Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California said on Sunday that President-elect Donald Trump “has made it no secret that he has it in for California” as Gov. Gavin Newsom has convened a special legislative session this week to prepare for legal fights in Trump’s upcoming term.
Padilla said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that there’s “a lot of reason for concern” for the second Trump administration “if the first administration is any indicator.”
The California Democrat cited reports that Trump initially withheld disaster funds for the state during his first term, saying the president-elect tried to keep federal dollars from California families “simply because it’s a state that did not vote for him in the presidential election.” In September, Trump threatened to block federal wildfire aid for California if elected again.
“We’re trying to inoculate ourselves from those types of threats,” Padilla continued.
California Democrats billed the state as the “resistance” state during the first Trump administration. And after Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, Newsom announced that he would convene an emergency session of the California state legislature to “safeguard California values and fundamental rights in the face of an incoming Trump administration.” In addition to bolstering legal resources, the governor pointed to protections for civil and reproductive rights, climate action, and immigrant families.
On immigration, Padilla said “we’re hearing a lot of bombast from Trump and his allies about the biggest deportation operation in our country’s history.” He said while “nobody disagrees” with a focus on violent criminals, that’s “very different than millions and millions of people being deported indiscriminately.” Padilla said that providing legal support for communities that could be impacted by Trump’s plans is “just the California way.”
“We embrace our diversity,” Padilla said. “Our diversity is what has made our communities thrive and our economy thrive. And so we will assist families against the threats of the Trump administration.”
Meanwhile, as a “sanctuary state,” California state law instructs local law enforcement not to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on deportations, teeing up what could be a clash with the Trump administration. Padilla, citing California’s status as the most populous state in the nation with more immigrants than any other state, argued that the issue concerns the ability for people to be able to come forward to report a crime, saying “the last thing you want is immigrants who may be witnesses to crime to be afraid to come forward and share any information that they have in the investigation and prosecution of crimes.”
“Let the federal government do the federal government’s job, but have state and local officials do the state and local officials’ job,” Padilla continued. “There doesn’t have to be a conflict unless that’s what Trump wants.”
More broadly, Padilla said “there’s also a lot of good that can be finalized” before President Biden leaves office, pointing to climate-related work and additional flexibility for public health care programs to target mental health issues. And the California Democrat noted that there’s “a lot of good work to be done” beyond the current administration if the federal government will continue to support California.