California prepares its anti-Trump fund

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders plan to set aside $50 million in state money to pay for the legal costs of fighting President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. 

The deal comes two months after Newsom first called a special session on how to address Trump’s presidency. 

The Assembly is expected to consider a bill that would set aside $25 million for “robust affirmative litigation” by the state’s Department of Justice, which will likely come to blows with Trump over California’s environmental policies, abortion access, protections for LGBTQ+ students and more. 

Democratic state officials also plan to push back if Trump follows through with his threats to conduct mass deportations, which advocates and economists say would disrupt families and devastate California’s economy. Another bill in the Senate would allocate $25 million for local efforts that provide legal aid services related to immigration defense, as well as other disputes including wage theft, evictions and workplace protections.

Republican legislators have criticized the special session as divisive and denounced the deal on Sunday. In a statement, Assembly GOP leader James Gallagher of Chico argued the state would be creating a “slush fund” for “hypothetical fights” and to “defend criminal illegal immigrants.” 

Floor votes for the budget proposals could come as early as this week, reports Politico, which would enable Newsom to approve them before Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.

All unspent money from the agreement will be returned to the state’s general fund, according to a spokesperson for Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat and chairperson of the budget committee.

During Trump’s first term, California spent at least $41 million suing the administration, which mostly went to paying attorneys, legal secretaries and other justice department workers.

“Trump-proofing” California wasn’t the only item on the special session agenda. On Monday Gov. Newsom and top-ranking Democratic lawmakers proposed earmarking $1 billion for wildfire relief and recovery in Southern California. 

For a week, firefighters have been battling multiple fires in Los Angeles County, which have killed at least 24 people. Some estimate the blazes will cost the state as much as $275 billion and worsen the state’s insurance market crisis. As of Monday evening, the biggest fire, the Palisades Fire, is more than 23,000 acres and is 14% contained.

The $1 billion would fund the state’s emergency response, cleanup and recovery for affected communities, and should be eligible for federal reimbursement, according to Newsom’s office. The governor also wants to “accelerate the availability” of $1.5 billion from the recently-passed climate bond to prepare the state for other natural disasters.

Wildfire interactive: And to get a better sense of the L.A. fires’ sizes, check out this interactive map by CalMatters data reporter Jeremia Kimelman and data and interactives editor John Osborn D’Agostino.

Funding for a federal program that helps rural schools, including ones in California, has expired — and districts are scrambling to push Congress to reintroduce a bill that would renew the money before Congress must reach a budget deal in March.

As CalMatters’ Carolyn Jones explains, the century-old program serves as a “lifeline” for the state’s rural schools: California receives the most money from the fund, and last year it provided nearly $40 million to 39 of its counties.

But the bill to renew funding died in December, after the Republican House Speaker did not put it forward for a vote. Republican Congressional leaders have also vowed to reduce government spending, and Trump said he wants to shut down the U.S. Department of Education, along with making other cuts to schools. 

Jamie Green, a Trinity County superintendent, says that without the money, the district may have to eliminate jobs, have bigger class sizes and eliminate enrichment programs. 

• Green: “We’re an impoverished county, and the only way to reverse that pattern of poverty is through education. Cutting funding hurts kids.”

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