SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom asked legislative leaders Monday to approve at least $2.5 billion in response to the wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles County — a move that expands the focus of the special session in California beyond strictly fighting President-elect Trump.
The wildfire aid comes as Democrats at the state Capitol find themselves under mounting pressure to spend less time waging a national political battle against Trump as unprecedented blazes have left at least 25 dead and a trail of destruction in their own state.
Newsom issued a proclamation that broadens the scope of the special session and calls for the Legislature to approve $1 billion for emergency response, cleanup and recovery in Los Angeles County, which the state hopes to recover through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The plan, if approved by lawmakers, would make $1.5 billion available in state funds to prepare for the threat of firestorms, windstorms and other natural disasters in addition to federal disaster money. Another yet-to-be-determined sum would support rebuilding and repairing schools.
“California is organizing a Marshall Plan to help Los Angeles rebuild faster and stronger — including billions in new and accelerated state funding so we can move faster to deliver for the thousands who’ve lost their homes and livelihoods in these firestorms,” Newsom said in a statement.
The governor originally called the special session less than two days after the presidential election, asking lawmakers to increase legal funding for the Department of Justice in anticipation of the return of court battles between the state and federal government over the environment, healthcare and other policy areas that played out during the president elect’s first term.
The quick announcement immediately brought back the California vs. Trump narrative that placed the Golden State at the forefront of the Democratic resistance to the White House and boosted Newsom’s national profile. But the L.A. County wildfires have created a scenario in which state leaders will need to immediately work with their Republican foe for the benefit of Californians from his first day in office.
Biden declared a major disaster to support immediate response efforts and pledged the federal government’s full support, but Trump will be in charge for the duration of the clean up and recovery phase.
Newsom sent a letter to Trump on Friday inviting the incoming leader to California to meet with fire victims, survey the devastation in Los Angeles County and join him in thanking first responders. Trump, who blamed Newsom for the wildfires, has not responded, though his campaign donor and confidant Elon Musk appeared in the Pacific Palisades on Sunday and promised to provide free WiFi using Tesla Cybertrucks.
In a brief interview on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport after he greeted firefighters sent from Mexico, Newsom said Saturday he “absolutely” does not regret calling the special session and he would be “remiss not to prepare for” for an assault on California values.
“We were involved in 122 lawsuits with the Trump administration, not just during my tenure, with the Brown tenure,” Newsom said. “In 2018 before I got here, he tried to withhold disaster assistance from the people of California in Orange County. He did the same in Utah. He did the same thing in Georgia. Did the same thing in Puerto Rico. This is Donald Trump. Peak Trump.”
But even as the governor stood his ground about his choice, the expansion of the special session reflects a recognition of the need to change the messaging from Sacramento as Republicans hammer the party in charge. Lawmakers canceled a special session hearing on Tuesday as many legislators remained in their Los Angeles districts in light of the fires.
Earlier Monday, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) announced that the lawmakers and the governor agreed to increase legal funding under the special session to $50 million from $25 million to fight Trump, with the increase going toward supporting immigrants fighting deportation. The plan drew backlash before it was even formally unveiled.
“At a time when California should be laser focused on responding to the devastating wildfires in LA, Democrat lawmakers’ priority is creating a $50 million slush fund to hire government lawyers for hypothetical fights against the federal government and to defend criminal illegal immigrants from being returned to their home countries,” Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher said on X. “The disconnect between what Californians need and what Democrats are focused on is astounding.”
A total of $10 million will go toward grants for legal aid groups helping “vulnerable persons at risk of detention, deportation, eviction, wage theft, intimate partner violence, and other actions that put their safety at risk, as a result of potential or actual federal actions,” according to the amended legislation.
Another $10 million will fund organizations that provide immigration-related services, including removal defense. And $5 million will supplement the existing California Access to Justice Commission‘s grants to nonprofit legal service providers. The commission supports indigent communities, including immigrants.
The funding comes amid Trump’s promises to carry out mass deportations after he takes office. But even ahead of his inauguration, Border Patrol agents arrested dozens of immigrants in Bakersfield last week and said they plan to scale up the operation to Fresno and Sacramento.
Advocates said the funding is urgently necessary.
“The raids targeting farm workers this week, which included racial profiling and the random arrest of individuals in public, offer a chilling preview of what is to come,” said Lisa Knox, co-executive director of the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice. “This special session should be a foretaste of the bold action that California’s leaders must take to protect our communities’ civil rights and ensure our economy is not derailed by short sighted and divisive federal policies.”
Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) called the governor’s request for disaster funding “a down payment that will kickstart the clean-up of neighborhoods and start the process of rebuilding lives” in a statement. He pledged to work quickly with Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and Newsom to get people the funding they desperately need.
“I’ve seen the devastation firsthand in Altadena, Malibu and the Palisades,” Rivas said in a statement. “People have lost homes, livelihoods and a sense of security. They are scared and angry, and we must act fast to expedite resources for clean-up and recovery. Our Assembly members in L.A. are listening to their residents and will bring feedback to the discussion as we consider the Governor’s proposal.”
Luna reported from Sacramento, Castillo from Washington, D.C. Times staff writer Julia Wick contributed to this report.
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