Screenshot: California State Assembly
A California State Legislature committee has approved a bill that could allocate a staggering $800 billion for slavery reparations—a sum that is more than 2.5 times the state’s annual budget.
This decision comes from a state that historically never practiced slavery and will be paying individuals who themselves were never enslaved.
The reparations initiative stems from the recommendations of California’s Reparations Task Force, which convened for the first time in 2020. The task force, made up of eight black members and one Asian member, was established through Assembly Bill 3121.
According to the California Attorney General’s website, the committee’s purpose is threefold: “(1) to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans; (2) to recommend appropriate ways to educate the California public of the task force’s findings; and (3) to recommend appropriate remedies in consideration of the Task Force’s findings.”
The task force ultimately voted in favor of recommendations that could include payments of a minimum of 360,000 to each eligible black resident in the state. As reported by the New York Post, this reparations proposal could potentially cost the state up to 800 billion — more than 2.5 times its annual budget.
On May 21, 2024, following a motion for reconsideration and a series of procedural votes, the bill was passed in the California State Senate, securing a vote of 30-7.
On Tuesday, the Assembly Judiciary Committee heard the bill. State Rep. Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez, the only member to raise concerns, voiced her alarm.
“Economists, consultants from the task force reported the total amount could be as much as 800 billion. That’s two and a half times the size of our entire state budget. To pay for that, you’d need a major tax hike unlike anything this state has ever seen before,” Sanchez said.
“The majority of our state is Latino and Asian, making up 55% of our population. Most of them, like me, are second, first, or third generation immigrants who had nothing to do with slavery or Jim Crow laws. It is fundamentally unfair to force these people to pay for this, and because of that, I will be opposing today,” she continued.
In an X post, Sanchez wrote, “A key committee just approved a [California] bill to help distribute reparations that could total $800 billion. I was the ONLY member to raise concerns. Why should CA taxpayers foot the bill when none of us had anything to do with this? Ridiculous!”
WATCH:
BREAKING NEWS: A key committee just approved a #CALeg bill to help distribute reparations that could total $800 billion. I was the ONLY member to raise concerns.
Why should CA taxpayers foot the bill when none of us had anything to do with this? Ridiculous! pic.twitter.com/D7g9trVoPo
— Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez (@AsmKateSanchez) June 11, 2024
California is grappling with a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall for the fiscal year 2024-25.
In 2023, California faced a $32 billion deficit. The Legislative Analyst’s Office now projects that the fiscal year 2024–2025 deficit may amount to as much as $73 billion. Governor Gavin Newsom, however, estimates the deficit at $37.9 billion, according to NY Times.
Last year, the city of San Francisco was forced to scrap its office of reparations due to a budget deficit.
Read more:
Budget Deficit in San Francisco Forces City to Eliminate ‘Office of Reparations’
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