Last week, California Black Media (CBM) provided an update on four bills in the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) 2025 Road to Repair package.
The 16 bills in the Black Caucus’s 2025 “Road to Repair” package focus on “repairing the generational harms caused by the cruel treatment of African American slaves in the United States and decades of systemic deprivation and injustice inflicted upon Black Californians,” said the CLBC in a release.
This week, CBM examines four more bills in the package — each offering ways for Black Californians to receive restitution for past injustices — from housing assistance and reclamation of loss property to fairer pay and the establishment of a state agency charged with determining eligibility for reparations.
Here are summaries of these bills, information about their authors, and updates on how far each one has advanced in the legislative process.
Assembly Bill (AB) 57 AB 57, introduced by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), would require that at least 10 percent of the monies in the state’s home purchase assistance fund be made available to applicants who meet the requirements for a loan under the home purchase assistance program and are descendants of formerly enslaved people.
“California has long been a leader in addressing historical inequities and AB 57 builds on that legacy by acknowledging and addressing the systemic barriers that have prevented descendants of enslaved people from achieving equitable access to homeownership,” said McKinnor in a release. “Homeownership is a cornerstone of wealth building, and this bill is an important step toward ensuring that this historically marginalized community has opportunities to close the wealth gap and achieve economic stability.”
Existing law requires budget allocation for the Home Purchase Assistance Program, which assists low- and moderate-income homebuyers in purchasing owner-occupied homes.
On March 26, the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee held a hearing on AB 57 and approved it with an 8-0 vote. The Assembly Judiciary Committee is currently reviewing the legislation.
Assembly Bill (AB) 62 AB 62, also introduced by McKinnor, would require the Office of Legal Affairs, to review, investigate, and make certain determinations regarding applications from people who claim they are the dispossessed owner of property seized from them because of racially motivated eminent domain. Please visit www. cablackmedia.org to read more.
