“The Nation is Watching”: Cal Legislature Advances Four Reparations Bills

Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ ‌|‌ ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media (CBM) – Three reparations bills authored by Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Aug. 15. Senate Bill (SB) 1403, SB 1050, and SB 1331 are now on their way to the Assembly floor for a full vote. If approved, the bills would advance to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature or veto. “I want to thank the committee for seeing the importance of these measures,” Bradford said. “I think it speaks to the fact that reparations is an issue that still needs to be addressed. We still experience institutional racism and discrimination in this country.” SB 1331 proposes creating an account in the state treasury to fund reparations policies approved by the Legislature and the Governor. SB 1050 would offer compensation to Black Californians who are descendants of enslaved people who lost homes or had their land taken without fair compensation as a result of racially motivated misuse of eminent domain. SB 1403 establishes the framework for establishing the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency (CAFAA), a state-level department that would oversee all reparations activities, including validating individuals’ status as a descendant of an enslaved person in...