By Sophie Austin of Report for America/The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, CA—On Monday, the Democratic-controlled California Assembly approved up to $50 million in financing to protect the state’s progressive policies from the Trump administration’s challenges.
The law allots $25 million for the state Department of Justice to challenge the federal government in court and an additional $25 million for legal organizations to protect deported immigrants.
After Assembly Democrats postponed an anticipated vote last week, the proposals were approved on party-line votes. They now proceed to the desk of DemocraticGov. Gavin Newsom.
Before the voting, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas declared, “We do not trust President Donald Trump.” He called Trump’s government unmanageable and a danger to fundamental liberties.
Republican leader James Gallagher referred to the plan as a political ploy that took time away from addressing the state’s skyrocketing cost of living and wildfires. We might be discussing how to make products more inexpensive instead of preparing for a confrontation with Trump, he said.
Democratic Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur stated during a recent hearing on the proposed funding that it is about ensuring that our government is genuinely protecting the rights of California families, regardless of what occurs at the federal level—which we are not entirely sure what that will be yet.
To pass the ideas, Newsom convened a special session of lawmakers in November. When he returned to the nation’s highest office, the longtime Trump political foe declared that California would not sit idly by and that the Republican president’s election jeopardized California’s freedoms.
However, Newsom extended the special session to include passing fire-relief funding after deadly wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles area in January. The action was taken when Republican members said that, as the fires continued to burn, the attention on Trump was out of focus.
Newsom signed the $2.5 billion plan into law after the fire ideas received bipartisan support in the Legislature. The funds will be used for the state’s catastrophe response, which will include hazardous waste removal from homes, sheltering survivors, and evacuations. Additionally, the laws allocated $1 million to assist school districts in restoring their facilities and $4 million to local governments to expedite permissions for home reconstruction.
When Trump visited Los Angeles on January 24 to view the destruction, Newsom welcomed him with a united tone. Trump has hinted that if the state doesn’t alter its water regulations, it will want federal assistance to recover from the catastrophe. California’s congressional Republicans have resisted that notion.
At a recent committee meeting, Republican state Assemblymember Bill Essayli, who represents a portion of the Inland Empire in Southern California, stated that it was extremely tone-deaf to proceed with litigation funding.
He stated that we should concentrate on wildfire recovery, relief, and prevention because we are now battling not just flames but also mudslides.
Republicans have also claimed that the money was too early, pointing out that the plans were announced prior to Trump’s comeback to power.
During Trump’s first term, the Legislature had authorized around $6.5 million a year for the Department of Justice to protect the state from the federal government. However, the agency ultimately spent far more than that over the course of four years.
According to the attorney general’s office, California filed more than 120 lawsuits against the Trump administration during his first term. The total amount of money the state spent on lawsuits against the federal government ranged from around $2 million to almost $13 million year, or about $42 million. Environmental and immigration regulations were the main targets of the lawsuits.
Democrats like Oakland Assemblymember Mia Bonta have stated that the increased funds will assist the state in helping families who are living in dread as a result of Trump’s plans for mass deportations.
The Pew Research Center estimates that in 2022, there were approximately 1.8 million illegal immigrants in California.
Austin is a member of the Statehouse News Initiative’s Associated Press/Report for America corps.A nonprofit national service initiative called Report for America places reporters in local newsrooms to explore topics that aren’t often covered. Austin may be followed on X at @sophieadanna.
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