An advisory committee to the city of San Francisco has recommended that the city pay reparations to its Black population. The plan was prepared by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission staff for the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee.
The proposal includes a minimum payment of $5 million to each qualifying Black resident over age 18 and a commitment to guarantee a $97,000 income for low-income Black residents. The program is proposed to last 250 years, with provisions that would prevent future changes by subsequent generations of San Franciscans.
The report acknowledges that neither San Francisco nor California formally adopted chattel slavery but claims that both entities enforced and upheld slavery by perpetuating a racial caste system. It cites historical figures and policies, including California’s first governor Peter Burnett and pro-slavery settlers in the state’s early history.
The proposal also references legal discrimination against Black residents in the mid-20th century as part of its justification. However, it does not limit benefits strictly to descendants of slaves, instead including those who are direct descendants of individuals incarcerated during the War on Drugs or who immigrated as late as 1996.
Legal challenges are anticipated due to Proposition 209, which bans government institutions from taking affirmative action based on race, sex, or ethnicity. The report notes this could pose difficulties in implementing programs seen as giving preference based on these categories.
