Poll: California Voters Reject Slavery Reparations

California Voters Oppose Cash Reparations for Slavery

A majority of California voters oppose cash reparations for slavery, according to a poll released⁣ Sunday.

Fifty-nine⁤ percent of voters​ in the Golden State either oppose⁣ somewhat or ⁣oppose strongly giving cash reparations‍ to⁢ descendants of‍ slaves, a poll from the University of California-Berkeley found. Across ‌racial lines, majorities of white, Latino, and Asian voters‍ were against the policy. ‌Seventy-six percent of‌ the state’s ⁣black voters strongly or somewhat ​favored‍ the idea.

California passed a law in 2020 establishing a reparations task force to ⁣study the matter. The panel, made up of several left-wing academics and policymakers, has since made a number of radical ‌recommendations to the legislature.

In June 2022, it recommended that California institute cash reparations payments, forgive ‍overdue⁤ child ‌support‌ that ​black ⁤residents owe to the government, and put more‍ trees in black neighborhoods for “shade equity.”

In May, the task force approved recommendations on reparations‌ that would⁣ cost a total of $800 million, 2.5 times more than the ⁤state’s ​annual budget. Only after Governor‌ Gavin ‌Newsom (D.) saw⁢ the cost of the ‍plan—and after the state spent $2.5 million​ researching⁢ it—did he decline to endorse cash payments.

The​ task force in June ⁤presented the ​legislature with its ⁣final, 1,100-page‍ report,​ recommending that the state decriminalize public urination and let urinators sue if police attempt to‍ stop them, prohibit police from pulling over drivers for traffic violations, and defund school police.