’s most vulnerable residents.”
A few days after Trump’s election in November, Newsom made the announcement about the strategy to protect the state’s policies. He called a special session of the Legislature to get the laws passed.
The state is accustomed to suing the federal government over Trump’s actions.
According to the attorney general’s office, the government of the Republican president was sued by California more than 120 times during his first term. The state spent over $42 million in total on legal disputes with the federal government, with annual costs ranging from approximately $2 million to nearly $13 million.
