California wrestling with hidden cost of reparations push

California is struggling to figure out how to deal with a massive budget deficit and reparations the state Democrats are looking to turn into law.  The Golden State is currently contending with a $68 billion deficit, a loss mostly due to a decline in revenue during fiscal 2022-2023. Still, it has been recommended the state pay out reparations, with some estimates predicting it could be on the hook for nearly $800 billion paid out, which is three times as high as a typical budget for California. This week, California’s Legislative Black Caucus embarked on a statewide tour to argue in favor of 14 reparation bills, including two proposed constitutional amendments. The California Senate passed three of the bills in the legislation, including one that would create the California Freedmen Affairs Agency, which would help black Californians research their family lineage to confirm possible eligibility for future reparations the state would pay out. The constitutional amendments include one measure that would amend the state’s constitution to outlaw prison labor. The amendment failed to make its way out of the state legislature in 2022.  Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) previously warned that eliminating involuntary servitude could require the state to pay its inmates...