Xavier Becerra, California’s Attorney General, has taken decisive action in standing up to the Trump administration, especially when it comes to protecting his state.

The son of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation college graduate, Becerra has become a figure for the resistance against the president’s baseless authoritarian actions.

Most recently, Becerra stepped in to challenge the Trump administration’s attempt to disregard long-standing environmental rules.

Trump went after the National Environmental Policy Act, a 50-year-old law under President Nixon, that established the need to take environmental factors into consideration before construction projects.

A new rule proposed by his administration would ignore the Act, opening the door to potential environmental damage and contributing to climate change. Not only that, the Act also provides protection to communities who would be impacted by pollution.

But that’s not on Trump’s radar. To stop the seemingly unending abuse of power, Xavier Becerra has stepped in time and time again.

On Aug. 28, Becerra announced that California is suing Trump’s administration for the 100th time, to save the essential environmental regulation. With this, California reached a legal landmark, a feat never before seen before Becerra.

And with the addition of this most recent lawsuit, around half of the 100 legal filings focus on environmental laws.

The rest have stood against Trump’s policies on immigration and healthcare, while other legal battles include worker’s rights, civil rights, and the Second Amendment.

“Over the last 3 and a half years, Donald Trump has continued to attack our families. He’s tried to rip our healthcare away, deport Dreamers, pollute our air and water, and undermine our schools and students. We’ve fought back every step of the way,” wrote Becerra on the day of the milestone.

“President Trump keeps breaking the law, so we keep taking him to court. California won’t rest until the President stops attacking our people, values, and resources,” he continued. 
 

Texas sued the Obama administration 48 times during his eight years as president. California has already hit 100, and Trump’s first term is not over yet.

In fact, California’s battle against the Trump administration has gained momentum as his first term progressed. On May 14, 2019, CNN reported California hit the 50 lawsuit mark — beating Texas’ record —  meaning Becerra has filed an additional 50 in the last 475 days alone. 

But he didn’t sign up to be California’s Attorney General to make records. He did expect it would happen alot, which is why he was open to giving up his seat in Congress to assume the position left by now-Senator Kamala Harris. 

“I figured I’m going to have a chance to make a big difference,” Becerra told The Washington Post. “I knew we would be busy if [Trump] took on even a fraction of what he said he’d do during the campaign.”

And Becerra sees no signs of stopping. 

In all of California’s history, there has never been a Latinx Senator or Governor to represent the state. While Gov. Newsom’s seat won’t be vacant for some time, Sen. Kamala Harris could potentially be the next Vice President.

Becerra and State Secretary Alex Padilla’s names are at the forefront of Latino names circulating to make that history. Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Karen Bass is also a name to consider, but the time is now for California to make history in this regard.

Becerra may also see a position in a Biden administration, and the Washington Post suggested in an opinion piece.

In any case, Xavier Becerra is not backing down from his lawsuits against Trump. With the rate at which his administration continues to threaten California’s immigrants, values, and resources, the Nation should expect lawsuit 101 in due time.