County of Santa Clara Applauds Ruling in Lawsuit Involving Fired Federal Employees

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – The County of Santa Clara hailed a ruling Thursday by a U.S. district judge that revoked a Trump administration decision to fire thousands of federal employees who were on probationary status.
 
The County, along with 43 other local governments and local government officials, filed an amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief in the case that laid out the extensive damage the mass firings would inflict on local governments throughout the United States. Local governments that joined in submitting the brief included San Francisco, Alameda County, Marin County, New York City and Chicago.
 
The case was brought by unions representing the workers who were fired and several nonprofit organizations. U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup, of the Northern District of California in San Francisco, ruled that the firings were unlawful and ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the employees.
 
Alsup found that the plaintiffs were not fired for performance reasons, as the Trump administration claimed. The Trump administration said it will appeal the decision.
 
The County and local governments explained in their amicus brief that federal, state and local governments work together in myriad ways to provide essential services and assistance to the public, noting that this multilayered approach to governance is grounded in the Constitution. The unlawful dismantling of federal agencies, the County asserted, severely harms the ability of local governments to carry out their necessary and required functions, creating intolerable risks to public health and safety.

“We had 44 local governments and officials speak out in unison against the federal government’s unlawful attempt to decimate the federal workforce,” said Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti.  “We are thrilled to see that the court has taken action to protect federal employees and the critical role they play assisting local governments in carrying out their mission to care for residents most in need.”
 
Federal, state and local employees regularly collaborate to share resources and information; develop and carry out plans and agreements; and prepare for and respond to emergencies. When federal agencies are gutted or damaged, local governments feel the impact.
 
“When the federal government destabilizes and dismantles its own agencies – and especially when it does so abruptly, without careful planning and adequate notice – it prevents local and state governments from implementing programs and taking actions that protect and serve their residents,” the County asserted in its legal filing.
 
“Santa Clara County understands the critical role of collaboration between local governments and federal agencies in delivering essential services to our 1.9 million residents,” said Supervisor Otto Lee, president of the County Board of Supervisors. “Disrupting one level of government affects all levels, making it harder for local governments to support their communities — especially the most vulnerable.”

“The federal administration’s brazen disregard for the essential work of thousands of federal employees is an unmistakable attack on the role and value of public service in our country,” said County Executive James R. Williams. “The court’s ruling in this case affirms that these firings were unlawful, egregious and without basis. Santa Clara County is proud to join dozens of fellow local governments across the country in filing an amicus brief in this case. We will not stay silent when public servants are under attack simply for doing their jobs.”
 
The County cited examples in the brief of federal agencies that provide critical support, information and partnership to state and local governments, including:

• The National Weather Service, which works hand in hand with local governments to coordinate for major weather events, often providing detailed weather reports that help emergency personnel respond to events such as wildfires and floods.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which provides critical support during and after natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods and emergencies like mass shootings or terrorist attacks.
• The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which manages the Strategic National Stockpile of medical supplies and equipment related to emergency response. HHS personal are available 24 hours a day to respond immediately to local health officials who need supplies to confront urgent and sometimes life-threatening situations.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which controls access to certain drugs to treat anthrax, botulism, smallpox and mpox. Local governments depend on the CDC to provide swift responses to requests for these medications.

ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA 
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multicultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, Calif., making it more populous than 14 states in the United States. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.

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