Attorney General Bonta Volunteers with Climate Action Corps in Los Angeles, Highlights Programs Protected through Litigation Against the Trump Administration

LOS ANGELES — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined CultivaLA, a nonprofit that grows and sustains community gardens to improve access to healthy foods and wellness in Los Angeles County, to highlight the important work that AmeriCorps-supported programs like Climate Action Corps do in California communities. AmeriCorps supports national and state community service programs, such as Climate Action 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. 

“The holidays are a time defined by generosity and hope. This holiday season, I am especially grateful for our AmeriCorps members who show up where they are needed most and give back in ways that strengthen and uplift Californian communities,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta “California thrives because AmeriCorps members, like the Climate Action Corp fellows, make the selfless choice to serve. Their work is indispensable. That’s why we went to court to defend AmeriCorps against the federal governments unlawful attempts to defund the program, and will continue to fight for this vital program and the dedicated service members who support it." 

“In moments of uncertainty, Californians step up for communities where they're needed most,” said California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday. “Our host partners, like Cultiva LA, are doing incredible work in Los Angeles, feeding families and supporting neighborhoods hit hard by the federal administration’s recent reckless actions that have stripped our communities of much-needed food resources and targeted vulnerable residents. Our AmeriCorps and California Climate Action Corps members are proud to support efforts like these, showing the power of service to meet our state's urgent needs and strengthen communities. I’m proud to stand with Attorney General Rob Bonta and all our partners as we protect these vital programs and the Californians who rely on them.”

“CultivaLA is proud to serve as a host site to AmeriCorps-supported California Climate Action Corps fellows, to address climate challenges in Los Angeles County through community-centered solutions,” said Jose Miguel Ruiz, CEO of CultivaLA. “CultivaLA not only leads impactful climate action but also nurtures the next generation of climate leaders — focus areas include 10+ acres of urban greening, organic waste and edible food recovery, wildfire resiliency, and climate volunteerism. CultivaLA is grateful for the Attorney General Bonta's fierce determination to defend AmeriCorps/SNAP and ensure that young leaders are equipped with the tools, knowledge, and inspiration to continue driving environmental justice, food access and sustainability in Los Angeles County and the state of California."

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 Climate Action Corps 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 programs. 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 Administration’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 funds 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 machine. 

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.