CA Reparations Task Force approves $800B plan.

California Reparations Task Force Approves Recommendations for Cash Payments to Black Residents

The California Reparations Task Force has approved a list of proposals aimed at addressing racial inequalities across the state. The nine-member committee voted in favor of creating a new agency that could provide services to descendants of enslaved people to calculate what the state owes them. While the task force did not specify what compensation would look like, it approved a section of the draft report stating reparations should include “cash or its equivalent.”

Historical Discrimination Against Black Californians

The panel’s first vote approved a detailed account of historical discrimination against Black Californians in areas such as voting, housing, education, disproportionate policing and incarceration, and others. The task force recommended that the state create a new agency that could provide services to descendants of enslaved people to calculate what the state owes them.

Eligibility and Funding

Earlier iterations of the reparations package suggested paying out $360,000 to each eligible black Californian. To be initially eligible, applicants must be a descendant of enslaved or free Black people who were in the country by the end of the 19th century. The amount of black Californians who would qualify for the reparations is not yet known. Some economists estimate that the project could cost the state upwards of $800 billion — more than 2.5 times its annual budget. There is also no word on how the payments would be funded in the cash-strapped state.

Final Approval and Legislation

The California Reparations Task Force gave final approval at a meeting in Oakland. The document will now be sent to state lawmakers, who will consider reparations legislation.

“Reparations are not only morally justifiable, but they have the potential to address long-standing racial disparities and inequalities,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) during the meeting.