Advocates ask Newsom to veto bill

SAN FRANCISCO >> A community organization that pushed to create the firstin-the-nation African American reparations task force in California is urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to veto legislation extending the deadline for the committee to complete its work.

The Coalition for a Just and Equitable California and other organizations sent a letter to Newsom, a Democrat, last week saying that the legislation by Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, a task force member, would send a demoralizing message to African Americans already skeptical that they will receive reparations.

The task force's final report assessing the compensation owed to descendants of enslaved people will be released within its original time frame — by July 1, 2023 — even if the legislation is approved, JonesSawyer said. But he argues that the committee needs to remain intact long enough to lobby “on what we believe reparations should be or to have additional meetings.”

“We're going to turn our report in on time,” he said. “We're going to go ahead and ask for reparations on time.”

The legislation changes the sunset date from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, extending what was originally a two-year committee to three. The bill also allows the nine task force members, appointed by Newsom and the two legislative leaders, to be removed at any time. The provision was included in case a member does something “problematic,” JonesSawyer said.

Chris Lodgson, an organizer with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California, said the task force has not requested nor needs more time. Allowing members to be removed makes the process political, he said.

“We're hearing concerns that it's not going to happen, that this is not going to result in anything,” he said. “This is why we do not need a delay of this work.”

His coalition helped push for groundbreaking legislation in 2020 to create a task force to study the effects of slavery. The mission of the committee, which met for the first time in June 2021, is to document California's role in perpetuating discrimination against African Americans, craft an official government apology and draft a comprehensive reparations plan.

National reparations advocates have praised California for providing leadership in a country where reparations efforts have stalled in Congress.