Not satisfied with the disastrous Los Angeles riots, the Golden State of California has picked up the cudgel once more against President Donald Trump and his administration.
The California Department of Education, or the CDE, sent a letter July 7 to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon informing her of the state’s refusal to sign a resolution requiring California to ban all males from female sports and rescind any medals given to transgender athletes.
McMahon posted on X two letters the Department of Education had received. The first, sent by Len Garfinkle, general counsel for the CDE, stated that the state “respectfully” disagreed with and would not sign the proposal sent by the department’s Office for Civil Rights. The second letter came from the general counsel for the California Interscholastic Federation and stated its agreement with the CDE’s action.
The Department of Education had notified California by letter that it had 10 days after June 27 to agree to the “Letter of Finding and Proposed Resolution Agreement” sent by the government.
The Washington Examiner reported that the department found California in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments, which prohibits discrimination in any federally funded program on the basis of sex. McMahon told Bloomberg News that California committed “flagrant violations” of Title IX and would face consequences if it did not comply.
With the rejection of the department’s proposal, the California government is placing around $800 million of its federal funding on the line, as reported by the LA School Report.
According to The Sacramento Bee, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office called the proposed resolution a “political document.” Newsom’s press office mocked the department’s letter with a post on X, saying, “Secretary McMahon is confusing government with her WrestleMania days—dramatic, fake, and completely divorced from reality. This won’t stick.”
Newsom gained enormous national attention during a March interview with conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk when he agreed that men competing in women’s sports was “deeply unfair.”
In response to the two letters from California officials, McMahon warned Newsom on X that he would be “hearing from” Attorney General Pam Bondi.
California’s refusal to comply with McMahon’s proposed agreement drew the ire of conservative Californian politicians, including Rep. Kevin Kiley. Kiley spoke at the state legislature on June 7, calling California’s actions “reckless, shameful, and illegal.”