Attorney General Bonta Volunteers with College Corps Members in San Diego, Highlights Programs Protected through Litigation Against the Trump Administration

SAN DIEGO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined Feeding San Diego, a hunger-relief and food rescue organization in San Diego County, where College Corps fellows serve, to highlight the important work that AmeriCorps-supported programs like College Corps do in California communities. AmeriCorps supports national and state community service programs, such as College Corps, by funding and placing volunteers in local and national organizations that address critical community needs. In 2024, more than 6,000 California AmeriCorps members served over 1,200 locations, including schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics, youth centers, veterans’ facilities, and other nonprofit and faith-based organizations.

Earlier this year, the Trump Administration’s attempted to dismantle this longstanding service-based agency and cut critical funding. As part of the Attorney General’s work to hold this Administration accountable when it breaks the law and harms Californians, Attorney General Bonta filed a lawsuit and secured relief — ensuring AmeriCorps servicemembers could continue to support their communities this holiday season and all year. 

“There is no greater gift that you can give than your time, and this holiday season, I’m grateful for the thousands of college students who are giving back to their communities as fellows through California’s College Corps,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “When we file litigation against the federal government, it’s not about politics — it’s about protecting California’s progress, its values, and its future. I’m grateful this work has supported vital organizations like Feeding San Diego and their ability to continue to deliver much-needed services to their community. California will continue to have your back, as Californians continue to give back, in big ways and small, this month and year-round.” 

“In California we will always stand up for our values and each other,” said California Chief Service Officer and GO-Serve Director Josh Fryday. “Just a few weeks ago here in San Diego, when federal food assistance was at risk and families faced real uncertainty, AmeriCorps and College Corps members stepped up to ensure people stayed fed and supported. Their response showed the power of service to meet urgent needs and keep our state moving forward. I’m grateful to Attorney General Rob Bonta and our partners for standing with us and defending the critical programs that Californians rely on.”

“College Corps Fellows play an essential role in our work, especially as food insecurity rises across our region,” said Patty O’Connor, Chief Operating Officer at Feeding San Diego. “This partnership not only helps us serve more neighbors, more effectively—it also provides students with meaningful opportunities to learn, grow, and make a real impact in their community.”

PROTECTING AMERICORPS: MEANINGFUL IMPACTS TO CA COMMUNITIES

AmeriCorps is an independent federal agency tasked with engaging Americans in meaningful community-based service that directly addresses the country’s educational, public safety, and environmental needs. Organizations rely on support from AmeriCorps to recruit, place, and supervise AmeriCorps members nationwide. In 2024, AmeriCorps invested more than $133 million in federal funding to California to support cost-effective community solutions, working with local partners like Improve Your Tomorrow to help communities tackle their toughest challenges.

In April 2025, Attorney General Bonta co-led a multistate coalition of Attorneys General in suing and securing an early court order blocking the Trump Administration from unlawfully cutting AmeriCorps funding and dismantling the agency. Attorney General Bonta and his multistate partners then expanded the lawsuit to challenge the withholding of an additional $184 million in funding, which the Trump Administration ultimately agreed to release rather than continue to defend its illegal actions in court.  

LITIGATION YIELDING RESULTS: SECURING RELIEF FOR CALIFORNIANS

Attorney General Bonta has taken the Trump Administration to court 48 times in 45 weeks to protect California from the harms of this Adminsitration’s illegal actions. These lawsuits involve protecting constitutional rights, upholding the rule of law, stopping the dismantling of the federal government, preserving programs, services and funding the Californians rely on, and more. This litigation has been broadly successful, delivering real results for California communities through both early relief and permanent injunctions and stipulated agreements that fully resolve the cases in California’s favor. Examples include: 

• Defending Constitutional Rights: Attorney General Bonta has vigorously defended the constitutional rights of California in courts, securing multiple court orders protecting birthright citizenship and blocking the Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt restrict the right to vote. 
• Supporting Public Safety and Victims of Crime: Attorney General Bonta has secured commitments from U.S. DOJ, following two multistate lawsuits, to drop illegal conditions on grant funding for organizations that support victims of crime. These fund go toward critical wraparound services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and elder abuse.
• Protecting California’s Schools: Attorney General Bonta secured full and permanent relief for California schools in his lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s withholding of over $900 million in funding at the start of the school year. He also protect another $200 million in previously obligated and awarded funding for the academic recovery of students following the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Blocking the Illegal Conditioning of Transportation and Homeland Security Funding: Attorney General Bonta secured permanent injunctions blocking the Trump Administration’s effort to unlawfully impose immigration enforcement requirements on billions of dollars in annual transportation and homeland security grants. These grants help California maintain our roads, highways, railways, airways, and bridges and prepare for, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks and other catastrophes.
• Protecting Californians’ Data: Attorney General Bonta has secured court orders preventing the Trump Administration from allowing ICE to comb through the private data of Medicaid recipients or from bullying states into turning over the data of SNAP recipients to aid in its efforts to build a mass surveillance machines.

You can find more on the California Department of Justice’s work to hold the federal government accountable here: https://oag.ca.gov/federal-accountability.