California legislatorsOn Monday, the Gold State postponed a special legislative session that was scheduled for Tuesday to “fortify Trump” ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Trump, due to the wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area.
A member of the California Assembly Budget Office told Fox News Digital that the session was postponed due to the fires, adding that the committee's chair, Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, is unable to attend the session because he represents areas devastated by wildfires.
When asked when the session would be rescheduled before Trump's inauguration on January 20, the budget office said the new date remained “uncertain.”
While the session was adjourned, on Friday, lawmakers amended the legislation.
The California Capitol Building on July 17, 2022, in Sacramento, California. (Myung Ji-chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
KCRA in Sacramento reported that lawmakers added a proposal for a new website to track anticipated lawsuits between the state and the Trump administration, additional rules surrounding the use of an additional $25 million for the California Department of Justice to fight legal battles, and a proposal for $25 million in grants for legal services and support. Immigration. The proposals were added to the special session bills, ABX1-1 and ABX1-2.
This news comes just days after a KCRA reporter pressed California Assembly Democratic Speaker Robert Rivas if this was the right time to hold a legislative session on allocating money to fight Trump in a way that lawmakers could actually do without needing a resolution. Private session.
Rivas ignored the question, saying he was there to address forest fires.
Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, January 9, 2025. (Ethan Swope/AP)
“This is a historic, historical wildfire,” he told the reporter. “This is a historic event. These wildfires, as I mentioned, will, in all likelihood, be some of the worst wildfires and disasters in state and national history.”
But the reporter insisted, “While this wildfire is happening, while people are trying to understand what's happening and they're worried about disaster relief, and they're worried about being able to get homeowners insurance, your chamber held a special legislative session to prepare for Donald Trump in a way that you can actually do.” “Without a special legislative session, so again, is now the right time for that?”
Once again, Rivas focused on wildfire recovery and did not directly answer the reporter's question.
'Devastating': California saw record rainfall last year, but lacked the infrastructure to store it
California Governor Gavin Newsom and President-elect Trump have clashed over various issues, including immigration. (Getty/AP)
Rivas' office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for additional information about the postponement of the special session.
Shortly after Trump won the election. Governor Gavin Newsom He announced a special legislative session to strengthen the state's legal fund in the event of attacks from the Trump administration. Trump responded to Newsom after the announcement, saying on his Truth Social account: “He uses the term 'anti-Trump' as a way to stop all the great things that could be done to 'Make California Great Again,' but I just won the election by a landslide.” .
Between 2017 and 2021, California Department of Justice 122 lawsuits filed Against the policies of the Trump administration, spending $42 million on litigation. In one case, the federal government ordered California to reimburse California for nearly $60 million in public safety grants, Newsom's office said.
While California has filed more than 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration, Trump has filed only four major lawsuits against the state. In 2018, Trump's Justice Department sued over three California laws restricting cooperation with… Federal immigration enforcement. That same year, Trump sued the state of California over its statewide net neutrality law.
Fox News Digital's Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
