San Francisco Mayor Signs Reparations Bill, Admits There’s No Money to Pay Them
“We are not allocating money to this fund — with a historic $1 billion budget deficit, we are going to spend our money on making the city safer and cleaner”
The left’s obsession with reparations continued this week, as San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie signed a bill that would pay some people in the city up to $5 million, while acknowledging that the money to make these payments doesn’t exist.
What a perfect metaphor for progressive governance.
The New York Post reports:
San Fran mayor signs bill that could give black residents $5M each — but admits city is too broke to pay
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie quietly signed a questionable bill to create a reparations fund for black residents — but acknowledged the city is too broke to pay, sparking a swift backlash from critics who call the plan blatantly illegal.
The bill, which was passed unanimously by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors earlier this month, creates a fund to accept private or public money for a controversial reparations plan that calls for cash payouts of $5 million each to eligible black residents, debt forgiveness, 250 years of tax abatements, and income subsidies.
“We are not allocating money to this fund — with a historic $1 billion budget deficit, we are going to spend our money on making the city safer and cleaner,” said Lurie in a statement.
Still, critics have called the reparations plan unlawful “virtue signaling” even if private dollars are used.
Racial preferences in government programs are banned under the constitution, according to Andrew Quinio, attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation.
“The ordinance has a very explicit racially discriminatory purpose,” he said.
Here’s a video report from FOX News:
More from the Daily Mail:
The ordinance establishes a reparations fund, as recommended by the city’s African American Reparations Advisory Committee (AARAC) in its 2023 report.
Per the 2023 report, every eligible African-American adult in San Francisco should be handed a $5 million lump sum to ‘compensate the affected population for the decades of harm that they have experienced.’ Approximately 50,000 black people live in San Francisco, and the qualifying requirements remain unclear.
While this effort has captured the most attention – and sparked the most controversy – the AARAC rattled off more than 100 suggestions, including debt relief, guaranteed annual income of $97,000, debt forgiveness and city-funded homes for black people.
In 2023, the conservative public policy think-tank the Hoover Institution said the plan would cost each non-African American household in the city about $600,000 in tax dollars.
If this makes sense to you, you might be a progressive.
A state that never allowed slavery wants to make residents who never owned slaves pay reparations to people who never were slaves. https://t.co/pnH4KTr9Vw
— Josh Howerton (@howertonjosh) January 2, 2026
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Comments
California never had slavery
These are idiot non black mental slaves
Insane
That’s not correct in the broad sense. First the history of California didn’t begin with Statehood. The Spanish then very briefly the Mexicans damn sure had slaves in California for hundreds of years. Second even after the USA stole CA fair and square from Mexico there were slaves already present in California. The gold rush brought even more slaves to California to labor for their owners digging gold or supplying the miners. California passed its own fugitive slave act in 1852 nearly two full years AFTER they entered the Union as a ‘free State’. This required assistance to slave owners to capture and remove their slaves. It came with a one year sunset provision but was extended at least twice by the CA legislature.
So let’s let the Spaniards take care of it
And and and the Irish have ALWAYS been treated as indentured slaves
So the Irish should be PAID!
And and and the Indians, dear God the Indians, we all need to be paying them restitution, we are all living on stolen land!
Maybe throw in a few casinos!!!
It’s interesting how Sacred Ground becomes not so sacred when casinos get built.
I wonder if the Indians (casino, not C-store) care one whit when they find bones on one of their own construction sites, or if that only appllies to the White Devil’s projects.
gonzotx,
First I don’t live in CA and so far as I know neither do you thus neither one of us is on the hook for reparations in CA generally or in particular SF.
Second the refusal to acknowledge the actual historical facts in favor of an attempted ‘holier than thou’ ‘this/that State was a ‘free State’ and totally unlike those Confederates States is tedious.
Every State was a ‘slave State’ to some degree or another. See the fugitive Slave act and SCOTUS decision in Dred Scott. Heck see the 13th amendment. There were plenty of slaves in the USA, not just the Confederate States. It isn’t as if some guy in TN was getting on a ship to go buy them… that role was played largely by Northeast port cities. Financing for the ventures of the triangular trade? Largely Northern banks and individuals. Not to mention the finance and purchase of the things produced by slaves. Then and now ordinary consumers buy all sorts of finished goods where the raw materials are large part derived from slave labor.
I didn’t argue for reparations to be offered up much less paid out. If you think you can force Spain to pony up some cash then have at it but IMO there’s no debt owed by anyone alive to anyone alive for North American Slavery which ended in the USA by passage of the 13th Amendment following a bloody, brutal Civil War.
Congratulations. You’ve joined Milhouse in getting downticks bringing up facts folks find uncomfortable.
It’s almost like folks are trying to cancel you!
downticks are a badge of honor in some cases especially when facts are just being stated. I just usually want to know who and especially why but those that downclick often are too cowardly to explain why,
It wasn’t the first time and won’t be the last. After nearly ten years of posting I’ve long since come to accept that sometimes the shining light of truth gives certain folks a severe sunburn. Tough cookies.
