The Daily Signal - Victor Davis Hanson: California Was Never a Slave State—So Why Reparations?

Episode Date: October 20, 2025

California entered the union in 1850 as a free state—yet black Californians are about to cash out big on reparations, thanks to Gov. Gavin Newsom. So, who exactly is owed and for what? And what is Newsom’s angle here, considering his state is already facing massive deficits? Victor Davis Hanson breaks down California’s newly approved reparations agenda on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words.” “ The black population of California is about 5.4% of the 41 million people. Who are going to be paying the reparations? The so-called white oppressor, victimizer class is only 42%. It is a minority.  “ Who is black in a multiracial, intermarried culture? Are we going to go back to the Elizabeth Warren rule? Do we need DNA badges? Are we gonna use the old Confederate measure of one-sixteenth? 16% to 17% of the California population identify as multiracial. How do we know who is white, who is Hispanic, who is black? It's very hard to adjudicate that.” 👉Don’t miss out on Victor’s latest videos by subscribing to The Daily Signal today. You’ll be notified every time a new piece of content drops: https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1    👉If you can’t get enough of Victor Davis Hanson from The Daily Signal, subscribe to his official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@victordavishanson7273    👉He’s also the host of “The Victor Davis Hanson Show,” available wherever you prefer to watch or listen. Links to the show and exclusive content are available on his website: https://victorhanson.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We'd love to talk, business. Gavin Newsom has now approved a formal commission to administer reparations to black Californians. Remember, when California was admitted to the union, it came in as a free state. It had no prior record of being a slave state. It has never been a slave state. So there's no argument that people who happen to be in California or owed anything. How do we know who is white, who is Hispanic, who is black? It's very hard to adjudicate that. Do we really believe that most of the African Americans in California who came after World War I and during World War II have descendants that were suffering the fallout from slavery in California?

It's really absurd. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hansen for The Daily Signal. Here in California, which might be a model for other states as well, Governor Gavin Newsom has now approved a formal commission to administer reparations to black Californians. And they're trying not to use the word reparations since it has such a bad connotation. But it's a bad idea in so many ways. Remember, when California was admitted to the union, it came in. as a free state. It had no prior record of being a slave state. It has never been a slave state. It has no historical baggage as perhaps the former confederacies. So there's no argument that

people who happen to be in California or owed anything by the state of any race. The second thing is we don't know how many black Americans that are residents of California could trace their lineage back to California. In other words, do we really believe that most of the African Americans in California who came after World War I and during World War II have descendants that were suffering the fallout from slavery in California? It's really absurd. The third thing to remember is the black population of California is about 5.4% of the 41 million people. Who are going to be paying the reparations? The so-called white oppressor victimizer class is only 42%.

It is a minority. And many of them can trace their lineage back to the Oklahoma diaspora of the 1930s and 40s when they arrived here completely destitute. And then in addition, we have about 15 to 16% Asian. Some of them came from horrendous conditions in Vietnam. Some of them have families that were Japanese, have received money from the government as direct compensation for property they lost during World War II during the relocations. Some of them could argue that they were oppressed from the 19th century. Leeland Stanford Jr., the president of the Southern Union Pacific Railroad, used Chinese

labors in a very exploitive manner. The point is that each particular minority group will then argue that they have claims on whom, who is going to be the victimizer class when the so-called white population is the minority. Latinos are the majority population. They're 45 percent. 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? Who is black in a multiracial intermarried culture? Are we going to go back to the

Elizabeth Warren rule? Do we need DNA badges? Are we going to use the old Confederate measure of 116th? 16 to 17 percent of the California population identify as multiracial? How do we know who is white, who was Hispanic, who is black. It's very hard to adjudicate that. More importantly, we have had repertory programs. Remember, we are 157 years from the 14th Amendment that guaranteed citizenship for former slaves. We're 60 years from the EOP affirmative action and sort of reparations program of the great society. that cost in some computations about $20 trillion of transfers, and that can include everything

from special preferences on the basis of raise for hiring, disproportionate impact, emissions to college, equal opportunity programs for small business, etc., etc. So there has been reparations, and many of them were race-based. The final two considerations very quickly is California really had a $20 billion deficit. Gavin Newsom moved the money around and got by the mandatory requirement that California cannot borrow, but it basically cooked the books. It is in a perennial $20 to $30 billion deficit crisis each year. This is a state that has the highest income taxes, the highest gas.

taxes and among the highest property, not rates, but actual taxes given valuations of homes, and as well as high sales taxes. So what would be the answer? If you really do want to address inordinate crime rates among the black community, 72% of children are born to one family, one parent family, there's an all-time high illegitimacy rate, then why not work with with the black community leaders and suggest that the disintegration of the black family, the two-parent household, is primarily the cause, statistically why blacks are not achieving the same economic status as, let's say, Indian Americans or other Asian Americans, Arab Americans, or white Americans. And that can be addressed. If you're on the left, you can talk about

structural racism. If you're on the right, you can say the great society programs, incentivized the destruction of the black family. Whatever the exegesis is, it's a much better conversation to have than just as in the past to hand out billions of dollars to a group who we don't know exactly who composes it. We don't know how one qualifies. We don't know how long they can trace residency in California or if it even matters. and we know that California has had no history of slavery. Thank you very much.

This is Victor Davis Hansen for The Daily Signal. Thank you for tuning in to The Daily Signal. Please like, share, and subscribe to be notified for more content like this. You can also check out my own website at victorhansen.com and subscribe for exclusive features in addition.