Legislature approves $50 million for litigation of Trump actions

In the past month, the State Legislature has completed its Special Session, which Gov. Gavin Newsom called for on Nov. 7. Last week, the Assembly passed two bills to help the Attorney General defend the State’s policies from anticipated litigation or enforcement actions filed against the State. Two weeks earlier, the Legislature passed legislation to provide $2.5 billion to help recovery from the Los Angeles County wildfires.

Legal Defense funding

On Feb. 3, the State Assembly passed ABX1-1 and SBX1-2 which provide $50 million to resist actions taken or to be taken by President Donald Trump. Gov. Newsom initially requested the funding on Nov. 7, a day after the Presidential election.

Three months later, Newsom signed both bills on Feb. 7. In his signing message for SBX1-2, he wrote, “ [it] will bolster funding for legal services programs that are vital to safeguarding the civil rights of California’s most vulnerable residents . . . “

Both bills provided $25 million. ABX1-1 is funding for the State’s Attorney General’s office. Newsom’s original requested $25 million to enable the Attorney General’s office to defend against the new federal government’s action. For example, the freeze on federal grant money.

The state Administration was concerned about adverse actions threatened or taken by the federal government against California’s laws related to climate change, clean water, reproductive healthcare and the rights of our vulnerable communities – immigrants, LGBTQ+, Asian Pacific Islander and Black residents.

The additional $25 million will be distributed to three entities. Ten million dollars will be directed to the Equal Access Fund to defend the civil rights of Californians, including providing legal services to vulnerable persons at risk of discrimination, detention, eviction, wage theft, deportation, intimate partner violence, and other actions that put their safety at risk.

Another $10 million will be for One California through the Department of Social Services. The remaining $5 million will go to the California Access to Justice Commission. This money is intended to support organizations that are not primarily receiving funding through Equal Access Fund or One California.

The Governor and Assembly Democrats emphasized that these funds will not be used to provide services for individuals convicted of violent or serious crimes.

“None of the funding in this bill is intended to be used for immigration-related legal services for noncitizens convicted of serious or violent felonies,” Newsom wrote in his signing message. He also encouraged the Legislature to enact additional legislation to ensure compliance with this purpose.

Nevertheless, Republicans were unhappy with this action. “These votes show just how out of touch the Democratic supermajority has become,” said Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (East Nicolaus). “There is no reason to oppose these policies other than petty partisanship. It’s a shame Democrats would rather play politics than support practical safeguards to protect the public and their tax dollars.”

Wildfire funding

On Jan. 23, Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills appropriating $2.5 billion to help fund the recovery efforts in Los Angeles area after the devastation caused by multiple wildfires. The burning began Jan. 7. The Governor’s press release described the damage as hurricane-force fire storms.

This was only 10 days after he made the request of the Legislature’s Special Session. Both bills, ABX1-4 and SBX1-3, provide more than $2.5 billion for disaster relief and were passed unanimously.

“Thanks to our partners in the legislature, we’re providing over $2.5 billion in immediate relief – expediting initial firestorm response and recovery efforts,” Newsom said in the release. “We’re also directing millions of dollars to help local governments speed up building approvals – so folks can rebuild their homes faster.”

As of Jan. 25, Cal Fire reported that the various Los Angeles area fires have caused 28 fatalities and burned and destroyed more than 16,000 structures.

Nearly all of the $2.5 billion is intended to expedite the initial response and recovery efforts. These funds would help offset costs associated with the emergency protective measures, evacuations, sheltering for survivors, debris removal and cleanup, post-fire hazard assessments (such as flash flooding and debris flows), traffic control, and other necessary emergency response activities.

There is a separate $5 million appropriation for rebuilding. The Department of Housing and Community Development will receive $4 million for local governments in the fire areas. This will be used for additional planning review and building inspection resources to expedite building approvals during the recovery period. 

Another $1 million is targeted at fire-damaged school facilities. Its purpose is to aid the school districts to rebuild damaged structures. The funding will provide technical assistance to Los Angeles Unified School District, Pasadena Unified School District, and charter schools affected by the fires.

“The money will come from the state’s reserve fund dedicated to economic uncertainties, which had about $8.3 billion as of Jan. 10, according to the H.D. Palmer, spokesperson for California’s Department of Finance,” Cal Matters reported.

“This money is moving immediately and was approved unanimously with bipartisan support,” said Jesse Gabriel, chair of the Assembly’s Budget Committee. “It’s the first of many steps and there will be a lot of steps in this journey.

Besides seeking the Legislature’s approval of supplemental funding to help the victims and the recovery, Newsom has issued a number of Executive Orders to address the problems of the victims and the local jurisdictions’ recovery efforts.

“It is very meaningful for me as legislator for Southern California to see people of parts of the state stand up and say, ‘We’ll be with you’,” Gabriel also said in his statement.