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The mayor of San Francisco signed an ordinance creating a “Reparations Fund” that could one day award each of the city’s eligible Black residents up to $5 million in reparations for allegations of historic discrimination and displacement.
The ordinance, which was adopted by the Board of Supervisors earlier this month, was signed by Democratic Mayor Daniel Lurie two days before Christmas. It establishes the legal framework for the fund but does not allocate funds or guarantee payments. The fund may be financed by private donations, foundations and other sources outside the city.
Any taxpayer-funded reparations payment would require separate legislation, an identified funding source and mayoral approval. Lurie told Fox News Digital that no taxpayer money would go into the potential pot, given the city’s billion-dollar budget deficit.
“I was elected to lead San Francisco’s recovery, and that’s what I focus on every day,” Lurie said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We are not allocating money to this fund. With a historic budget deficit of a billion dollars, we are going to spend our money to make the city safer and cleaner.”
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Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco, California, earlier this year. The ordinance was signed by Lurie two days before Christmas without any public announcement from the mayor. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The Reparations Plan outlines a variety of methods to provide restitution, compensation, and rehabilitation to individuals who are Black and/or descendants of an enslaved person and who have suffered proven harm in San Francisco,” the order reads in part.
The order specifically cites a 2023 policy report and recommendations document produced by the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee (AARAC), a city-appointed advisory committee.
The report, which is non-binding, examines the harms caused to Black residents and offers solutions, including a recommendation for a $5 million payment. About 46,000 black residents live in San Francisco, according to U.S. Census data.
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San Francisco City Hall, California. (Action)
He claims that black San Franciscans are victims of decades of “residential displacement” and “racial discrimination” brought on by the city, particularly during the period of urban renewal – the period from the mid-1940s to the 1970s.
“The City and County of San Francisco and their agencies should issue a formal apology for past harms and commit to substantial ongoing, systemic, and programmatic investments in Black communities to address historical harms,” the report states in its executive summary.
He proposed that the city “[p]provide once, lump sum payment of $5 million to each eligible person.
Historic Victorian-style homes, some once owned by black residents, stand against the San Francisco skyline, with the City Hall rotunda visible. (PHILIP PACHECO/AFP via Getty Images)
The report also recommends a guaranteed annual income linked to the median income of the region and the creation of new municipal agenciesincluding an Office of Reparations, to administer the programs. He also called for major housing interventions, such as rental assistance, homeownership assistance, and city-backed funds to purchase properties along Black business corridors, as well as multimillion-dollar investments in Black-owned businesses.
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THE California Legislature has attempted to pass specific reparations bills, but has so far failed to do so. Several proposals stalled or were rejected after the state’s reparations task force, which was created in 2020 to study and recommend reparations proposals.
