Senator Bradford Releases Statement on Reparations Rumor

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December 03, 2022

SACRAMENTO ­– Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) released the following statement regarding reports that the California Reparations Task Force has suggested the State compensate descendants of slaves with direct compensation for historical housing discrimination:

“Since its formation a lot of misinformation and willful misrepresentation of the work from the Task Force has been released. The fact is that the Task Force has not completed its work and has made no formal recommendations to the legislature. More than six months remain between now and when our official recommendations will be reported. Instead of being caught up in rumor or insinuation, the Task Force will continue to finish its work in the coming months and the legislature will review and consider that work when it is complete. It’s important that we be deliberative and get this right because the nation is watching and it’s more than likely ours will be the model for all to follow.”

In 2021, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins appointed Senator Bradford as a member to California’s Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. California became the first state government in the country to establish a task force for this purpose. The Task Force is comprised of nine members appointed by the Governor and legislative leaders in order to conduct an examination of the lasting consequences of discrimination against freed slaves and their descendants and to make recommendations on how the state can potentially make reparations for those affected.

On June 1, 2022, the Task Force issued its interim report to the California Legislature. The final report will be issued before July 1, 2023.

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Senator Bradford is Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Public Safety and represents the Los Angeles County communities of Carson, Compton, Gardena, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lennox, San Pedro, Torrance, Watts, Willowbrook, and Wilmington.