Daniel Lurie creates San Francisco reparations fund for Black residents

San Francisco’s mayor signed an ordinance creating a “reparations fund” that could one day give each of the city’s eligible black residents up to $5 million in damages for alleged historical discrimination and displacement.

The ordinance, which passed the Board of Supervisors earlier this month, was signed by Democratic Mayor Daniel Lowery two days before Christmas. It sets out the legal framework for the fund but does not allocate funds or guarantee payments. The fund can be funded through private donations, foundations and other sources outside the city.

Any taxpayer-funded reparations payments would require separate legislation, a specific funding source and mayoral approval. Lowry told Fox News Digital that no taxpayer money would be put into the potential pot, given the city’s $1 billion budget shortfall.

“I was elected to lead San Francisco’s recovery, and that is what I focus on every day,” Lurie said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We are not allocating money to this fund — with a historic $1 billion budget shortfall, we will be spending our money on making the city safer and cleaner.”

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“The reparations plan outlines a variety of methods to provide compensation, compensation, and rehabilitation to Black individuals and/or descendants of an enslaved person who have experienced proven harm in San Francisco,” the ordinance reads in part.

The ordinance specifically cites the 2023 policy report and recommendation document issued by the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee (AARAC), an advisory committee appointed by the city.

The report, which is non-binding, examined the harms to black residents and suggested remedies, including recommending a $5 million payment. About 46,000 Black residents live in San Francisco, according to U.S. Census data.

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San Francisco City Hall, California. (Istock)

Black San Franciscans are victims of decades of “residential displacement” and “segregation” caused by cities, especially during the urban renewal era — the period from the mid-1940s through the 1970s, she said.

“The City and County of San Francisco and its agencies must issue a formal apology for past harms and commit to making significant ongoing, systematic, and programmatic investments in Black communities to address historical harms,” the report said in its executive summary.

He suggested that the city[p]Providing a one-time lump sum of $5 million to each eligible person.”

Historic Victorian homes, some of which were owned by black residents, stand against the San Francisco skyline, and the City Hall rotunda can be seen. (Philip Pacheco/AFP via Getty Images)

The report also recommended ensuring an annual income tied to the area’s median income and creating new city agencies, including a compensation office, to administer the programs. It also called for major housing interventions, such as rental assistance, homeownership subsidies and city-backed funds to purchase properties along black commercial corridors, as well as multimillion-dollar investments in black-owned businesses.

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The California Legislature has attempted to pass specific reparations bills, but has so far failed to do so. Many of the proposals faltered or were rejected after the state’s reparations task force, which was formed in 2020 to study and recommend reparations proposals.