Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom did not fully endorse his state’s reparations program that would have sent cash payments to African Americans in a statement made to the Daily Caller News Foundation on Tuesday.
California’s Reparations Task Force approved a $800 billion reparations plan on Saturday, which will be sent to lawmakers. The proposal includes payments of up to $1.2million for black Californians. Newsom, the man who approved the task force’s creation, told DCNF that while he endorsed the work of the committee, reparations are “much more” than just cash payments. He did not, however, endorse all the panel’s suggestions.
The independent findings and recommendations of the Reparations Task Force are a landmark in our bipartisan efforts to promote justice and healing. Newsom stated that this was an important process and we should work together as a country to reconcile the original sin of slavery, and to understand how our history has shaped us.
The task force made recommendations for a $148,099 housing discrimination settlement, a $115,260 mass incarceration settlement, and a $13,619 annual payment to address health care disparities. Only Rep. Barbara Lee, who represents California’s entire Democratic Congressional delegation, has publicly supported the recommendations of the task force.
Newsom emphasized the importance of several of the committee’s suggestions, but did NOT signal his support for cash payouts to Californians.
The governor said that dealing with the legacy of slavery is more than just cash payments. The Task Force’s recommendations are important action items that we have already worked hard to address: breaking down barriers for voting, increasing resources to combat hate, enacting law enforcement reforms and justice reforms in order to improve trust and safety, strengthening the economic mobility, all while investing millions to eliminate disparities and improve equity across housing, education and healthcare. This work must be continued. After the Task Force submitted its final report to the Legislature this summer, I am looking forward to continuing our partnership with the Legislature in order to make systemic changes to ensure an inclusive future for all Californians.”
