Here’s what California’s radical reparations plan will cost taxpayers

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Much of the discussion surrounding the push for reparations in California, New York and cities like San Francisco center on the historical justifications for mass payouts. Yet, as the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras said, “Numbers rule the universe.” Reparations proponents in California are quick to dismiss criticisms over cost. Reparations may not even come in the form of checks being mailed out, says state Sen. Steven Bradford, the leading legislative reparations proponent. The scope and eligibility, he argues, are yet to be determined. California lawmakers are nonetheless moving forward. Recently, legislators introduced proposals that start implementing the recommendations of the State Reparations Commission. In one proposal, Bradford proposes that California spend $1.5 billion on reparations this year – at a time when the state is facing a $68 billion deficit – along with annual payments of 0.5% of the state General Fund, on what he calls a “down payment.” Los Angeles resident Walter Foster, 80, holds up a sign as the Reparations Task Force meets at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 2022. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) This, of course, begs the question...