NEW NOMENCLATURE: California’s Black lawmakers will continue their fight for policies confronting the state’s legacy of discrimination — but this time, they’re largely steering clear of the word “reparations.” The bill package announced today by Legislative Black Caucus members includes proposals to create a new state agency, end all forms of slavery and help those affected by eminent domain. It’s titled “Road to Repair 2025.” The tactical change — nearly five years after state lawmakers agreed to study how to address harms perpetrated against Black Californians — shows the formidable challenges of adopting such policies. This is especially true now, with diversity programs under attack nationally and a volatile budget outlook. California lawmakers have yet to advance any legislation that includes cash reparations to descendants of enslaved people, the most common understanding of the reparations effort — and it doesn’t appear to be on the agenda anytime soon. “To many of us, reparations, in the truest sense, is cash transfers or direct financial assistance,” Caucus Vice Chair Isaac Bryan said. “If we are not in the place where we can facilitate that as a state yet — because we need to pass several legal hurdles and build state infrastructure — then we're going to use language that is less charged and less easy for others to use to divide folks.” Bryan, a Los Angeles Democrat, said the term “reparations” can be divisive because it “means so many things to different people.” His observation hearkens back to problems the caucus faced last year, when members attempted to pass legislation enacting recommendations from the Reparations Task Force that Gov. Gavin Newsom formed in 2020. A handful of lawmakers were able to push their bills across the finish line — including an official apology for harms caused by slavery and discrimination. But the session ended with a protest in the Capitol rotunda over a caucus decision to squash a bill that would have formed a state agency to administer reparations programming. Some blamed the move on last-minute amendments from Newsom to instead study the issue further. Caucus Chair Akilah Weber Pierson is bringing back a proposal to create the state agency, which would be called the Bureau of Descendants of American Slavery. The San Diego Democrat is also authoring a bill commissioning a $6 million California State University study to determine how Black residents can prove they’re descendants of slaves — a process that will likely be required for those seeking cash reparations in the future. Other lawmakers are also reintroducing notable bills that failed last year. Assemblymember Lori Wilson is reviving a constitutional amendment ending all forms of slavery, which voters rejected in November. A bill from Assemblymember Tina McKinnor would help victims of racially motivated eminent domain get their property back or receive financial compensation. Newsom vetoed a similar bill from state Sen. Steven Bradford last year, citing the lack of an agency to administer the policy. Weber Pierson downplayed the significance of any perceived rhetorical shift. “Reparations essentially means to repair a harm that was done,” Weber Pierson said. “So we are on the road of that repair.” 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.
| 
