California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with California Governor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, today announced their intention to challenge any deployment of federalized National Guard troops to San Francisco in court. In recent days, President Trump and other members of his Administration have indicated that San Francisco is the next target in their takeover of American cities and effort to transform the role of the military in our society. California has sued over the federalization and deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles and Portland and will continue to challenge any new attempts to trample over state sovereignty and constitutional norms by sending troops to San Francisco.

“There is no basis to send National Guard troops to San Francisco. No emergency. No rebellion. No invasion. Not even unrest,” said Attorney General Bonta. “President Trump has long abandoned any pretenses for the illegal federalization and deployment of California’s National Guard. He does not care about satisfying the conditions of the law; he cares about himself, and he cares about power. Trump has made no secret of his intentions: To use our National Guard as his own Royal Army and our cities as a training ground for the military. This is outrageous, indefensible, and most importantly illegal. San Francisco may be the President’s latest target, but California is no stranger to the President’s political games and unconstitutional tactics. We’re ready to go to court immediately if the President follows through on this latest illegal plan.”