California Democrats lament 'struggle' in passing reparations: 'Not as liberal as people want us to believe'
'It’s not on everybody’s front burner,' one state senator told Politico
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Reparations advocates in California are frustrated with the lack of action on reparations among Democrats in the state and one elected official said the state was "not as liberal as people want us to believe."
"California is not as liberal as people want us to believe," Democratic State Sen. Steven Bradford, the vice chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, told Politico. "When it comes to the real issue that impacts us the most, race, we’re hesitant to really buck the curve."
Bradford, who also sits on California's reparations panel, told Politico that he doesn't expect any reparations legislation to advance until next year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Democratic strategist told the outlet that things were more likely to advance in a time of "crisis," suggesting that California reparations advocates might have missed their chance to advance the agenda.
California State Democratic Sen. Steven Bradford advised African American state residents not to get their hopes up on massive individuals reparations payments. (Media News Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram)
"Things get done in a time of crisis, and that was a time of crisis for a lot of people that crystallized what’s been going on in America in a very visual way," Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio said. "Sad to say, it’s recent memory, it’s not on everybody’s front burner. What is is crime and punishment again, and that is winning the day."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}California's reparations task force is set to present their findings and recommendations to Gov. Gavin Newsom on July 1.
Newsom has said that reparations are about "much more" than cash payments and declined to support any specific recommendations.
"The Reparations Task Force’s independent findings and recommendations are a milestone in our bipartisan effort to advance justice and promote healing. This has been an important process, and we should continue to work as a nation to reconcile our original sin of slavery and understand how that history has shaped our country," Newsom said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/José Luis Villegas, File)
CALIFORNIA REPARATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE NEWSOM BETWEEN ROCK AND HARD PLACE
The panel approved payment of up to $1.2 million for every qualifying Black resident in May.
Bradford told Politico that racism was a bigger hurdle than party in advancing "progressive, liberal bills" in the state legislature.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This country was built on white supremacy as a whole," he said. "I think racism is a bigger factor than party, because we have Democratic majorities in both houses, and we still struggle to move these progressive, liberal bills."
Los Angeles, CaliforniaSept. 22, 2022Los Angeles long-time resident, Walter Foster, age 80, holds up a sign as the Reparations Task Force meets to hear public input on reparations at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 2022. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Natasha Minsker, a policy adviser for Smart Justice California, told Politico that California Democrats missed their opportunity to voice their support for reparations in the legislature by rejecting proposals related to police reform.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I do hope that legislators understand that supporting the work of the reparations task force means supporting police reform," Minsker said. "The history of policing in the United States is unfortunately deeply tied to slave patrols and the whole history of enforcing slavery as an institution."