SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – December 2nd, 2024 is the beginning of the last month of the calendar year but the start of something new in California.
"We will gavel in a special session, an extraordinary session,” State Sen. Steve Padilla of San Diego, said.
The special session was called by Governor Gavin Newsom.
"To deal with making sure that our Department of Justice has all of the resources and things that they need,” Padilla said.
The special session was called for just days after President-Elect Donald Trump was voted into the white house.
In previous statements, the Governor’s office said the session's focus is to build up the state's legal resources to protect civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action and immigrant families.
"We're going to make sure we're going to be able to intervene when we need to to protect people's rights and to make sure those costs don't accrue to the people of California,” Padilla said.
State Senator Brian Jones called the move a publicity stunt by the Governor.
"Of all of the special sessions that've been called since I've been in the legislature this is the most meaningless one of them all,” Jones said.
He said he state legislature was already coming back on Monday to swear in new members.
"Any policy proposals that he has can be accomplished through the regular session. The Governor is very good at headlines and he knew calling a special session would grab those headlines,” Jones said.
But what exactly will be on the agenda -- both say they are still waiting to find out.
We do know that legislation to set aside $25 million in legal fees is proposed as of Monday.
ABC 10News reached out to both the Governor's office and the President-Elect's for comment on the special session.
The Trump-Vance transition team told ABC 10News in a statement from Karoline Leavitt, Transition Team Spokeswoman, “President Trump received the most votes for a Republican presidential candidate in the deep blue state of California since 2004. Californians showed up for President Trump in historic numbers because they cannot afford another four years of Gavin Newsom’s dangerously liberal agenda—high taxes, unaffordable housing costs, and an invasion of illegal immigrants from our wide-open border. Newsom will try to Trump-proof California from an America First agenda, but President Trump will deliver on his promise to Make America Great Again for ALL Americans in states both red and blue.”
Governor Newsom's office sent the following statement, “California is a tent pole of the country – from the economy to innovation to protecting and investing in rights and freedoms for all people. We will work with the incoming administration and we want President Trump to succeed in serving all Americans. But when there is overreach, when lives are threatened, when rights and freedoms are targeted, we will take action. And that is exactly what this special session is about – setting this state up for success, regardless of who is in the White House.”
