Newsom's office source responds to planned protest against transportation athletes at girls' state play off meet

The upcoming California girls track and field field will feature an athlete from Jurupa Valley High School (JVHS).

The protest, organized by former NCAA women's soccer player Sophia Lorey, will be held at the California Interscholastic Southern Section, Division 3, preliminaries on Saturday. Lorey, a popular “Save Girls' Sports” activist in the state, organized a similar protest in the same round last year, bringing national attention to the state playoffs. This issue finally attracted the attention of President Donald Trump, who, in the book Truth Social, called Gov. Gavin Newsom for continuing his state's policy of allowing naturalized men to compete in girls' sports.

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Fox News Digital asked Newsom's press office to respond to the upcoming protest and competition involving a trans athlete.

A source in the governor's office provided Fox News Digital with a statement in response.

“The Governor said discussions on this matter should be guided by fairness, dignity, and respect. He rejects the dishonest attempt by the right wing to frame this debate as an excuse to slander individual children. The Governor's position is simple: stand with all children and stand up to bullies,” the statement reads.

“California is one of 22 states with laws requiring students to be allowed to participate in sex-segregated school sports that match their gender. California passed this law in 2013 (AB 1266) and it was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the athlete's school district, Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD), for a response.

Trump's Justice Department is fighting Title IX lawsuits against California education companies over policies that allow trans athletes in high school sports. The lawsuit was officially filed in July after the JVHS trans athlete won two state finals in the triple jump and high jump, and a second-place finish in the long jump, at last year's competition.

Then in the fall came the girls' volleyball season which had a controversy involving this trans athlete. Three former JVHS women's volleyball players have now filed a Title IX lawsuit against JUSD for allowing a trans athlete to be on the girls' team and in the girls' locker room. Most opposing teams have lost to JVHS all season.

JUSD was in contact with Newsom's office about the Title IX legal battle against the Trump administration earlier that September, amid growing national attention as the opposing volleyball teams lost to JVHS, which appeared to oppose a trans athlete.

Newsom's Legal Affairs Secretary, David Sapp, sent an email to district administrators on Sept. 8 that appeared to include a copy of the state's motion to dismiss a lawsuit, filed by Trump's DOJ in July, regarding CIF's continued policies allowing men in girls sports.

“As discussed, please see attached for a copy of the motion to dismiss we filed Friday in the USDOJ's Title IX case,” Sapp's email wrote.

NEWSOM'S OFFICE PUBLISHES GOVERNOR TO DOJ IN CALIFORNIA PROPER LAW OVER TRANS ABETLETE IN POST

The email was sent by one district superintendent to others, to be discussed at a meeting on Sept. 12. The conversation also appeared to indicate that school administrators had recently discussed the matter with Sapp himself.

“You can appreciate that for the team [JUSD administrator] I also received this from David Sapp and the Governor's office on Monday when I discussed this matter with them and we are passing it along in case it is helpful in our discussion today,” the email reads.

Fox News Digital has requested minutes and transcripts from the Sept. 12 meeting that the administrator's email references to JUSD. The school district responded that it had no records to share about the meeting.

“The September 12 meeting that was attended [JUSD administrator] it was an informal teleconference, featuring, among others in attendance, the District Attorney. There were no minutes from the teleconference, either [JUSD administrator] he didn't take notes or make any documents,” the JUSD director told Fox News Digital.

“Any notes or documents prepared by the district attorney have not been distributed to another person and, therefore, are covered by the attorney's practice privilege and the attorney's work product doctrine.”

A source inside Newsom's office provided a statement, behind the scenes, to Fox News Digital in January, in response to a question for clarification about Sapp's interactions with JUSD administrators.

“On September 8, 2025, [JUSD] Superintendent [Trenton] Hansen and Dave Sapp spoke about the USDOJ case mentioned in your email, which includes allegations related to Jurupa USD. Dave followed up to share a copy of the State's Motion to Dismiss, which was filed last week and was publicly available. Dave did not provide the district with any guidance or suggestions regarding its handling of the transgender athlete's situation or related media communications,” the statement read.

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People hold Save Girls Sports signs to protest a transgender athlete during the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis, Calif., on May 30, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

The Trump administration was torn apart by the JUSD targeting investigation in January. The US Department of Education has announced that JUSD will be directly investigated for violations of Title IX, along with 17 other institutions.

Now, California state track and field playoffs will likely be under a cloud of all that, for the second year in a row.

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