Overview
- The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance creating a Reparations Fund but did not allocate any city dollars.
- The framework enables private donations and later municipal appropriations, with no immediate payouts authorized.
- Under the ordinance, eligible recipients are Black individuals and/or descendants of chattel enslaved people who can demonstrate proven harm in San Francisco.
- The San Francisco Human Rights Commission will manage the fund with formal approval and oversight processes, guided by AARAC’s 2023 recommendations that include large cash payments and housing and debt relief proposals.
- Author Supervisor Shamann Walton says the priority is raising money from foundations, corporations, and individuals, while some critics warn the approach could face legal challenges under equal protection and California’s Prop. 209.