The city and county of San Diego have filed a lawsuit along with more than two dozen local governments across the nation to challenge the Trump administration's attempts to withhold emergency and disaster preparedness funds.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Northern California alleges the federal government has threatened to withhold more than $350 million in Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency grants unless the municipalities assist in the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts, as well as abandon their own diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The San Diego City Attorney's Office says that locally, those funds support wildfire and flood prevention projects, counterterrorism emergency response efforts, port and transit security infrastructure, and fire department staffing.
The lawsuit seeks a court order preventing the federal government from imposing any such conditions and a declaration that states those conditions are unconstitutional.
The complaint states that the local governments "now face a choice that is not only untenable and unlawful, but also urgent: either accept conditions that are unconstitutional and contrary to law, or lose millions of dollars in federal grant funding used to keep their residents safe and ensure continuity of government."
San Diego City Attorney Heather Ferbert said in a statement, "Here in San Diego, our residents face real risks from wildfires, flooding, earthquakes, and other disasters. Federal preparedness funding is meant to save lives, not advance a political agenda. These unlawful conditions jeopardize our ability to keep San Diego families safe, and we are taking action to ensure our city continues to receive the resources needed to protect our communities."
The city of San Diego is also part of separate, but similar litigation filed earlier this year alleging that funds for key city services in the form of Department of Transportation and U.S. Housing and Urban Development grants are being threatened unless the city and other local governments adhere to Trump administration policies.