Newsom Calls California Legislature for Special Session to Protect State from Trump
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, a vocal critic of Donald Trump, called on lawmakers on Nov. 7 to call a special session to protect the state’s progressive policies from future decisions by the president-elect’s administration. Meanwhile, attorneys general in blue states across the country have announced they are preparing for their own legal battle, writes Associated Press.
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The move, coming a day after Trump's landslide victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the state's highest office, effectively revived a campaign of resistance in California to conservative policies that the state's Democratic leaders launched during Trump's first term.
“The freedoms California cherishes are under threat, and we will not stand idly by,” said Newsom, who has far-reaching political ambitions.
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Newsom’s office said the governor and lawmakers are committed to “defending” California’s laws against Trump. He called on the Legislature to meet in December and give the attorney general more funding to fight federal challenges, but did not elaborate.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office has spent the past year reviewing more than 120 lawsuits filed by the state during Trump's first term in preparation for new federal initiatives.
Bonta commented on the California vote: "We rejected him. We rejected his values. We rejected his agenda."
He said his office is working with Democratic attorneys general across the country to adjust its plans. States could face tougher fights this time around, with Republicans dominating the Senate and possibly the House.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she, Attorney General Letitia James and their senior staffs plan to meet regularly to discuss legal strategies to protect “key areas that are likely to be threatened by the Trump administration,” such as “reproductive and civil rights, immigration, gun safety, labor rights, LGBTQ rights and the environment.”
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who as the state's attorney general filed dozens of lawsuits against Trump during his first term, said they "will have to see if he delivers on what he promised and implements the ideas outlined in Blueprint 2025."
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat who was recently elected governor, said he was particularly troubled by Trump's recent comments that the military should be used domestically against a "domestic enemy."
"It's totally un-American," he said.
In some states, including Connecticut, officials hope to enshrine progressive policies into law, but "there are limits to what we can do," said Connecticut State Comptroller Sean Scanlon.
Even with his loss in California, Trump appeared on track to surpass his 2020 record of more than 6 million votes in the state, the most impressive showing ever by a Republican candidate in California. Jessica Millan Patterson, who leads the state Republican Party, said California’s “out-of-touch Democrats continue to prove their commitment to taking California away from the mainstream and setting it on a path to destruction.”
After Trump's victory, Newsom pledged to work with the president-elect, but added: "Let's make no mistake, we are committed to standing with other states to defend the Constitution and uphold the rule of law."
Trump often portrays California as the embodiment of everything he sees wrong with America. Democrats, who hold every statewide office and hold the majority of the Legislature and congressional delegation, outnumber registered Republicans by nearly 2 to XNUMX across California.
Trump called the Democratic governor “the new trash” during a campaign stop in Southern California last month. He has relentlessly criticized the Democratic stronghold and the nation’s most populous state for its large number of illegal immigrants and homeless people, as well as its lax laws and regulations.
Trump has, among other things, become embroiled in a water rights battle over the endangered delta smelt, which has pitted environmentalists against farmers and threatened to withhold federal aid to the state as wildfires ravage it.
On the morning of November 6, Trump addressed the nation and vowed to fulfill his campaign promise to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and hold his political enemies accountable.
Speaking on November 7, California's attorney general vowed to protect migrants.
"I assure the California undocumented immigrant community that our team has you in mind. We have thought about the harm that could be caused by a Trump 2.0 administration. We will do everything in our power, use the full authority of our office, to protect you," Bonta said.
Over the past 20 years, state attorneys general have increasingly challenged federal executive policy, typically when it comes from a president of the opposite party.
During Trump's first term, Democratic attorneys general banded together to file lawsuits over immigration, the Muslim travel ban, the environment, internet regulation and other issues.
The results have varied, but Trump has one possible advantage this time around: He has been aggressive in appointing conservative judges to federal courts at all levels, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
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“We learned a lot about Trump during his tenure as the 45th president — he’s petty, he’s vindictive, and he’ll do anything to get his way, no matter how dangerous his policies may be,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire. “California has come too far and accomplished too much to simply give in and embrace his dystopian vision of America.”
Governor Newsom has called California, which has passed numerous laws to protect access to abortion, a haven for people from other states seeking such care. California was the first to require that all new cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in the state be electric, hydrogen, or hybrid by 2035. California also provides state-funded health care to all low-income residents, regardless of their immigration status.
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