California Governor Gavin Newsom has come under fire for backing down from plans to pay reparations to black residents.
The governor established a task force to study the economic effects of slavery and discrimination in the state in September 2020, making California the first state to embark on exploring the possibility of reparations for Black Americans – even though slavery was outlawed in California even before. joins the union.
He approved his final recommendations last week for reparations payments of a minimum of $360,000 for black Californians, though payments could reach $1.2 million.
But on Tuesday, Newsom declined to endorse the specific recommendations made by the task force, as he argued that tackling the effects of slavery and discrimination is “much more than cash payments”.
Now a Republican critic says Newsom has found himself in a “lose-lose” situation as speculation mounts he could run against President Joe Biden in the primaries.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (pictured earlier this month) refused to approve a proposal to pay black residents up to $1.2million in reparations
Republican House Leader James Gallagher said the Democratic governor now found himself in a “lose-lose” situation of his own creation.
“No matter what he does, he’s going to anger part of his base,” said Republican Assembly Leader James Gallagher. FOX News Digital.
‘It will take absurd mental gymnastics to demand that California taxpayers, including new immigrants, low-income workers and even some African Americans, must pay for a wrong committed by other states over 150 years ago. , but that’s the position Newsom put himself in,’ Gallagher said.
He went on to slam Newsom for making “big promises he can’t or won’t keep”.
Newsom signed the bill creating the task force in September 2020, following widespread protests over the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer in Minnesota.
The task force hearings drew large crowds and passionate activists demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars for black residents.
In a statement to FoxNews Newsom said: “It has been an important process and we must continue to work as a nation to reconcile our original sin of slavery and understand how this history has shaped our country.
“Managing this legacy is about more than cash payments,” he added, as he pledged to continue “advancing systemic changes that secure an inclusive and equitable future for all Californians”.
“Many of the recommendations put forward by the task force are essential measures that we have already worked hard on: removing barriers to voting, strengthening resources to fight hate, adopting sweeping reforms in law enforcement and justice to build trust and security, enhance economic mobility – while investing billions to eliminate disparities and improve equity in housing, education, healthcare and beyond.
“This work must continue,” he said.
But the governor never explicitly approved the reparations payments suggested by the task force, which are expected to be sent to the California state legislature in July.
Instead, he said, “Following the task force’s submission of its final report this summer, I look forward to continued partnership with the legislature to advance systemic changes that secure an inclusive and equitable future. for all Californians.”
California’s Reparations Task Force has approved a plan that could give black residents up to $1.2 million each in compensation for slavery and discrimination
The final report is due to be sent to lawmakers by July 1 where it will provide compensation estimates calculated by several economists the group works with.
The nine-member group voted last week to recommend that the state send checks of up to $1.2 million to Black Californians, based on what was lost to specific types of racial discrimination.
This includes $2,352 lost per person per year for over-policing and mass incarceration of black communities and $3,366 per person per year of residence between 1933 and 1977 for “discriminatory lending and zoning.”
It also amounts to $13,619 per person per year for California residents for “health injustices and discrimination” and $77,000 per person for losses and devaluations of black-owned businesses.
That means a black California resident who is at least 71 years old could receive more than $1.2 million in compensation.
The Reparations Task Force has also called for those eligible to receive cash “down payments” as soon as recommendations are enshrined in law pending compensation being calculated.
Those eligible for payments include any descendant of enslaved African Americans or a “free black person living in the United States before the end of the 19th century.”
He wrote in his report: “The initial installment is the beginning of a process of resolving historic injustices, not the end.”
If legislation is passed for payments, the committee suggested that a state agency be created to handle claims and make payments, with older black residents being the priority.
About 1.8 million people in California identify as black or African American.
The total cost of the program is estimated at $640 billion, more than double the state’s $300 billion budget.
Those eligible for payments include any descendant of enslaved African Americans or a “free black person living in the United States before the end of the 19th century.”
About 1.8 million people in California identify as black or African American
It comes as the state faces its first deficit in years.
The projected $31.5 billion shortfall would mark California’s first budget shortfall since Newsom took office in 2019, and follows several years of booming surpluses as tax revenues rose.
California has a progressive tax system that relies heavily on the wealthy and taxes investment gains as regular income, meaning it derives about half of its income from just 1% of the population.
When the economy is good and the stock market is booming, the wealthy pay more taxes and incomes can skyrocket quickly. When the economy is bad, they pay less and income can drop just as quickly.
The economic reality means that payments of hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs were exceptionally unlikely.
The projected $31.5 billion shortfall would mark California’s first budget shortfall since Newsom took office in 2019, and follows several years of booming surpluses as tax revenues rose.
Critics now say Newsom only came up with the idea for a reparations task force to score political points, thinking it would never pass the state legislature.
But proponents of the payments pushed Newsom to give us his authority as governor to unilaterally pass the proposal.
“This futile reparations exercise exposes the unserious nature of Governor Newsom’s leadership,” Republican Congressman Bill Essayli said.
“Rather than tackle California’s problems head-on, he prefers headlines and commissions to doing nothing.
“It might work in a super Democratic majority state like California,” Essayli said, “but the rest of America will see through it.”
Elizabeth Kolstad, chairwoman of the Fresno County Republican Committee, also said, “The creation of this committee was another half-baked ploy for votes and accolades that got it into treacherous waters with no path to safety. .”
“What is clear is that if the recommendations of Gavin’s committee are implemented, CA will sink faster than the Titanic – only Titanic’s lights were on when it sank.”
Still, task force chair Kamilah Moore said she hopes the recommendations, including the payments, can get enough support from state lawmakers.
“We went above and beyond,” Moore said of the band’s work.
