Reparations Property Restoration Bill In Jeopardy Following Removal Of Several Other Reparations Bills

Few reparations bills managed to land on the Governor’s desk this month, despite 14 starting off at the beginning of the year. All the little-to-no cost measures with no real legal or political challenges made it, like AB 3089, which issues a state apology over slavery and puts a plaque in the Capitol to commemorate it.

However, other bills had no chance, with some not even making it to the summer. This included two bills authored by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) that were held back in the Senate in May due to their costly nature. One, SB 1013, would have given major financial property tax assistance solely for black descendants of slaves. The other, SB 1007, would have given housing grants for the same group in formerly redlined areas.

Still, several limped along into the slog of August where more were sorted out. Newsom even approved $12 million in this years budget for reparations initiatives. Despite some fund now there, high cost bills still bit the dust. Most critically Bradford’s Senate Bill 1403, which would have created the California American Freedman Affairs Agency to assist Californians with reparations program, and, Senate Bill 1331, which would have created the reparations fund, were cast off to the inactive file during the weekend. Newsom had said he wouldn’t sign them, so they went away.

As of Tuesday that left one real high-cost reparations bill left: SB 1050. The bill, which would give black families either their land back or compensation for land wrongfully taken because of racially motivated means. The bill, based on the return of Bruce’s Beach in 2022, passed every committee and floor vote by a wide margin, and was looking to be one of Bradford’s few successes this year. Most Republicans even voted for it. However Newsom may still not sign it.

First off, without the agency and reparations fund that would have been in place under SB 1403 and SB 1331, there are questions to how it would even be implemented in the first place. Second, the cost. The state Department of Finance vehemently opposes the bill as it would, according to them “Range from hundreds of thousands of dollars to low millions of dollars annually, depending on the workload required to accept, review, and investigate applications.” While there is $12 million set aside for reparations programs, the budget crunch may have to stretch that amount. And one program costing millions annually during a time where every dollar counts does not have good optics.

SB 1050 could still work temporarily through another agency, or be placed under control of another state organization. But the costs would still be there.

“This is a really expensive bill,” said Katherine Douglas, a Washington-based analyst who focuses on state reparation efforts, to the Globe on Tuesday. “Reparations bills have been dropping like flies all year when the costs started having two commas in them. SB 1050 somehow made it to Newsom.

“But this is where the difficult part comes. Does Newsom listen to his Department and others begging him to not hurt the budget even more, or does he go with what his colleagues want and hope that the bill finds a way to work. SB 1050 was really relying on other bills to pass to make it fully functional. And right now it isn’t looking all that great.”

SB 1050 will either be signed or vetoed by Newsom by the end of the month.