Last month, only a day after Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the presidential election, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a special session to discuss “Trump-Proofing”. That day finally came this Monday, December 2nd and included encouraging lawmakers to approve a $25 million dollar bonus litigation fund in preparation for Trump to take office. If passed, “the California Department of Justice and state agencies would get the extra[$25 million] funding for court battles in areas such as reproductive rights, environmental protection and immigration”(Reuters).
In Trump's 2016-2020 presidency, it has been reported that California spent nearly $42 million on litigation and filed 122 lawsuits against the Trump Administration (National). According to Newsom’s office, the spending on lawsuits “resulted in tens of millions of dollars more in federal reimbursements, billions of dollars in savings for California consumers, and protected billions of dollars in federal funding”(National). One example of California's success against Trump's budget-cutting policies would be back in 2017 when Trump issued immigration enforcement conditions on certain law enforcement grants. California's Attorney General Xavier Beccera responded by suing the administration. He stated, the administration “cannot manipulate federal grant fund requirements to pressure states, counties or municipalities to enforce federal immigration laws,”(Calmatters). California's Public Safety $28 million dollar a year grant was on the line, but two years later, after the Ninth District Court of Appeals upheld an injunction in the case, the federal government had to award California $57 million (Calmatters).
California also joined other states as plaintiffs against Trump's unconstitutional civil rights bans such as his Transgender Military Ban and his attempt to repeal legal protection for DACA recipients. This largely ended in success as the Transgender Military Ban obtained a nationwide injunction and the court rejected Trump’s attempt to repeal legal protections for DACA recipients, siding with plaintiffs in the case, including California (Sacbee). The lawsuits display a trend of legal warfare between presidents and attorneys general from opposing parties that grew exponentially during the Obama administration.
If this $25 million dollar increase for litigation is approved, Newsom asserts that the fund “will help safeguard critical funding for disaster relief, health care, and other vital services that millions of Californians depend on daily”. He added that the state plans to “defend against unlawful federal actions that could jeopardize not only tangible resources and the state’s economy as well as protection of reproductive health care and civil rights” (Reuters).
Unsurprisingly, Trump issued a social media statement in response to Newsom’s unrelenting battle against his policy agenda stating, “He is using the term 'Trump-Proof' as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to 'Make California Great Again,' but I just overwhelmingly won the Election”(CBS News). Newsflash, Trump; winning the election does not allow implementation of civil rights violations.
If all goes well, Newsom’s office expects the special budget legislation to be signed into law before Trump’s inauguration on January 20 (Reuters). California's fight against Trump's executive authority displays the struggle between Federal control and states’ autonomy.
Sources:
https://calmatters.org/justice/2021/01/california-cost-trump-lawsuits/
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article244692807.html
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article188901094.html
10 comments:
While I support protecting the rights and well-being of Californians and safeguarding funds for healthcare and disaster relief, many of Gavin Newsom's actions are troubling. It seems to me that rather than doing his job to support the state of California, Gavin Newsom is waging a political dogfight against Donald Trump and conservatives. Raising a "war chest" to fight against Trump's policies, months before he even takes office seems to be based more on fighting conservative efforts, than helping California. Keeping millions of dollars simply to fight conservatives is an irresponsible way of governing funds, especially considering the $68 Billion budget deficit that the state faces. Earlier this month, Newsom clashed with Elon Musk, proposing a new California EV tax credit that would leave Tesla out and encourage the sale of electric vehicles from other companies such as Rivian and Lucid. Tesla is the only electric vehicle company in California that manufactures cars at the Fremont plant, bringing jobs and money to the state. Despite this, Newsom's actions seem politically fired against Musk, who has been a prolific Trump supporter. I think Newsom has been thinking far too much about Trump and should start thinking about California.
I think there is value to the litigation funds Newsom is fighting for, especially because they have worked in the past when Trump was president. Additionally, Newsom isn't acting alone — he's backed by several other states, adding more credibility into his fight against Trump. However, there is a possibility that Newsom will run for President in 2028, meaning this fight against Trump could very well be motivated by self-interest. Such as incumbents do when they want to run for re-eelction, Newsom is already thinking about his future, laying out the framework for it. If he counters Trump now, if he shows to the nation that he can work against the harmful policies especially about women's rights and border control, then he will be seen on the same playing field as a two-term US President. Democrats will love him, and all the more if Newsom succeeds and Trump fails miserably.