Wasn’t there a large population of Chinese slave labor out west? They were heavily involved in building all the railroads.
No, they were not slaves. They came voluntarily to work, and were very happy to do so. So happy that they sent for their families to come and join them.
its not about whether or not they have the money
that statement is used to placate the taxpayers (ohh dont really theres no money to actually make payments)
its meant to fuel the hate and anger of blk society…
hey,,its the law..you better git me my monies now!!
and to keep the government as the sooth sayers..the guardians etc
its a blk matriarchy world and you better be prepared
now what about the fact that hizzhonor is jewish??
is this part of the (in) famous jewish guilt ?
or just another attempt to say to the blmplo
hey we’re on your side
stop beating us up!?
or just a coincidence no connection to his being je wish
Now there will be lawsuits to force them to abide by this new law.
Let’s ponder the iron clad law of unintended consequences, shall we? Beginning with the notion that for democrats/progressives/socialists (I know I’m being redundant) policy decisions are based on emotion and lofty goals the outcome is always the exact opposite and never in a positive way.
Regardless of the city’s deficit and the fact that they’re allocating no money to this account, the fact that they passed this bill will be news far and wide.
And as a result, grifters will descend upon SF like the 49ers did a century ago in search of the mother lode.
Prediction: a woman named Mary Margaret McCormack will make a claim for her cool $5m. She exclaims “What are you saying? Black Irish need not apply? No justice! No peace!”
A compromise would be to bring back slavery, but pay a living wage with attractive fringe benefits.
They already have. We’re called “taxpayers”.
True dat! Taxation is theft.
I’d argue the phrase “bring back slavery” includes abandonment of voting rights. Then we’re at the same table.
Maybe these Commiefornia apparatchik imbeciles can give San Francisco’s black residents a “40” bottle of malt liquor and a flag emblazoned with a Dhimmi-crat donkey emblem (“mule”).
At least that gesture would have some historical consistency and resonance. Plus, it would be a hell of a lot cheaper.
Rush is still right. Symbolism over substance.
One wouldn’t expect anything else, from the vile, stupid and evil neo-communist/Islamofascist Dhimmi-crat clown-apparatchiks.
Since the city council approved it, then let them pay for it.
The bill is signed. Five million a piece.
But.
No funds.
Will there be riots?
If you move to SF you can claim a black bear in your ancestry and will be owed 5 million..
I have far more dignity than that.
Pass a law. Because who cares?
Laws aren’t meant for our side to obey.
Let’s just call this what it is: NY envy. They are just envious that NYC is getting all the news lately because of their communist mayor. This is just cry in the wilderness “We’re crazy too”” because they were feeling ignored.
The masks told me everything I need to know.
They’re common thieves.
Prohibition of wearing masks only applies to ICE.
Yep. Perhaps the most unequivocal indication of leftist insanity available.
The mayor didn’t sign a questionable bill. He signed an unconstitutional bill.
Also know as the “Gimme dat!” law.
Here’s the thing: let’s say San Francisco actually had the money and intended to pay it. There are NO records that could give proof that any individual was a slave in the United States or in the country prior it having become the United States. It took me less than 10 minutes to research this. You would think that this committee would have done that research.
It will not be checked. It will be run very similar to operating a Somali Day Care.
It would have to be checked. Eventually someone will file a claim with great great whatever ancestor who was a mulatto of some sort but could ‘pass as white’ and since 150+ years ago has married ‘white’ and each subsequent generation becoming more visibly ‘white’. The day will come when some Vanilla Ice looking dude shows up demanding his payment and the hilarity will be delicious.
Don’t forget the cheekbones. It’s always the cheekbones.
They should probably expect to be sued now they have admitted guilt. Might make for an interesting defense.
Unserious people acting as if they are serious people. In the process, more waste of tax dollars. Look for the black population of SF to grow, except most blacks likely realize it’s all a play for suckers.
It’s another set up for fraud
Anyone remember Pigford I & II?
To me the real waste is the time and effort the San Francisco Board of Supervisors spent on this. They could have worked on real problems instead.
Understand what the goal here is.
For every future budget, they’re going to add this as ‘unfunded liabilities’ to whine that they need more money and need to raise taxes, and try to demand the federal government give them money for their ‘budget shortfall’.
And of course it justifies a whole group of connected Democrats in cushy positions ‘administering’ this nonexistent fund.
Whether the money ever goes to the fund or not isn’t even the point.
160 years after the Civil War ended, and blacks are still living on the plantation.
And it’s too bad, because they were well on their way off it, before LBJ happened.
SF voters could really show their wokeness by demanding that their SF taxes be sufficiently raised to cover the reparations in full.
Like so many of the Dem’s actions…..simply “Lip Service”….as they say….”Our intentions were there” if nothing else. Empty promises and lies are there SOP!