Performative Liberalism: California Governor Gavin Newsom Vetoes Five Reparations Bills, Signs Others

California Governor Gavin Newsom provoked mixed reactions from his liberal allies when he vetoed five reparations bills recently. Although Newsom signed other reparations bills into law, they were largely symbolic, reflecting the limousine liberal brand he represents in California politics. One bill will create a Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery, setting up a "structure" for reparations. Another bill allocates up to $6 million for the California State University system to research methods of verifying descendants of slaves who want to access benefits. In other words, the bills Newsom signed set up an outline for reparations, without doing anything tangible. Much like the Defund the Police fervor on the Left has fizzled in the last five years, the Democratic Party has made noises about reparations and "systemic racism" without committing to many particulars, beyond demonizing white conservatives. The reparations bills vetoed by Newsom included one that would have established affirmative action in college admissions for descendants of slaves. Another vetoed bill would have committed 10% of a state-backed home loan program to descendants of slaves. Newsom used dry, technocratic language in his veto messages, stating that the former bill was unnecessary, and that the latter bill would risk California's federal funding. Newsom has been attempting to strike a balance between his strained efforts to establish himself as President Donald J. Trump's liberal archnemesis, and his attempts to signal moderation on select issues in advance of a 2028 presidential run. Still, regardless of his twisted rationale, it is a positive sign that he occasionally refuses to accommodate his party's left wing on its most radical pet issues. Californian left-wing activist Chris Lodgson claimed that Newsom's move was simply a delaying tactic, since the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery won't be established until a genealogy study is completed. "The bureau itself depends on a study, so the bureau is years away — this is delayed by design," according to Lodgson. He also emphasized that reparations activists were looking for money, not symbolic gestures. Hopefully Newsom's moves on the issue remain symbolic and toothless, though in an ideal California, politicians would not feel a need to appease the reparations lobby in the first place.