Newsom proposes $25M from state legislature to 'Trump-proof' California

5 hours ago
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California's Democratic governor is convening a special session of the state legislature Monday.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will convene the state legislature for a special emergency session Monday to propose a "Trump-proof" legal defense fund of up to $25 million for the state's justice department.

Newsom said in a statement the Golden State "is a tent pole of the country … protecting and investing in rights and freedoms for all people" and that officials "will work with the incoming administration and we want President Trump to succeed in serving all Americans."

"But when there is overreach, when lives are threatened, when rights and freedoms are targeted, we will take action," Newsom said. "And that is exactly what this special session is about – setting this state up for success, regardless of who is in the White House."

State lawmakers, who are majority Democratic, are expected to introduce the proposed legislation in the coming weeks. Officials anticipate the legislation will be signed into law before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.

"It’s not a resistance brand," Newsom told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday. "It’s around pragmatism. It’s about preparedness. We would be fools not to get on top of this before January."

Between 2017 and 2021, California's Department of Justice led 122 lawsuits against Trump administration policies, spending $42 million on litigation. Newsom's office said in one case, the federal government was ordered to reimburse California nearly $60 million in public safety grants.

While California filed over 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration, President-elect Donald Trump lobbed only four major lawsuits against the state. In 2018, Trump's DOJ filed a lawsuit over three California sanctuary state laws that restricted cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. That same year, Trump sued California for its state-level net neutrality law.

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