The San Francisco mayor quietly signed a compensation fund that could pay $5M per person

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

The ordinance, passed by the Board of Supervisors earlier this month, was signed by Mayor Daniel Lurie, a Democrat, two days before Christmas. It establishes a legal framework for funding but does not guarantee the allocation or payment of funds. Funds may be financed by private donations, foundations and other non-city sources.

Any taxpayer-funded compensation payments will require separate legislation, an identified funding source and mayoral approval. Lurie told Fox News Digital that no taxpayer money would be paid for the potential rent, given the city’s $1 billion budget deficit.

“I was elected to drive San Francisco’s recovery, and I’m focused every day,” Lurie said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We’re not setting aside money in this fund — with a historic $1 billion budget deficit, we’re going to spend our money making the city safer and cleaner.”

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“The Reparations Plan outlines a variety of methods to provide compensation, reparations and rehabilitation to black and/or enslaved people and individuals who have experienced proven harm in San Francisco,” the ordinance read in part.

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The ordinance specifically cites the 2023 policy report and recommendations document produced by the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee (AARAC), a city-appointed advisory committee.

The report, which is non-binding, studied the harm to black residents and proposed 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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It argued that black San Franciscans have been victims of decades of city-driven “residential displacement” and “racial discrimination,” particularly during the Urban Renewal Era—the period from the mid-1940s to the 1970s.

“The City and County of San Francisco and its agencies must issue a formal apology for past harms and commit to substantial sustained, systemic and programmatic investment to address historical harms in Black communities,” the report states in its executive summary.

It was proposed that the city “[p]Provide a one-time, lump-sum payment of $5 million to each eligible individual.”

The report also recommended a guaranteed annual income tied to area median income and the creation of new city agencies, including an office of compensation, to administer the program. It also called for major housing interventions, such as rental assistance, homeowner support and city-backed funds to purchase property in black business corridors, as well as multi-million dollar investments in black-owned businesses.

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The California legislature has attempted to pass special reparations bills but has so far failed to do so. Several proposals were stalled or rejected after a state compensation task force formed in 2020 to study and recommend compensation proposals.

Original article source: The San Francisco mayor quietly signed a compensation fund that could pay $5M per person