How Gavin Newsom and the California State Legislature are Countering the Trump Administration's Civil Rights Rollback

Planned Parenthood has been at the center of the Trump Administration's federal budget cuts, limiting vital health care services to underserved communities. (Dwain Currier/ American Life League)

The Trump Administration has made reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights the focal point of their agenda, campaigning on bringing back “American values.” Trump swiftly signed 147 executive orders within his first 100 days in office, including an order to recognize only 2 sexes in policy, male and female, and one to end gender-affirming care for transgender youth under 19. Among the long list of Biden Executive Orders revoked by Trump, many include protections for the LGBTQ+ community, such as EO 13988, “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.” Without federal protections, LGBTQ+ communities are at risk of increased stigma, discrimination, and health disparities, especially in conservative states with limited protections.

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the HR-1 budget bill, also known as the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” into law in order to reduce government spending. Among its provisions are defunding Planned Parenthood, which will affect sexual and reproductive healthcare accessibility in California and disproportionately affect the low-income and those who rely on Medi-Cal. The bill also introduces rollbacks in Medi-Cal funding and new enrollment barriers, such as work waivers. 3 million individuals are projected to lose health coverage in California as a result of the cuts, with rural areas, children, and the undocumented being disproportionately affected. 

These changes will not only impact California’s most vulnerable communities but also hospitals, emergency departments, community health centers, and every corner of the healthcare system. In response, Gavin Newsom and the CA state legislature are moving quickly to protect access to reproductive and gender-affirming care, keeping California as a cornerstone of progressive policy against the federal rollbacks. 

Fortunately, California was established as a sanctuary state for transgender youth in 2022 with the signing of Senate Bill 107 by Gavin Newsom. This means that despite the numerous Executive Orders threatening safety, the LGBTQ+ community is still broadly protected against discrimination in California under state laws. Under Senate Bill 107, transgender youth and families travelling from out of state can safely seek gender-affirming care in California without fear of anti-transgender laws and law enforcement present in other states, providing a legal refuge for the transgender community.

While these protections are still in effect in California for the time being, federal law is transcendent, and many organizations are taking legal action to prevent harmful policies from affecting the state. One notable case filed by Lambda Legal is the San Francisco AIDS Foundation v. Trump. This lawsuit includes four organizations based in California–the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the LGBT Historical Society, and the San Francisco Community Health Center–and asks the U.S. District Court to block the implementation of three executive orders threatening to cut funding to LGBTQ, HIV, and Health Programs and Services. 

Within the California Department of Justice, California, along with 16 other states, is leading a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration's attacks on transgender healthcare. This includes overturning the President’s executive orders that recognize only two sexes and end gender-affirming care for transgender youth. In addition, the California Attorney General, Rob Bonta, is suing the U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi, over the threat of legal retaliation over the enforcement of blocking transgender athletes from competing in women's sports in California schools. These court cases, along with many others, pose legal challenges and undermine the Trump Administration's agenda, temporarily halting federal pushback by slowing implementation while establishing legal protections for future attacks.

In response to the HR-1 Bill, California Governor Gavin Newsom, along with state legislators, has rolled out multiple assembly bills to provide protections for sexual and reproductive healthcare. The most recent (and landmark) bill, AB 260, was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 26, 2025. The bill allows for anonymous prescription of abortion medication, ensuring that medication abortion remains legal, available, and covered in health plans. For those who live out of state, this also means that they are protected from legal action pursued by other states and the federal government when traveling to California for care. Along the same line, AB 1707, by Assembly Member Blanca Pacheco, protects health care providers and facilities in California from retaliation against them based on another state’s laws that restrict abortion and gender affirming care. AB 352, by assembly member, Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, safeguards privacy protections for electronic medical records related to abortion, gender-affirming care, pregnancy loss, and more, prohibiting electronic sharing with other states. These protections by CA lawmakers have been put in place to not only protect the free access of reproductive healthcare for Californians, but for out-of-state individuals seeking care as well.

Amid Trump’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood in the HR-1 bill, Governor Gavin Newsom invested over $140 million in state funding in October, citing California as a “reproductive freedom state.” In addition to the increased funding, Attorney General Rob Bonta is co-leading a coalition of 21 attorney generals in filing an amicus brief against the defunding of Planned Parenthood, marking his 36th lawsuit against the Trump Administration. California’s actions will ensure that Planned Parenthood services and facilities are sustained across the state, securing access to vital health care services that keep the community healthy. To put this into perspective, these actions are especially important for underserved communities as, according to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, seventy-six percent (76%) of Planned Parenthood health centers are located in rural areas, half of Planned Parenthood patients identify as people of color, and of patients that report their income, nearly seventy percent (70%) live with incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. 

Despite the Trump Administration’s efforts to restrict reproductive freedom, roll back on LGBTQ+ rights, and undermine California’s liberal values, the state remains committed to protecting healthcare access and civil liberties. Through progressive policies, re-allocating funding, and collective legal action, California underscores the power of state autonomy when federal protections weaken. By exercising state power, California illustrates the importance of American federalism when the federal government jeopardizes minority communities and employs abuses of power. The state is not only aiming to protect residents, but those who reside in states with conservative healthcare frameworks as well. Though the future of health care remains uncertain as safety-net programs lose support, CA lawmakers are moving swiftly and will continue working around the clock to protect our most vulnerable.