Twenty-nine cities and counties have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s withholding of federal funds, specifically designed to ensure that their regions are prepared for potential terror threats or natural disasters during major events like the upcoming Super Bowl LX and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. While the County of Santa Clara, City of San Jose and the City and County of San Francisco signed onto the lawsuit, notably missing was the City of Santa Clara, where both events will be held next year.
“We are aware that the County of Santa Clara, and several other cities, have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration,” said Janine De la Vega, Santa Clara’s director of communications, in a statement to The Weekly. “Like nearly every local government in California, the City of Santa Clara relies on federal dollars to provide services to our community.  A decision to file a similar lawsuit or join the litigation filed by other agencies is not immediately forthcoming. We are taking the necessary time to evaluate the requirements within each Federal grant the City receives, and will seek appropriate direction from the City Council once our internal analysis is complete.”
The lawsuit, filed in California federal court on Oct. 1, claimed that the Trump administration attempted to “impose unlawful conditions” on more than $350 million in federal emergency and disaster preparedness funds administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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Those conditions include demanding that local governments participate in federal immigration enforcement policies and abandon diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as a condition of funding.
“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 that helps local governments hire first responders, fund search and rescue operations, retrofit facilities, and train employees in disaster response. Governments shouldn’t have to pass a political litmus test to be able to care for their communities.”
The coalition of plaintiffs represents major population centers that include tens of millions of Americans. They include major international airports, mass-transit systems and ports where large ships load and unload goods critical to the national economy.
“The Trump administration is trying to force governments to abandon policies that keep people safe,” said Jill Habig, founder and CEO of Public Rights Project. “Tying federal safety and security funding to these demands is both coercive and dangerous. These funds are life-saving resources that communities rely on to prepare for and recover from wildfires, earthquakes, terrorism and other crises.”
The County of Santa Clara and the City and County of San Francisco are the lead plaintiffs. Public Rights Project is representing most of the additional plaintiffs. The plaintiffs are:Â
Alameda, Calif.
Bellingham, Wash.
Berkeley, Calif.
City and County of San Francisco, Calif.
Culver City, Calif.
King County, Wash.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Los Angeles County, Calif.
Los Angeles County Fire District, Calif.Â
Marin County, Calif.
Oakland, Calif.
Palo Alto, Calif.
Pasadena, Calif.
Petaluma, Calif.
Pierce County, Wash.
Sacramento, Calif.
San Diego County, Calif.
San José, Calif.
San Mateo County, Calif.
Santa Clara County, Calif.
Santa Monica, Calif.
Santa Rosa, Calif.
Snohomish County, Wash.
Sonoma County, Calif.
Sonoma Sanitation, Calif.
Sonoma Water, Calif.
Tucson, Ariz.
The case is County of Santa Clara v. Noem (Case No. 3:25-cv-8330) and a copy of the complaint can be found here.
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