Special Session to ‘Trump-Proof’ California Postponed Amid Ongoing Wildfires

In recent days, Newsom and Trump have traded barbs on social media over the wildfire response.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles on Sept. 25, 2024. Eric Thayer/AP Photo

A California special legislative session to counter the policies of the incoming Trump Administration, originally scheduled for Jan. 14, has been postponed.

Staff from the office of Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, chair of the Assembly’s budget committee, confirmed to The Epoch Times on Monday that the postponement was due to the ongoing wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday also expanded the scope of the special session to include expediting funding for the disaster, which has killed at least 24 people and destroyed more than 12,000 homes and other structures.

Newsom is requesting $2.5 billion in additional funding for the ongoing emergency response and to increase preparedness, as well as support the reopening of schools closed due to the fires.

California state lawmakers convened the special session on Dec. 2 as part of what’s been called an effort to “Trump-proof” the state ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The goal of the session is to push back against federal policies affecting environmental protections, abortion, illegal immigrants, and others.

Newsom called for the session in early November with a proclamation requesting lawmakers provide the resources necessary for possible litigation versus the federal government.

“We’re preparing for Trump 2.0, and his rhetoric has only heightened,” Newsom previously told The Epoch Times.

Toward this end, state Sen. Scott Wiener, chair of the Senate’s budget committee, introduced Senate Bill X1-1 to secure $25 million for the California Department of Justice, $10 million for county and city attorneys, and $25 million to cover local communities’ legal costs.

Wiener did not reply to The Epoch Times’ request for comment by publication time.

Trump, Newsom Spar on Social Media

The special session’s delay follows efforts by Newsom to reach out to Trump via a letter inviting him on a tour of the fire damage in Southern California. The governor, however, said Trump has not replied or returned his calls.

In the open letter to Trump posted on Jan. 10 on social media platform X, Newsom warned of extreme winds expected to continue this week, threatening life and property.

“As you prepare to assume the presidency once more, I invite you to come to California again–to meet with the Americans affected by these fires, see the devastation firsthand, and join me and others in thanking the heroic firefighters and first responders who are putting their lives on the line,” he wrote.

Newsom said he doesn’t want to politicize a natural disaster and has accused Trump of doing so.

“The hundreds of thousands of Americans—displaced from their homes and fearful for the future—deserve to see us all working together in their best interests, not politicizing a human tragedy and spreading disinformation from the sidelines,” Newsom posted on X.

Meanwhile, Trump has called on Newsom to resign. “One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground,” he wrote in a Truth Social post Jan. 8.

In another post, Trump also said that the fires in Los Angeles could go down as among the worst in the history of the United States.

“In many circles, they’re doubting whether insurance companies will even have enough money to pay for this catastrophe,” the president-elect said.

Trump also criticized the lack of water in fire hydrants, impeding firefighters ability to combat the Palisades fire in western Los Angeles. Newsom has opened an investigation to look into the hydrant failure, as well as the lack of water supplies in a nearby reservoir.

Travis Gillmore contributed to this report.