Reckoning with reparations

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Thursday May 11,2023 01:08 pm

May 11, 2023

By Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte, Matthew Brown and Ramon Castanos

Presented by Southern California Edison Company

THE BUZZ: What does California owe Black victims of slavery’s legacy?

Days after California’s landmark reparations panel assessed the damages at up to $1.2 million per person, Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted the tortuous road ahead with an equivocal statement on cash compensation. Uprooting entrenched discrimination involves “more than cash payments,” the governor said. And that raised questions about whether California would embrace the panel’s key conclusions, as did Sen. Steven Bradford’s clear-eyed skepticism.

The governor's statement illuminated two critical considerations as California forges into unexplored racial justice terrain: The concept of reparations is indeed broader than cash. But that may be the most politically challenging — not to mention expensive — part of California’s effort to ameliorate racism’s harms.

Supporters have said from the beginning that money would not be mandatory. “This bill does not take a position on the form that reparations should take,” then-Assemblymember Shirley Weber said when presenting the bill during 2020’s summer of racial turmoil. But the panel did recommend California offer people “cash or its equivalent” — noting that not all harms involve easily returned property or land, like Bruce’s Beach — and urged the Legislature to make a “‘down payment’ with an immediate disbursement of a meaningful amount of funds.”

Before voting in 2020 to create the task force, Bradford said he hoped it was “time for not only California but America to pay its debt.” Bradford told reporters Wednesday that the debt would likely not be settled in cash. “I've tried to temper people's expectations that it might not be a check,” said Bradford, who sits on the task force. “I'm realistic enough to know that we might not have colleagues who are willing to do that.” An enormous budget deficit magnifies the hurdles.

Bradford floated potential forms of compensation like funding health care, help for first-time homeowners, higher education and childcare. Newsom said his administration has already moved to address issues — like ballot access, criminal justice and economic opportunity — that flow from racial inequity. The task force’s chair lauded Newsom’s “support” and stressed that compensation is just one tenet of reparations.

It's not easy to quantify the compounding generational ravages of discrimination in housing, healthcare, and incarceration. But the reparations panel’s calculus still may have been simpler than what comes next: a necessarily political process of crafting legislation and persuading 62 legislators and one governor. It will require deliberation and compromise to address the inheritors of iniquities whose victims were not consulted or given a vote.

“It’s up the to the Assembly, it’s up to the Senate, it’s up to the governor, it’s up to the general citizens to make right for” the “crime and the horror, the hell and the hardship, of enslavement,” Task Force Vice-chair Rev. Amos Brown told POLITICO. But he warned against the “either-or” of cash versus other forms of recompense: “We’re being disingenuous when we all of a sudden want to run away from money.” Read our story here.

BUENOS DÍAS, good Thursday morning. The California Working Families Party is hosting two of three Democrats running for Senate, Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, for a virtual town hall tonight. It’s also almost May Revise time — something that Gov. Gavin Newsom could get a reminder of this morning if he looks out his window, where immigrant advocates are planning to rally for more assistance for undocumented workers.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at jwhite@politico.com and lkorte@politico.com or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.

A message from Southern California Edison Company:

We believe in the power of dreams. The power to change lives and make a difference. Which is why Edison International will award $50,000 college scholarships to 30 high school seniors to help them follow their dreams in science, technology, engineering or math. We’ve awarded $15 million in scholarships to 760 students through the Edison Scholars Program since 2006. Part of our own dream to build a brighter future for all our communities.

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There are many individuals even with a ‘D’ behind their name that can’t bring themselves to vote and correct the wrongs that still exist in California. … I would hope this Legislature takes it as a priority, and let’s not wait another 150 years to address a promise that was made to those descendants.” Bradford on the work ahead.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

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JOIN US TONIGHT - PLAYBOOK MEET & GREET! We did it before and we're doing it again! Join California Playbook and POLITICO’s growing team in Sacramento at Smic’s Sip & Quip on Thursday, May 11, 2023, for an evening of cocktails and conversation. As POLITICO expands in California, we're convening our most influential readers in Sacramento and beyond. Swing by and have a cocktail on us—you never know who you might run into! Register here.

