California Gov. Gavin Newsom will spend part of week in DC as he tries to Trump-proof state policies

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to meet with the Biden administration this week to discuss zero-emission vehicles and disaster relief — issues that have been targeted in the past by President-elect Donald Trump.

The Democratic governor is leaving for Washington on Monday and will return home Wednesday, his office said. Newsom will also meet with California’s congressional delegation.

He is seeking federal approval for state climate rules, a $5.2 billion reimbursement for emergency funding during the COVID-19 pandemic and updates to the state's Medicaid program, along with other priorities.

The trip comes days after Newsom called for state lawmakers to convene a special session in December to protect California's liberal policies ahead of Trump's return to office in January.

Trump then criticized the governor on social media, calling out the high cost of living in California and the state's homelessness crisis. He said Newsom was “stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to 'Make California Great Again.'”

California won against most of the Trump administration's legal challenges over the state's environmental and other progressive policies during the Republican's first term, said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California San Diego.

“The question is: Has Donald Trump changed the legal playing field so much through the court appointments of his first term that he'll be able to win on policies in his second term?” he said.

As president, Trump appointed more than 230 federal judges, including three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Trump administration in 2019 revoked California’s ability to enforce its own tailpipe emissions standards. President Joe Biden later restored the state’s authority, which was upheld in federal court.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency typically sets standards for emissions from passenger cars, trucks and other vehicles, but California has historically been granted waivers to impose its own, stricter standards.

California has eight climate rules awaiting waivers from the EPA. They include measures to require all new cars sold in the state be zero-emission by 2035, transition away from diesel-powered trains, and update emission standards for pollutants from heavy-duty vehicles.

Gil Cisneros, who was elected to represent Los Angeles County in the U.S. House of Representatives, said in an email that his fellow Democrats have a responsibility to protect key policies even if Republicans retain control of the House.

“If Donald Trump follows through with such promises as eliminating the Affordable Care Act, mass deportations, raising tariffs ... it is beholden on us to communicate to the American people and convince them how his policies will hurt the economy and their pocket book,” Cisneros said. “That is how we will be better able to resist him.”

In remarks to Fox 11 in Los Angeles, Democratic Sen.-elect Adam Schiff said he was ready to work with Trump to bring down costs and strengthen the economy.

But “should he move to try to take away the rights and freedoms of Californians, should he move to try to tear down the guardrails of our democracy, as before, he will meet a vigorous opponent in me,” Schiff said. “I will do whatever is necessary to protect the rights and freedoms of my constituents.”

Trump resoundingly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, a former California prosecutor, in the battle for the nation’s top job. Newsom has become a foil for Trump over the years, and he was a prominent advocate for Biden’s — and then Harris’ — campaign.

___

Associated Press writer Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed.

___

Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on Twitter: @ sophieadanna