Sacramento, California - California Assemblyman Bill Essayli has reintroduced a bill that would establish a government agency responsible for helping administer reparations.

"Yes, you heard that right. California Republican lawmaker Bill Essayli, working closely with the grassroots, just introduced our bill to create a California American Freedmen Affairs Agency," the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC) shared on X.

The bill – AB 1315 – would create the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency with its own Genealogy Office and Office of Legal Affairs to support reparations claims.

The announcement came after state lawmakers' last session moved to block legislation – championed by former Senator Steven Bradford – to establish such an agency.

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Governor Gavin Newsom in September signed a formal apology for California's legacy of enslavement and discrimination against Black residents, while vetoing a bill that would have restored stolen property or provided compensation for race-based uses of eminent domain.

Those developments stoked outrage among many activists who accused Democratic lawmakers of failing to adhere to the agenda laid out by the California Reparations Task Force in its groundbreaking final report.

"Be advised: The movement to recognize and support American Freedmen residents is a non-partisan effort that prioritizes sound policy over political affiliation," CJEC stated in a press release.

"The time for study has passed – now is the time for action and implementation."

One day prior, the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) laid out its "Road to Repair 2025 Priority Bill Package" aimed at addressing long-standing racial disparities and discrimination in the state.

The bills include, among others:

• measures to prohibit slavery in all forms
• the authorization of priority admissions to higher education institutions for descendants of people enslaved in the US
• the creation of pathways for victims of racially-motivated eminent domain to seek redress
• requirements for accurate K-12 curriculum regarding racial disparities
• the establishment of a Bureau of Descendants of American Slavery

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"This bill package is about repairing centuries of economic damage and abuse that was inflicted on Black Californians," CLBC Chair Senator Akilah Weber Pierson said in a statement. "This legislative package is a chance to transform the promise of equality into a lived reality, so that everyone can achieve the American dream."

The lawmakers contrasted their program with that of the current Trump administration, which has taken aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and education programs.

"The President of the United States has a spent his first month in office fighting to erase, disempower, and defund federal efforts to improve the contentions of life for Black people. Here in California, we are prepared and willing to stand up and fight back," said CLBC Vice Chair Isaac Bryan.

"Our Caucus is focused on repairing the harms of the past, and doing all we can to prevent harm in the present. We believe in a California and a Country that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and full of opportunity for all people."