Gov. Newsom signs a reparations study law but vetoes other racial justice proposals

"He signed a law authorizing $6 million for California State University to study how to confirm an individual's status as a descendant of an enslaved person. But he vetoed other bills the California Legislative Black Caucus championed as tools to atone for the state's history. One of them would have authorized public and private colleges to give admissions preference to descendants of enslaved people."

"Democratic Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, who authored the university admissions preference bill, said Newsom's veto was "more than disappointing." "While the Trump Administration threatens our institutions of higher learning and attacks the foundations of diversity and inclusivity, now is not the time to shy away from the fight to protect students who have descended from legacies of harm and exclusion," he said in a statement. But Newsom called the bill unnecessary, saying colleges already have the authority to make such admissions decisions."

"A first-in-the-nation state task force studying reparations for African Americans released a report in 2023 recommending how California should offer redress for descendants of Black people who were in the U.S. in the 19th century. The Black caucus introduced a slate of bills over the past two years inspired by the report in an effort to fight decades of discrimination in housing, education, the criminal justice system and other areas."

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law authorizing $6 million for a California State University study to confirm whether individuals are descendants of enslaved people. He vetoed bills that would have allowed admissions preference for descendants of enslaved people, required investigations into racially motivated eminent domain takings, and reserved 10% of a first-time homebuyer loan program for descendants. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan called a veto "more than disappointing" and urged protection for students descended from legacies of harm, while Newsom said colleges already control admissions. A 2023 state task force report recommended redress for 19th-century Black descendants and inspired the Black Caucus's bills.

Read at The Mercury News