Governor Gavin Newsom’s Special Legislative Session to Safeguard California from Federal Overreach
Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a special legislative session to safeguard California from potential “federal overreach” by the incoming Trump administration. The session, which began on Monday, aims to create a new litigation fund of up to $25 million to support California’s legal resources in anticipation of policy proposals that would harm the state.
The fund would be used by the California Department of Justice and other state agencies to challenge court cases and administrative actions. Newsom announced the session following Trump’s election victory last month, with hearings scheduled to take place over the next several weeks.
The governor is working with lawmakers to focus on reproductive rights and environmental causes, two of the key areas of concern. Newsom has expressed his commitment to protecting the state’s residents and defending the state’s interests against any federal overreach.
The Trump transition team has responded to Newsom’s efforts, with a spokesperson stating that the president-elect will pursue his agenda despite Newsom’s attempts to “Trump-proof California.” The spokesperson also criticized Newsom’s liberal agenda, including high taxes, unaffordable housing costs, and an invasion of illegal immigrants from the state’s border.
Newsom has previously stated that California needs to be ready for action as the next administration takes hold, and that the state needs to assert itself and prepare itself firmly to protect its interests. He has also committed to restarting the state’s Zero Emission Vehicle rebate if a federal $7,500 tax credit is eliminated, and has pledged to work with the Trump administration while also defending the state’s residents.
The special legislative session comes as California prepares for a potential shift to the right in the wake of the election. Conservative district attorneys were voted into office in major counties, and voters also adopted a proposition that increases penalties for certain drug and theft crimes while rebuffing a measure to raise the state’s minimum wage to $18 an hour.