Newsom Approves $25 Million for California's Legal Fight Against Trump

[Feb. 10: KQED’s Guy Marzorati reported on how $50 million was approved by the state Legislature to fight Trump in court — and why it’s become harder for California to confront the president. Read the story here.]

Gov. Gavin Newsom approved $25 million for anticipated legal challenges against the Trump administration, positioning California to once again lead the resistance to the MAGA movement — just as the state is seeking federal assistance for the Los Angeles region’s recovery from devastating fires.

When Newsom first unveiled what came to be known as the state’s “Trump-proofing” plan, he did so with a high-profile announcement just two days after the November election. But he signed the funding bill today in decidedly more low-key fashion, eschewing a public ceremony and issuing only a brief press release late on a Friday afternoon, a traditional dumping ground for news. It included no signing statement from the governor.

The decision to underplay what initially seemed to be a major priority for Newsom — one set to catapult him to the forefront of the Democratic ranks as the party struggled to respond to President Donald Trump’s re-election — underscores the awkward position that the governor now finds himself in.

Newsom flew to Washington, D.C., to lobby for disaster aid, which Trump and other Republican leaders have repeatedly threatened to withhold unless California overhauls its water and elections 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 that he would sign the bill.

“As you would expect,” the governor said. “I won’t get into it. But it’s why it was an extended period of conversation.”

Newsom returned from his trip touting “a strong path forward for disaster aid,” but with no firm commitments from the federal government to help Los Angeles, which experienced tens of billions of dollars in damage. Congressional Republicans appear to still be adamant about setting conditions for any aid.

Though not unexpected, it means Newsom will likely have to continue playing nice 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. He sued twice during Trump’s first two weeks in office, over executive orders to eliminate birthright citizenship and freeze all federal funding.

Newsom signed a second bill today that provides another $25 million for legal services for people caught up in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.

Republicans have fiercely criticized both measures, which received final approval from the Legislature on Monday, arguing that they unnecessarily poke at Trump when the state needs his help.

“This slush fund isn’t about solving any real problems — it’s a political stunt designed to distract from the urgent issues our state faces and it won’t bode well for fire victims,” Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones of San Diego said in a statement.

When Newsom called for a special legislative session in November to “safeguard California values,” the money was supposed to be appropriated before Trump took office last month. But with dozens of new members getting their bearings, hesitation among Democrats about how much to lean into opposing a president who gained some ground in California this election, and the holidays looming, the Legislature was slow to take action. By the time members returned to Sacramento in January to begin work, the fires were breaking out in Los Angeles and the focus of the entire state government shifted.

Seeking to repair his relationship with the president — whom he spoke with for the first time in years when Trump briefly visited Los Angeles last month to survey the fire damage — Newsom has taken pains to distance himself from the “Trump-proofing” label.

But he and other Democratic leaders in California continue to defend the funding, which they contend is a sensible precautionary measure given Trump’s history of attacking California and the policies that 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, a Salinas Democrat, said in a floor speech before Monday’s vote. “And let me be blunt: Right now, Californians are being threatened by an out-of-control administration in Washington that doesn’t care about the Constitution, that thinks there are no limits to its power.”

“We must ensure that our residents receive the federal services, the federal benefits, that they have contributed to and that they deserve,” he added. “Given the many executive orders that have been issued over the past two weeks, I can say with clarity: We do not trust President Donald Trump.”