California Governor Gavin Newsom just inked a deal to launch a brand-new state bureau tasked with handling reparations for descendants of American slaves. This comes even though California joined the Union in 1850 as a free state, never once permitting legal slavery within its borders. The move sets up the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery inside the Department of Social Services, where it will verify lineage claims and process complaints about property seized through racially motivated eminent domain.
Newsom signed SB 518 into law on October 10, 2025, amid a package of bills from the California Legislative Black Caucus rebranded as the “Road to Repair.” The legislation follows a 2020 task force he created in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, which churned out recommendations two years later but stopped short of direct cash payouts. Instead, this bureau will oversee whatever programs the legislature dreams up next, all contingent on future funding approvals.
“I signed a bill two days ago with the Black Caucus as it relates to creating a new office to address these systemic issues,” Newsom said on the podcast “Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay.”
The timing raises eyebrows, especially with Newsom eyeing a 2028 White House bid. He’s been making trips to black communities in early primary states like South Carolina, seemingly polishing his progressive bona fides. Yet California grapples with back-to-back multibillion-dollar budget shortfalls, and this new office arrives with a $12 million price tag attached to related reparations efforts.
Critics point out the irony: a state that fought against slavery now dipping into taxpayer pockets for a program that could balloon into hundreds of billions if full recommendations ever take hold, as estimated by the original task force.
Some within the reparations movement aren’t thrilled either. Advocacy groups like the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California have called for a veto, labeling SB 518 a “bait and switch” that waters down benefits by extending them to broader “communities harmed” rather than strictly descendants of slaves. Their petition argues it diverts focus from true lineage-based justice, potentially turning the bureau into another layer of bureaucracy that accomplishes little while costing plenty.
Shut it down its just an attempt to set up another fraud scam to steal tax dollars.