California Democrats Propose $12 Million For Reparations Plan in Latest Budget Proposal

The money would fund a year of reparations programs advancing in the legislature Gavin Newsom (Mario Tama/Getty Images) California governor Gavin Newsom (D.) and Democratic leaders earmarked $12 million in taxpayer funds over the next budget year to launch race reparations for black residents, according to their latest budget agreement. The cash would support proposed programs that are still moving through the legislature but are expected to pass given their support from the Democratic supermajority. These bills include subsidized property taxes for eligible black residents and a mandatory preference for black applicants who apply to state licensing bodies for work permits. Legislators also want to create a permanent state bureaucracy called the California American Freedman Affairs Agency to dole out all future reparations. This proposal comes as polling shows Californians oppose cash reparations, while state leaders work to keep the promise of reparations alive through a slate of proposals and programs. The earmark is part of state leaders’ latest spending compromise for the next fiscal year as they try to close a $47 billion budget hole. The budget proposal drew accolades from the black legislators behind the state’s various reparations proposals. Assemblywoman Lori Wilson (D.) told the Sacramento Bee it...