Just when you thought Sacramento couldn't get any more predictable, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has fired up the state's infinite lawsuit printer. Yes, folks, we have officially hit Lawsuit No. 55 against the Trump administration. This time, California is absolutely losing its mind because the Trump EPA, led by Lee Zeldin, had the absolute audacity to suggest that maybe, just maybe, elected representatives in Congress should have a say in whether California gets to ban gas-powered cars and lawnmowers for the rest of the country.

The drama started when the EPA decided to submit four of California’s coveted emissions waivers—including rules targeting vehicles and lawn/garden equipment—to Congress for review under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA is the ultimate regulatory undo button, allowing Congress to vote to trash federal regulations they don't like. California has been using these special EPA waivers under the Clean Air Act like a cheat code to impose ridiculous, left-wing rules on the auto industry, which a bunch of other progressive states then copy-paste. The Trump EPA wants to subject these waivers to congressional review, and Sacramento is panicking.

The EPA, playing it cool, declined to comment on the lawsuit itself. But earlier this month, they laid out their vibe perfectly, stating they are "committed to promoting consumer choice and ensuring affordable vehicles for all Americans, while following the best reading of the law." Translation: We want normal people to be able to buy normal, affordable cars without California's nanny-state regulations driving prices into the stratosphere.

Bonta and his legal team filed a massive complaint, essentially crying that the EPA is playing dirty. They argue that these waivers are "adjudicatory orders" and not "rules," meaning Congress shouldn't be allowed to touch them. Their legal filing actually reads: "No agency has the power to wave a magic wand and transform an action that was finalized as an adjudicatory order into a rule, and certainly not without a public process..."

Let’s unpack that hilarious "magic wand" quote. California has spent years using its own regulatory magic wand to force expensive electric vehicles and green energy mandates down the throats of American consumers. But the moment the Trump administration uses the actual law to subject those mandates to democratic oversight, California's bureaucrats start screaming about "public process." You really can't make this stuff up.

This isn't the first time Trump has wrecked Sacramento's fun. Just last year, Trump and congressional Republicans used the CRA to completely obliterate California's electric vehicle sales mandates and diesel engine rules. Naturally, California sued over those too, because filing lawsuits is apparently the only thing keeping the lights on in Sacramento's legal department. This new lawsuit is just the latest temper tantrum in their ongoing defeat.

If California loses this case, it’s game over for their dream of ruling the national auto market from Sacramento. It would mean Congress can easily step in and dismantle any ridiculous environmental waiver California tries to cook up. Normal Americans would actually get to keep buying affordable gas-powered cars and lawnmowers without having to ask Gavin Newsom for permission.

The corporate suits are staying quiet, as usual. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation didn't respond to requests for comment, probably because they are tired of being caught in the middle of California's endless litigation circus.

At the end of the day, this lawsuit is about whether a single hyper-progressive state gets to dictate economic policy for the entire United States, or if the elected representatives of the American people actually have the final say. We’ll see if the courts let Bonta keep his regulatory magic wand, or if Lee Zeldin and the Trump administration get to snap it in half once and for all.

Sources: * Office of the Attorney General, State of California * United States Environmental Protection Agency * U.S. Government Publishing Office (Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 801-808)