Newsom convened a special session immediately after President-elect Donald Trump handily beat Vice President Kamala Harris in the November election, saying another Trump presidency would require the legislature to “provide additional funding to the California Department of Justice (CADOJ) and other agencies” to prepare for legal battles.
“The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle,” Newsom said on November 7 as he announced his plan. “California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive.”
The governor has now reached a deal with state lawmakers to earmark $25 million for the CADOJ to use to push back against the incoming administration, and another $25 million “proposed by state Senate leaders to defend immigrants against deportation, detention and wage theft,” Politico reported Monday.
The deal is reportedly going to be voted on this week before Trump’s inauguration takes place next Monday, but California Republicans are bashing Newsom for focusing on the new president while Los Angeles faces devastating fires.
Firefighters are still working to contain three active fires that have already burned “an area bigger than San Francisco” and killed at least 24 people, the Washington Post reported Monday.