California’s Government and Garment Worker Advocates Gear Up to Take on Trump
The largest liberal bastion in the nation is circling the wagons amid news of a second Donald Trump presidency.
Two days after Tuesday’s decisive presidential election, California Governor Gavin Newsom said he plans to take action to “protect California values” like civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action and the rights of immigrant families.
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“California is ready to fight,” Newsom wrote on X Thursday morning. “I just called an emergency special session to help bolster our legal resources and protect our state against any unlawful actions by the incoming Trump Administration.”
According to Newsom, the Golden State, which delivered the biggest cache of electoral votes for Vice President Kamala Harris, will “refuse to turn back the clock and allow our values and laws to be attacked” following the regime change.
The special session of the California Legislature will take place on Dec. 2, Newsom announced. The governor’s “urgent priorities” include bolstering legal defenses against federal actions that the incoming president has threatened throughout his campaign, like stripping women of reproductive rights and facilitating mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
“The Governor’s proclamation calls for legislation to provide additional resources to the California Department of Justice and other state entities to pursue robust affirmative litigation against any unlawful actions by the incoming Trump Administration, as well as defend against federal lawsuits aimed at undermining California’s laws and policies,” Newsom’s office wrote. “The funding will support the ability to immediately file litigation and seek injunctive relief against unlawful federal actions.”
The session will be the first of several actions taken by the Newsom Administration to rebuff the president-elect’s policies. “The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack—and we won’t sit idle,” Newsom said.
Trump isn’t sitting idle, either. On Friday, he took to his media platform, Truth Social, to hit back at the California official.
“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,” Trump wrote. “People are being forced to leave due to his, & other’s, INSANE POLICY DECISIONS.”
But Newsom has the backing of California’s chief legal officer. “No matter what the incoming Administration has in store, California will keep moving forward,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “We’ve been through this before, and we stand ready to defend your rights and protect California values. We’re working closely with the Governor and the Legislature to shore up our defenses and ensure we have the resources we need to take on each fight as it comes.”
California sued the Trump Administration more than 100 times during the former president’s first term, upholding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), fending off attacks on its clean air regulations, and preserving the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Speaker of the California Assembly Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) admitted that voters “sent a clear message” during the presidential election, noting that politicians “need to lean in and listen.”
Though the state has voted for Democrats in nine consecutive presidential elections, the deep blue wave saw some dilution this cycle.
Harris swept the Golden State as expected, garnering 58 percent of the popular vote as of Friday, but Trump made headway with Southern California voters, leading in three counties that voted for President Joe Biden in 2020: Orange County, San Bernadino County and Riverside County.
Voters also cast their ballots for more conservative politicians and policies within the state; 70 percent voted “yes” on retail-crime-busting measure Prop. 36, and Los Angeles County ousted its progressive District Attorney, George Gascón, elevating Republican challenger Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor who has been vocal about rising crime and homelessness.
While Rivas believes it’s essential to tap into constituents’ concerns, he said the Assembly “must be prepared to defend California values, no matter the challenges ahead.”
“It makes sense to consider the Governor’s proposal. I’m ready to fight harder than ever for opportunity, equality and a Golden State that works for each and every resident,” he added.
Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) was more bullish about Newsom’s call to action. “We learned a lot about former President Trump in his first term—he’s petty, vindictive, and will do what it takes to get his way no matter how dangerous the policy may be,” he said.
“California has come too far and accomplished too much to simply surrender and accept his dystopian vision for America. This is why we’re moving with speed and investing in our legal defense,” he added. “This is an important first step in protecting our progress and the values that make this state great. We’ll be working with the Assembly and the Governor in the months ahead to ensure the rights of all Californians are safeguarded.”
California advocates for garment workers are wasting no time in making their sentiments known, specifically surrounding Trump’s threat of rounding up and ousting undocumented immigrants.
The former president vowed throughout his campaign to mount the “largest deportation effort in American history” if elected.
“The threat of mass deportations is felt by our membership and the local garment industry. Any ramping up of detainment and deportation will have a significant impact on our communities,” said Marissa Nuncio, director of Garment Worker Center, a worker rights organization based in Downtown, L.A.’s Fashion District. About 45,000 workers cut, sew and finish garments locally, the group’s data shows.
According to Nuncio, the group is already working with its members and coalition partners on strategies to mitigate harm to affected communities, including demanding protections against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to city-held data.
“One of our first next steps is to collaborate with local immigration attorneys to host legal clinics for our members so they can better understand their immigration status and legal rights,” she said. “We’re also working closely with our membership to process this federal transition and adjust our organizing strategies accordingly.”
The GWC lead said the organization is using its influence to make L.A. “a true sanctuary city.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also touted its readiness to take on Trump policies surrounding immigration and deportation.
“During Trump’s first term, the ACLU filed 434 legal challenges against his administration, successfully blocking some of Trump’s most egregious policies, like the Muslim ban and separating immigrant families,” ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero wrote this week.
The group plans to use its “full firepower” to “defend against the Trump administration’s unlawful mass deportation plan through coordinated action at all levels of government,” he added. “We’ll also work with states and localities to protect residents to the full extent possible and ensure that a Trump administration can’t hijack state resources to carry out its draconian policies.”