WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 23: California Governor Gavin Newsom attends an event with fellow governors in the East Room of the White House on February 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris all addressed the state and territory leaders who are in Washington for the annual National Governors Association Winter Meeting. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Sacramento, California – As the Trump administration expands its controversial federalization of the California National Guard, state officials say the move is directly undermining California’s efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis and other critical public safety operations.
According to the Governor’s Office, an estimated 32% of the California National Guard service members assigned to the state’s Counterdrug Task Force have been pulled from drug interdiction efforts and redirected to Los Angeles, where they are part of what state leaders describe as an unnecessary and inefficient military buildup. The reassigned troops are now stationed at Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, where officials say many are left idle.
Governor Gavin Newsom has sharply criticized the federal move, calling it a politically motivated stunt with serious public safety consequences. “Whether it’s fentanyl takedown operations or wildfire response, the California National Guard plays a critical role in protecting our communities — and Trump is deliberately undermining that work,” Newsom said in a statement.
The shift in resources comes at a time when the state is experiencing real success in its coordinated drug interdiction efforts. Since 2021, California’s National Guard has helped seize nearly 31,000 pounds of fentanyl and more than 50 million fentanyl-laced pills, with an estimated street value exceeding $450 million. So far in 2025, state, federal, and local agencies—supported by CalGuard—have already seized over 2,400 pounds of fentanyl and nearly 1.5 million pills.
Yet as the fentanyl crisis deepens, the infrastructure built to counter it is being strained. Newsom’s office reports that CalGuard’s Task Force Rattlesnake, responsible for firefighting support across the state, is now operating at just 40% capacity. Eight of 14 teams have been diverted to support federal operations in Los Angeles. That number has dropped further since last week, with only six teams remaining statewide.
Task Force Torch, a Guard unit focused on at-risk youth and community engagement, has also seen staffing reduced by half due to the ongoing federalization.
Military leaders, including retired four-star generals and former secretaries of the Army and Navy, have filed legal briefs warning of the national implications of Trump’s actions, while veteran advocacy groups have denounced the deployment as wasteful and politically charged.
A recent internal report revealed that fewer than 20% of federally deployed Guard members are being actively utilized, raising further concerns about the efficacy and intent of the operation.
In 2024, Newsom more than doubled the number of Guard members assigned to drug interdiction at California’s ports of entry—where most fentanyl is smuggled by U.S. citizens. The state is investing $60 million over four years to expand these efforts, even as federal interference complicates operations.
