California governor signs Trump-proofing bills
Alan Riquelmy
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday signed two bills that allocate up to $50 million for Trump-proofing the state.
The bills stemmed from a special legislative session Newsom called in the wake of Donald Trump’s November electoral win. The governor cited the need to safeguard the Golden State’s civil rights protections, reproductive freedom, and immigrants.
Two bills targeting those issues emerged from the special session.
The first allocates up to $25 million for the state Department of Justice in anticipation of legal battles with the Trump administration. Lawmakers earmarked another $25 million for local legal services.
The bills amend the state’s existing budget and are effective immediately.
Assembly Republicans slammed the move during a Monday debate on the bills. Assemblymember Leticia Castillo, a Corona Republican, argued that language in the second bill would allow state dollars to shield felons from deportation.
“This shouldn’t be a controversial issue,” Castillo said, offering an amendment to the bill. “It should be common sense.”
In response, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, an Encino Democrat who carried the state Senate bills in his chamber, pointed to a letter linked to the bills. That letter states that the services funded by the money are not intended for people with serious and violent felony convictions.
Newsom emphasized that point in a Friday signing statement.
“None of the funding in this bill is intended to be used for immigration-related legal services for noncitizens convicted of serious or violent felonies,” the governor wrote, adding that he encouraged lawmakers to pass another bill if clarification is needed.
Republicans slammed the bills’ passage.
“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,” said state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, a San Diego Republican, in a Monday statement. “Californians have had enough of these political games and the waste of our tax dollars. We strongly urge the governor to do the right thing and veto these bills.”
Assemblymember James Gallagher, a Yuba City Republican and minority leader in his chamber, said Newsom opted to put himself in the national spotlight by signing the bills, instead of highlighting the needs of Californians.
“At a time when he is begging the federal government for help, there is no other explanation for his decision to spend $50 million on lawsuits against the Trump administration and legal aid for illegal immigrants with criminal records,” Gallagher said in a Friday statement.
Newsom has performed a political tightrope walk in recent weeks, balancing his rhetoric toward Trump against the state’s need for federal dollars to assist with recovery after the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County.
Those fires swept across tens of thousands of acres, destroying thousands of homes and leading to some two dozen deaths.
The governor met last month with Trump in Los Angeles, with the two men tamping down their hostility. Trump said he appreciated Newsom greeting him as he toured the devastation.
The fires also played a part in the legislative special session. Initially called to Trump-proof the state, the session was expanded by Newsom after the fires erupted. That expansion called for $2.5 billion for emergency response funding and preparedness efforts for natural disasters.
Lawmakers moved quickly on the bills. Republicans argued that the state needed to focus more on prevention and claimed that $2.5 billion wasn’t enough funding, though both bills had bipartisan support. Newsom signed them hours after they passed the Legislature.