California will not be creating a new state reparations agency this year, and at least one elected official is pointing the finger of blame at Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA).
The state was considering a reparations bill that aimed to “repair harms from institutional racism,” according to Politico, but its scope was greatly reduced on the final day of California’s legislative session.
The bill could have created a new Freedmen Affairs Agency, but was watered down to propose spending $6 million for a California State University study on the issue of reparations, and how to confirm whether someone seeking reparations is eligible.
State Sen. Steven Bradford (D-CA) told the outlet that Newsom’s aides were behind the moves.
A state task force created an extensive reparations report last year, and more than a dozen legislative bills were proposed afterward, though none have brought about the movement’s wider goals. Members of the California legislature’s black caucus say they will spend years trying to bring about the task force’s findings.
Among the proposed ideas has been creating a process to compensate Californians who lost land due to eminent domain, and also for the state to formally apologize for slavery and racism. Bradford said he is refusing to accept Newsom’s amendments.
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California became the first state to form a reparations task force in 2020. Experts have predicted black residents could receive millions in reparations based on the California Reparations Task Force’s 1,080-page report. The state has struggled to implement them amid billion-dollar budget deficits.
In June, Newsom signed California’s budget that peeled back some progressive policy initiatives in order to close the $46.8 billion budget deficit. The bill cut $16 billion in spending, and raised taxes on some businesses.