State lawmakers will launch a special session Monday focused on a proposed $25 million lawsuit fund to respond to President-elect Donald Trump's expected attacks on California's policies on civil rights, climate change and abortion access.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked the Legislature to authorize funding for the Justice Department and other agencies so the state can sue the federal government and defend against lawsuits from the Trump administration.
“California is a pillar of the country's tent — from economic growth to innovation to protecting and investing in the rights and freedoms of all people. We will work with the incoming administration and want President Trump to succeed in serving all Americans,” Newsom said in a statement Sunday. are threatened, when rights and liberties are targeted, we will take action. That is what this special meeting is about – to set this state up for success, regardless of who is in the White House.”
Legislative Democrats have so far responded to Newsom's request for two bills to be considered as part of the special session.
Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) has introduced legislation to set aside $25 million to pay legal fees and an additional $500,000 to cover “pretrial preparation” costs.
“While we always hope to cooperate with our federal partners, California will be ready to vigorously defend our interests and values against any illegal action taken by the incoming Trump Administration,” said Gabriel, chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, in a statement. “We know from President-elect Trump's statement — and the more than 120 lawsuits California filed during Trump's first administration — that we must be ready to defend ourselves. We will not be caught red-handed.”
If approved, Newsom's office said, the $25 million legislative fund would not only “help protect critical funding for disaster relief, health care programs, and other essential services” for millions of Californians but would also provide legal funding to protect access to abortion, climate . change policies, LGBTQ+ rights and crisis funding.
The Democratic governor called for a special session of the Legislature after Trump's election victory last month, saying that during his first term in the White House, the former president changed state policies in ways that hurt California and its citizens.
Newsom said at the time that his administration expected that the next president would seek to reduce the availability of abortion drugs, pursue a national ban, dismantle clean air and water protections, eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and withhold funding for the disaster relief agency. , among other promises Trump made during the campaign.
The governor's move is a big sign: Lawmakers are likely to pass legislation as quickly as they would without a special session. But it was seen by some as a way to focus the attention of the state Legislature on Newsom's prioritization of defense against Trump. Republicans were quick to dismiss the move as a political stunt.
In the days following Trump's 2024 election, Newsom signaled that he plans to mount an aggressive and highly visible campaign to protect the Trump White House.
In the four-year period that ended in 2021, California filed 122 lawsuits challenging then-President Trump's authority to change the state's policies on immigration, health, education, gun control, consumer protection, the census, the US Postal Service and civil rights issues.
But recently, the governor has sought to tone down his rhetoric and reframe the California-vs.-Trump narrative he started, telling The Times in an interview that the special session is “about pragmatism” and “preparedness.”
“We would be fools if we don't enter the first of January,” he said.
Newsom and legislative leaders have repeatedly said they are ready to work with the next president.
On Monday, the lawmakers are scheduled to meet in the Senate and Parliament to be sworn in. Attorneys often leave Sacramento after the event to spend the holidays in their states before returning early in the year.
Lawmakers expect to begin hearing and voting on special-time legislation when they return on Jan. 6. Newsom wants to sign the bills into law before Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration.
Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.
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