In December, Gov. Jerry Brown asserted California’s independence and blasted President Donald Trump for dismissing climate change.

On Friday, the governor turned to his potential nemesis for help — specifically, asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to declare a major disaster after the state was hammered by storms, floods and mudslides.

The request could be an early test of relations between the Democrats who run the nation’s largest state and the new Republican administration.

If California’s request is rejected, however, it might be difficult to pin it on a frosty relationship between the governor and the president, said Larry Gerston, professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State. “It’s an easy claim to make, but a hard one to prove,” he said.

FEMA considers many factors for disaster relief, including the severity of damage and cost, Gerston said. “It’s a very discretionary call by the president,” he said.

Gerston added that Trump just might reveal his reasoning behind any decision. “This president is fairly transparent with his feelings,” he said.

Brown formally requested the declaration for the series of storms striking the state between Jan. 3 and Jan. 12. Heavy rains, winds and snow, particularly in Northern California, left eight people dead and knocked out power to an estimated 1 million Californian homes and businesses without power.

“The impacts associated with this series of storms were substantial and widespread, devastating much of California,” Brown wrote.

The presidential declaration is a step toward freeing up federal money to supplement other public funds for cleanup efforts. Brown estimated that the public cleanup in California will cost more than $162 million.

Trump granted a similar request last month from Oregon, another blue state, which suffered from a severe winter storm before Christmas.

Brown attacked Trump’s energy and environmental policies at a forum for scientists in December. The governor vowed to protect climate research and policies aimed at curbing global warming. “We’ve got the scientists, we’ve got the lawyers and we’re ready to fight,” Brown told the audience.

Jack Pitney, a professor of politics and government at Claremont McKenna College, said governors and presidents have feuded for 200 years. Politics do not typically play into decision about emergency aid, he said, but “with Trump, you don’t assume anything.”

The state could also turn to its California’s Republican House members, such as Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, to smooth relations with the Trump administration — and Vice President Mike Pence, a former Indiana governor, could be sympathetic to the state’s needs, Pitney said.

Other members of the congressional delegation have also contacted FEMA. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, told FEMA last month that the counties of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Mateo had significant damage from the storms.

Eshoo plans to visit La Honda on Sunday with state and local leaders to inspect destruction from landslides and flooding.

A FEMA spokeswoman confirmed that the agency had received requests for disaster declarations from California and Nevada for storm-related damage.

Kelly Huston, deputy director with the governor’s office of emergency services, said the application was complex, given the large number of counties it affects. The state expected the request to be handled on its merits, he said.

“We’re processing it just like anything else,” he said.