Gavin Newsom says 'no' to reparations board's plan to give cash to eligible black Californians

California's Governor Gavin Newsom declined to endorse reparations payments, which could be as high as $1.2 million per person, for black residents, a plan recommended by the reparations task force he formed in 2021.

Newsom told Fox News that addressing the legacy of slavery "is about much more than cash payments." His state is also substantially in debt, and estimates indicate that were the reparations board's plans to be enacted, it could cost California some $800 billion.

"The Reparations Task Force’s independent findings and recommendations are a milestone in our bipartisan effort to advance justice and promote healing. This has been an important process, and we should continue to work as a nation to reconcile our original sin of slavery and understand how that history has shaped our country," Newsom added.