TOP TALKERS

LIGHTEN UP — Sen. Dianne Feinstein was back on Capitol Hill Wednesday following a prolonged absence to recover from shingles, but she said she’d need to ease into things. Feinstein said in a statement that she would work “a lighter schedule,” per her doctor’s advice, as she continues to work through some side effects. “I’m hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover,” she said. Here’s what her return looked like.

CAMPAIGN MODE

— “New bill could allow ranked choice voting in Santa Clara County,” by The Mercury News’ Grace Hase: “The voting method, which has picked up steam in recent years and is being used in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro, has been controversial — especially after the Alameda County Registrar of Voters incorrectly tabulated the ranked choice voting results in an Oakland school board election last year. California law dictates that only cities — not counties — can change their voting methods on their own, which is why state legislation is needed before Santa Clara County could proceed with the change.”

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CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

HANDOFF — “Oakland names new city administrator to oversee services amid historic budget deficit,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sarah Ravani: “Thao’s pick is Jestin Johnson, who spent two years as the deputy chief operating officer for the city of Atlanta and most recently worked for IBM. The 45-year-old executive, who had earlier experience in city and county governments and secured nearly $200 million in state and federal money for public safety in Georgia, said he plans to move to Oakland from Atlanta in the next month.”

— “A Walgreens guard killed a Black trans organizer. His community wants answers,” by The Guardian’s Sam Levin: “The killing of a budding activist, and the San Francisco district attorney’s decision not to release video footage of the incident or charge the security guard, has sent shockwaves through the city, sparking disgust at the quick use of deadly force by a private guard and protests about the city’s continued failures to provide housing, services and basic safety for Black trans youth like Brown.”

— “How adding a right to housing in the California constitution could alleviate the crisis,” opines Michael Tubbs in CalMatters: “If passed, Assemblymember Matt Haney’s bill would give voters the opportunity to enshrine housing as a fundamental right in our state constitution. The constitutional amendment would provide the state with a game-changing legal tool – and an ongoing obligation no matter who is in office – to ensure that every person has access to a permanent, stable home.”

— “California confronts overdose epidemic among former prison inmates,” by California Healthline’s Don Thompson: “More than 80 percent of inmates released in California between April 2020 and June 2022 departed with antidote kits and the training that goes with them, according to a January study by corrections officials. Acceptance has continued to grow, with 95% of departing inmates accepting Narcan in July 2022, the most recent month with data.”

— “Can California find better paying jobs for people with disabilities?” by CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang: “Thanks to a 2021 law change, California will soon ban paying subminimum wages to people with disabilities, a decades-old practice originating from the Great Depression. By 2025 “sheltered” disability programs like the one at VistAbility — which together employ about 5,000 Californians statewide — must begin paying the state’s $15.50-an-hour minimum wage or shut down.”

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MIXTAPE

— “California court reinstates defamation suit against Rep. Maxine Waters,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Bob Egelko.

— “Will UC Berkeley or the city cut ties with slave owner namesake?” by The Mercury News’ Katie Lauer.

— “New rules for Oakland sideshows could mean jail time and fines for promoters,” by The Oaklandside’s Eli Wolfe.

— “Spate of exotic bird thefts leaves SoCal parrot lovers on edge,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Hannah Fry.

— “Major development near downtown Sacramento finally takes off after decades of delays,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Ryan Lillis.

BIRTHDAYS

Microsoft’s Fred Humphries … CyberScoop’s Tonya Riley … Kor Adana

A message from Southern California Edison Company:

The power of a dream. It’s that spark deep inside. That shining beacon up ahead, calling on one’s gifts and potential. Like a compass – defining purpose and charting a path to the future. At Edison International, we believe in the power of dreams to change lives and make a difference. Which is why we awarded $50,000 college scholarships to 30 high school seniors to help them follow their dreams in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).

We’ve awarded $15 million in scholarships to 760 students through the Edison Scholars Program since 2006. Part of our own big dream to build a brighter and more prosperous future for all our communities.

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