Following Donald Trump’s win of the presidential election, Governor Gavin Newsom called the California Legislature for a special session last Thursday. Newsom, a prominent member of the Democratic party, aims to reinforce the state’s legal protections and safeguard programs that protect the freedom and safety of Californians. The state, overall very progressive in its existing policies, will be subject to the brunt of the laws and restrictions Trump wants to put in place, including on abortion rights, environmental laws, and undocumented immigrants.
This has not stopped Newsom, however, as he traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with members of the California delegation as well as key players in the Biden-Harris administration. A major point of issue for Newsom is maintaining California’s disaster relief funding, a necessity with the growing amount of wildfires each summer. Trump has already threatened to cut funding to firefighters unless Newsom pulls back on the water usage restriction for farmers. Additionally, Newsom is hoping to pressure President Biden and the EPA to sign off on several bills that will help lower pollution and limit fuel emissions. Having these state level laws in place, as well as stronger legal protections in the state will hopefully help limit Trump’s effect on California’s population.
Additionally, CA Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas acknowledges that it is not just Trump's policies that they are seeking to protect against, but also any “statements and policy papers issued by individuals close to his campaign and by Republican congressional leadership.” This is most likely referencing the controversial Project 2025, the Republican plan for reshaping the government in the coming years, published leading up to the election. Legislators plan to do everything they can to protect California’s freedoms before Trump takes office on January 20, 2025.
This course of action for California reflects the one taken during Trump’s first victory in 2016. Our state remained a strong opponent of Trump throughout his term, filing upwards of 100 lawsuits against him and was seen as a “stronghold” of Democratic resistance that many other states looked to as an example.
that “If [Trump] tries to harm New Yorkers or roll back their rights, I will fight [him] every step of the way.” This seems to be the sentiment of many Democratic states, vowing to protect their citizens' freedoms at the state level. Unfortunately, with a supreme court majority in his favor, Trump may end up being able to bypass these efforts and still implement many of his policies, policies that a majority of the country voted for.
It is important to note, Newsom's key role in this democratic resistance may partially be for reasons outside of the reinforcement of California rights. Newsom himself was talked about as a possible candidate before Harris took over for Biden, and it is very likely that he will be running in the 2028 presidential election. Therefore, it is possible that these actions now are a precursor to his campaign, an early way to get voters on his side, so he can say "I protected California against Trump."
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/us/newsom-trump-california.html
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/08/trump-newsom-california-resistance-00188526
https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/11/gavin-newsom-special-session-trump-resistance/
9 comments:
As a resident of California, I appreciate what Newsom is doing, trying to protect us from the extreme MAGA movement, but I can't imagine that what he is doing will actually have an impact on anything. I know that several states are trying to amend their constitutions to protect abortion rights and Project 2025, but as we learned, the supremacy clause voids all these if they conflict with federal law. With all three branches of the government being conservative, I can't imagine that Trump will have a very difficult time targeting the states that oppose his policies and bullying them into submission. I didn't know about this, but Trump threatening to to cut funding to firefighters unless Newsom pulls back on the water usage restriction for farmers is a great (but horrible) example of this. He is basically saying that if Newsom doesn't comply, he will force us back into a drought and worsen our already taxed firefighters in a very flammable state. Being able to issue executive orders and target very democratic states is one of the perks of Trump's position. While I hope I am wrong, I can't imagine that Trump won't be able to repeal anything Newsom does if he sets his mind to it.
Donald Trump's claim that “Governor Gavin Newscum is trying to KILL our Nation’s beautiful California,” does not align with many Californians views on the state. In California, I feel there is a general appreciation for our diversity and progressive policies. I don't think Newsom trying to preserve this culture is what is "killing" California, but rather the threat to lose what truly makes California California. I think this reflects the possible conflicts that may arise between state and federal policies during Trumps term. I think it will be interesting to see how all democratic leaning states handle Trumps presidency as he pushes for a more conservative nation.
I do appreciate the attempt to protect our state from MAGA and other extreme conservative policies outlined in project 2025. My main concern is how much of it will stand against a majority Republican government in congress, executive, and the judicial branches, with that much power opposition to striking down progressive laws and protections especially for immigrants and abortion will be difficult. I do hope that the laws will be able to protect us under constitutional ideals of state powers but I am unsure if the supreme court will choose to uphold the constitutional in its totality.
I appreciate the work that Newsom is doing and feel as though he has good intentions for the state of California. However, it also does just ring my mini bell that this is not necessarily a "stunt," but an act that has clearly helped him garner the media attention, highlights him as opposition to the MAGA Republicans, and therefore helps to set him up for the beginning of a long journey in which he ventures to be the Democratic presidential nominee for the 2028 election. It wouldn't be entirely accurate to say that California is "independent" but it has for a long time been a relatively safe blue haven and I don't predict that will change anytime soon as Newsom continues to implement progressive policies and maintain the California blue track. I read that Newsom had told a couple donors that he "revered the presidency" (not in the context of him running, just in the context of the fact that's important) and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a Newsom presidential campaign.
I can definitely appreciate what Gavin Newsom is doing to protect California before Trump takes office. I think he has certainly made some mistakes in his political career but as a Californian who likes the way the state is, I am thankful for this. I especially appreciate him working to protect the wildfire funding. Of course, as a Republican, it is expected that Trump will not be as sympathetic to California as he might be to red states, and he does not have the same proximity to the wildfire issues. Although the bay doesn't get hit with wildfires, it is still something that I hear and see often. Not only do so many people lose their homes, but it also destroys so many of the forests that are synonymous with the state. Hopefully, Newsom will be able to put things in place to protect not only this funding, but many other parts of our state as well.
Although Gavin Newsom has been the butt of many political mistakes in his time as governor, his efforts to "Trump Proof" California are valiant. His work to protect wildlife funding and water usage demonstrate that his true priorities lay with the beautiful state of California. I admire that he isn't going down without a fight, and will continue to preserve his, and many other Californians, idea of how the state should operate. Wildfires are a major issue to Californians just as hurricanes are to Florida, a fact that Trump cannot wrap his mind around. What California as a state needs is a governor who is seasoned and knows how to deal with such issues, a governor like Newsom. I do believe that if Newsom's policies are blocked or Newsom himself is kicked off his position, Californians will severally dislike the republican leaning puppet that Trump would instate.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s efforts to “Trump-proof” California may reflect a genuine commitment to preserving the state’s progressive values, especially in light of Trump’s election and the threats to the liberal lifestyle. While his push to safeguard disaster relief funding and protect key state-level policies is admirable, the reality of a Republican-controlled federal government and Supreme Court majority casts doubt on how effective these measures will be. With this in mind, I wonder how the current extremely anti-liberal and conservative cabinet would affect Newsom's plan. But for now, Newsom’s actions signal resistance, but they may also lay the groundwork for his future ambitions on the national stage.
I think it is admirable that Newsom is making all of these efforts- however there is only so much that a governor could do in this situation (Think about the talk of Comstock Act ect.); there are still areas that cannot be moved. I think that this is in part, an effort to kickstart his possible candidacy in the 2028 election; to say that he proofed Californian citizens and others during the Trump years would be a pretty strong platform to start off on.
I believe that Newsom's motives and his actions have all had a great impact, mainly on morale, for the Democratic party. I admire how he is promising to keep California safe from Trump, as most of Trump’s plans interfere with the progressive actions that have been made in California. Additionally, as California is a very Democratic state, it is no surprise that Trump has made a direct statement to the state following the election, and furthermore wants to inflict a false reality where Newsom would want to “kill” California.
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