Newsom calls special session to fund California's legal defense against Trump
Launching his first salvo less than 36 hours after former President Trump was again elected to the White House, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday convened a special session of the state Legislature to increase legal funding to defend civil rights, climate change, access to abortion, disaster funding and other California policies from a conservative federal agenda before the inauguration in January.
Newsom's preemptive strike signals the return of the hostile relationship between Democratic-controlled California and the Trump administration that was a hallmark of the Republican's first term.
“The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle," Newsom said in a statement. "California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared to fight in the courts, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive.”...
As part of its effort to prepare for a potential Trump presidency, the Newsom administration completed an analysis of Project 2025, which has been described as a playbook for a new GOP administration that includes plans for replacing thousands of career federal workers with Trump supporters who will carry out a far-right agenda.
Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and Newsom's office also reviewed more than 100 lawsuits California filed against the federal government during Trump's first administration to pinpoint potential vulnerabilities for the state and map out the president-elect’s agenda.
Bonta held a news conference Thursday morning in San Francisco to reassure Californians that its leaders are marshaling the full force of the state's power to make sure they "won't be flat-footed come January."
"You can be sure that as California Attorney General, if Trump attacks your rights, I'll be there," Bonta said. "If Trump comes after your freedoms, I'll be there. If Trump jeopardizes your safety and your well-being, I'll be there."
He warned that he believes there's nothing the Trump administration won't try to pursue its goals.
"Mr. Trump repeatedly overstepped his authority between 2016 and 2020 there's no reason to think he won't do it again," Bonta said. "We checked him, and we stopped him, and we pushed him back into his box when he tried to step out of it, and that's what the law is for."...
