California Democrats are advancing another reparations proposal—this time, prioritizing descendants of slaves for professional licenses. Despite previous failures and a massive budget deficit, lawmakers continue pushing race-based policies.
Key Facts:
- Assembly Bill 742 would give licensing priority to applicants who are descendants of U.S. slaves.
- Democrats previously attempted to create a California Freedman Affairs Agency, but the bill failed in 2024.
- Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2024 budget included $12 million for reparations-related initiatives.
- Public opposition is strong—a 2023 UC Berkeley poll found 59% of Californians reject cash reparations.
- Proposition 209 bans racial preferences, yet lawmakers keep proposing race-based policies.
The Rest of The Story:
California Assemblywoman Sade Elhawary (D-South Los Angeles) introduced AB 742, directing state licensing boards to give preferential treatment to descendants of slaves.
The proposal follows years of failed reparations attempts, including a defunct task force that recommended an $800 billion payout.
California has never been a slave state, yet its Democrat-led government continues pushing costly racial grievance programs.
The state previously attempted to establish a reparations agency, but the measure stalled in 2024.
Instead, lawmakers allocated taxpayer funds to reparations initiatives, despite overwhelming public opposition.
Under the 1996 Proposition 209 and its reaffirmation in 2020, race-based policies in public institutions are illegal in California.
Yet, legislators keep advancing racial preference measures under the guise of “social justice.”
California Back With New Reparations Bill for ‘Descendants of Slaves Seeking Licenses’
What they are really promoting is social justice reparations.@CaliforniaGlobe https://t.co/pqOaZj3tGH pic.twitter.com/ENCivLgzNY
— California Globe (@CaliforniaGlobe) February 20, 2025
Commentary:
California’s latest reparations push is yet another example of how state lawmakers prioritize ideological agendas over real solutions.
While businesses flee, homelessness skyrockets, and the budget deficit spirals, politicians continue wasting time on policies that have no legal or financial justification.
The state’s Reparations Task Force previously pushed a plan that would have cost California up to $800 billion—an absurd amount for a state already struggling with a $68 billion budget shortfall.
With past proposals failing to gain traction, Democrats are now resorting to incremental policies, like licensing preferences, to implement race-based reparations.
The problem is that these policies directly violate Proposition 209, which bans racial discrimination in state affairs.
Voters upheld this law twice—yet lawmakers persist in ignoring the will of the people.
More importantly, these policies do nothing to address California’s core issues.
The state has some of the highest taxes in the nation, crumbling infrastructure, and a worsening crime problem.
Instead of fixing what’s broken, politicians continue pandering to activists and pushing divisive, legally questionable policies.
At some point, Californians will need to ask: Why is the government focused on reparations in a state that was never a part of the Confederacy?
And why are they spending taxpayer dollars on initiatives most residents don’t support?
The Bottom Line:
California Democrats continue pushing reparations policies despite legal barriers, budget concerns, and public opposition.
Instead of addressing crime, homelessness, and economic decline, lawmakers are focused on racial preference initiatives that do little to help everyday Californians.
With the state in crisis, this is nothing more than political theater at taxpayers’ expense.
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