Trump has named Stephen Miller, the architect of his immigration crackdown, as White House chief of staff, and immigrant advocates and California officials are alarmed.
Advocates in Southern California fear more enforcement, but Democrats' midterm gains give the next Congress more ways to rein in the White House.
Rep. Robert Garcia, set to lead the House Oversight Committee, said Trump is escalating, and Sen. Alex Padilla promised oversight and subpoenas. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said her office will keep pushing back.
Days after the midterms, Prop. 40, a one-off 5% levy on California billionaires meant to fund health care, is failing by more than 8 points. Over 4 million statewide votes are still uncounted.
Props 41 and 42 could block it. If 40 passes but either of them gets more yes votes than it does, the billionaire tax would not become law.
Backers of 41 and 42, who also oppose 40, have raised over $300 million, mostly from the billionaires who would owe the tax. Supporters of 40 have raised nearly $35 million, largely from the union behind it.
Democrat Xavier Becerra won California's governor's race on Tuesday, succeeding term-limited Gavin Newsom. Republican Steve Hilton has conceded.
Becerra, 68, takes office on Jan. 4, and his first budget proposal is due only days later. He plans to treat housing as an emergency, accelerate building, and settle who pays for megafire damage, while protecting Medi-Cal coverage despite as much as $30 billion in looming federal cuts.
Hilton has vowed to work toward breaking the Democrats' supermajority in the Legislature in 2028.
US Politics Daily@uspoliticsdaily
