Governor Newsom speaks as he signs the most significant bipartisan legislation to combat property crime at Home Depot stores in San Jose, California, on August 16, 2024.
Typhon Coskun | Anadolu | Getty Images
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s special legislative session will begin on Monday to protect California from possible “federal overreach” by the incoming Trump administration, as the president-elect and one of the nation’s most populous states Be prepared for potential battles.
A news release from the governor’s office Monday morning said Newsom is working with lawmakers to create a new litigation fund of up to $25 million to bolster California’s legal resources to respond to “policy proposals that could harm the state.” Reproductive rights and environmental causes are two focus areas.
The fund will be used by the California Department of Justice and other state agencies for court challenges and administrative proceedings. Newsom announced the meeting after Trump won the election last month. Hearings will be held in the coming weeks, with the goal of signing the legislation into law before the Jan. 20 inauguration.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment, although Trump attacked Newsom’s plan to call a special session in a social media post last month.
In conversations with volunteers after the election, Newsom said the state needs to be ready to take action as the next administration takes office.
“I think California has a lot of responsibility because of its size and size and scope,” he said at the time. “We need to stand our ground and we need to be fully prepared because, as I said, we’re going to have our feet on the ground. Danger of being swept away.”
Trump’s first term in the White House set the stage for what was to come.
The California Department of Justice sued the Trump administration 122 times from 2017 to 2021, spending $42 million in litigation, Newsom’s office said, adding that legal victories resulted in millions of dollars in federal damages and protections. Billions of dollars in funding.
U.S. President Donald Trump (center), California Governor Jerry Brown (right) and California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom view damage from wildfires in Paradise, California, on November 17, 2018.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
Last week, Gov. firm Restarting the state’s zero-emission vehicle rebate if the federal $7,500 tax credit is eliminated. Bloomberg News Reports say current proposals include market share limits, which would exclude Tesla’s electric models, but Newsom’s office said details would be negotiated with the state Legislature and could change.
Responding to the proposal, Tesla CEO and Trump supporter Muskwritten in X“Even though Tesla is the only company making electric cars in California! That’s crazy.”
Newsom pledged to work with the Trump administration but warned in a statement that he would take care of the state’s residents.
“California is the backbone of this country – from its economy to innovation to protecting and investing in the rights and freedoms of all people,” he said. “We will work with the incoming administration, and we want President Trump to succeed in serving all Americans. But when excesses occur, when lives are at stake, when rights and freedoms are targeted, we will take action.
California is not immune to the broader right-wing movement in this election. Conservative district attorneys were elected in key counties, including Nathan Hochman in Los Angeles. In Alameda County, District Attorney Pamela Price and Oakland Mayor Sheng Tao face successful recalls. In San Francisco, centrist Democrat Daniel Lurie, who has never held public office, won the mayoral race. Defeated the incumbent London Breed.
California voters also approved a proposal to toughen penalties for certain drug and theft crimes while rejecting a measure that would have raised the state’s minimum wage to $18 an hour. Economic issues take precedence over social issues across the state, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll.
