California lawmakers approve $50M for Trump lawsuits, immigrant aid

SACRAMENTO, California — California lawmakers on Monday approved a “Trump-proofing” bill package that includes $50 million in state funding to challenge President Donald Trump’s policies in court and provide legal aid for immigrants.

The proposals — which emerged from a special session Gov. Gavin Newsom called last year shortly after Trump’s election — easily passed on a party-line vote and now go to the governor for his signature.

California Democrats have not taken up the “resistance” mantle as readily as they did during Trump’s first term, when legislative leaders took a hard line against his administration almost immediately after the 2016 election. But their remarks on Monday show they may be prepared to take a more combative approach a little just weeks into the president’s second term.

“Californians are being threatened by an out-of-control administration in Washington that doesn’t care about the Constitution, that thinks there are no limits to its path,” said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas on the floor before the vote.

Rivas, a Central Coast Democrat, challenged the common Trump and Republican refrain that undocumented immigrants are harmful to the country.

“Here in California, there are 1.8 million undocumented people,” Rivas said. “People who pay about $8.5 billion in state and local taxes every single year. They raise families, and they contribute to our communities. These law-abiding immigrants, they are Californians — they are not criminals.”

The chamber’s Republican minority argued it’s foolish to be taking on Trump when California is trying to secure federal aid for the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires, which broke out after lawmakers called the special session.

“You are putting us on a collision course with the national administration,” said Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a fiery, first-term Republican from San Diego, during floor debate. “You are doubling down on policies that hurt Californians.”

Newsom, who greeted the president on a Southern California airport tarmac during a visit to tour the damage last month, has struck a softer tone in recent weeks, praising his past support of the state and vowing to work with him to rebuild.

But in the statehouse Monday, Assembly Democrats — even those from swing districts — spoke in favor of the litigation bill. They countered that it’s essential to protect federal dollars flowing to their constituents, especially after the administration’s sweeping bid last to freeze aid. California and other blue states challenged the move in court, and a federal judge on Friday issued an order blocking thefunding pause until further notice, ruling it was likely unconstitutional.

“They did not vote to make life less affordable or for their hard-earned tax dollars to be stolen by the federal government,” said Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, a Democrat from northern Los Angeles County.

Many Democrats who backed funding for immigrant legal aid shared personal stories about their own families’ journeys to California. They said they worried about the precedent Trump has already set by attempting to end birthright citizenship, which a Seattle judge blocked last month.

Republicans accused them of fear-mongering and floated concerns that the money would be used to help undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds.

Hamid Yazdan Panah of Immigrant Defense Advocates called the vote approving legal aid “a critical first step” and pointed to a multi-day Border Patrol operation in California’s Central Valley last month, during the final days of the Biden administration. The Sacramento-based group is part of a coalition of organizations advocating for immigrant legal services.

“The recent raids in Kern County served as a stark reminder that California must be prepared for enforcement actions that sweep up U.S. citizens, legal residents, ag workers, and tear families apart,” he said.