CA Gov. Newsom refuses to support reparations checks, says slavery legacy over ‘more than cash payments’
FIRST ON FOX: California Gov. Gavin Newsom declined to support cash payments recommended by his reparations task force – which could reach as much as $1.2 million for a single recipient – and told Fox News Digital that there were problems in dealing with the legacy of slavery “is about much more than just cash payments.”
“The Reparations Task Force’s independent findings and recommendations are a milestone in our bipartisan efforts to advance justice and promote healing. This was an important process and we should continue to work as a nation to reconcile our original sin of slavery and to understand how history has shaped our country,” Newsom told Fox News Digital.
While applauding the task force’s work, the Democratic governor declined to endorse any specific recommendations, though he vowed to continue to drive “systemic change that ensures an inclusive and just future for all Californians.”
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“Handling this legacy is about much more than cash payments. Many of the recommendations presented by the Task Force are key action points that we have already worked hard on: removing electoral barriers, strengthening resources to counter hate, implementing comprehensive law enforcement and judicial reforms to build trust and security, enhance economic mobility — while investing billions to eradicate inequalities and improve equity in housing, education, healthcare and far beyond. This work must continue,” he said.
“Following the task force’s delivery of its final report this summer, I look forward to continuing to partner with the Legislature to drive systemic change that ensures an inclusive and just future for all Californians.”
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The task force’s recommendation breaks down payments by type of historical discrimination. For example, black residents affected by bank redlining received $3,366 for each year they lived in California from the early 1930s through the late 1970s, which equates to up to $148,099.
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Similarly, black residents could receive about $2,352 in compensation for excessive policing and mass incarceration for each year they lived in California between 1970 and 2020. Those payments could total $115,260. For a black Californian who ticks enough boxes, the total payout could reach $1.2 million.
The task force’s final recommendations will shortly be submitted to the California Legislature, which will then decide on the implementation of the measures and send them to Newsom’s desk for signature.
“This was a stupid errand from the start,” James Gallagher, Republican leader of the California Convention, previously told Fox News Digital.
“The Democrats promised the world this reparations task force, and now the massive taxpayer bill is due. Newsom has painted himself in a corner and he must choose between signing a ridiculous policy that will bankrupt the state or admitting once and for all that this task force was nothing more than a political stunt.”
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report
