By Cayla Mihalovich 

WHAT THE BILLS WOULD DO

San Diego Democratic Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson authored two key reparations bills in response to recommendations made by the Reparations Task Force. Senate Bill 518 would establish the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery under California’s Civil Rights Department. The new state agency would create divisions including genealogy, property reclamation and education, to provide infrastructure for implementing reparative policies. The bill is a second shot at a previous attempt by former Democratic Sen. Steven Bradford to establish a new state agency. Her other legislation, SB 437, would allocate up to $6 million for the California State University system to develop a methodology for verifying descendants of enslaved people who wish to access benefits. 

WHO SUPPORTS THEM

Members of the task force support SB 518, along with nonprofit organizations including the Equal Justice Society, which argues the legislation is a step toward addressing the ongoing harms of descendents of U.S. chattel slavery. SB 437 is supported by the California Reparations Task Force and various nonprofits, including Equality California, which maintains that a genealogical verification process will ensure an equitable distribution of benefits. Weber Pierson said the bills will ensure nobody is excluded from the reparative justice process. 

WHO IS OPPOSED

Groups that want to see California move more swiftly toward implementing recommendations from the Reparations Task Force oppose the legislation. The grassroots organization Lineage Equity Advancement Project argues that the legislation would delay the implementation of reparative policies and payout of benefits. The group also argued that lawmakers failed to incorporate any input from community voices who have long advocated for reparations and reparative justice. “California doesn’t need more research into whether it should act. It needs to act,” said Chris Lodgson, an advocate with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California

WHY IT MATTERS

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, California established the nation’s first reparations task force to study and propose ways to provide reparative justice for Black descendents of enslaved people. The California Legislative Black Caucus last year introduced a 14-bill reparations package based on recommendations from the task force, but two key bills were quashed late in the legislative process, creating a wedge between reparations advocates and lawmakers. This year, the caucus returned with 16 “Road to Repair” priority bills, including SB 437 and SB 518.

GOVERNOR’S CALL ✅