California Democrats have reportedly reached an agreement to allocate $50 million to the state’s budget as part of a legal fund to combat incoming President Donald Trump’s policies in the state.
According to Politico, $25 million will be allocated to the state’s Department of Justice, while another $25 million was proposed by state Senate leaders to keep immigrants from being deported.
“This funding agreement cements California’s readiness to serve as a bulwark against Trump’s extremist agenda,” Senate Budget Committee Chair Scott Wiener said in a press release obtained by KCRA 3. “During the last Trump Administration, California successfully defended reproductive freedoms, attacks on our immigrant communities, LGBTQ civil rights, and threats to our environment, from the unlawful assault launched by the Trump Administration.”
Republican Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher said in a statement that “when California should be laser-focused on responding to the devastating wildfires in LA, Democrat lawmakers’ priority is creating a $50 million slush fund to hire government lawyers for hypothetical fights against the federal government and to defend criminal illegal immigrants from being returned to their home countries.” He noted that the “disconnect between what Californians need and what Democrats are focused on is astounding.”
In November, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) issued a proclamation for a special legislative session to “safeguard California values and fundamental rights in the face of an incoming Trump administration.”
“The special session will focus on bolstering California legal resources to protect civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, and immigrant families,” a press release described at the time.
American Faith reported that Assemblyman Bill Essayli (R) sent a letter to Newsom, urging him to call a special session to address the state’s catastrophic fires. “Now is not the time for political posturing of spending millions to ‘Trump-proof’ California,” the letter said. “Instead, it’s time to take significant action to fireproof our state.”
