State lawmakers will weigh in Monday in a special session focused on a proposed $25 million litigation fund to respond to President-elect Donald Trump’s anticipated attacks on California’s policies on civil rights, change climate and access to abortion.
Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the Legislature to approve funding for the Justice Department and other agencies so the state can file lawsuits against the federal government and defend itself against litigation from the Trump administration .
“California is the backbone of the country – from the economy to innovation to protecting and investing in the rights and freedoms of all. We will work with the new administration and we want President Trump to succeed in serving all Americans,” Newsom said in a statement Sunday. “But when there are excesses, when lives are threatened, when rights and freedoms are targeted, we take action. And that’s exactly what this special session is all about: setting this state up for success, regardless of who sits in the White House.
Legislative Democrats have so far responded to Newsom’s request with two bills that will be considered in the special session.
Rep. Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) introduced a bill providing $25 million for legal fees, plus an additional $500,000 to cover “initial case preparation” costs.
“While we always look forward to collaborating with our federal partners, California will be prepared to vigorously defend our interests and values against any illegal actions by the new Trump administration,” said Gabriel, chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, in a press release. “We know from President-elect Trump’s statements – and the more than 120 lawsuits California filed during the first Trump administration – that we must be prepared to defend ourselves. We’re not going to be caught off guard.
If approved, Newsom’s office said, the $25 million legal fund would not only “help ensure critical funding for disaster relief, health care programs and other vital services” for millions of Californians, but would also provide legal funding to protect abortion access, the climate. changing policies, LGBTQ+ rights and disaster funding.
The Democratic governor called a special session of the Legislature following Trump’s election victory last month, saying that during his first term in the White House, the former president changed federal policies by way that harmed California and its residents.
Newsom said at the time that his administration anticipated the new president could seek to limit access to abortion medications, pursue a national ban on abortion, dismantle environmental protections for clean air and water, repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and suspend federal disaster response funding. , among other promises made by Trump during the campaign.
The governor’s decision is largely symbolic: Lawmakers will likely pass the legislation at the same speed as they would without the special session. But some saw it as a way to focus the state Legislature’s attention on Newsom’s priority of defending himself against Trump. Republicans were quick to dismiss the decision as political theater.
In the days following Trump’s 2024 election, Newsom signaled that he planned to wage an aggressive and highly visible campaign to protect the state from the Trump White House.
Over a four-year period that ended in 2021, California filed 122 lawsuits challenging then-President Trump’s authority to change federal policies on immigration, health care, education, gun control, consumer protection, census, U.S. Postal Service and civil rights.
But more recently, the governor has sought to tone down his rhetoric and reshape the California vs. Trump narrative he launched, telling the Times in an interview that the special session was “focused on pragmatism” and “on preparation.”
“We would be foolish not to take care of this before January,” he said.
Newsom and legislative leaders have repeatedly said they are ready to work with the new president.
On Monday, lawmakers are expected to gather in the Senate and Assembly chambers to take the oath of office. Lawmakers typically leave Sacramento after the ceremony to spend the holidays in their districts before returning at the start of the year.
Lawmakers expect to begin hearing and voting on the special session bill when they return Jan. 6. Newsom wants to sign the bills before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
Times Staff Writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.
