Delivering his first speech less than 36 hours after former President Trump was re-elected to the White House, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday called a special session of the state Legislature to increase legal funding to protect human rights, climate change, access to abortion, disaster funding and other California policies from the agenda of the conservative party before the inauguration in January.
Newsom's first strike marks a return to 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 dearest in California are under attack — and we will not stand idly by,” Newsom said in a statement. “California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are ready to fight in court, and we will do whatever it takes to make sure Californians get the support and resources they need to succeed.”
The new special session provides an early look at Newsom's strategy to run an aggressive and highly visible campaign to protect California from the Trump White House while leading Democrats in the culture wars against the Republican Party.
In an interview in Orange County on Sunday, the Democratic governor warned that California will face a different Trump than the politician who won in 2016.
“This is version 2.0 of revenge and revenge,” Newsom said.
In his acceptance speech on Wednesday, Trump announced that America had given him “unprecedented and powerful authority.”
Newsom's special session announcement says his administration expects the next president to seek to limit the availability of abortion drugs, pursue a national abortion ban, dismantle clean air and water protections, eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and withhold federal disaster relief funding, among other promises he made at the time. of the campaign.
As part of their effort to prepare for a Trump presidency, the Newsom administration has completed an analysis of Project 2025, which has been described as a playbook for the new GOP administration that includes plans to replace thousands of federal employees with Trump supporters. make a specific agenda.
He said. The office of Gen. Rob Bonta and Newsom also reviewed more than 100 cases California filed with the federal government during Trump's first administration to identify potential risks to the state and map the president-elect's agenda.
Bonta called a news conference Thursday morning “to discuss the impact on California and preparations for a second Trump administration” — another sign that top Democrats in the state are preparing for a legal battle.
The governor is asking lawmakers to provide more money to the California Department of Justice and other agencies in his administration to quickly file lawsuits and defend against the Trump administration.
The governor's aides say the increase in federal law enforcement will be paid for with income tax revenue that has exceeded estimates this fiscal year, but the amount will be determined in negotiations at the state Capitol.
Newsom has called a special session twice to achieve a policy goal, in his political battle with the oil industry. This also marks the second special session since lawmakers adjourned for the year at the end of August.
The new announcement set up a special session to begin on Dec. 2, the day newly elected lawmakers are scheduled to meet in the Senate and Houses of the Legislature to be sworn in. Legislators often leave Sacramento after the event to spend the holidays in their districts before returning. in regular session at the beginning of the year. The schedule for the special session hearing has not been determined, but it could take place in early January at the same time as the regular session.
Laws passed in a special session and signed by the governor usually take effect 90 days after the session adjourns. Emergency bills, which require the support of two-thirds of lawmakers, become law immediately upon the governor's signature. Bills that are properly funded also become effective upon his approval.
Trump's inauguration is January 20.
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