Approximately 48 hours after Election Day 2024, California governor Gavin Newsom called on lawmakers to convene a special legislative session focused on “Trump-proofing” the state against the incoming president, and on Monday, that session officially got underway.
With 49 days to go until Donald Trump is inaugurated for a second time, Newsom and his fellow Democrats are racing to do whatever they can to protect California’s progressive policies in the face of a man who has vowed to be a “dictator” on day one in office and has said, among other things, that “California is going to hell.” (He is also said to have initially withheld disaster relief from the state because not enough people voted for him.)
On Monday, California State Assembly member Jesse Gabriel introduced a bill to set aside millions for legal fees in anticipation of attacks from Trump on the state’s policies concerning abortion access, immigration, climate change, civil rights, and more. “While we always hope to collaborate with our federal partners, California will be ready to vigorously defend our interests and values from any unlawful action by the incoming Trump Administration,” Gabriel said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “We are positioned, if necessary, to be the tip of the spear of the resistance and to push back against any unlawful or unconstitutional actions by the Trump administration.”
Also on Monday, California attorney general Rob Bonta announced legislation to fortify abortion rights in the state, including by allowing the state attorney general to enforce monetary penalties against local governments that attempt to violate said rights. Bonta also said his office will protect the immigrant population Trump has vowed to go after. Last week, Newsom said California will provide rebates for electric car purchases if Trump eliminates the federal tax credit for doing so. He is also reportedly looking at creating a backup disaster relief fund in the event the state can’t count on federal aid.
Ahead of the special session, Newsom said California was “not going to be caught flat-footed” when it comes to attacks from Team Trump. As the Associated Press notes, “Trump often depicts California as representing all he sees wrong in America” and “has relentlessly lambasted the Democratic stronghold over its large number of immigrants in the US illegally, homeless population, and thicket of regulations.” The president-elect, whose eldest son is engaged to Newsom’s ex-wife, has also referred to the governor as “New-scum.”
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