California lawmakers begin special session to ‘Trump-proof’ the state
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KFSN) — California Democrats worked to mount their political fight against President-Elect Donald Trump in Sacramento on Monday. Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel introduced legislation to set aside $25 million for the state Department of Justice to sue the Trump Administration. “We’re not going to be caught flat-footed, and so that’s why we’re taking action to make sure that we have resources in place,” Gabriel told Action News. “On day one, California will be ready to defend our values.” Attorney General Rob Bonta made the case that the state needs to protect against reproductive rights. “In California, we’re not going back. We’re moving forward full speed ahead. We’re a reproductive freedom state, and that’s not changing. We will remain so,” Bonta said at a press conference. Governor Gavin Newsom first called for the rare Special Session two days after the election. The governor’s office told the Associated Press that Newsom wants to “Trump-Proof” the state after a rocky, back-and-forth relationship. California filed more than 120 lawsuits against the first Trump administration that began in 2017. Now, Gabriel says Democrats are ready to do it again.