Reparations back on the table as pandering Newsom approves new agency

California Governor Gavin Newsom has approved a new state agency that will be responsible for administering reparations to the descendants of those who were enslaved, a move that will shore up support with black voters that will be critical as he casts a longing eye on the White House.

The current frontrunner for the 2028 Democrat nomination signed SB 518 on Friday, formally giving the green light to the agency five years after he announced the formation of a task force to study the redistributive scheme in the aftermath of the 2020 George Floyd “Summer of Love,” when violent race riots swept the country.

At the time, Newsom touted the task force as the first of its kind in the nation, proclaiming that “Our past is one of slavery, racism, and injustice. Our systems were built to oppress people of color. It’s past time we acknowledge that.”

During an appearance on the latest episode of the “Higher Learning” podcast that was released on Friday, the governor mentioned the bill.

“I signed a bill two days ago with the Black Caucus as it relates to creating a new office to address these systemic issues,” he said, according to Politico.

Gavin Newsom approves slavery reparations agency https://t.co/uvRs1H9qkN

— POLITICO (@politico) October 10, 2025

The governor’s signing off on the agency comes two years after the task force released its recommendations, and while it stopped short of authorizing the doling out of actual cash payments, the move was nonetheless a significant win for black lawmakers who have championed reparations even though California was never a slave state.

“This first-in-the-nation law marks a historic and transformative moment for California, representing a bold commitment to advancing reparative justice and building lasting systems of equity for the scores of slavery descendants whose sacrifices made possible the prosperity of the Golden State,” the California Legislative Black Caucus hailed the “historic achievement” in a Friday statement.

“With Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature, California becomes the first state in the union to move beyond acknowledgment and begin building lasting, institutional pathways toward institutional and economic parity,” the statement read.

“This law reflects a critical acknowledgment of the historic injustices that have shaped the Black experience in California and across this country,” CLBC Chair Senator Weber Pierson said.

“For generations, Black Americans have faced exclusion, exploitation, and systemic barriers to opportunity. With SB 518, we lay the foundation for a future built on truth, equity, and repair,” she added.

But some reparations advocates felt cheated that it is only limited to descendants, with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California ripping the bill in a blistering statement.

NEW BREAKING: Leading California Grassroots Reparations Coalition Responds to @CAgovernor Gavin Newsom Signing SB 518 Bureau for Desdendants of American Slavery:
……..

It’s can’t be Reparations for us if it’s open to almost anyone. And this Bureau IS open to almost anyone.… pic.twitter.com/e92tomYpnn

— Coalition For A Just & Equitable California (@cjecofficial) October 11, 2025

“Despite being presented as Reparations, SB 518 delivers no direct financial compensation to the descendants of those enslaved and emancipated from Chattel Slavery in the United States (American Freedmen). Instead, it establishes yet another government bureaucracy — the so-called ‘Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery’ — that provides not a single guarantee of material repair or restitution while also serving people who are not descendants,” the group said.

“Let’s be clear — SB 518 is not real Reparations, nor is it a step closer to real Reparations,” CJEC spokesperson Chris Lodgson said.

“It’s a bureaucratic shell that delays Reparations, expands beyond the lineage it claims to serve, and diverts precious time and resources away from the real work of repair. It can’t be Reparations for us if it’s open to almost everyone. Reparations delayed, Reparations diverted, is Reparations denied,” the reparations activist fumed.

“California is not just confronting the past. We are investing in the future,” Pierson said. “With SB 518, we have created a model for how states can move from study to structure, from intention to action. This is about building something permanent that honors the truth and restores dignity to the descendants of those who endured generations of injustice.”

Staff Writer

Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.

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