Far-left California Gov. Gavin Newsom just rejected the “idea of paying reparations to descendants of slaves, after a state panel he signed into law calculated the state was liable for hundreds of billions of dollars,” according to Breitbart News. The move comes at the expense of his far-left base.
Newsom signed a 2020 law establishing a reparations task force that would study if California, which has been a free state from slavery since 1850, should send out reparations checks.
The panel determined that the state should dole out $1.2 million checks to descendants of slaves. That could amount to approximately $800 billion. To put it in perspective, California’s total expenditures in fiscal year (FY) 2022 were $510.0 billion, including general funds, other state funds, bonds, and federal funds, according to the Urban Institute.
After the determination, “Newsom declined to endorse the cash payments – which could reach as high as $1.2 million for a single recipient – recommended by his reparations task force, telling Fox News Digital that dealing with the legacy of slavery ‘is about much more than cash payments,’” wrote Fox News Digital.
He declined to advance any of the committee’s recommendations, instead pledging to “advance systemic changes that ensure an inclusive and equitable future for all Californians.”
He said, “Dealing with that legacy is about much more than cash payments. Many of the recommendations put forward by the Task Force are critical action items we’ve already been hard at work addressing: breaking down barriers to vote, bolstering resources to address hate, enacting sweeping law enforcement and justice reforms to build trust and safety, strengthening economic mobility — all while investing billions to root out disparities and improve equity in housing, education, healthcare, and well beyond. This work must continue.”