In a significant move that has sparked debate across California, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill on Wednesday that would have helped Black families reclaim property or receive compensation for land that was unjustly seized by the government. The bill, backed by the California Legislative Black Caucus, aimed to provide a process for families to file claims against the state if they believed their property had been taken through eminent domain for discriminatory reasons without fair compensation.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes bill to help Black families reclaim taken land https://t.co/5Krbb7iJJK
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) September 26, 2024
The proposal sought to address historical injustices by creating a system where families affected by racially motivated land seizures could seek redress. However, the bill faced a major obstacle: the absence of an agency dedicated to overseeing the claims. Lawmakers had blocked a separate bill that would have created such a reparations agency, rendering the property compensation bill unworkable without it.
Governor Newsom explained his decision, stating, “I thank the author for his commitment to redressing past racial injustices. However, this bill tasks a nonexistent state agency to carry out its various provisions and requirements, making it impossible to implement.” The veto dealt a blow to what many saw as a vital component of California’s efforts to address its legacy of racial disparities.
The legislation was part of a broader package of reparations bills introduced this year. These bills, championed by the California Legislative Black Caucus, aimed to confront the state’s history of racial discrimination, particularly regarding Black property owners. However, many of these bills have struggled to gain traction. One such proposal was inspired by the 2022 return of a beachfront property to a Black family in the Los Angeles area—a century after it had been seized through eminent domain. Democratic state Senator Steven Bradford, who introduced the eminent domain bill, called it a crucial step toward creating a “framework for reparations and correcting a historic wrong.”
Despite the setback, Bradford and other members of the Black Caucus have introduced additional measures that would address racial disparities. These include bills to formally apologize for slavery and its lasting impact on Black Americans, protect Black athletes from hair discrimination, and combat the banning of books in state prisons. However, the road to passing these bills has been fraught with challenges.
A separate effort to create an agency dedicated to reparations, introduced by Bradford, was blocked last month. The proposal would have established an agency tasked with helping Black families trace their family lineage and facilitate reparations programs. But members of the Black Caucus prevented the bill from receiving a final vote in the Assembly. They expressed concerns over the lack of legislative oversight for the proposed agency and withheld further comment on the blocked reparations fund bill.
The Newsom administration had also intervened, pushing for the agency bill to be converted into a measure allocating $6 million for California State University to study how to implement recommendations from the state’s reparations task force. However, this compromise failed to gain the necessary support.
While Governor Newsom has expressed his commitment to addressing racial injustices, the veto has sparked criticism from those who see it as a missed opportunity to right historical wrongs. For many in California, the failure to establish a reparations agency and advance the eminent domain bill underscores the uphill battle to make reparations a reality.
