Gavin Newsom keeps doubling down on radical leftist policies.
Now one of California’s most respected historians is calling him out.
And Victor Davis Hanson exposed one detail about California reparations that left Gavin Newsom fuming.
California builds reparations bureaucracy while drowning in debt
Historian Victor Davis Hanson just demolished the entire premise behind California’s latest reparations push in a devastating commentary that Gavin Newsom won’t want anyone to see.¹
Newsom recently signed legislation creating the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery — California’s new reparations agency.²
The Governor is trying to position California as the national leader on reparations.
But Hanson exposed the dirty secret behind this whole scheme that Democrats don’t want voters figuring out.
"Here in California — which might be a model for other states as well,” Hanson began. “Gov. Gavin Newsom has now approved a formal commission to administer reparations to black Californians."¹
"And they’re trying not to use the word reparations since it has such a bad connotation," Hanson continued. "But it’s a bad idea in so many ways."¹
The Stanford historian then dropped the bomb that completely destroys the entire foundation of California’s reparations effort.
"Remember, when California was admitted to the Union, it came in as a free state," Hanson explained. "It had no prior record of being a slave state. It has never been a slave state."¹
California entered the Union in 1850 specifically as a free state — that was the whole point.
The state has zero historical connection to slavery.
So exactly what are California taxpayers supposed to be paying reparations for?
Hanson exposes the demographic impossibility of California reparations
Hanson then highlighted something even more devastating — the math doesn’t work.
Black Californians represent just 5.4% of the state’s 41 million residents.³
But here’s where it gets really interesting.
The so-called "white oppressor class" that Democrats expect to fund these reparations? They’re only 42% of California’s population — making them a minority.⁴
Latinos comprise 45% of the state.⁵
Asians make up 15-16%.⁶
"Who is going to be paying the reparations?" Hanson asked. "The so-called white oppressor, victimizer class is only 42%. It is a minority."¹
"Latinos are the majority population. They’re 45%," Hanson continued. "Are we going to ask people who migrated from Mexico, for the most part, to pay their tax dollars to African Americans who were not living here during slavery?"¹
The entire framework collapses under basic scrutiny.
California expects recent immigrants from Mexico, Vietnam, China, and dozens of other countries to pay reparations for slavery that never existed in California?
Many white Californians can trace their ancestry to Dust Bowl refugees who arrived completely destitute in the 1930s and 1940s.⁷
Some Asian Americans received compensation from the federal government for property lost during World War II internment.⁸
Others descended from Chinese laborers who were exploited building the transcontinental railroad in the 19th century.⁹
Every group has historical grievances.
Who decides which groups get paid and which groups have to pay?
"The point is that each particular minority group will then argue that they have claims on — whom?" Hanson stated. "Who is going to be the victimizer class when the so-called white population is the minority?"¹
California creates another useless bureaucracy it can’t afford
Hanson then exposed the fiscal insanity of this entire scheme.
California faces a $20 billion deficit that Newsom "cooked the books" to temporarily hide.¹⁰
The state has perennial $20-30 billion budget crises every year despite having the highest income taxes, highest gas taxes, and among the highest property taxes in the nation.¹¹
California can’t keep the lights on during heat waves, can’t prevent catastrophic wildfires, and can’t house its homeless population.
But Newsom wants to create another massive government bureaucracy to study who qualifies for reparations?
The Reparations Task Force already spent two years producing a 1,100-page report in 2023 with recommendations for payouts up to $1.2 million per person.¹²
Newsom ruled out direct cash payments because he knows the state is broke.¹³
So instead he’s creating the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery under the Civil Rights Department.¹⁴
The bureau will have divisions for genealogy, education, outreach, and legal affairs.¹⁵
In other words — another bloated Sacramento bureaucracy that will accomplish nothing except provide cushy government jobs for radical leftist activists.
Newsom also approved $6 million for California State University to "research methods for verifying descendants."¹⁶
California taxpayers get to fund academic studies on how to determine who qualifies for reparations that the state legally can’t provide anyway.
