In the seven weeks since Donald Trump was inaugurated, he has issued 87 executive orders, the most of any president in more than 40 years. He has also instructed his Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, to make significant changes in how the federal government is staffed.
How have these actions affected California? That answer is more complicated than it may at first seem. Many of the orders are already held up in federal court, and others are mitigated by California law. However, legal impact isn’t the only impact of Trump’s actions – these policy changes are creating a new political way of life that is trickling down into state government, municipalities, and school districts.
Let’s look at three big issues – the environment, immigration, and education – to see what has happened so far.
California’s Environment
In his first week, Trump signed a flurry of orders reversing environmental protections established under President Joe Biden, including withdrawing the nation from the Paris Climate Agreement. Trump specifically targeted California with an order undoing our state’s nation-leading emissions standards, threatening the speed with which the Golden State is transitioning to electric vehicles. However, California is still allowed to create its own laws creating environmental protections and investments in green energy.
One order that may have an impact sooner rather than later: Trump’s executive order opening the floodgates in two reservoirs in Northern California. Trump attributed the disastrous wildfires in Los Angeles to a lack of water from the northern part of the state. However, the opening of those dams did nothing to put more water into Southern California. What it did was threaten the fish in the reservoirs and the state’s largest industry – agriculture. The disastrous order wasted the water Central California farms rely on, contributing to a lack of water for farms come the dry season.
California’s Immigrant Population
More than 1 in 4 people living in California were born outside of the United States, and Trump’s executive orders revoking birthright citizenship, increasing ICE raids, and barring sanctuary cities are terrifying immigrants and their communities. ICE raids in our state are making immigrant families fear going to work and sending their children to school.
Trump’s order barring undocumented people from accessing government services doesn’t affect Medi-Cal because the money that funds Medi-Cal for undocumented people is from state taxes, not federal. However, the order may scare Californians into not applying for health insurance and accessing care.
California’s Schools
Trump’s order to dissolve the U.S. Department of Education is still in draft form, but that doesn’t mean other executive orders haven’t impacted our schools. One order withholds funding from districts that use curriculum focused on race or ethnicity, or offer protections for transgender students. Another bars transgender girls from participating in school sports, and still another attacks Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.
Not only do these orders threaten school district funding that directly helps kids from lower-income communities and children with disabilities, but the orders have also bolstered anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-DEI school boards in California. In Temecula Valley Unified, for example, the board tried to pass an anti-trans policy last year, but it was struck down by the courts. One school board member said that Trump’s orders feel like a “vindication” and he’s “optimistic” about how they’ll affect California.
What Can California Do?
Right now, California is relying on the courts to stop Trump’s assault on our values. In February, lawmakers approved $50 million to challenge Trump’s policies legally. So far, California has either sued or joined lawsuits to prevent:
- The mass firing of federal employees – 140,000 of whom live in California
- Cuts to teacher preparation grants, $148 million of which go to our state
- Elon Musk’s DOGE federal cuts
- Restrictions on federal health research in universities
- Trump’s freezing of all federal funding
- DOGE’s access to sensitive data
- The ending of birthright citizenship
California has more voters than any other state, the fifth-largest economy in the world, and is a donor state—paying more money to the federal government in taxes than we receive. We need to use that collective power to resist Trump’s attack on our economy and progress.