LA Times Poll: Calif. Voters Oppose Slave Reparations 2-to-1

California might be forcing slavery reparations on a state electorate that does not want it, the latest Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll revealed Sunday.

While California is a deep-blue state, slavery reparations are opposed by a 2-to-1 margin overall, including by all racial demographics except Blacks, the LA Times, which co-sponsored the poll, reported.

"It has a steep uphill climb, at least from the public's point of view," IGS poll Director Mark DiCamillo told the Times.

Just 28% of California voters support cash reparations for slavery, while a large majority of 59% are opposed, including 44% strongly.

"The idea of cash reparations is really what's being strongly opposed," DiCamillo added to the Times. "There could be other solutions that could be much more warmly received."

The breakdown by race:

Black: 76% favor, including 51% strongly.
White: 25% favor, 65% oppose, including 51% strongly.
Latino: 24% favor, while 59% oppose.
Asian-Pacific: 23% favor, while 59% oppose.

The main reasons for opposing reparations, according to those polled:

60%: "It's unfair to ask today's taxpayers to pay for wrongs committed in the past."
53%: "It's not fair to single out one group for reparations when other racial and religious groups have been wronged in the past."

Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom created the California's Reparations Task Force in 2020, which suggested handing out cash payouts to all slavery descendants due to health disparities, mass incarceration, over-policing, and housing discrimination of Black residents, according to the Times.

"It speaks to the miseducation of most Americans when it comes to slavery and the impact that it had on this country and the impact that it still has on African Americans today," state Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, told the Times.

Among the cash handouts recommended, the Times reported:

Health disparities: $13,619 for each year of California residency.
Mass incarceration and over-policing: $2,352 for each year of residency during the drug war years of 1971 to 2020.
Housing discrimination: $3,378 for each year of residency from 1933-1977.

Notably, just 19% of those opposed said reparations would cost too much.

Among party affiliations:

Democrats: 43% favor, 41% oppose.
Independents: 22% favor, 65% oppose.
Republicans: 5% favor, 90% oppose.

Not surprisingly, Democrats and Newsom have strong support from Black voters in the state, according to the Times.

The UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 24-29 for the Los Angeles Times, polling 6,030 California registered voters. The margin of is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

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