California Governor Approves New Agency for Slave Descendants’ Programs
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) has signed a bill establishing a new state agency aimed at overseeing programs for the descendants of slaves. This initiative is part of his ongoing commitment to promote reparations policies, despite facing political hurdles and financial constraints.
This action reflects Newsom’s determination to keep the issue alive in California, the most populous state in the country, after years of stalled discussions and pressure from activists amidst budget challenges.
The new law, known as Senate Bill 518, creates the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery within the California Department of Civil Rights. The department will be managed by a deputy director appointed by the governor and will include three key divisions: genealogy, education and outreach, and legal affairs. Its responsibilities will involve verifying individuals’ ancestry, conducting public education about historical discrimination, and ensuring compliance as reparations efforts progress.
Implementation of the department relies on future legislative funding, which may include financial support from federal, state, and private sources. The law also enforces strict privacy protocols for handling genetic and personal information, limiting public access to such data.
Senate Bill 518 builds upon earlier initiatives initiated by the Newsom administration. In 2020, he signed Assembly Bill 3121, which created a task force to study and propose reparations for Black Californians. This task force emerged in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests and later suggested significant measures, including potential payments of over $1 million per eligible resident and overturning California’s anti-affirmative action law, Proposition 209.
Interestingly, while Newsom initially distanced himself from the idea of direct cash reparations—stating that the issue “extends beyond cash payments”—he has since approved various related measures, including formal state apologies for slavery and plans for non-cash relief offerings like assistance for homeownership and education by 2024.
Newsom’s establishment of this agency comes after previous setbacks in the legislature. Disagreements and amendments within the California Legislative Black Caucus had delayed the formation of a dedicated reparations office last year, drawing criticism from activists who believed lawmakers were yielding to political pressure. After vetoing an earlier proposal due to the absence of an overseeing agency, SB 518 aims to fill that gap by creating the bureau necessary for implementing future reparations initiatives.
Under the new structure, the bureau’s genealogy division will identify individuals as descendants of enslaved people based on specific lineage criteria, such as ancestry tracing back to individuals released from slavery or classified as contraband before 1900. Those identified as qualified descendants could be eligible for future national compensation programs. Meanwhile, the Education and Outreach Division will address issues like redlining, gentrification, and housing discrimination, while the Legal Division will ensure compliance with state laws.
The discussion around reparations in California has been evolving over the past five years, transitioning from initial research and public hearings to the creation of a task force focused on racial equity. This initiative, enacted by Newsom in 2022, also builds on the recommendations made by the Reparations Task Force and aims to continue developing a statewide framework for racial equity.
Even though California has been a free state since joining the Union in 1850, advocates for reparations argue that the state has contributed to racial inequality through discriminatory housing, education, and employment practices. Critics, however, raise concerns about the feasibility of such a program, especially given the task force’s estimate that reparations could cost over $800 billion—more than double the state’s annual budget—and recent polls indicating that a majority of voters oppose direct cash payments.
