Chula Vista votes to support historic state bill package on reparations

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The Chula Vista City Council voted on Tuesday to back a package of reparations bills currently making its way through the state legislature in an effort to atone for and mitigate the continued impacts of discrimination against Black Californians.

The set of measures were officially announced back in January by the California Legislative Black Caucus, following the release of a 1,100-page, state-requested report detailing California’s role in perpetuating harm against descendants of slavery and recommendations for remedies.

Known as the “2024 Reparations Priority Bill Package,” the reforms target several areas where disparities caused by generations of systemic racism persist, such as education, civil rights, criminal justice, health and business.

Among the proposals included in the package — the first in a series of measures aimed at implementing the report’s recommendations — are initiatives for the state to formally apologize for its role in continuing systemic racism against Black residents, create a grant program to decrease community violence, and prohibit involuntary servitude for incarcerated individuals.

The measures do not feature widespread direct payments to Californians who can trace heritage back to enslaved individuals, although it would allow the state to form a new agency aimed at compensating families whose property was unjustly seized through eminent domain.

In a statement, Chula Vista City Councilmember Jose Preciado, who spearheaded the local resolution to back the bills, described the proposals as part of the “nature of the work” for state lawmakers.

“I think the nature of the work … in Sacramento is to try to support and bring remedies to a community that has experienced a lot of pain,” he said. “It’s not the only community that has experienced pain, but it is the one that we have before us today as part of the conversation.”

However, he noted that the city council’s step was meant to be a symbolic gesture — it does not obligate the city of Chula Vista to enact any specific policies or actions.

California has moved further along in its consideration of reparations proposals for Black residents compared to other states who have also made strides to remedy the lasting harm left by slavery, like Illinois and New York.

Earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom allotted $12 million for reparations legislation in the state’s $297.9 billion budget, as reported by the Associated Press. Although it did not specify what programs it could be put towards in the upcoming fiscal year.

As far as the bill package goes, a handful of the measures, like one creating a new state grant aimed to increasing Black students’ participation in STEM-related career technical education programs, have already been signed into law by Newsom.

Lawmakers are still trying to push others in the bundle through the state legislature before the final day of the session on Aug. 31 — the deadline for bills to be passed and sent to the governor’s desk.

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