Legal reality makes California reparations impossible
What Hanson’s commentary didn’t mention — but what makes this entire scheme even more absurd — is the legal brick wall California reparations will slam into.
Proposition 209, passed by California voters in 1996, amended the state constitution to ban race-based preferences in public employment, education, and contracting.¹⁷
The measure passed with 54.5% support and has been upheld by courts multiple times over nearly three decades.¹⁸
Any reparations program that provides benefits based on race violates Proposition 209 and the state constitution.
Legal scholars and members of California’s own Reparations Task Force have acknowledged this creates massive obstacles.¹⁹
Opponents have already threatened lawsuits under Prop 209 if California tries implementing race-based benefits.²⁰
This is exactly why Newsom vetoed five substantive reparations bills while signing the symbolic bureaucracy-creating measure.
The Governor vetoed bills that would have provided college admission preferences, home loan assistance, and compensation for racially motivated eminent domain seizures.²¹
Newsom cited "legal risks" and potential threats to federal funding in his veto messages.²²
California Democrats know they can’t actually deliver reparations.
So they’re creating the appearance of action by building another worthless government agency.
The 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision effectively ending affirmative action in college admissions reinforced these legal hurdles.²³
California’s reparations push was doomed before it started.
But admitting that would upset the radical leftist base that controls California Democrat politics.
California ignores real problems while chasing woke fantasies
Hanson concluded by pointing out what California should actually focus on if Democrats genuinely cared about improving outcomes for black Californians.
"If you really do want to address inordinate crime rates among the black communities — 72% of children are born to one family, a one-parent family; there’s an all-time high illegitimacy rate — then why not work with the black community leaders?" Hanson asked.²⁴
California could address the collapse of the two-parent black family.²⁵
The state could expand charter schools in inner cities where black students desperately need better educational options.²⁶
California could focus on policies that actually work instead of symbolic gestures that accomplish nothing.
But that would require admitting six decades of Great Society programs failed.
It would mean acknowledging California’s current approach isn’t working.
Democrats would rather create another bureaucracy, spend millions studying the problem, and pretend they’re making progress.
California entered the Union 175 years ago as a free state specifically to avoid the stain of slavery.
Now the state’s radical leftist government wants to punish today’s taxpayers — most of whom immigrated decades after the Civil Rights Act — for slavery that never existed in California.
The entire scheme is legally impossible, fiscally insane, and demographically absurd.
But don’t expect Gavin Newsom to admit any of that before the 2026 gubernatorial election.
¹ Victor Davis Hanson, "California Was Never a Slave State—So Why Reparations?," The Daily Signal, October 21, 2025.
² "California to launch ‘historic’ reparations office as advocates regroup from 5 Newsom vetoes," KPBS Public Media, October 20, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² "California reparations push falters again as Newsom vetoes housing, education benefits," The Washington Times, October 16, 2025.
¹³ Ibid.
¹⁴ "California to launch ‘historic’ reparations office as advocates regroup from 5 Newsom vetoes," KPBS Public Media, October 20, 2025.
¹⁵ Ibid.
¹⁶ Ibid.
¹⁷ "1996 California Proposition 209," Wikipedia, August 7, 2025.
¹⁸ "Proposition 209," EBSCO Research.
¹⁹ "California to launch ‘historic’ reparations office as advocates regroup from 5 Newsom vetoes," KPBS Public Media, October 20, 2025.
²⁰ Ibid.
²¹ "California reparations push falters again as Newsom vetoes housing, education benefits," The Washington Times, October 16, 2025.
²² "California to launch ‘historic’ reparations office as advocates regroup from 5 Newsom vetoes," KPBS Public Media, October 20, 2025.
²³ "Newsom Vetoes Undercut Reparations Gains for Black Descendants in California," KQED, October 15, 2025.
²⁴ Victor Davis Hanson, "California Was Never a Slave State—So Why Reparations?," The Daily Signal, October 21, 2025.
²⁵ Ibid.
²⁶ Ibid.
