Sacramento, CA…Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement after California received notice from the federal government of termination of its AmeriCorps grant programs which support volunteer and service efforts.

“The federal government is giving the middle finger to service. We will serve them with a lawsuit.”

Last week, Governor Newsom announced that as the Trump Administration dismantles the AmeriCorps service program, California will both challenge the illegal action in court and accelerate recruitment for the California Service Corps program — already the largest service corps in the nation, surpassing the size of the Peace Corps.

When the devastating fires struck Los Angeles earlier this year, AmeriCorps members were on the ground, distributing supplies and supporting families. The agency’s shutdown hamstrings these efforts.

California Service Corps is the largest service force in the nation, consisting of four paid service programs:

• #CaliforniansForAll College Corps

• California Climate Action Corps

• Youth Service Corps 

• AmeriCorps California

Combined, it is a force larger than the Peace Corps and is mobilized at a time when California is addressing post-pandemic academic recovery, rebuilding from the LA fires and planning for the future of the state’s workforce. The federal government provides more than half of the funding for California Climate Action Corps and about 5% of College Corps, while the state fully funds the Youth Service Corps.

In the 2023-24 service year, 6,264 AmeriCorps members in California:

• Provided 4,397,674 hours of service

• Tutored/mentored 73,833 students

• Supported 17,000 foster youth with education and employment

• Planted 39,288 trees

Members helped 26,000 households impacted by the LA fires and packed 21,000 food boxes.