A common warning by some opponents of reparations is that it could encourage other historically aggrieved groups to seek payback from the government. 

Even some proponents agree. Task force members Don Tamaki and Reggie Jones-Sawyer, a former Democratic Assembly member from Los Angeles, have said the task force’s work could become a blueprint for other ethnic groups. 

Two Harvard University scholars argue the United States already pays reparations to a variety of groups, including coal miners with black lung disease, descendants of veterans, farmers, and people who have had bad reactions to COVID vaccines. Researchers Cornell William Brooks and Linda Bilmes said few groups are as deserving of reparative justice as Black Americans.

“When you talk about restorative justice in flesh-and-blood terms, it means how do we restore people in terms of land sold? How do we restore a people in terms of dignity robbed? Bodies violated? Liberty taken?” Brooks said during a podcast.  

One group that might seek reparations are families who had lived on land Dodgers Stadium occupies, now known as Chavez Ravine. The city of Los Angeles moved out hundreds of families, most of them Latino, during the 1950’s to build the stadium. Now some are fighting to get their land back. 

Other examples could include Native Americans, Mexican American and Chinese Americans  —  who were oppressed at various times in California’s history — as well as undocumented workers, LGBTQ+ community members and women. Newsom created the California Truth & Healing Council, which is expected to report on California’s historic relationship with Native Americans and possibly recommend reparations in 2025.