California stands for just about everything Donald Trump doesn't, writes Josh Harkinson.
Here in America's most populous state, the wealthy pay the nation's highest income tax rate, the minimum wage will soon rise to $15 an hour statewide, more than a quarter of the population is foreign born, and the economy is booming. California, the world's sixth-largest economy and a bastion of progressivism, is now being hailed as a kind of great blue firewall—Democrats' most important bulwark against the retrograde policies of Donald Trump.
In fact, California voters overwhelmingly rejected Trump 61.5 percent to 31.5 percent, giving Hillary Clinton a 4.3 million vote margin. Now, almost every elected official in the state is gearing up to protect California values against popular vote loser Donald Trump.
Rep. Xavier Becerra left his Democratic leadership post in Congress to take over the state's attorney general office, where Trump policies will be put through the legal wringer.
State lawmakers also retained former Obama attorney general Eric Holder, who will advise the legislature on ways to insulate Golden State policies from being encroached upon.
But California is aiming do more than just protect itself from Trump’s agenda on a variety of progressive issues—in some cases, it will attempt to influence other states as well.
Climate change
California plays a unique role in setting national energy policy: Section 209 of the Clean Air Act allows California, but not other states, to set its own stricter-than-federal emissions standards for automobiles if they address "compelling and extraordinary conditions." Other states are then allowed to adopt those regulations. California already plays a major role in protecting the nation's air quality: To date, 10 other states, representing 40 percent of the US population, have signed on to California's tighter efficiency and emissions rules for cars, appliances, and automobiles.
Those standards include cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to 40 percent lower than they were in 1990. Gov. Jerry Brown plans to reach out directly to other states and nations to help combat climate change.
Immigration
Trump’s mass deportations won't be getting a welcome mat in the Golden State.
A 2014 law bans state authorities from holding immigrants convicted of minor crimes for any longer than required by criminal law, thereby protecting them from being turned over to federal authorities for deportation.
Just after Trump's election, state lawmakers also introduced a package of bills that would prohibit state and local officials from helping federal immigration authorities in several ways, including sharing records with them. The measures would also make schools, hospitals, and courthouses "safe zones" where enforcement of federal immigration law is banned, and they would create legal aid funds to help train public defenders in immigration law and provide financial help to people fighting deportation. Additionally, cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco are moving to create similar legal funds.
In 2011, Brown signed the California DREAM Act, allowing Californians who came to the country illegally when they were children to apply for financial aid from state colleges. In 2013, California allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, qualify for in-state tuition, and obtain law and other professional licenses. Last year, the state expanded its California-only Medicaid (Medi-Cal) program to undocumented children.
Weed
Marijuana industry leaders expect California to vigorously defend Proposition 64 from any federal court challenges. "We would expect a very, very strong pushback from the state, because the reality is it’s a public safety issue," Nate Bradley, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Association, told the Los Angeles Times. "They have decriminalized a product, so if you don’t allow any sort of regulation in place for people to access that product, the underground market is only going to grow."
Guns
Trump may want to make concealed carry available nationwide, but California has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. Last summer, the state enacted additional measures that prohibit 10-bullet or more ammunition magazines, instituted background checks for ammunition, and banned some semi-automatic rifles. Gun owners must also report lost or stolen guns.