California Scuttles Reparations Bills As Supporters Denounce A Political Bait-And-Switch

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

We have previously discussed (here and here and here and here) the push for reparations in California that has been touted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats for years. After the Democrats campaigned on the issue in past elections, I wrote a column about how this bill had come due after years of delay for study and recommendations.

The legislature, however, just stamped the bill “return to sender” and shelved the two reparations bills with the reported support of Newsom.

The reaction is not surprising that there has been a bait-and-switch by Democrats on the issue.

Last week, the California legislature did approve proposals allowing for the return of land or compensation to families whose property was unjustly seized by the government, and issuing a formal apology for laws and practices that have harmed Black people. However, the two bills to establish a fund for reparation payments – Senate Bills 1403 and 1331 – were tabled.

State Sen. Steven Bradford blamed Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom for the result, stating that the governor made clear that he would veto them.

Newsom signed a $297.9 billion budget in June that included up to $12 million for reparations legislation. However, that is a drop in the bucket given the billions demanded and it is not clear how the money will be spent.

Adding to the anger is the fact that the legislature approved a bill to allow undocumented persons to receive no-interest loans of up to $150,000 to cover down payments on new homes.

It is now unclear what will happen next, though sponsors are saying that they will continue to push for legislation green lighting reparation payments.

Some congressional Democrats have pushed for similar federal reparations and passed a bill out of the House Judiciary Committee in 2021 that failed to receive a floor vote.

BET founder Robert Johnson has called for $14 trillion in federal reparations.

As discussed earlier, there are a host of legal and practical questions over the reparation payments that will have to be resolved. Even with passage, the bills would likely face constitutional challenges.