Gov Newsom: Black Caucus Members “Owed an Apology” Amid Backlash, Brewing Tensions
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media
(CBM) – A week after advocates rallied at the State Capitol to protest lawmakers for not allowing two reparations bills to be brought up for a vote on the Assembly floor, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) members are “owed an apology.”
For several days now, CLBC chair Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) and other caucus members have been under fire from some activists and advocates who say the lawmakers did not do enough to push the reparations bills authored by their colleague, Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood).
Others have been accusing members of intentionally sabotaging the bills even though last week the CLBC issued a statement informing the public that it intends to reintroduce the reparations bills during the next legislative session.
On Sept. 7, Newsom said it was “disgraceful” for anyone to unleash their frustrations out on the CLBC.
“There were members of that Black Caucus that are owed an apology for being treated the way they were treated – to be doxed, to be personally maligned, and attacked. So, forgive me for expressing that,” Newsom said. “I have great respect and admiration for the leadership of the Black Caucus and members of the Black Caucus,” Newsom told reporters.
Newsom made the statement at a news conference held at the Capitol Annex Swing Space when he announced that he issued proposed emergency regulations to protect youth from the adverse health effects of dangerous hemp products.
The Coalition for A Just and Equitable California (CJEC), a reparations advocacy group that helped to organize the protests, released a statement on Sept. 5.
“CLBC members are now falsely claiming to the media and others, with no evidence, that we are the source of physical threats to their person and property,” CJEC’s letter stated.
CBM has not been able to verify CJEC’s allegation that the Black Caucus – or any of its members — has accused that organization of making threats.
The CLBC released a statement on Aug. 31, the last day of the Legislative session, stating that it had “concerns” about Bradford’s bills Senate Bill (SB) 1403 and SB 1331, legislation that previously advanced with minimal opposition through Senate and Assembly committees before being withheld from a final floor vote by all members of the lower house of the Legislature.
SB 1403 proposes the creation of a new state agency called the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency (CAFAA). That agency, one of the California Reparations Task Force’s 115 recommendations, would be responsible for determining eligibility for reparations and administering government processes related to compensation.
SB 1331 would establish an account for reparations in the State Treasury for the purpose of funding reparations policies approved by the Legislature and the Governor. Neither one of those pieces of legislation, authored by Bradford, a CLBC member. were a part of CLBC’s initial reparations priority package of 14 bills announced in January.
However, according to a letter obtained by California Black Media, the CLBC added1403 to the package in May. In the same letter, the Black Caucus requested that the state provide $6 million to help fund efforts related to 1403 and another $6 million to the California Black Freedom Fund, a $100-million non-profit initiative focused on eradicating systemic and institutional racism in the state.
Another bill that was a part of the package, authored by Wilson, Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA 8), was approved by both houses of the Legislature and will appear on the ballot in the November election. If approved by voters, ACA 8 will erase language in the state constitution that legalizes involuntary servitude and end forced labor in prisons as a punishment for crimes. ACA 8 will appear on the ballot as Prop. 6.
Nine of the reparations bills included in the CLBC package passed and have now been advanced to the governor’s desk for his consideration. Those bills include SB 1050, authored by Bradford, which would allow California to review and investigate complaints from individuals who claim their property was taken without compensation as a result of racially motivated eminent domain. It passed with a 73-0 vote on the Assembly floor.
Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), a CLBC member, inked an opinion article sharing her perspective on why the Legislature did not advance SB 1403 and SB 1331. McKinnor did not mention Bradford by name, but it is clear from context that she was referring to the author of the two bills in question.
“From the outset, a Black caucus member worked against the CLBC’s efforts. Days after the CLBC introduced its reparations legislative package, a Black caucus member introduced his own reparations bills, not part of the CLBC’s work, and spent months attempting to negotiate away the $12 million that the CLBC had secured in this year’s state budget for his own project,” McKinnor wrote.
Bradford appeared on various media platforms as well with accusations directed at his CLBC colleagues. Bradford told Roland Martin, the popular media host on his podcast, that all the members of CLBC had signed on as co-authors of SB 1403 in May.
“It’s probably the most heartbreaking, disappointing time I’ve experienced in the Legislature,” Bradford told Martin on his “Unfiltered” show on Sept. 4. “You’re taught early ‘don’t fall in love with your bills.’ I didn’t fall in love with this bill, but I felt what this bill meant not only to Black Californians but Black Americans.”
Assemblymember Issac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), one of the CLBC members who was feeling the heat from disgruntled activists, faced the music and showed up at a town hall meeting held on Sept. 5 at the Los Angeles’ Center for Black Power in Leimert Park. Bryan said the crowd yelled at him, but he understood the community’s frustrations.
The next day, Bryan appeared on Dominique di Prima’s KBLA 1500 AM radio show, based in L.A., to explain why the CLBC did not push for the bills to get an Assembly floor vote.
Bryan said the CLBC had a number of concerns that included “last-minute amendments” to SB 1403 requested by the governor that were not immediately shared with the Black lawmakers, absent legislative oversight, a potential veto, and no solutions for longtime funding of the CAFAA. Bryan said he was still in favor of the CLBC bringing the bills to the Assembly floor for a vote, but the group collectively decided against it. In the end, he respected the members’ action.
“On a personal level, I had no problem sending the bills to the Governor,” Bryan said to di Prima. “But I think when you’re moving in solidarity, not just with your colleagues in Sacramento, but within the community and there are disagreements, strategically, you’ve got to make the best decisions you can.”
Bryan continued by saying “In this particular instance, there was a decision collectively by a majority of the caucus to not move on (SB 1403 and SB 1331) this year.”
