LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Meeting Date: December 9, 2024
Subject: Special Session of Legislature, State Budget, November Election Results
Submitted For: Legislation Committee
Department: County Administrator's Office
Referral No: 2024-03
Referral Name: State Matters of Interest
Presenter: G. Neill and M. Rubalcava, Nielsen Merksamer
Contact: L. DeLaney, 925-655-2057
Referral History:
The Legislation Committee regularly receives reports on the status of the state budget, election results, and legislative activity.
Referral Update:
(A New) Special Session
After noon on December 2, each house of the Legislature formed as a body as required under the constitution, swore in new members, retained their leaders from the past year, and gaveled in for a special legislative session to fund litigation against the incoming Trump administration.
Lawmakers immediately introduced budget legislation that would set aside upwards of $25 million for the Department of Justice and other state agencies to defend themselves in court, to file lawsuits, and to carry out state executive orders to mitigate President-elect Donald Trump's actions. It would also immediately provide $500,000 for the state to begin preparing its legal cases. A competing proposal would fund the $25 million request and add on $10 million for county counsel and city attorneys to defend themselves in court.
Lawmakers will return in January and plan to pass the bill in time for Gov. Newsom to sign it before President-elect Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20. Other priorities and direct responses to the Trump administration could be introduced in the regular session, which is running concurrently with the special session.
California sued the first Trump administration more than 120 times, and the next four years could see a repeat as President-elect Trump is likely to attempt to roll back progressive policies enacted by California lawmakers.
LAO Publication: The 2025-26 Budget - California's Fiscal Outlook
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