Legal Insurrection readers may recall that in the wake of the Greater Los Angeles wildfires, the state Legislature considered spending $50 million “Trump-proofing” the state: $25 million for lawfare, and $25 million for supporting illegal immigrants.
The move was tone-deaf and poorly received by all voters, red and blue alike.
The state legislature consequently tabled it—temporarily.
While the rest of the nation has been focused on President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) exposing the vast amount of waste, fraud, and abuse in our government agencies, California Democrats voted for it and Governor Gavin Newsom signed it.
Newsom said the bill will “bolster funding for legal services programs that are vital to safeguarding the civil rights of California’s most vulnerable residents, including people with disabilities, youth who are homeless, victims of human trafficking and wage theft, people facing unlawful evictions, immigrants and more.”None of the funding in this bill is intended to be used for immigration-related legal services for noncitizens convicted of serious or violent felonies,” he added in a signing statement.The package, which was passed by the state Senate and Assembly, allocates $25 million to the California Department of Justice to support legal battles against Trump’s federal policies, including environmental regulations and illegal immigration. An additional $25 million is designated for legal aid groups to assist illegal immigrants facing potential deportation.Newsom lobbed hundreds of lawsuits against the Trump administration during Trump’s first term.
This is especially two-faced, after Newsom touted about wanting to get past the “noise of the election” the day before by meeting with Trump in DC this week.
The governor described his 90-minute sit-down with the president in the Oval Office Wednesday as “a real and substantive” and “positive” conversation that included wildfire recovery and more thorny topics, such as water policy and the bills on Newsom’s desk to increase legal funding to challenge the president’s actions in court.Newsom’s expedition into the Republican White House shows the evolution of his approach to Trump: from a Democratic fighter and outspoken critic during a bruising election cycle to a statesman eager to move past the “noise” and forge a path to work together to benefit Californians.
But Californians are less than impressed with Newsom’s post-wildfire leadership.
Meanwhile, Trump’s Special Envoy Ric Grenell has been in Southern California working to speed up wildfire recovery, alongside the new EPA chief, who is helping clear away bureaucratic hurdles.
Grenell and newly confirmed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin met with residents amid the fire devastation in the Pacific Palisades. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Major General Jason Kelly was there, as was Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regional administrator Bob Fenton, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, as were many colleagues and staffers, talking with residents.Grenell facilitated discussion between residents, who are living in motels, hotels VRBO and AirBNB rentals, and government officials, to solve residents’ immediate and prepare for long term concerns.And notably, at one point, Grenell warned federal, state and local officials to cut the bullshit pushing DEI for subcontractors on debris removal. He told them to bring in all contracting teams who want to help.“That bullshit can’t happen,” Ric Grenell said. He said that he was aware that hiring contractors for debris removal of the Palisades’ burned homes was stymied because they were trying to find “the right mix” of DEI-approved contractors. Grenell advocated for allowing contractors from all over the country to work in LA. “I don’t care about the color of their skin. “I don’t care if they’re in a wheelchair. We want people to be able to do the job and get it done, and not hold up because we have some quota system.”
Grenell has been following the USAID-funded Politico’s insane climate crisis narrative in California as well.
Grenell is also working to ensure the devastated area is restored to what it was before the fire, instead of allowing Newsom to push his 15-minute city vision built on climate pseudoscience to go forward.
Grenell is acting more like a governor should in the wake of this disaster—both the wildfires and the environmental catastrophe of the burned lithium battery plant.
Perhaps Grenell will move to make it more official in 2026 when Newsom is term-limited out of office.
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