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This week, in the face of our lawsuit challenging their actions, the U.S. Department of Education gave up on its unlawful attempt to claw back over $200 million awarded to California schools for afterschool and summer learning programs, new educational technology, and mental health services and support.
This is a major victory for California schools and students.
When we learned that President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon were trying to take back over $200 million of education funding that had already been awarded to our schools to support struggling students, we took them to court. Trump and McMahon have no business playing political games with our children’s academic futures and breaking the law along the way. As Attorney General, I will always fight to ensure California children have access to the educational opportunities they deserve.
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Protecting $200 Million for California Schools
 This week, I announced that the U.S. Department of Education has backed down from its effort to rescind states’ access to hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for the academic recovery of students following the COVID-19 pandemic. The stipulated agreement, filed in court, leaves in place preliminary injunctions secured by California and other states until all of the funding at issue in our lawsuit is disbursed, effectively resolving the lawsuit in our favor. This means schools do not have to wait for litigation to play out and can confidently spend down this vital grant funding today. We’re continuing to secure full and final relief for Californians across a number of our lawsuits — and we’re just getting started.
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Addressing Caifornia's Housing Crisis
 In recent years, the California Legislature has passed numerous bills to address our housing shortage crisis, and my office is committed to being part of the solution. Unfortunately, some local governments are misinterpreting laws that were intended to add certainty and reduce conflict in the approval process for housing projects. We can't let that confusion continue. When local governments use unfair and unpredictable processes to block needed housing, it's California's families who pay the high cost of unaffordable housing or a long commute. Our focus must be on results, not delay for the sake of delay. That's why, this week, I issued a legal alert to assist California local officials in processing housing development project applications consistently, fairly, and lawfully.
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Ensuring SNAP Program is Fully Funded
 How we treat those with the least among us reveals the character of a country. I am proud to have fought with attorneys general across the country to secure full SNAP benefits for more than 41 million low-income Americans during the unprecedented government shutdown, in the face of disgraceful efforts by President Trump and his Administration to withhold those benefits. This week, I welcomed Congress’s decision to fully fund the SNAP program, and I urged the Trump Administration to ensure that the funds are disbursed immediately. I also secured a decision from a district court confirming that the Trump Administration cannot force states to undo the steps they took to ensure that their most vulnerable residents could receive full SNAP benefits.
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Sending Cease and Desist Order to Charitable Fundraising Platform
 Donors placed their trust in Flipcause to ensure their contributions reached those in need. Instead, charities are experiencing significant financial stress due to the fundraising platform holding these funds back. This is simply unacceptable. Under California law, my office may investigate and bring legal actions against charities and fundraisers that misuse charitable assets or engage in fraudulent fundraising practices. And this week, I sent a cease and desist order to Flipcause demanding an immediate stop to all its operations, including all solicitations for charitable purposes. Flipcause is not properly registered as a fundraising platform and has delayed transferring donated funds to nonprofits — totaling approximately $500,000 in donations to date.
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Making Your Life Affordable: Medical Debt
 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.
Did You Know: In 2024, California banned medical debt from appearing on credit reports.
What We Are Doing: This week, after the Trump Administration questioned the ability of states to pass such a law, my office issued a consumer alert letting Californian's know that this essential consumer protection measure absolutely remains the law of the land in California.
What This Means to You: Californians who get sick shouldn’t have their financial future ruined. Medical debt can unfairly prevent consumers from getting loans, renting an apartment, or getting a job. Senate Bill 1061, authored by Senator Monique Limón and sponsored by my office, banned reporting medical debt on consumer credit reports because we recognized this practice as harmful, unnecessary, and hurting the financial futures of people struggling the most. The best tool to ensure you are protected under this law is to check your credit report regularly; this can also help identify other errors and illegal activity, like identity theft.
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Keeping You Safe
 During Native American Heritage Month, I joined the Supporting Indigenous Communities Group and tribal leaders in Monterey, to discuss our ongoing work to combat the Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) Crisis. At California DOJ, we’re moving the needle, and we’re doing it with Tribal partners leading the way. We’ve launched efforts to support public safety on Tribal lands — including researching barriers to reporting and identifying missing and murdered Native Americans, holding events throughout California to help identify missing people and provide support services to families through our Bureau of Forensics, Victims' Services Unit, and Office of Native American Affairs, and sponsoring legislation to expand training, coordination, and resources to strengthen public safety response in Indian Country.
This week, we marked another important step forward, unveiling a new MMIP Law Enforcement Training — the first MMIP-focused training initiative to qualify for official Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification in the State of California. This free training seminar is a pivotal collaboration between tribal representatives, legal professionals, victims’ advocates, healing and wellness experts, policymakers, and law enforcement agencies throughout California. As California’s chief law officer, my top priority is protecting and upholding the rights of all our communities. And that means taking action to be an ally and an advocate for Tribal communities, to promote solidarity, and seek justice for all Indigenous People.
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CARE Corner
 One of the responsibilities at the Office of Community Awareness, Response and Engagement (CARE) is to share information about resources that California DOJ has available to help our communities stay safe.
This week, CARE is highlighting new guidance on gender affirming care. This “Know Your Rights” guidance outlines protections under California law for medical providers and patients seeking gender-affirming care, as well as obligations for insurers and health plans. California law prohibits healthcare providers and insurers from discriminating or denying healthcare services to a patient for being transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, or intersex, or due to a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. The guidance provides information regarding legal protections and obligations related to gender-affirming care under California law and may be found here.
To find more resources from California DOJ for transgender people and the broader LGBTQ+ community, please visit our Health Equity and Civil Rights webpage and LGBTQ+ Discrimination Rights webpage.
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Post of the Week
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FLASH BRIEFING
Attorney General Bonta Files Motion for Preliminary Injunction to Preserve Solar for All Funding
Attorney General Bonta Renews Call for Court to Block the Extended Federalization of California National Guard Troops
Attorney General Bonta Opposes Trump Administration's Efforts to Dramatically Expand Expedited Deportations Without Due Process
In Honor of Veterans Day, Attorney General Bonta Issues Alert on Common Scams Targeting Veterans
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Video of the Week
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 Happy #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth!
California is home to more than 170 tribal nations, each with their own language, culture, and story.
This month, and always, we celebrate the California’s First Peoples who have called this land home since time immemorial.
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Make a Difference at California DOJ
 Apply today to help 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 Supervisor, Consumer Protection
Deputy Attorney General IV, Health Education & Welfare
Deputy Attorney General IV, OGC Public Finance and Contracts Unit
Deputy Attorney General III, Cannabis Control Section
Deputy Attorney General IV, Consumer Protection
Librarian, Bureau of Forensic Services
Java Developer, Application Development Bureau
Disability Payroll Specialist, Office of Human Resources
Crime Analyst, Bureau of Firearms
Supervising Special Investigator II, DMFEA Investigation Section
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