I'm a little suspicious of Newsom's motives behind this litigation fund request. He recently visited the California-Mexico border (a day after this post), supposedly to provide support to migrants. This sudden visit is something that I never expected Newsom to do--it may very well be part of his plan to distinguish himself from Trump and his policies, which Newsom overtly despises. Also, in early September Newsom vetoed two bills regarding immigration; he's clearly showing a different side here, and combed with
his litigation request, Newsom really does want to stampede Trump's efforts. Is Newsom doing all of this for the betterment of his state, or is this politically motivated by some other reason? A bit crazy that Newsom is making all of these startling decisions right after Trump's success in the election.
Looking at the comments, I understand why many are suspicious of the real motives behind Newsom's actions. Is he taking such large strides simply to protect the state, or is it a way to remind Trump of his power? Either way, based on the widespread support for these decisions from both government officials and the general public, it’s unfortunate that we feel the need to protect crucial rights from the leader of our country. It says a lot about how different the values of California and Trump truly are.
I think though som may be suspicious of Gavin Newson's reactionary policy to the election as it may be for political advantage over actual help for the state I would say that even if for now it is more for the politics it is to early to say that this was the only reason. As if these litigation funded by the new litigation fund prove to actually be supporting California in immigration and on other civil rights issues then personally I don't have an issue with Gavin gaining political advantage as well as the benefit. On the other hand though if these really end up not passing or not helping and since he did it in good timing being right after the election still gaining that boost that he is defending against trump will likely still help him politically regardless of how they do. In short If they work then a boost in his politics is fine but if they don't people should see through that and not let this boost his political stock.
Although some of Governor Newsom's actions could be a little suspicious, I think Governor Newson is preparing for Trump to go into office according to everything he saw during his last term. There is some clear tension between the state and federal government even before Trump's term starts which is very concerning for the future of California and the rest of the US. All the past issues concerning DACA and the Transgender Military Ban show a victory on California’s side which shows California’s ability to win court cases and Newsom wants to continue. Trump’s response to what Governor Newsom did was predictable, but Trump is forgetting one thing, just because he is going to become president doesn’t mean he has the power to do anything he wants. Governor Newsom is protecting the values that California knows for and holds dear, and it seems that Newsom already has a plan to protect that.
While I can see how others are viewing this as suspicious, I agree with Melody that there is value to these litigation funds. I don't think Newsom is doing this just for political advantage: this genuinely benefits Californians. These legal victories ensure the protection of key policies that protect healthcare access, reproductive rights, and environmental regulation, safeguarding many resources and policies that Californians depend on. After all, during Trump's first term, California relied on litigation to protect its state sovereignty and won victories in environment, immigration, and healthcare policy. I don’t think this is just reactive - this is also a proactive effort to protect the rights of California residents. Also, it’s disheartening to see how the federal government and the states have become so divided, to the point where states feel the need to protect themselves against the federal government. This highlights the importance of federalism, allowing states to accurately serve their constituents.
Gavin Newsom's decision to request litigation funds clearly has mixed intentions. While I agree that he's putting up a fight against Trump and taking the necessary precautions to ensure Californian's rights, I do think there's some ulterior motives. The next election for CA Governor is coming up in 2026 and in this time where a blue state such as California is extremely distraught at Trump's win, I think Newsom is establishing himself as a savior. Especially when it comes to civil and trans rights, California as a more liberal state is seeking the protection of rights they fear will be stripped from them by Trump. I believe this "Trump proofing" to be beneficial for Californians but more importantly, beneficial for Newsom's future as governor.
How I see it is that Newsom’s move to set aside $25 million for legal battles against Trump feels like a smart play but I agree with the comments that it is definitely suspicious. I think the suspicious part comes from people seeing how much this can help Newson politically which might be his true motivation. California has always been the state fighting for things like reproductive rights, immigration, and the environment. Trump’s tweet about Newsom trying to “stop great things” is laughable—what’s so great about taking away people’s rights or cutting health care? Newsom’s making it clear California’s not backing down which I do think is important to protect rights people fear Trump might take away.
I understand the suspicion behind his actions, along with the idea of starting a political war with Trump, as a strong opposer of the conservative party. He may be trying onto his political power and influence as long as possible, however I still believe in his actions. I don't understand why people are suspicious of his motives, as if gaining a political advantage was bad. I still believe in his actions, and what he is defending, especially after Trump's first term. I could have predicted Trump's response myself, the way he manipulates the average American, although I expected it to be a little more aggressive to governor Newsom. Environmental protection, reproductive rights, and immigration, are all worth fighting for, especially for California and Trump's stance on these topics. I still believe in his the governor's decision, and am a little confused on why people worry about his intentions, as usually when someone does something good they get a political advantage.
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