Democratic lawmakers resist calls to switch gears on Trump special session as LA fires rage
California Democrats on Thursday resisted calls from Republicans in the Legislature to end a special session preparing for the upcoming administration of Donald Trump as wildfires raged in Los Angeles.
Instead, they continued their plan to provide aid to the state Department of Justice in preparation for lawsuits against the federal government. Gov. Gavin Newsom in December called on lawmakers to begin the special session.
Assemblymember James Gallagher, R-Nicolaus, said the special session needed to be shut down immediately.
“We have so much bigger issues right now that we really need to tackle,” he said. Los Angeles fire officials said Thursday that thousands of homes appear to have been damaged or destroyed.
Though Trump has made threats about potentially holding back disaster funds from the state, Gallagher said he was not worried the president-elect would do so once he is sworn in office.
Lawmakers in the Assembly voted Thursday morning to move potential bills forward, including one that would give $25 million to the Department of Justice. Senators created a special committee and allowed for more time to make amendments to at least one possible bill. More than a dozen lawmakers from the Los Angeles area were absent from the Capitol.
“Getting enough resources to put these fires out are not mutually exclusive to protecting the progress and the people of this great state,” said Senate President pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg.
“If the Republicans have time on their hands right now, they should start working with the incoming administration to ensure that politics isn’t played with the recovery funds that every president in the history of this nation has advanced to states that are facing need.”
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, called the fires “heartbreaking and devastating” but did not answer questions about why his chamber was continuing to push forward on the Trump-related session.
“I’m here to address these wildfires,” he told reporters. “We are acting with great urgency to ensure that we’re providing much needed relief to Angelenos.”
He said that would include a bill related to fire insurance that was expected to be introduced later in the day. McGuire said the Senate would be putting forward legislation this year to help people in Los Angeles County rebuild homes, businesses, places of worship and schools.
On Wednesday, Assemblymember Bill Essayli, R-Corona, called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to call a special session focused on wildfire response.
Rivas said he had “had zero conversations” about a wildfire-focused special session and that it’s “a call for the governor to make.”
A debate over the need for a special session also broke out on the Senate floor.
“We shouldn’t be focusing on Trump-proofing California,” said Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego. “We should be focusing on fire-proofing California.”
The incoming president has blamed Newsom for the scale of the Los Angeles fires and for fire hydrants running dry as firefighters and homeowners battled the Palisades fire. Trump demanded on social media “that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA!”
He has threatened to withhold wildfire aid from the state unless Newsom diverts more water to Central Valley farmers.
“This president may say a lot of crazy things,” Jones said of Trump. “But at the end of the day, his administration helped California when we needed it most.”
Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, countered that getting ready for the incoming administration is a priority.
“I actually do think it’s important for California to stand up for our values and for California residents,” he said.
Wiener hinted at a news report that Trump refused to give California wildfire disaster relief until he was informed that the fires impacted communities with a large number of his supporters.
“We are dealing with a very dangerous situation for California,” he said. “We need to be fully prepared.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 11:56 AM.
