SF Sues Trump Over 'Cruel', 'Chaotic' Mass Federal Firings

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — San Francisco and Santa Clara counties joined dozens of local governments this week in suing the Trump administration for mass firings within the federal government.

The complaint, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, seeks to block Trump from dismantling federal agencies through mass firings.

The two counties — along with a coalition of Bay Area nonprofits, labor unions and additional local governments — argue that President Donald Trump’s administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have unlawfully and dramatically reduced the federal workforce without congressional approval, according to San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu and Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti.

"What’s being sold as ‘efficiency’ has shown to be cruel and pure chaos, and this dangerous breakdown must be stopped immediately," said Otto Lee, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

After Trump issued an executive order in March, more than 10,000 positions were eliminated from the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, according to the filing lawyers.

The firings threw "the medical, public health, and scientific community into chaos," Chiu and LoPresti argue.

“These actions hit home right here in the Bay Area by making it harder for local governments to respond to emergencies like wildfires and earthquakes...," LoPresiti said.

And this, the coalition says, is only the beginning. Many government sectors are facing even deeper workforce reductions ahead. Here’s how much further they say staffing will be slashed:

• Small Business Administration - 43%
• Department of Housing and Urban Development - 51%
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - 65%
• Department of Energy - 43%
• Internal Revenue Service - 40%

“Cuts and layoffs at the federal level are direct attacks on State, County, City, and school jobs," SEIU 521 Chief Elected Officer Riko Mendez said. "Tear one piece down, and the whole system begins to crumble."

“President Trump’s complete disregard for the rule of law has had incredibly harmful impacts on local communities,” Chiu said. “The President cannot radically restructure federal agencies through massive layoffs with a mere signature on an executive order.

"Only Congress has the power to reorganize federal agencies as Trump wishes."

Beyond local lawsuits, as Trump passes his first 100 days back in office, California has sued his administration more than twice a week, according to an analysis conducted by the Los Angeles Times.