(The Center Square) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills authorizing $50 million in legal funding for lawsuits against the Trump administration and deportation defense of illegal immigrants.
Newsom signed the bills after returning from Washington, D.C., to seek relief funding from Congress and the White House, puzzling Congressional Republicans who would have to vote to pass a federal aid package.
After President Donald Trump’s election, Newsom called a “Trump-proofing” special session to fund California state and local lawsuits against the coming Trump administration, and fund legal services such as deportation defense, for residents who could be impacted by Trump administration actions.
The first of the two bills authorizes $25 million in funding for lawsuits against the Trump administration, while the second bill authorized $25 million in legal aid for residents, the majority of which appears likely to go toward deportation defense for illegal immigrants.
The second bill allocates $10 million for “immigration-related services, including removal defense” and $10 million for “civil legal services for indigent persons,” referring to individuals whose incomes are so low they cannot afford basic necessities, to provide “legal services to 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.”
The bill also provides $5 million to the California Access to Justice Commission, a 501c(3) nonprofit, to disburse legal aid-related grants. CAJC members are appointed by government and lobbying bodies, including the governor, the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Labor Federation.
Newsom included a note when signing the second bill that it is not “intended” to fund deportation defense of illegal immigrants convicted of “serious or violent felonies,” and that “to the extent further clarification is necessary,” the legislature could pass additional legislation saying the funding is to be “allocated consistent with” California laws barring the funding of immigration aid to individuals convicted of or appealing a conviction of a violent or serious felony.
The state’s list of “serious or violent” crimes does not include many serious or violent crimes, such as felony convictions of domestic violence, and until recently passed SB 14 and SB 1414, did not include human or sex trafficking of children.
Given that Newsom signed the bills upon his return from a trip to the nation’s capital to request federal relief funding from President Trump and Republican-majority Congress, some members of Congress shared their disbelief at the governor’s actions.
“The biggest obstacle to getting relief to LA fire victims is Gavin Newsom,” said California Congressman Kevin Kiley on X. “His refusal to accept any responsibility for failed policies and his decision to spend $50 million ‘Trump-proofing’ California are making the task more difficult.”
With Newsom proposing taking out $7.1 billion from state reserves to balance this year’s budget, and the fire-related expenditures and lost economic activity likely to significantly increase government spending and reduce tax revenue, a federal aid package may be necessary to help the state make ends meet without cutting its budget.
Notably, the state’s budget has grown from $209 billion in fiscal year 2019-2020, the first year of Newsom’s first term, to a proposed $322 billion for fiscal year 2025-2026.
Between 2022 and 2024, private sector employment in the state declined. It was only offset by growth in government and government-related jobs that accompanied the growing state budget.
