Governor Gavin Newsom is holding a special session with lawmakers, beginning on Dec. 2 to protect California’s policies and civil rights following Donald Trump’s election.
The special session will focus on protecting immigrant families, reproductive rights and climate action.
Newsom said in a statement, “The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle. 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 special session will respond to statements and proposals by Trump and his advisors, as well as actions made during his first term in office. It will gather resources to take action to best protect California and its values from the Trump administration.
Newsom plans to strengthen the California Department of Justice and other state systems to defend against the incoming Trump Administration. He called the Legislature to give the attorney general office more funding. This will make it possible to immediately respond to unlawful federal actions by the Trump Administration that seek to lessen California policies and laws.
During Trump’s first term in office, State Attorney General Bob Bonta said his office spent a year reviewing more than 120 lawsuits against federal issues in California ranging from pollution control and immigration enforcement.
Speaking on behalf of California, Bonta released a statement saying, “We reject him. We reject his values. We reject his agenda.”
James Gallagher, a Republican leader of the state Assembly said, “The only ‘problem’ [the session] will solve is Gavin Newsom’s insecurity that not enough people are paying attention to him.”
Trump called Gov. Newsom, “New-scum,” during a campaign stop in October in Southern California, and is constantly criticizing the Democratic state for its many illegal immigrants and its homeless population.
California has been called a sanctuary, for people in other states who are seeking abortions, by Newsom. California has passed many laws to protect and strengthen the right to get an abortion in the state.
State Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire said in a statement, “California has come too far and accomplished too much to simply surrender and accept his dystopian vision for America.”
