California is considering reparations for its black residents, and the task force behind the recommendations has reportedly become frustrated with the public’s focus on the dollar amounts proposed for payments.
Current proposals call for $360,000 for the roughly 1.8 million black residents in the Golden State who have at least one ancestor who was a slave. It could cost $800 billion, according to some analysts.
REPARATIONS FOR BLACK RESIDENTS COULD COST CALIFORNIA MORE THAN $800 BILLION
“We want to make sure that this is presented out in a way that does not reinforce the preoccupation with a dollar figure, which is the least important piece of this,” Cheryl Grills, a member of the state task force, told CalMatters.
Grills called the cost the “least important” part of the program, which she says will repair harm to black people in the country and state’s history.
“It’s important, but it’s the least important in terms of being able to get to a point in our country’s history and in California’s history where we recognize that the harm cuts across multiple areas and domains and that the repair needs to align with that. It’s really unfortunate. I’m actually sad to see that our news media is not able to nuance better. It’s almost like, ‘What’s going to be sensational’ as opposed to what’s important,” Grills told the outlet.
The final report is set to be released by the task force on July 1 after nearly three years of research and deliberation. After the final report, it will be up to state lawmakers to decide whether the proposal becomes law.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed the bill creating the task force in 2020, but he has largely remained silent on whether he would support the current proposals. The estimated $800 billion cost is roughly 2.5 times the state’s annual budget, and Newsom is currently trying to juggle a nearly $22.5 billion budget deficit for the next fiscal year.
The budget deficit likely means programs will see cuts, and the implementation of a reparations program would be a new expenditure for the state.
The city of San Francisco is also examining reparations for black residents. Current proposals call for $5 million payments along with other benefits, including the elimination of personal debt and tax burdens, guaranteed annual incomes of at least $97,000 for the next 250 years, and homes in the city for $1 per family.
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Lawmakers in San Francisco have proposed setting aside $50 million to create an office in preparation for handling the San Francisco reparations, which looks likely to pass.
The proposed plan has received criticism from many groups and people, including the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP, which argued investment in the black community would be more useful than direct payments.
