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The Governor Gavin Newsom The U.S. Senate on Monday approved a $25 million fund for early legal challenges against the Trump administration, positioning California to once again lead resistance to the MAGA movement just as the state is seeking federal assistance for the Los Angeles region's recovery from the devastating wildfires.
When Newsom first unveiled what was being called the state’s “Trump-proofing” plan, he did so with a high-profile announcement just two days after the November election. But yesterday he signed the funding bill in a decidedly more low-key manner, eschewing a public ceremony and issuing only a brief press release late on a Friday afternoon — a traditional news dumping ground. It included no signing statement from the governor.
The decision to downplay what initially appeared to be a major priority for Newsom — one meant to catapult him to the forefront of the Democratic ranks as the party struggled to respond to President Donald Trump’s reelection — underscores the awkward position the governor now finds himself in.
Earlier this week, Newsom traveled to Washington, D.C., to push for disaster aid, which Trump and other Republican leaders have repeatedly threatened to withhold unless California overhauls its water and election policies. Newsom told the Los Angeles Times that he discussed the legal funding with the president during a lengthy meeting at the White House on Wednesday, though he declined to share how Trump responded when Newsom warned him he would sign the bill.
“As expected,” the governor said. “I won’t go into details, but that’s why it was such a long period of conversation.”
Newsom returned from his trip touting “a strong path forward for disaster relief,” but without any firm commitment from the federal government to help Los Angeles, which suffered tens of billions of dollars in damage. Congressional Republicans appear to remain adamant about setting conditions for any aid.
While not unexpected, this means Newsom will likely have to remain friendly with Trump for at least a while longer, even as other Democrats across the country increasingly speak out against the president.
In California, Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose office will receive the $25 million lawsuit fund, has recently taken the lead. In Trump’s first two weeks in office, he filed two lawsuits over executive orders to eliminate birthright citizenship and freeze all federal funding.
Newsom signed a second bill Monday that provides another $25 million for legal services for people caught up in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Republicans have fiercely criticized both measures, which received final approval from the Legislature on Monday, arguing they are an unnecessary taunt to Trump when the state needs his help.
“This secret fund is not intended to solve any real problems — it is a political stunt designed to distract from the pressing issues facing our state and will not bode well for the victims of the wildfires,” Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones of San Diego said in a statement.
When Newsom called a special legislative session in November to “safeguard California values,” the money was supposed to be allocated before Trump took office last month. But with dozens of new members getting their bearings, hesitancy among Democrats over how much to lean into opposing a president who gained some ground in California in this election, and the holidays approaching, the Legislature was slow to take action. By the time members returned to Sacramento in January to begin work, fires were raging in Los Angeles and the focus of the entire state government shifted.
In an attempt to repair his relationship with the president (with whom he spoke for the first time in years when Trump briefly visited Los Angeles last month to assess the fire damage), Newsom has taken pains to distance himself from the “Trump protector” label.
But he and other Democratic leaders in California continue to defend the funding, which they say is a sensible precaution given Trump’s history of attacking California and the policies it supports. The state sued more than 120 times during his first term, winning about two-thirds of the cases.
“Our job, above all else, is to protect our residents,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, said in a speech to the floor before Monday’s vote. “And let me be blunt: Right now, Californians are being threatened by an out-of-control administration in Washington that cares nothing for the Constitution, that believes its power is limitless.”
“We must ensure that our residents receive the federal services, the federal benefits that they have paid into and that they deserve,” he added. “Given the numerous executive orders that have been issued over the past two weeks, I can say clearly: We do not trust President Donald Trump.”
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