Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to "Trump-proof" California in a special legislative session. Here's what to expect
California legislators will gavel in a special session Monday in Sacramento after they were tasked last month by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to "protect California values" amid the reelection of former President Donald Trump.
In a proclamation issued a day after the Nov. 5 election, Newsom said "extraordinary circumstances" made convening the Legislature in special session necessary, arguing that "the track record of the first Trump Administration, combined with statements made by President-Elect Trump on the campaign trail...indicate the consequences of his presidency for California may be significant and immediate."
"The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack, and we won't sit idle," Newsom said in a statement.
In the weeks since the election, Newsom has spent time discussing economic initiatives in Trump-voting counties around the state and traveling to Washington, D.C., where he met with California's congressional delegation, President Joe Biden and other officials in an effort to prepare for the incoming administration.
While there, Newsom said he worked to secure disaster relief funding and discussed state climate and health care programs, among other priorities in his policy agenda.
"Moving with speed and investing in our legal defense"
Lawmakers are already set to return Monday for swearing-in ceremonies and other activities to kick off the new Legislature, which reconvenes on Jan. 6. The special session will run concurrently with the regular session, with work and committee hearings starting next month.
Legislators are expected to focus on funding for the state Department of Justice, which Attorney General Rob Bonta has said will take an aggressive posture in launching lawsuits against the Trump administration to defend state policies.
"We're prepared, in detail, with a litigation strategy," Bonta said last month. "We have a legislative strategy. We have thought in detail about where and when we sue and on what grounds. And we're working with our partners across the state."
Newsom said Monday that he is asking for up to $25 million for a new litigation fund to help California's Department of Justice and state agencies "defend California from unconstitutional federal overreach, challenge illegal federal actions in court, and take administrative actions to reduce potential harm."
Democratic leaders in the state Legislature have echoed Newsom and Bonta.
"California has come too far and accomplished too much to simply surrender and accept his dystopian vision for America," Senate President Pro-Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) said in a statement. "This is why we're moving with speed and investing in our legal defense."
Newsom's office noted that California's Department of Justice filed 122 lawsuits against the previous Trump administration in response to the attempts to withhold federal funds.
A vow to "Trump-proof" California laws on climate, abortion and immigration
Newsom has stated that he wants to "Trump-proof" California's laws from the incoming Republican administration, including policies on issues such as climate change, reproductive rights and immigration.
On climate, Newsom detailed a plan late last month to restart the state's electric vehicle rebate program if Trump's promise to eliminate the current federal tax credit comes to fruition.
The governor and Democratic legislators have also taken steps in recent years to fortify reproductive rights in California, an issue also popular with voters in the state. In 2022, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 1, 66.9% to 33.1%, enshrining the right to reproductive freedom into the state Constitution, and granting the right to an abortion and contraceptives.
In response to Trump's promise to carry out mass deportations when he takes office, Newsom has also tasked state legislators with shoring up California's protections for immigrants during the special session.
In 2017, during Trump's first term, California lawmakers approved and then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 54, also known as the "Sanctuary State" law, which restricted local government agency cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Addressing immigrants in the country illegally, Bonta said that his state justice department will "do everything in our power and use the full authority of our office to defend you."
What Trump has said about Newsom and California
Trump hit back at Newsom in a post on his Truth Social account after the governor announced the special session in early November.
"He is using the term 'Trump-Proof' as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to 'Make California Great Again,' but I just overwhelmingly won the Election," Trump wrote.
Trump also said that he would require voter ID and proof of citizenship to be part of the voting process, repeating unfounded claims that immigrants in the U.S. illegally engaged in widespread voter fraud. California is among the states that do not require showing identification before casting a ballot.
Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) also criticized Newsom calling for the special session, saying in a Nov. 7 statement that the move was a "shameless political stunt."
"There will not be a single policy implemented in this special session that couldn't be addressed when the Legislature reconvenes in January," Gallagher stated.
This isn't the first time this year Newsom has called for a special legislative session. In September, Newsom called on lawmakers to find ways to cut gas prices.
