Nov 14, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaks at a press conference on Nov. 14, 2023, after a fire under Interstate 10 severely damaged the overpass in an industrial zone near downtown Los Angeles, Saturday on Nov. 11, 2023. The large blaze burned trailers, cars and other things in storage lots beneath a major highway near downtown Los Angeles, forcing the temporary closure of the roadway. Mandatory Credit: Yannick Peterhans-USA TODAY
Sacramento, California – A bill that would allocate at least 10% of California’s home purchase assistance funds to descendants of formerly enslaved people moved forward in the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, continuing the uphill battle for reparations-focused legislation in the Golden State.
Assembly Bill 57, introduced by Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor (D-Hawthorne), proposes that once a state agency is created to verify lineage, descendants of enslaved individuals would be eligible for a portion of funds from the California Housing Finance Agency’s (CalHFA) home purchase assistance program. The bill is one of 16 reparations-related measures introduced this year, following a 2024 session where most such efforts failed to reach Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.
“This is about repairing the generational harm caused by slavery,” McKinnor said. “AB 57 is a meaningful step toward helping all Californians achieve the American dream through first-time homeownership.”
Advocates argue that discriminatory housing policies have long denied Black Americans the opportunity to build generational wealth. During Tuesday’s hearing, Taneicia Herring of the NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference testified that such policies have created systemic inequalities. “Housing policies were designed to discriminate against those descendants,” Herring said. “They ensured that true equality was never an option to begin with.”
However, opponents have raised serious legal concerns. The Pacific Legal Foundation argued that distributing aid based solely on lineage rather than specific injury could violate constitutional protections. Legal experts warn that AB 57, if signed into law, could face a significant court challenge on the grounds that it constitutes racial discrimination.
With California facing a budget deficit and dwindling tax revenues, most reparations bills this year—including AB 57—have been designed to avoid creating new costs by pulling from existing programs. This strategy follows a string of gubernatorial vetoes last year, with Newsom citing financial constraints and constitutional concerns.
Even as AB 57 passed the Judiciary Committee, its future remains uncertain. It must clear the Assembly Appropriations Committee before facing a full Assembly vote. With a growing bloc of GOP and moderate Democrat lawmakers, many reparations bills could face stiffer resistance than in 2024.
If the bill does make it to Newsom’s desk, the Governor’s stance on its constitutionality and fiscal impact will likely determine its fate.
AB 57 now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee in the coming weeks.
