Editor’s note: This story has been updated since publication to include a comment from the White House.
(The Center Square) – California Attorney General Rob Bonta marked the anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration by saying the state will stop suing Trump when he stops breaking the law.
“In just one year, we’ve taken Trump to court 54 times, more than once a week. We have won repeatedly, securing a victory 80% of the time,” Bonta said as he stood outside Tuesday in a San Francisco park with representatives of nonprofits on a cold, windy day. Behind them was the Golden Gate bridge.
California spent $19 million on lawsuits that resulted in the state keeping $188 billion in federal funds, Bonta said.
“That’s a 9,890% return on the investment,” the Democratic attorney general said. “That’s unheard of even in the best of business deals.”
“Our fight goes beyond money,” he continued. “We ended the unlawful federalization of the California National Guard and stopped the militarization of our streets.”
He noted the state went to court on issues varying from the U.S. Constitution’s birthright citizenship to federal funding for medical research.
“This isn’t about politics. This is about law and order,” Bonta said. “It’s about a wholesale attack on our people, our values.”
The Center Square reached out Tuesday for comment from the White House, where spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “Instead of bragging about filing frivolous lawsuits against the Trump Administration, the California AG should focus on addressing problems in his own state – like the countless criminal illegal aliens the Newscum Administration allows to roam free and terrorize communities.” The White House sometimes refers to California Gov. Gavin Newsom as “Newscum.”
California has frequently participated in or co-led coalitions of a couple dozen or so Democratic attorneys general across the U.S. suing Trump.
“I wish we didn’t have to sue the president so often,” Bonta said, but added, “I don’t think it’s too much to ask that the president of the United States of America follow the law and comply with the Constitution.”
Trump has tried to seize power he doesn’t have, including Congress’ power of the purse, Bonta said. He slammed the Republican majorities in the U.S. House and Senate for not standing up to the Republican president.
One of the speakers with Bonta was Peter Katz, president and CEO of the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce and Foundation. Katz told reporters that Trump’s tariffs were hurting businesses and forcing them to raise prices.
“More businesses are going under. They can’t afford the whiplash of these tariffs,” Katz said.
Gina Fromer, president and CEO of GLIDE, told reporters that lines for her nonprofit’s food assistance have grown since Trump took office.
“This January, we served over a thousand people,” Fromer said. “This is the only the beginning. The city government estimates that by the end of 2027, 20,000 San Franciscans could lose their CalFresh benefits because of HR1.”
House Resolution 1 is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Congress passed in July. CalFresh is the state’s name for benefits from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“Last November, Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office stood up against policies that would have stripped food assistance for 5.2 million Californians,” Fromer said.
Also talking to reporters was Jaden DeLaCruz, an AmeriCorps volunteer who said her service for students was cut short by budget reductions issued by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency. The federal government attempted to freeze $184 million in AmeriCorps funding, including $11.5 million for California.
“What angered me the most is how unfair it was to the community. My students deserve better. They deserve stability,” DeLaCruz said. “They deserve access to an adult who suddenly won’t be taken away from them because they’re deemed an unnecessary cost.”
After California and other states successfully sued the Trump administration, DeLaCruz said he was able to return to the students she helps.
The federal government’s current attempt to cut funding for child care after widespread fraud allegations and convictions was criticized by Maria Antoinetta Jandres, a member of Parent Voices San Francisco, who also spoke to reporters. California joined New York, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota in suing the federal government this month to stop its freeze of more than $10 billion in federal funding for child care and anti-poverty programs. Of that, $5 billion would have been frozen in California.
A federal judge in New York quickly granted an emergency injunction to block the freeze, but Jandres said families need a permanent stop to the federal effort to block the money.
“I’m the mother of a 9-year-old boy. I fled a domestic violence situation and was homeless,” Jandres told reporters.
“With access to child care, I was able to go to school and go to therapy,” Jandres said. “Reliable and dependable child care providers made all the difference.”
Today, Jandres said she is working three jobs and is a married woman saving money to buy a home.
“This is what success looks like when families are trusted with support instead of being punished for needing it,” Jandres said. “Families impacted by the federal funding freeze are real people. We’re parents working hard, doing some of the most important work in our societies.”
Without child care, 89% of 100 parents surveyed by Parent Voices said their ability to work would be negatively impacted, and 63% would have to quit their jobs, Jandres said.
