By Olivia Clark, Contributing Writer
On Saturday, August 23, the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC) held a meeting at the Malcolm X Public Library to update community members about the state’s reparations legislation, and to discuss the path forward for the descendants of enslaved Black Americans in California. The CJEC is a grassroots advocacy group dedicated to mobilizing organizers and community members in the fight for California Reparations and Reparative Justice.
Saturday’s meeting brought organizers and residents from Los Angeles and San Diego together to review recent bills in the state legislature and their potential impact, under the watchful eye of a bust of Malcolm X.
The bills discussed, the highly contentious Senate Bills (SB) 437, 518 and 515, are central to the California Legislative Black Caucus’ (CLBC) multi-year “Road to Repair” legislative package.
Chad Brown, a member of the Lineage Equity and Advancement Project (LEAP) and a CJEC organizer, highlighted the stakes of these measures and why community members should be paying close attention to what CJEC believes they really mean in the fight for reparations.
How We Got Here
In 2020, CJEC partnered with then Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber—now California Secretary of State—who represented San Diego’s 79th District, to author and pass Assembly Bill 3121. This landmark legislation established the nation’s first state-level task force to study and develop reparations proposals for African Americans.
The findings of the California Reparations Task Force, published in June 2023, are what informed the CLBC’s 16-bill “Road to Repair 2025 Priority Bill Package”
Senate Bill 437
SB 437 was authored by Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), who is also chair of the CLBC. The bill would require a three-to-five-year genealogical study, projected to cost $6 million, to be conducted by California State University before any reparations plans could move forward.
During the August meeting at Malcolm X, Brown and other CJEC members criticized the proposal, calling it a stall tactic. “They call it the ‘Forever Study’,” Brown said while speaking to the small crowd of community members and advocates. Attendees took notes and nodded their heads intently, hanging on to his every word.
“We don’t need any more studying. Give us the cash first, then we’ll see what else is left,” Brown said. His declaration met with snaps, words, and more head nods in agreement.
Senate Bill 518
SB 518, also authored by Sen. Weber Pierson, was another measure CJEC leaders wanted to draw attention to. The bill proposes the establishment of the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery within the California Department of Justice. Members of CJEC voiced their concerns over the bill at the August 23 meeting, arguing that a reparations agency that deals with the verification of an individual’s status as the descendant of an enslaved person should not be connected to or run by the U.S. Law Enforcement system. “I can’t tell you how bad that sounds to me,” Brown said, his voice filling the air-conditioned multi-purpose room.
Senate Bill 515
In contrast to their calls for resistance to SB 437 and SB 518, CJEC leaders expressed their support for Senate Bill 515.
SB 515, introduced by Sen. Laura Richardson (D-Inglewood), would refine demographic data by adding categories and tabulations for Black and African American groups, beginning with data collected from state employees. CJEC advocates said that this change is necessary to ensure reparations are able to reach those whose families were directly impacted by slavery. If signed into law, cities and counties would be required to add these new, specific categories beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
CJEC Pushes Back
Despite growing skepticism and pessimism in the room last month–complete with sighs, murmurs, and side comments–Tiffany Quarles, also a member of LEAP and a CJEC organizer, emphasized the progress made and urged the community to continue to remain engaged. “We are closer to reparations today than ever before in this country,” Quarles urged. “There’s always an opportunity where there are obstacles.”
After the presentation, the floor was open for audience members and attendees to ask questions and voice their concerns. Genealogy became a central topic of discussion in response to concerns about SB 518. Jerry Moss, a genealogy researcher, encouraged attendees to trace their ancestry as soon as possible to establish their eligibility for future programs. “DNA doesn’t lie,” Moss said. “Reparations or not, it’s more important for me to know my family.”
Minor disagreements among audience members concerning who should benefit from reparations, and how different groups should engage in shaping the legislation may have been apparent. However, a clear consensus emerged: Reparations are both necessary and overdue, but must be pursued in a deliberate, principled manner.
As the meeting began to wind down and the room became flooded by a communal chorus of hugs, laughter, the shaking of hands and old neighbors catching up, attendees and advocates were left with a call to action. CJEC leaders encouraged the contacting of legislators, the attendance of hearings, and the inclusion of younger generations in the movement and conversation. “The power is in our collective voice,” Brown declared. “We have to start using our power.”
Where The Bills Stand Now
On Aug. 29, SB 437, SB 518 and SB 515 were released from the Assembly Appropriations Committee’s Suspense File, where bills with potential costs over $50,000 from the General Fund or $150,000 from special funds are held for later review. Their removal advanced them to the Assembly floor for a vote, after which they proceeded to the Senate, and now that they are approved, they will wait on the desk of the Governor.
On September 10, the Senate concurred with Assembly amendments to SB 437, with a 29-10 vote. Sen. Weber Pierson’s SB 518 also advanced to the governor’s desk after receiving a 30-10 vote in the Senate. During that Assembly meeting, an amendment to SB 518 transferred the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery from the California Department of Justice, to the California Civil Rights Department.
SB 437 and SB 518 are now “one step closer to the Governor’s desk and to becoming California law,” Sen. Weber Pierson said in a press release after the bills were passed.
In a recent California Black Media report, Chris Lodgson said, “The passing of SB 515 is progress, another step in the right direction. I’m grateful for that.” Lodgson is a reparations advocate and the lead organizer for CJEC.
Back in February, Sen. Weber Pierson stated that the whole legislative package of bills “is a chance to transform the promise of equality into a lived reality.” However, in a statement posted across their social media shortly after the bills were passed earlier this month, CJEC said that SB 437 and SB 518 “divert, delay, and diminish the urgent demand for reparations.”
The Road Ahead
Now that the bills have been passed by the Senate, CJEC is asking that Gov. Gavin Newsom veto both SB 437 and SB 518. “Reparations delayed are reparations denied. California cannot study, stall, or divert its way out of its responsibility,” the statement continued. “Our movement will continue to demand reparations be enacted with respect, safety, and urgency — and we will not accept half-measures that undermine that goal.”
The Voice and Viewpoint will follow this continuing story. Stay tuned for further developments.
This article was updated on September 26, 2025.