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Twice this week, the Trump Administration backed down and reversed course in the face of our lawsuits, delivering victories for our children, parents, educators, public schools, and volunteers:
✅ The Administration must release the balance of the $900 million in education funding it withheld from California.
✅ The Administration must restore $184 million for AmeriCorps, including $11.5 million for California.
We’re 32 weeks into Trump’s second term and already we’ve had to file 39 lawsuits to hold the Administration accountable to the law. You’ve got my word: We will continue to fight and win for California — just like we did this week.
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Securing Complete and Final Victory in Lawsuit Over Funding for California Schools
 The Trump Administration upended school programs across the country when it recklessly withheld vital education funding just weeks before the school year was set to begin. In California, over $900 million in federal education funding was frozen, jeopardizing key programs for after school and summer learning, teacher preparation, and to support students learning English. Fortunately, after we filed a lawsuit challenging this reckless action, the Trump Administration backed down and released the first trance of funding it had previously withheld. This week, I led a coalition of state attorneys general in announcing an agreement requiring the Trump Administration to release the full balance of remaining education funding at issue in our lawsuit by no later than October 3, 2025, fully and successfully resolving our case. Our kids deserve so much better than what this anti-education Administration has to offer, and we will continue to fight to protect them from this President’s relentless attacks.
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Protecting Vital Funding for California Schools, AmeriCorps Programs
 Our coalition also prevailed this week in preserving funding for AmeriCorps, an independent federal agency that provides opportunities for more than 200,000 Americans to serve their communities every year. Following our multistate challenge, the White House Office of Management and Budget agreed to release over $184 million in funding, including $11.5 million for California, that AmeriCorps plans to award to service programs across the country. The Trump Administration's senseless attack on AmeriCorps programs is just one part of its broader effort to dismantle our government and defund the programs and services it provides. But California will not stop holding this Administration accountable. We’re continuing to fight for — and win — full relief for Californians.
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Improving Policing Practices in Torrance
 This week, I announced that California DOJ has entered into an enforceable agreement with the City of Torrance and the Torrance Police Department (TPD) to reform TPD's policies and practices and improve accountability. While my office is no stranger to investigating and addressing systemic deficiencies within law enforcement agencies — and we do not take lightly the concerning circumstances that led to our independent review of TPD — TPD is a rare agency to proactively seek a review of its policies and practices. I am optimistic that TPD’s cooperation throughout this process, and its commitment to reform, will lead to real results that will allow it to better protect the safety of the community it serves and support the well-being of its personnel. We hope that other agencies take TPD’s lead and use this report as a guide and impetus for their own reform efforts.
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Issuing Report on Efforts to Protect California Workers Ahead of Labor Day
 Ahead of Labor Day, I issued our fifth annual report highlighting California DOJ's ongoing efforts to empower and protect workers in California and across the country. This year, California rose up the ranks to become the fourth-largest economy in the world — this is no accident. It is due to the hard work, dedication, and ingenuity of our workers and our state’s longtime commitment to ensuring workers are protected. Over the course of the last year, we ensured companies were paying minimum wage and overtime pay, providing breaks and sick leave, and reimbursing employees for business expenses — we stood up for federal workers, nurses, teachers, custodians, truck drivers, and construction workers. In California, we champion our workers and proudly lead the work to both safeguard the hard-fought protections secured by the labor movement, and amid an ever-evolving world, lead us even further. Our workers deserve nothing less.
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Making Your Life Affordable
 From groceries to gas, costs seem to be rising and rising ... and rising. California DOJ has your back and is committed to protecting California families grappling with the high cost of living. In this segment, find some of the ways California DOJ is protecting Californians — and their wallets.
Case Study: Our settlement with the City of Elk Grove.
What We Did: Last year, my office entered into a settlement with the City of Elk Grove, which resolved our 2023 lawsuit over the City’s unlawful denial of a proposed 66-unit supportive housing project for lower-income households at risk of homelessness.
What this Means to You: My office is committed to enforcing state housing laws and ensuring access to affordable housing. Due to housing shortages and skyrocketing costs, at any given time, a million California households are behind on rent, and 150,000 face eviction. While we are pleased that Elk Grove ultimately approved even more homes for those most in need, the City’s refusal to do the right thing over and over again cannot be swept under the rug. Every city and county in California has a legal obligation to help solve our homelessness crisis; when localities do not comply with their responsibility to build more housing for Californians, California DOJ steps in.
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Keeping You Safe
 This week, I announced the results of Operation Better Pathways. This multi-jurisdictional operation, which concluded earlier this month, is part of a broader, regional effort to combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation through targeted enforcement, relying both on surveillance of known locations and officers working undercover. As a result of the multi-day operation, eight individuals were arrested on four felony and four misdemeanor charges, and 13 individuals — including one minor — were offered support services. I’m grateful to all of our partners on the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force for their collaboration; our collective efforts help uplift and protect vulnerable Californians. When we work together, we get results. At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to work to protect survivors and combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation wherever they occur.
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CARE Corner
 Albert Lord, CARE Outreach Manager for the Los Angeles and Orange County regions, attended the 'Never Again is Now' rally at Democracy Plaza in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles last week. Over 500 people showed up on a rainy summer day — with sister events occurring in Manzanar, Tule Lake, and Seattle — to speak out against President Trump's "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" executive order, which among other things, attempts to censor the World War II incarceration of Japanese American citizens within federal museums like the Smithsonian Institute and National Parks. California DOJ stands in support of communities across the state under threat from federal actions.
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FLASH BRIEFING
Attorney General Bonta Warns AI Companies: If You Harm Children, You Will Be Held Accountable in California
Attorney General Bonta Announces 18-Year Prison Sentence for Defendant in Investment Fraud Scheme
Attorney General Bonta Secures Felony Prison Sentences for Three Individuals Involved in Theft of High-Performance Vehicles
Attorney General Bonta Announces Settlement Agreement with Walgreens and Succeeding Owner to Continue Providing Essential Pharmacy Services Statewide
Attorney General Bonta Warns Californians of Text-Based Scams Targeting Taxpayers
Attorney General Bonta Issues Statement Ahead of Hearing in Defense of Emergency Abortion Care in Humboldt County
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Video of the Week
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 We’ve secured a final victory in our lawsuit against the Trump Administration for withholding nearly $7 billion in critical public education funding before the start of the school year.
Trump and his Administration will now pay the entire amount.
This is another victory for our students, our public schools, our teachers, and parents.
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Join the California DOJ
 Apply today to help the California DOJ protect the health, well-being, and public safety of Californians. Check out our featured jobs below and visit oag.ca.gov/careers for a full listing of available positions:
Deputy Attorney General IV, DMFEA Facilities Enforcement Team
Deputy Attorney General Supervisor, DMFEA Criminal Prosecutions Section
Deputy Attorney General III, Employment Law Section
Deputy Attorney General IV, Healthcare Rights & Access Tobacco Unit
Deputy Attorney General IV, Environmental Justice and Protection
Senior Assistant Attorney General, Correctional Law Section
Special Assistant Attorney General, Immigration
Investigative Auditor, Bureau of Gambling Control
Legal Secretary, Legal Support Operations
Classification Services Consultant, Office of Human Resources
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