Governor Newsom signs California Legislative Black Caucus priority bills, including a formal, bipartisan apology for the state’s role in slavery
SACRAMENTO – Joined by members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of bills to address the legacy of racial discrimination in the state and advance a host of issues important to Black Californians. As requested by AB 3089 (Jones-Sawyer), which passed the Legislature with bipartisan and unanimous support, the Governor also signed an accompanying formal apology for California’s historical role in the perpetuation of slavery and its enduring legacy.
Governor Newsom signs California Legislative Black Caucus priority bills and bipartisan apology for the state’s role in slavery
“As we confront the lasting legacy of slavery, I’m profoundly grateful for the efforts put forward by Chair Wilson and the members of the California Legislative Black Caucus. The State of California accepts responsibility for the role we played in promoting, facilitating, and permitting the institution of slavery, as well as its enduring legacy of persistent racial disparities. Building on decades of work, California is now taking another important step forward in recognizing the grave injustices of the past – and making amends for the harms caused.”
Governor Gavin Newsom
This signing event marks a significant milestone in California’s ongoing efforts to promote healing and advance justice. The legislation includes critical measures that tackle a wide range of issues affecting Black Californians, from criminal justice reforms to civil rights and education.
“As Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, I am deeply grateful to Governor Newsom for signing this critical set of Reparations Bills, which have been key priorities for our Caucus. These bills lay a meaningful foundation to address the historic injustices faced by Black Californians, and I want to extend my sincere thanks to my fellow Caucus members and the advocacy leaders who have championed this effort. This is a multi-year effort, and I look forward to continuing our partnership with the Governor on this important work in the years to come as we push toward lasting justice and equity,” said Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City).
“This is a monumental achievement born from a two-year academic study of the losses suffered by Black Americans in California due to systemic bigotry and racism. Healing can only begin with an apology. The State of California acknowledges its past actions and is taking this bold step to correct them, recognizing its role in hindering the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for Black individuals through racially motivated punitive laws,” said Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles), who served on the California Reparations Task Force.
Overview of key bills
Addressing food & medical deserts: SB 1089 by Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) requires grocery stores and pharmacies to provide advance notice to the community and workers before closures, helping to address food deserts that disproportionately affect communities of color.
Strengthening protections against discrimination: AB 1815 by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) clarifies that “race” includes traits associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles, providing stronger protections against discrimination.
Combating maternal health disparities: AB 2319 by Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) requires hospitals to report compliance information and authorizes the Attorney General to enforce against hospitals that are out of compliance with existing law requiring perinatal health care workers to complete anti-bias trainings.
Increasing access to literature in prisons: AB 1986 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) mandates the Office of the Inspector General to post and review the list of banned books in state prisons, promoting access to literature for incarcerated individuals.
Formally apologizing for slavery: AB 3089 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles) affirms California’s recognition of the harms caused by chattel slavery and issues a formal apology, which will be memorialized with a plaque in the State Capitol.
Addressing employment discrimination, preschool access, & college and career financial aid: Additional CLBC measures the Governor signed into law will address employment discrimination, provide more opportunities for child care providers to become CA State Preschool contractors, increase college and career financial support for foster youth, and increase foster youth financial support. Additionally, with SB 1348 (Bradford), the state is establishing the designation of “California Black-Serving Institutions,” to recognize higher education campuses that excel in providing resources and support to Black students.
Once signed by representatives from all branches of government, California will join other states, including Florida, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Alabama, New Jersey, and Iowa, in issuing formal apologies for their role in slavery, acknowledging historical injustices and the ongoing impacts of racial discrimination.
Building on longstanding efforts
Since taking office, Governor Newsom has taken significant steps to address racial disparities in California. He expanded health care access and affordability, food access, child care, and advanced financial relief programs. The Governor has introduced new statewide programs, including universal transitional kindergarten and college and career savings accounts for all children, issued an executive order mandating state agencies to incorporate equity analysis into their policies, made a historic investment in school equity through the Equity Multiplier, strengthened the California Civil Rights Department, taken action to address maternal health disparities and improve reproductive and maternal health, and created the nation’s first “Ebony Alert” system for missing Black children and young women.
Taking aim at structural racism and systemic injustice, the Governor issued a moratorium on the death penalty, which is unfairly applied to people of color, and has enacted critical reforms to create a fairer criminal justice system. These include one of the strongest use-of-force laws in the country, ending the use of the carotid restraint, increasing transparency for peace officer misconduct records, and the closure of the Division of Juvenile Justice and creation of the Office of Youth and Community Restoration.
The Governor previously signed legislation to enable the return of Bruce’s Beach – a property unjustly taken nearly a century ago – to the descendants of its Black owners, established California’s first Racial Equity Commission and a new process for evaluating equity in budget proposals, and signed legislation to allow student athletes to benefit financially from their name, image and likeness, making California the first state to do so and prompting a nationwide change in NCAA rules. In 2020, the Governor signed bipartisan legislation into law establishing a Reparations Task Force to study and develop proposals aimed at rectifying historical injustices faced by Black Californians whose recommendations are reflected in many of these new laws.
The following measures have been signed into law:
- AB 51 by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) – Early childcare and education: California state preschool program.
- AB 1815 by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) – Discrimination: race: hairstyles.
- AB 1986 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) – State prisons: banned books.
- AB 2319 by Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) – California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act.
- AB 2508 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) – Student financial aid: California Kids Investment and Development Savings (KIDS) Program: foster youth.
- AB 2906 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) – Foster care payments.
- AB 3089 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles) – Chattel slavery: formal apology.
- SB 1089 by Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) – Food and prescription access: grocery and pharmacy closures.
- SB 1340 by Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) – Discrimination.
- SB 1348 by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) – Postsecondary education: Designation of California Black-Serving Institutions.
The Governor earlier this year signed:
- AB 1984 by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) – Pupil discipline: transfer reporting.
- AB 3131 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) – Strong Workforce Program: applicants receiving equity multiplier funding.