By Golden State Republican Women – September 12, 2024
A last-minute protest failed to win the Senate-approved bills a chance to be voted on in the Assembly.
Although years of effort went into making California the first state in the nation to get reparations laws to the governor’s desk to be signed into law, in the final hours of this year’s legislative session, two key bills to repair harm for African American descendants of enslaved people met their end.
These two ambitious bills by Senator Steven Bradford of Inglewood were ordered to the Assembly inactive file on August 31st. They are SB 1403 and SB 1331.
SB 1403 California American Freedmen Affairs Agency.
This bill would establish the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency in state government, under the control of the secretary, who would be appointed by the Governor. Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The bill would require the agency to implement the recommendations of the Task Force, as approved by the Legislature and the Governor. The bill would require the agency, as part of its duties, to determine how an individual’s status as a descendant would be confirmed. The bill would also require proof of an individual’s descendant status to be a qualifying criteria criterion for benefits authorized by the state for descendants. To accomplish these goals, the bill would require the agency to be comprised of a Genealogy Office and an Office of Legal Affairs.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration tried unsuccessfully to change one of them so that rather than create the new state agency to move on reparations, it instead would authorize California State University to study the issue further, and recommend a process for determining a person’s eligibility for reparations payments.
A September poll of 6,000 registered voters from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies found that only 23% supported that remedy, while 59% who opposed it.
| SB 1331, as amended, Bradford. The Fund for Reparations and Reparative Justice. Previously existing law established, until July 1, 2023, the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, with a Special Consideration for African Americans Who are Descendants of Persons Enslaved in the United States. Previously existing law required the Task Force to, among other things, identify, compile, and synthesize the relevant corpus of evidentiary documentation of the institution of slavery that existed within the United States and the colonies that became the United States, as specified, and to recommend appropriate remedies in consideration of the Task Force’s findings, as specified. Previously existing law required the Task Force to submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature, as specified. This bill would establish the Fund for Reparations and Reparative Justice in the State Treasury for the purpose of funding policies approved by the Legislature and the Governor that address the harm that the State of California has caused to descendants of an African American chattel enslaved person or descendants of a free Black person living in the United States prior to the end of the 19th century. The shelving of the bills followed much controversy and heated words in Sacramento. (check website below) https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article291777250.html Draft amendments obtained by POLITICO proposed sending $6 million to California State University to study how to implement recommendations from the state’s task force on reparations, including how to confirm the status of a person seeking reparations. Bradford’s office confirmed the authenticity of the draft and said it had come from the Newsom administration. The senator told reporters the governor’s office had cited cost pressures during a year in which the state had to trim billions from its budget. Bradford, who served on the reparations task force, said he refused to accept the governor’s proposed amendments. He also suggested that his position created pressure for leaders of the California Legislative Black Caucus to shelve the bills, saying he disagreed with their decision to “only hold them now because of the possible concerns that have been expressed by the administration.” California Black Caucus members worried potential vetoes would reflect badly on the rest of the reparations bills, said Chris Lodgson, lead organizer and advocate for the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California. Lodgson was among the activists crowding an area in the Capitol rotunda Saturday shouting bill numbers at Black Caucus members as they went through to vote. “This is your mother’s bill,” one person yelled at Shirley Weber’s daughter, Democratic Assemblymember Akilah Weber. “Don’t let them destroy your mother’s legacy.” Caucus chair Lori Wilson earlier Saturday seemed to acknowledge the administration wanted changes to the bill, but she flatly denied that the governor’s office sought to turn a proposal about creating a new agency into a bill for more study. “That is not true,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that that information was put out there. There was no way, shape or form that the Newsom administration recommended further study.” When asked about the amendments POLITICO obtained, Wilson said they represent a snapshot of a larger discussion. They do not represent the final changes the caucus wanted, nor what the bill will contain when the caucus brings it back next year, she said. Lodgson said he was “outraged” that “it’s our own damn people” preventing the bills from getting heard on the floor. “If the governor wants to veto the bills, don’t call your Black legislators and tell them to stop the bills from coming to your desk first,” he said. “You be a man. Veto the bills with your chest and stand on that as a man.” REPARATION BILLS THAT HAVE MOVED FORWARD |
Assembly Bill 3089: Says California recognizes and apologizes for harms against African Americans committed by the state under the institution of chattel slavery and for the enduring legacy of systemic discrimination. Also requires a plaque memorializing that apology be installed at the State Capitol Building.
Assembly Bill 3131: Requires that local educational agencies receiving certain education formula funding – typically located within majority Black and Brown communities – be given positive consideration for a career technical education initiative.
Senate Bill 1050: Says lands taken by any government entity by racially motivated eminent domain must be returned to its owner or just financial compensation must be provided.
Senate Bill 1089: Requires groceries and pharmacies to provide a written advanced notice of closure to employees and the Employee Development Department.
