David Jiang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
May 23, 2024 Story by: Editor
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KGO) – On Tuesday, the California State Senate approved three significant reparations bills aimed at addressing the enduring impacts of slavery and systemic anti-Black racism within state and local governments. These bills now move to the Assembly for further consideration.
This legislative action is part of a broader reparations initiative introduced by the California Legislative Black Caucus earlier this year, which includes a total of twelve bills. These bills build on the comprehensive recommendations made by California’s Reparations Task Force in 2023 after two years of in-depth research and analysis.
Authored by Senator Steven Bradford from Southern California, who also served on the pioneering state reparations task force, the three bills passed on Tuesday are as follows:
SB 1403: Passed by a vote of 30-7, this bill proposes the establishment of the California Freedmen Affairs Agency. This agency would be responsible for overseeing and implementing any reparations measures enacted by the State Senate, Assembly, and Governor Gavin Newsom. The agency would verify that reparations recipients are descendants of African Americans enslaved in the U.S. or free Black individuals living in the U.S. before the end of the 19th century. Additionally, the agency would set up a genealogy office to support and validate reparations claims.
SB 1331: Also passed by a vote of 30-7, this bill seeks to create the Fund for Reparations and Reparative Justice within the State Treasury. This fund would finance policies approved by the legislature and governor to address the historical injustices faced by Black Californians. While a specific funding mechanism was removed due to budgetary constraints, an earlier version suggested allocating 6% of the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties, reflecting the percentage of Black Californians in the state population.
SB 1050: This bill, which passed with a vote of 32-4, mandates that the California Freedmen Affairs Agency compensate families whose property was unjustly taken through racially discriminatory use of eminent domain. According to the state’s reparations report, many Black Californians were underpaid for their properties, which were then developed for public use. The bill ensures that these families receive either the present-day market value, the return of their property, or equivalent property. Compensation would come from the Fund for Reparations and Reparation Justice.
The ABC7 Originals Documentary “California’s Case for Reparations” highlights the story of the Johnson family from Russell City, California, now part of Hayward. Many Black and Latino families in this area were offered inadequate compensation for their property, with those refusing to sell seeing their homes destroyed by fires. The land was later developed into a private business park.
In addition to these three bills, the Assembly recently passed AB 3089, which calls for an official apology to Black Californians for the state’s historical role in slavery and discriminatory practices. This bill now awaits Senate approval and could be presented to the governor by September.
It’s important to note that some reparations proposals have not advanced, including SB 1007, which aimed to provide homeownership assistance, and SB 1013, which sought to offer property tax relief to descendants of enslaved people. Both bills were rejected in committee. Source: abc 7 News
The Senate bills passed on Tuesday now await votes in the Assembly, marking a critical step in California’s ongoing efforts to address historical injustices and provide reparations to Black communities.
