SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Friday authorizing $50 million to finance court battles against the Trump administration and to support legal services for immigrants.
The governor signed the bill, which the Legislature approved during a special session, without much pageantry. He seeks to tone down the California-versus-Trump narrative that his special session had advanced, while the state works with the federal government on funding to address the Los Angeles County wildfires.
In a signing message, Newsom said the money to “bolster funding for legal services programs that are vital to safeguarding the civil rights of California’s most vulnerable residents” is not intended to be used for undocumented immigrants with prior convictions for serious or violent felony offenses. He encouraged the Legislature to pass subsequent legislation if additional clarification is necessary.
The Assembly approved both bills Monday afternoon. The Senate approved the legislation last month.
Democrats at the state Capitol passed the bills nearly three months after Newsom initiated the special session, saying “the freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack” in the days following President Trump’s victory in November.
The decision was largely symbolic and sent a message across the country that Newsom was preparing to lead the return of the Democratic “resistance” to Trump’s conservative policy agenda.
But since his aggressive announcement, the governor has attempted to soften his stance and strike a delicate balance between defending the state and working cooperatively with the president.
After the fires ignited in Los Angeles County, Newsom expanded the special session to include wildfire aid and fast-tracked $2.5 billion for affected communities. Despite Newsom initially saying the legal funding must be approved before the inauguration, lawmakers delayed final approval of the money for court battles until this week.
Several Republicans joined Democrats to vote in favor of the wildfire funding. But they said adopting the money for legal fights sent the wrong message and wasn’t a “sign of good faith” after the governor and president met on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport last month and pledged to work together on recovery.
“I think this is incredibly tone deaf to be moving forward with these bills at this time when we have residents who still are not in their homes, we’re fighting not only fires now, but mudslides, and we should be focused on wildfire recovery, relief and prevention,” said Assemblymember Bill Essayli (R-Corona) during a hearing in the lower house at the state Capitol last week.
Democratic lawmakers defended the funding for legal challenges, pointing to Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, federal deportation sweeps and the attempt to pause federal funding as examples of the need to bolster the state’s defense.
“I am more afraid now than I have probably ever been in my entire life about what I’m seeing coming down from the federal government,” said Assemblymember Nick Schultz, a Democrat who represents Burbank and Glendale. “So, I’m supporting the governor’s proposal because somebody has to stand up. Other than California, and the 21 other states, and a few nonprofits that have joined the fight, who else will stand up against unchecked executive power?”
The legislation augments the 2024-25 state budget and authorizes the Newsom administration to give the California Department of Justice up to $25 million to defend California against enforcement and legal actions taken by the federal government.
The increase is in anticipation of more of the legal fights between the state and the Trump administration that played out during the president’s first term and have already resumed. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta joined nearly two dozen other states this week in a lawsuit against the administration’s attempt to freeze federal financial aid, which a judge temporarily halted in response to a separate suit.
The legislation sets aside another $25 million largely to provide legal services for “vulnerable Californians,” including immigrants, who could face deportation, eviction, wage theft, domestic violence and other risks as a result of federal actions.
The money will be dispensed to the California Department of Social Services, in the form of grants to the Legal Services Trust Fund Commission and to nonprofits through the California Access to Justice Commission.
The Assembly had planned to pass the bills last week, but delayed the vote after Republicans questioned whether the funding for immigrants could end up supporting people with criminal records. Lawmakers also submitted a letter with the bill clarifying that the funding was not intended to provide services for people convicted of violent or serious felonies.
Times staff writer Anabel Sosa contributed to this report.
