A judge ruled in favor of the Trump administration against California over federal land sales

California Governor Jerry Brown said, "I do not think so – President Trump fears the Lord, fearing God's wrath."
(Reuters)

A California federal judge on Thursday pleaded in favor of the Trump administration, blocking a bill giving the state the right to prevent the sale of federal lands to private interests, including loggers, oil drillers and developers, the reporters reported.

US District Judge William Shubb ruled against Senate Bill 50, which gave the State Land Commission the first right to refuse the sale of federal lands in California, the Sacramento Bee reported. . The bill was promulgated by Governor Jerry Brown in October 2017, according to the Sacramento Bee. State Senator Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, sponsored the law, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.

The judge's ruling said the bill is unconstitutional because it "encroaches on the federal government's ability to surrender land to whomever it wants," the Bee said.

The federal government owns 46 million acres of land in California, including the Point Reyes National Seashore and Yosemite National Park, according to the Chronicle newspaper.

THE ADMINISTRATION OF TRUMP FOLLOWING CALIFORNIA ON SALES OF FEDERAL LANDS

State lawyers have argued that government-owned land is entitled to increased legal protection because it has been "preserved in the public interest," the report says. However, Shubb said the lands are "related to their federal status" and could not be subject to state regulation, according to the newspaper.

State Governor Gavin Newsom, a governor candidate and member of the Land Commission, dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit last April to end the application of SB 50 , according to the Bee.

"We will use all the legal and administrative tools to thwart Trump's plan to auction California's heritage to the highest bidder," Newsom said. "Once again, Donald Trump and his administration are attacking our state and our very way of life."

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra also said in a statement in April that "we are ready, as always, to do all that is necessary to protect our people, our resources and our values".

The State Land Board said it was analyzing the decision but did not have any other comments, the Bee reported.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration hailed the court victory.

"The court's decision is a categorical rejection of California's claim that, by law, it could dictate how and when the federal government will sell federal lands," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a statement. a prepared statement, according to Bee. "This (law) was an astonishing assertion of California's constitutional power, and it was properly and promptly rejected by the district judge."

The lawsuit had cited the sale of an army property east of San Francisco, which the state had refused to buy. The State Lands Commission asked for information on a proposed sale of a property in Santa Barbara County in order to decide whether to buy first, according to the lawsuit.

The 1.7-hectare auction of the US postal service was suspended while no one was bidding, and a proponent seeking to buy a property at Naval Air Station Alameda, which is now closed, asked for a delay. asserted the pursuit.

The deadline to appeal the decision is December 31st.

Samuel Chamberlain of Fox News contributed to this report.