Gov. Gavin Newsom, currently polling 4th in the 2028 Dem presidential primary behind AOC, took another victory lap claiming that he protected California from ‘election interference’ especially from the federal government, by signing a bunch of illegal laws banning examination of ballots.

Three of these are especially problematic.

AB 282 (Pellerin) – Makes it a felony 1) to seize or cause or assist in the seizure of ballots, election records, or certified voting technology before election results are certified by the elections official and 2) for any person with authority to direct another person subject to their supervision or authority to seize ballots, election records, or certified voting technology before election results are certified.

AB 1664 (Jackson) – Requires a local agency, political subdivision, or elections official to provide notice to the Secretary of State and the California Attorney General immediately, but no later than one calendar day, after becoming aware of any warrant, subpoena, or active law enforcement investigation pertaining to the search, seizure, or retention of any election records or certified voting technology.

SB 1418 (Cervantes) – Makes it a crime to take election materials or voting technology from the custody of election officials and expands the types of materials required for preservation if an election contest or criminal proceeding is ongoing.

These are all, based on the public statements from Newsom, AG Rob Bonta and other top officials, intended to block federal election oversight.

“Donald Trump won’t stop until he can exert dictatorial control over your free vote and disenfranchise millions of people this November. California will stop him at every opportunity. We have no bigger task than fighting to protect the right to vote from interference and meddling – the future of democracy is on the line. These bills today build upon the wall California has built to safeguard our electoral process.”

Governor Gavin Newsom

California previously got away with blocking cooperation with federal law enforcement on immigration, including by threatening local law enforcement with penalties for cooperating with federal law enforcement. This secessionist stuff is now being boosted by also blocking cooperation with federal election oversight.

Now, personally, I think that federal election oversight is controversial, but this precedent was created through civil rights act enforcement and Dems were quite enthusiastic when it was happening in southern states, not in southern California. Too bad, the precedent is there, and it can be used.

Passing state laws to block federal investigations is creeping rather close to a Fort Sumter moment, but Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Dem supermajority decided to bypass creeping towards Fort Sumter and went right to racing towards it because this fourth bill takes the treason cake.

Governor Newsom signs bill to protect California’s sovereignty and guard against unauthorized military deployments

LOS ANGELES – Strengthening control over out-of-state military forces on California soil, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed a bill that would prohibit other state militaries from entering California without the Governor’s explicit permission.

At a time when the Trump administration is increasingly treating states as targets rather than partners, Senate Bill 1354 by Senator Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera) makes clear that California will not surrender its constitutional role, its values, or the rights of the nearly 40 million people who call this state home.

This new law gives the Governor — as commander in chief of California’s militia — a defined role in determining when out-of-state military forces may enter California for state missions.

The new law prohibits military personnel from another state, territory, or the District of Columbia from entering California to perform military duty or law-enforcement functions without the permission of the Governor. The bill preserves an exception for forces lawfully called into active federal service under Title 10 and acting under the authority of the President or Secretary of Defense.

While this law does not apply to federal active-duty personnel operating under federal Title 10 authority, with the Governor’s signature of this bill, it closes a legal loophole where other states could have deployed their military under Title 32 — even at the President’s suggestion

It’s not a legal loophole. Governors grant permission to National Guard deployments. And insisting that any use of the National Guard has to be under Title 10 unless it’s directly authorized by Newsom is either senseless or a slippery slope towards an Insurrection Act confrontation.

Passing laws like this seems utterly senseless unless a state is preparing to resist federal authority using military force.

At some point when a state has passed a whole raft of laws trying to block federal law enforcement, federal election and now federal military deployment, we have to consider it to be in a Fort Sumter scenario and actively trying to secede from the United States of America.

And respond accordingly.

Daniel Greenfield, Front Page Magazine