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On climate change, the state Legislature is torn between resisting Trump and getting its own house in order
A view of the California state capitol building on March 13, 2024 in Sacramento.
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Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for National Urban
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Getty Images for National Urban League
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State lawmakers are set to gavel in a special session to boost funding for legal fights against a second Trump administration immediately after swearing in newly-elected members on Dec. 2 in Sacramento. Gov. Gavin Newsom has said the extra money will go toward defending the state’s climate policies, including its phaseout of gas-powered vehicles, as well as its immigration and reproductive health care agenda
Why it matters: Trump has vowed to – again – go after California’s special authority to set nation-leading vehicle emissions standards, which would devastate the state’s climate goals. His past playbook also includes peeling back recently-designated national monuments and weakening endangered species rules to boost water deliveries.
Why a special session: Newsom doesn’t technically need a special session to send more money to his attorney general; during the first Trump term, then-Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers made a similar appropriation through the regular budget process. But calling a special session gives him a few more weeks to prepare, national media attention and political points for going on the offense against Trump.
The politics in the Legislature: State legislative leaders agreed to the special session, but they are also reckoning with a shift to the center among their members. Republicans flipped one Senate seat and two open Assembly seats, and several term-limited and outgoing progressive Democrats got replaced with more moderate Democrats.
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The cost-of-living shadow: While progressive members may be all-in on the Trump resistance, others are more wary, suggesting it may distract from tackling cost-of-living issues amplified by the election’s rightward swing. Among those are pricey utility bills and property insurance, issues partly caused by the state’s transition to renewable energy and the effects of climate change.
For more, read the full story in POLITICO’s California Climate newsletter.
This story is published in partnership with POLITICO.
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