California mulls millions in reparations costs after Newsom declares budget emergency

(The Center Square) – California is considering spending $12 million on pending reparations-related legislation after the governor declared a budget emergency, an act that allows the use of state rainy day funds to plug the deficit.  At the low end, reparations bills with finite costs add up to approximately $4.3 million per year. However, with some potential programs such as spending savings from prison capacity reductions on gun violence reduction programs or making food a public health benefit for millions of Californians having unknown cost estimates ranging from hundreds of millions to tens of billions of dollars per year, the combined cost of these proposed programs — if adopted —  would significantly expand state financial obligations.  Printed on the fiscal analysis of many bills was the warning, “According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), the General Fund faces a structural deficit in the tens of billions of dollars over the next several fiscal years.”  The $12 million in the pending bill is the product of negotiations late last month by State Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, a leading reparations advocate in the State Senate and Vice Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus.  “Although we wanted more, I’m deeply appreciative of...