California Republicans offer 11th-hour rebuke of budget proposal
REPUBLICAN HAIL MARY
Via Kate Wolffe
California legislators are voting on whether or not to approve a Democrat-led budget proposal Friday morning, and Republicans want their “no” vote to be crystal clear.
Republicans in both the Assembly and the Senate are planning to present their priorities “moments before” the budget vote, according to a release issued Thursday evening.
The priorities are a montage of concerns conservative leaders have been bringing up for the past few months. They want more money for tough-on-crime Proposition 36, suspension of regulations that may lead to a gas price hike and more resources for wildfire prevention and forest management.
During a Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee hearing Wednesday, state Sen. Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta, expressed frustration with the Legislature’s allocation of funding for Prop. 36 – about $110 million, when Republicans had asked for $400 million annually.
“We’re doing $100 million just this year,” he said. “What about the years to come? You can’t plan if you don’t have more funding.”
Republicans also want less money for undocumented immigrants — seeking a revocation of $11 billion to pay for Medi-Cal for people with “unsatisfactory immigration status” — and a complete halting of funding for high-speed rail.
A few new proposals seek additional funding for community healthcare providers and services for the developmentally disabled.
Republican maneuvering may not be the only drama on the floor. Some Democratic lawmakers are opposed to any cuts to immigrant healthcare and voted against the budget during the budget committee hearing, which could signal more opposition ahead. Stay tuned.
BYE FOR NOW, EV MANDATE
Via Molly Gibbs
California lawmakers have had a busy week of responding to ongoing events in Los Angeles. Still, many took the time to celebrate or denounce President Donald Trump’s signing of resolutions to bar the state’s electric vehicle mandate.
The resolutions effectively repealed California law that would have banned the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. Republicans, such as State Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, called the repeal a step in the right direction.
“This strict government mandate causes major obstacles, including adding strain on our aging energy infrastructure and driving up the costs of living,” Strickland said in a press release.
Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-Santee, was also in a celebratory mood, calling the resolutions great news for California.
“Now, you can drive what you want — gas, hybrid, or electric. Freedom of choice is back on the road,” Jones said on X.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced another lawsuit against Trump, this time for the resolutions he says target the state’s clean air policies and destroy the nation’s global competitiveness. California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed the lawsuit moments after Trump signed the resolutions, according to a press release. Trump’s actions, he said, were politically motivated and illegal.
BONTA HIGHLIGHTS HUMAN TRAFFICKING OPERATION
Via Rebecca-Ann Jattan
Amid his ongoing legal battles with President Donald Trump’s administration, Attorney General Rob Bonta on Wednesday announced the results of Operation Coast to Coast, a nationwide human trafficking effort to share intelligence, identify victims and arrest perpetrators.
The national operation was a joint effort by over 150 law enforcement agencies, non-profit organizations and corporations across 19 states including California, according to a press release from Bonta’s office. The efforts involved surveillance of known locations and undercover operations.
It was first conducted in 2024 as an initiative of the Human Trafficking Training Center and other supporting organizations.
“Conducting proactive human trafficking operations can be positive and help identify victims and arrest traffickers,” said Dan Nash, founder of the center. “This group of states and agencies from across America have come together during Operation Coast to Coast, obtained proper training and participated in this nationwide operation to help victims, arrest traffickers and make their communities safer.”
The exercise was carried out over 24 hours on May 29 and resulted in the arrest of 74 alleged perpetrators and provided support for 98 individuals. Over $1.14 million was recovered along with seven firearms. Survivors received food, housing, medical care, drug rehabilitation, counseling, and childcare.
According to one release, illegal massage businesses were targeted in the operation and “use the cover of a legitimate business to conduct trafficking, often tied to transnational crime.”
San Diego and Sacramento were the two operation sites in California, which specifically resulted in six arrests and recovery of one juvenile victim.
The Sacramento Human Trafficking Task Force worked with the California Department of Justice, Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, San Diego Police Department, and the federal Homeland Security Investigations.
“The objective of this operation was to work together to increase the total number of human trafficking investigations and prosecutions nationwide, to hold perpetrators of human trafficking accountable, and support survivors along the way,” Bonta said in the release.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“This is how you lose a democracy.”
— California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff in response to his colleague, Sen. Alex Padilla, being handcuffed and forcefully removed from a DHS news conferencein Los Angeles.
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California lawmakers blast handcuffing of Sen. Padilla at DHS press conference, via Rebecca-Ann Jattan
