Supporters ‘outraged’ after California lawmakers kill two key reparations bills

Two bills that would have established the infrastructure for implementing reparations for Black Californians were effectively killed Saturday. SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Two key reparations bills for Black Californians died hours before the deadline to pass legislation this session. Senate Bill 1403 would have created the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency, tasked with implementing reparations and determining eligibility. Senate Bill 1331 would have established the Fund for Reparations and Reparative Justice, to eventually pay for the various forms of reparations. “It has to happen if we’re going to have meaningful reparations to the people who deserve it. We’re 160 years overdue for this,” said Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), who authored both bills. Bradford sat on the California Reparations Task Force, the nation’s first statewide effort to address this. The Task Force met over the course of two years, hearing from the public and experts on the long-lasting effects of chattel slavery on Black Americans. Last summer, members published their final report of more than 1,000 pages and more than 100 recommendations. On Saturday, Senator Bradford hoped his Assembly colleagues would put his two key reparations bills up for a vote by midnight, the deadline to pass legislation. Neither of those bills...