SACRAMENTO, California — California Democrats have reached a $50 million agreement to shore up state and local legal defenses against the incoming Trump administration just a week ahead of the president-elect’s inauguration. Half the money would go to fending off any mass deportation plan the new president might enact early in his administration.
The move — the first of its kind in the nation that positions California to lead a second term resistance against Donald Trump — comes as Republicans bash state Democratic leaders for focusing on a the highly partisan issue even as the southern part of the state suffers from historically devastating fires.
The deal includes $25 million Newsom had proposed for the state Department of Justice to fight the federal government in court shortly after Trump’s reelection in November — plus $25 million more proposed by state Senate leaders to defend immigrants against deportation, detention and wage theft. The $25 million proposed by the Senate would fund grants for legal nonprofits and immigration support centers.
“This funding agreement cements California’s readiness to serve as a bulwark against Trump’s extremist agenda,” said Senate Budget Chair Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat who’s expressed interest in one day replacing Rep. Nancy Pelosi, in a statement.
Floor votes on the so-called special session package could come as soon as this week. That would give Newsom time to sign the deal before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 and shift focus away from the session’s partisan feud to how Democrats are responding to the unfolding disaster in Los Angeles.
Reps for the governor’s office and legislative leaders did not respond to requests for comment as the deal is expected to be announced as early as Monday.
Republicans have agitated for a special session focused solely on the fires, and Newsom told “Pod Save America” over the weekend he is “happy to do whatever moves the needle forward” when asked about calling such a session. He said he and legislative leaders were going to discuss whether that was necessary.
Newsom and legislators representing Los Angeles have also been in Southern California since the fires escalated, but that has not neutralized GOP critiques.
“At a time 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,” Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher said in a statement reacting to the special session deal.
The provisions of the deal emerged through amendments to four special session bills on Friday.
The immigration portions of the package have taken on added urgency as Trump has pledged to carry out mass deportations when he takes office. Even under President Joe Biden, border patrol agents recently conducted what advocates say was the largest enforcement action in the Central Valley in years, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“Senate Democrats are particularly proud to provide funding for providers of legal aid services, which know our communities’ needs best and are best positioned to defend at scale the millions of individuals and families that will be impacted by the incoming Administration’s extreme agenda,” Wiener said.
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