Twenty-nine cities and counties filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday challenging the Trump administration's attempt to tie more than $350 million in critical emergency and disaster preparedness funding to unrelated political conditions, including immigration enforcement and the abandonment of diversity programs.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California, targets grants administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency that help communities protect more than 30 million residents through fire department staffing, port security, counterterrorism efforts and hazard mitigation projects.
Santa Monica joined the legal challenge after its City Council authorized participation on Sept. 30. The city receives more than $2 million annually in FEMA grants for regional disaster preparedness, coordinating training for fire personnel from 29 agencies and funding Urban Search and Rescue equipment.
"Wildfires don't have a political agenda, and our ability to respond to any disaster should not be determined by who is in power at any given time," Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete said.
The administration is demanding that local governments participate in immigration enforcement policies and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as conditions for receiving the federal funding. Plaintiffs argue these requirements are unconstitutional and exceed executive authority.
"For almost 75 years, Congress has been clear that one of the Federal Government's core functions is to provide resources and support to state and local governments to ensure that they are prepared to respond to emergencies and disasters," said Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti. "This Federal Administration is now unlawfully changing course, imposing unconstitutional conditions on critical grant funding."
The stakes extend far beyond Santa Monica. In Marin County, roughly 4,000 residents face increased flood risk without $23 million earmarked for mitigation projects. Los Angeles has $140 million in federal grants designated for wildfire recovery, including rebuilding communities and strengthening water infrastructure.
Santa Clara County faces losing $3.6 million — nearly 43 percent of its emergency management budget — threatening preparedness for terrorism, disasters and major events including Super Bowl LX and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The funding dispute comes as California faces additional challenges from the Trump administration's government shutdown, which Governor Gavin Newsom said has forced thousands of critical federal employees onto furlough and frozen disaster recovery programs.
"Communities across our state are less safe because of Trump's government shutdown," Newsom said. "Critical wildfire preparedness and disaster recovery programs are on pause."
The shutdown has furloughed 25 percent of federal forest service staff focused on prevention and planning, while key FEMA and DHS grants remain paused. More than 9,000 National Park Service employees nationwide are furloughed, leaving parks with minimal emergency coverage.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu emphasized the life-saving nature of the threatened funding.
"Emergency management is the backbone of safe and resilient communities, and threatening its funding puts real lives at risk," Chiu said. "This funding means faster emergency response times, stronger regional coordination, and better protection for our residents during disasters and terrorist attacks."
The lawsuit's plaintiffs span California, Washington and Arizona, including major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle's King County. The legal challenge asks the court to prevent DHS and FEMA from using emergency funds as political leverage.
Without federal funding, communities will be forced to divert resources from other essential services, delay critical projects or cancel them entirely, according to lawsuit organizers from the Public Rights Project.
The case, County of Santa Clara v. Noem, comes as California invests heavily in wildfire preparedness despite federal challenges. The state has added nearly 2,400 CAL FIRE positions annually over the past five years and allocated over $5 billion for wildfire and forest resilience since 2019.
Santa Clara County and San Francisco serve as lead plaintiffs in the federal court challenge, which seeks to restore emergency funding without political conditions.