‘Important for setting up framework’
State Sen. Steven Bradford’s (35th District) landmark pieces of legislation implementing reparations in California have passed the state Senate. These three bills confront the harms caused by both slavery and the discriminatory actions by state and local governments and establish a way for people who lost property for racially-motivated reasons to receive restitution.
• SB 1403 is the foundation that would create the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency to administer all future reparations.
• SB 1050 would provide restitution for Californians who lost homes or had their land taken without fair compensation as a result of the racially-motivated use of eminent domain.
• SB 1331 would establish an account in the state treasury for the purpose of funding reparations policies approved by the Legislature and the Governor.
“After two years of study by the California Reparations Task Force on the impact of slavery and institutional discrimination on African Americans in California, we are now taking action. These three bills are critically important for setting up the framework for reparations,” Bradford said. “I appreciate my Legislative colleagues who have directly faced this important issue and shown great courage by passing these historic pieces of legislation. I look forward to working with the members of the Assembly to similarly pass these bills so we can present them to Governor Newsom for his signature.”
SB 1403, SB 1050 and SB 1331 now move to the Assembly for consideration.
