| JUST GETTING STARTED: Advocates for slavery reparations are shifting away from a conversation focused on cash payments and throwing their energy behind a slate of bills meant to address hundreds of years of racial discrimination. With one week left in the legislative session, at least eight bills are awaiting key floor votes. Among them are proposals on eminent domain, prison book bans and anti-discrimination measures dealing with hair texture and style. “The way that we’ve done reparations in California is not about a check in the mail,” said Lisa Holder, a member of the state’s reparations task force, which Gov. Gavin Newsom formed in 2020. “It is so much deeper. That is one of five dimensions.” Mindful of the state’s multibillion-dollar budget deficit, the Legislative Black Caucus chose to launch the effort with proposals that have smaller price tags, including a letter of apology for the harms caused by slavery and its legacy. At least three have already cleared the Legislature. Newsom last month signed a bill from Assemblymember Tina McKinnor to collect data by race for career technical education programs. Voters in November will consider a ban on involuntary servitude targeting forced prison labor, following a legislative push from Assemblymember Lori Wilson. The governor last month signed another bill from Wilson that would require the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to create a voluntary work program if that ballot measure, Proposition 6, passes. Holder said she was pleased to see Newsom and legislative leaders commit $12 million in budget funding to begin implementing reparations legislation. “Just the act of putting money to begin to seed reparations legislation is historic,” she said. But lawmakers behind these efforts have been candid about the headwinds they face, from funding cutbacks to a lack of political will to spend taxpayer funds on such programs. “This is a pretty good start,” said Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, one of two lawmakers who served on the task force. “But it also gives us an idea of what challenges we have in the future, like dealing with the budget.” The Los Angeles lawmaker, who is terming out this year, said his colleagues aim to keep chipping away at the task force recommendations by taking up 15 to 20 per year. “Most of them will have 10 years to get this completed,” he said, “and I think they would like to get this done in half that time.” Bills associated with criminal justice policy changes have had a harder time getting traction as a tough-on-crime mood takes hold. A proposal from Jones-Sawyer to use savings from prison closures to establish an anti-violence grant program died last week in the Senate Appropriations Committee. This week, Assemblymember Chris Holden announced he was dropping legislation that would have restricted the state’s use of solitary confinement in prisons, jails and immigrant detention centers. “It shows you that we still have a lot of work to do to convince our colleagues that issues such as solitary confinement need to be addressed in this country,” said state Sen. Steven Bradford, who also served on the task force. There were lawmakers “who didn't even want to vote for the apology,” he added. “So it speaks to where we are as a state and as a nation.” IT’S THURSDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@politico.com.
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