Gavin Newsom signs formal apology bill but torpedoes major reparations initiative

Sacramento, California - California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday torpedoed a major reparations initiative in his state by vetoing a bill addressing the injustice of race-based uses of eminent domain.

California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill addressing the injustice of race-based uses of eminent domain in the state.
California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill addressing the injustice of race-based uses of eminent domain in the state.  © Collage: CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & IMAGO / Pond5 Images

Hours before signing an official apology for California's legacy of enslavement and white supremacy, Newsom dealt the latest blow to efforts of dealing with its ongoing effects by nixing Senate Bill 1050.

The legislation would have established a mechanism for restoring property seized through eminent domain to the original owners or their descendants, or alternatively providing them with financial compensation.

The Democrat thanked the bill's author, state Senator Steven Bradford, for his efforts, but said the bill "tasks a nonexistent state agency to carry out its various provisions and requirements, making it impossible to implement."

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Newsom is arguably the main reason that the agency does not exist, since the legislation that would have established the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency (CAFAA) stalled out at the end of August due to his last-minute intervention.

The governor's office proposed an amendment to that bill which scrapped CAFAA and only set aside $6 million to conduct more "research," leading to the collapse of the most impactful parts of the legislative push for reparations.

Bradford, the leader of that push, said in a statement that he was "disappointed" by Newsom's move.

"SB 1050 was a true reparations bill that had broad, bipartisan support," he added. "It passed the Senate by a vote of 38-0 and passed Assembly 72-0."

"Even without the Freedmen Affairs Agency being created, parts of SB 1050 could have lifted the statute of limitations and opened the door to justice for thousands of Californians."

Cover photo: Collage: CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & IMAGO / Pond5 Images

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