California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday said the wrongs of slavery can’t be solved with cash alone.
Mr. Newsom shared his view days after California’s Reparations Task Force suggested compensating Black residents financially.
“Dealing with that legacy is about much more than cash payments,” the governor said in a statement to Fox News Digital while praising the task force’s work for “breaking down barriers to vote, bolstering resources to address hate, enacting sweeping law enforcement and justice reforms to build trust and safety, strengthening economic mobility — all while investing billions to root out disparities and improve equity in housing, education, health care and well beyond.”
One of the proposals from the task force at its meeting last weekend would be distributing checks to Black Californians who experienced housing discrimination from the 1930s through the 1970s.
A report in the San Francisco Chronicle last week suggested that certain Black residents who endured housing discrimination, health care disparities and “mass incarceration & overpolicing” could receive up to $1.2 million in cash.
Some economists have estimated that the task force’s recommendations could cost the state $800 billion — or 2 1/2 times California’s annual budget.
Any payments would have to be approved by the state Legislature and governor.
• This story is based in part on wire service reports.
