2025 Annual Meeting: Navigating Federal Uncertainty Workshop Recap 

During the 131^st CSAC Annual Meeting in Santa Clara County, a workshop was convened, featuring speakers from the California Department of Justice, the Santa Clara Office of the County Counsel, the Bay Area Council (BAC) Economic Institute, University of California, Merced, and Paragon Government Relations, CSAC’s federal advocacy team. This workshop, Navigating Federal Uncertainty, provided attendees with critical insight from the diverse set of panelists on how counties may consider approaching and preparing for the extreme level of uncertainty and the concerns within their communities stemming from abrupt changes from the federal Administration, specifically as it relates to funding, grants, and swift policy action.  

Workshop Recap and Key Takeaways
Attorney General Rob Bonta opened the workshop with remarks on how the California Department of Justice is pushing back against the second Trump Administration. The Santa Clara Office of the County Counsel and Paragon Government Relations spoke to a national landscape and how counties are directly impacted by evolving federal grant criteria, H.R. 1, and existing case law on (SB 54) the California Values Act, which limits local and state law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Lastly, the BAC Economic Institute and UC Merced representatives shared their findings from their recently published report on the  economic impacts of mass deportation in California.  

Workshop content is available on the CSAC website HERE. Please feel free to contact CSAC staff with any questions: 

• Michaela Stone, Legislative Analyst: mstone@counties.org 
• Ryan Morimune, Senior Legislative Advocate: rmorimune@counties.org 
• Justin Garrett, Senior Legislative Advocate and CSAC Federal Affairs Manager: jgarrett@counties.org