With wildfires still burning in the Los Angeles area, a reporter goes head-to-head with the Democratic chair of California’s House of Representatives over whether lawmakers should focus on dedicating legal funds to take the Golden State “against Trump.” We faced off.
“Is now the right time to call a special session to allocate funds to fight Trump in ways that are already possible without a special session?” California correspondent Ashley Zavala wrote Thursday that Robert・I asked Chairman Rivas a question.
“I’m here to fight these wildfires,” Rivas responded. “These are historic, historic wildfires. It will be part of the fire and disaster.”
Newsom proposes $25 million to California to ‘anti-Trump’ from state legislature
Reporter questions Democratic California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (Credit KCRA 3) (KCRA 3)
“While these wildfires are happening, and while people are trying to understand what’s going on and worrying about whether they can get disaster relief or homeowners insurance, your chambers are filled with Donald Trump,” Zavala said. “We forced a special session to vote in order to prepare for the We are trying to persuade Mr. Trump in a way that is already possible without calling a special session, but is now the right time? ”
Again, Rivas pivoted his answer to focus on wildfire recovery, but did not directly answer Zabala’s questions.
“So, certainly, Chairman Ashley, my colleagues and I must act now with great urgency, with great urgency, to ensure that we provide much-needed relief to Angelenos, and that we understand that Our focus now is on ensuring that the region is able to recover and support those most affected by this disaster,” Rivas said. “And as you know…the response of our first responders was unprecedented and they are once again doing everything in their power to control and contain these multiple fires and are currently working to keep people safe. “And we’re looking and preparing for recovery again, and we’re going to do everything we can as a state and as a Congress to support that recovery.” ”
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Shortly after President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a special legislative session to shore up the state’s legal resources in case of an attack from the Trump administration. Trump fired back at Newsom after the announcement, saying, “He’s using the term ‘Trump-proof’ as a way to block all the great things he could do to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I don’t want to vote We just won overwhelmingly.” ” President Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
From 2017 to 2021, the California Department of Justice led 122 lawsuits challenging Trump administration policies, spending $42 million on litigation. In one case, the federal government was ordered to repay about $60 million in public safety grants to California, Newsom’s office said.
California has filed more than 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration, but President-elect Donald Trump has only filed four major lawsuits against the state. In 2018, President Trump’s Justice Department filed a lawsuit over three sanctuary state laws in California that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. That same year, Trump sued California over its state-level net neutrality law.
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Wind fans embers as firefighters battle a fire in the Angeles National Forest near Mount Wilson as wildfires burn in the Los Angeles area during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, January 9, 2025 ( Reuters/Ringo Chiu)
President Trump also filed a lawsuit against California’s vehicle emissions standards in 2019, seeking to strip California of its ability to set its own emissions standards. The Trump administration also sued California in 2020 over the controversial AB5 independent contractor law.
California, a state that is a sanctuary for illegal immigrants and provides abortion services and transgender transition treatment for children, could become a target for the Trump administration, especially in light of President Trump’s plan to mass deport illegal immigrants.
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Newsom has previously said the Golden State is “a tent pole of a nation that protects and invests in the rights and freedoms of all people,” and that officials will “work with the incoming administration to ensure that President Trump serves all Americans.” I hope that I will be successful in doing so.”
“But when there are excesses, when lives are threatened and rights and freedoms are targeted, we take action,” Newsom said. “And that’s exactly what this special session is about: setting this state up for success regardless of who is in the White House.”
Jamie Joseph is a political writer. She leads Fox News Digital’s Senate coverage.
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