The legislation is intended to set California up with funding to fight possible legislation with President-elect Trump
Gov. Gavin Newsom pressed on whether 'buck stops with' him as governor amid devastating LA fires
Gov. Gavin Newsom was pressed on whether the buck really stops with him as the governor of California amid the devastating wildfires across Los Angeles.
California lawmakers, on Monday, postponed a special legislation session scheduled for Tuesday to "Trump-proof" the Gold State ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration, due to wildfires devastating the Los Angeles region.
A member of the California Assembly budget office told Fox News Digital the hearing was postponed because of the fires, adding that the chairman of the committee, Assembly Member Jesse Gabriel, is unable to attend the session because he represents areas devastated by the wild infernos.
When asked when the session would be rescheduled before Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20, the budget office said the new date is still "up in the air."
While the session has been postponed, lawmakers, on Friday, adjusted the legislation.
The California Capitol July 17, 2022, in Sacramento, Calif. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
KCRA in Sacramento reported that the 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 the legal battles, and a proposal for $25 million in grants for legal services and immigration support. The proposals were added to the special session bills, ABX1-1 and ABX1-2.
The news comes just days after a reporter with KCRA pressed the Democratic speaker of the California Assembly, Robert Rivas, if it were the right time to have a legislative session on allocating money to fight Trump in a way that lawmakers could already do without having a special session.
Rivas deflected the question, saying he was there to address the wildfires.
Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Ethan Swope/AP)
"This is a historic, historic wildfire," he told the reporter. "This is, this is a historic event. These wildfires, as I mentioned, are going to be, quite possibly, some of the worst wildfires and disasters in the state and national history."
But the reporter pressed on, saying, "while this wildfire is happening, and while people are trying to understand what’s going on and are worried about disaster relief, worried about the ability to get homeowners insurance, your chamber gaveled into a special legislative session to prepare for Donald Trump in a way that you are already able to do without a special legislative session. So again, is now the right time for that?"
Again, Rivas focused on wildfire recovery and did not directly answer the reporter’s question.
'DEVASTATING': CALIFORNIA HAD RECORD RAINFALL LAST YEAR, BUT LACKED INFRASTRUCTURE TO STORE IT
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President-elect Trump have clashed on 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's electoral victory, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a special legislative session to bolster the state's legal fund in the case of attacks from the Trump administration. Trump hit back at Newsom after the announcement, saying on his Truth Social account, "He is using the term 'Trump-Proof' as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to 'Make California Great Again,' but I just overwhelmingly won the Election."
Between 2017 and 2021, California's Department of Justice led 122 lawsuits against Trump administration policies, spending $42 million on litigation. Newsom's office said in one case, the federal government was ordered to reimburse California nearly $60 million in public safety grants.
While California filed over 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration, Trump lobbed only four major lawsuits against the state. In 2018, Trump's DOJ filed a lawsuit over three California sanctuary state laws that restricted cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. That same year, Trump sued California for its state-level net neutrality law.
Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
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