Among the candidates in the 2026 California gubernatorial race, none have emerged as a clear supporter of direct cash payment reparations. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, many Democratic candidates attended the “State of Black Bay Area Report & 2026 CA Gubernatorial Forum” hosted by the Urban League of Greater San Francisco Bay Area on January 26, where they discussed their plans for Black Californians.
The issue of reparations has become significant in California after it became the first state to establish a commission to study and recommend compensation for Black Americans affected by slavery. The forum highlighted that while some candidates addressed related issues, none advocated for direct cash payments as reparations.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond was the only candidate to mention reparations directly. “I will sign as governor a reparations package that gives loans to Black folks who want to start a business, to go to college or to pay for a home,” Thurmond said. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, who endorsed Thurmond, said he is “the only candidate understanding that reparations is a ‘key strategy to achieve racial economic equity.'”
Governor Gavin Newsom has rejected cash payments as a form of reparations, despite recommendations from the state’s task force suggesting payments could reach up to $1.2 million per recipient. Newsom also vetoed several reparation-related bills but approved funding for university research into verifying descendants eligible for benefits. Assembly Member Isaac Bryan described Newsom’s veto of Assembly Bill 7 as “more than disappointing.” According to Fox News, other measures backed by the California Legislative Black Caucus were also not enacted.
Other Democratic candidates offered different approaches. Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said he would appoint African Americans to his administration and work with the legislature on potential legislation but questioned how such efforts would be funded and prioritized. Former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer promised representation through an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, while former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa emphasized improving schools over supporting a reparations package.
Former state Controller Betty Yee opposed one-time cash payments and suggested considering other forms of reparations focused on creating intergenerational wealth. Senator Ian Calderon supported targeted investments addressing economic gaps caused by inequality but did not endorse direct payments.
Lisa Holder, civil rights attorney and former member of California’s Reparations Task Force, commented on KQED that advancing reparations would require comprehensive legislative changes: “You can’t legislate yourself out of 400 years of inequality and injustice. You have to do an entire body of laws to change the systems that have been disparately affecting black folks for decades. You now have to put many, many laws in place to change practically every system, whether you’re talking about systems of finance, housing. Laws that require equitable treatment, laws that require affirmative hiring sometimes in industries where Black people were affirmatively not hired.”
