California Democratic leaders aim to fight policies of incoming Trump administration

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At the call of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Legislature took a step toward preparing for legal battles with the incoming Trump administration.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

California’s Democratic leaders are preparing to fight the policies of the incoming Trump administration. Governor Gavin Newsom called a special legislative session on the issue that started yesterday. He wants lawmakers to pass bills that would shield the state from Trump’s policies. California Republicans warn that is not the way to start off relations with the new president. They say in today’s political climate, it might backfire. CapRadio’s Megan Myscofski joins us now from Sacramento. So what steps are Governor Newsom and the Democrats and the legislature taking?

MEGAN MYSCOFSKI, BYLINE: The main thing is setting aside money. So far, those proposals include an extra $25 million for the state attorney general to sue the Trump administration and another $10 million for local governments to defend their policies from potential legal challenges. California filed over a hundred lawsuits against the last Trump White House, challenging policies ranging from the environment to health care.

MARTÍNEZ: And just to be clear, Democrats have the votes to pass the bills. I mean, California is a big blue state.

MYSCOFSKI: Right, very likely, because Democrats have a supermajority of the legislature. And they’ll do most of the work on this in January. Newsom’s office says he’d like to sign them before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Other Democratic governors are trying to rally blue states against Trump’s policies, but California is the only state that’s called a special session on the issue so far.

MARTÍNEZ: All right. So what are the issues that Democrats in California have singled out that they want to fight the Trump administration on?

MYSCOFSKI: Well, immigration is a big one. People rallied yesterday at the state Capitol to call for lawmakers to protect immigrants in the state from Trump’s deportation plans. Another issue is reproductive rights. Democrats are floating bills to further protect abortion access. Rob Bonta, California’s Democratic attorney general, is sponsoring a bill to allow his office to penalize local governments that try to restrict abortion access. And he wants protections for the abortion medication mifepristone.

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ROB BONTA: We’re a reproductive freedoms state, and that’s not changing.

MYSCOFSKI: Governor Newsom is also proposing that California provide rebates for electric vehicles if Trump rescinds the federal tax credit for EV owners. And he says he wants the state to set up its own disaster relief fund if Trump refuses to provide federal dollars for fires and other emergencies.

MARTÍNEZ: All right. Now, California Republicans have seen this all before – right? – in Trump’s first term. So what are they saying about this new effort?

MYSCOFSKI: They’re saying that Democrats are actually missing the message of the election. California still voted for Vice President Harris and kept the Democratic supermajority in the legislature, but not by the wide margins Democrats have enjoyed in recent years. Here’s the leader of California’s Assembly Republicans, James Gallagher.

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JAMES GALLAGHER: The true story is the people are turning against Gavin Newsom. And the question for the legislative Democrats is, did you get the memo? And are you going to start changing your policies?

MYSCOFSKI: While the money Newsom is proposing here is small in the context of California’s overall budget, Republicans point out that the state is facing a $2 billion deficit, and cuts will likely have to come from somewhere. They say this is an attempt by Newsom to get publicity ahead of a potential run for president in 2028. And they warn that California looks increasingly out of touch, especially as the cost of living keeps growing.

MARTÍNEZ: That’s Megan Myscofski with CapRadio in Sacramento. Megan, thanks.

MYSCOFSKI: Thank you.

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