California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed two significant bills aimed at countering the policies of President Donald Trump, allocating $50 million for this purpose. The bills were enacted shortly after Newsom returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., where he sought federal assistance for the wildfires that have recently ravaged parts of California.
The legislation was passed during a special session convened by Newsom following the election, as part of a strategy to prepare California to oppose the incoming Trump administration. Despite ongoing efforts to manage the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire in Los Angeles, the Democrat-controlled legislature quickly reached an agreement to fund these initiatives.
One of the bills, SBX1-1, allocates additional resources to the California Department of Justice for legal challenges against federal policies. The second bill, SBX1-2, is designed to provide legal assistance to vulnerable individuals at risk of detention, deportation, or eviction, specifically targeting undocumented immigrants. Both pieces of legislation were introduced by State Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco.
Newsom’s decision to sign the bills came after his Washington visit and was timed to a Friday afternoon, a period when public attention is generally lower. In a signing statement accompanying SBX1-2, Newsom emphasized that none of the funds would be used for immigrants convicted of serious or violent felonies. However, critics point out that the text of the bill does not explicitly contain such a restriction.
As California grapples with the aftermath of devastating wildfires, Newsom is actively pursuing billions in federal aid to support recovery efforts. Some commentators have raised concerns about the state’s ability to manage this funding effectively, suggesting that oversight mechanisms, similar to those used in the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, may be necessary to ensure proper allocation of resources.
This legislative action underscores the ongoing political tensions between California’s state leadership and the federal government, particularly regarding immigration and disaster recovery policies.