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Here’s one we sure didn’t see coming…
From the Washington Examiner: An unlikely pair of Californians are teaming up to take the first step in passing a reparations-related bill after similar efforts were killed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) during the last legislative session.
Republican Assemblyman Bill Essayli, a hard-line conservative known for his clashes with Democrats, is authoring a bill that would create the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency, which would serve as a starting point on reparations by setting up genealogy services to determine who is a descendant of slaves.
He has gotten support from Kamilah Moore, the Democratic leader of California’s Reparations Task Force, who spent the past two years studying the negative impacts slavery had on California.
Moore’s team has chosen to work with Essayli instead of the Black Caucus, which is focusing its efforts on working with Assemblywoman Akilah Weber Pierson, a Democrat from San Diego. Pierson and the Black Caucus are pushing to establish the Bureau of Descendants of American Slavery.
KCRA News correspondent Ashley Zavala posted details of her interview with Moore and Essayli:
First, this bill is not about cash reparations. “There’s a lot we don’t agree on,” Essayli told me while Moore agreed.
This is about rolling out genealogy technology and establishing who in California is a descendant of enslaved African-Americans and having that data.
First, this bill is not about cash reparations.
“There’s a lot we don’t agree on,” Essayli told me while Moore agreed.
This is about rolling out genealogy technology and establishing who in California is a descendant of enslaved African-Americans and having that data.
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) February 28, 2025
This all comes after apparently not a single Democrat would file it this year, even though last year it sailed through CALeg until the last night of session. That’s when CA Legislative Black Caucus killed the bill.
Essayli said the CLBC is marching to the governor’s order…
“As former chairperson, I’m going to support any piece of legislation from any legislator that speaks to the task force’s report,” Moore said.
She noted the agency bill the California Legislative Black Caucus filed involves another $6 million, two year genealogy study.
“As former chairperson, I’m going to support any piece of legislation from any legislator that speaks to the task force’s report,” Moore said.
She noted the agency bill the California Legislative Black Caucus filed involves another $6 million, two year genealogy study.
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) February 28, 2025
Speaking of money, California has spent none of the $12 million earmarked for reparations related legislation it expected to pass last year. The only reparations related expense has been $500k for a plaque memorializing CA’s apology at the state capitol.
When I asked Essayli where Republicans have been on reparations conversation, he said maybe they haven’t done a great job communicating on the issue. He thinks there maybe there are ideas the party could support. School choice vouchers he said for example.
When I asked Essayli where Republicans have been on reparations conversation, he said maybe they haven’t done a great job communicating on the issue.
He thinks there maybe there are ideas the party could support. School choice vouchers he said for example.
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) February 28, 2025
Below is the full interview:
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