CALIFORNIA – Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 7 on October 13 a measure that would have allowed public universities to grant admissions preference to descendants of American slavery.

AB 7 passed the Assembly 55-18 and the Senate 29-10, but Newsom vetoed the bill, saying, “institutions already have the authority to determine whether to provide admissions preferences like this. Accordingly, this bill is unnecessary.” 

He added that he encourages the institutions mentioned in the bill to decide “how, when, and if this type of preference can be adopted.”

However, legal experts note that Proposition 209 prohibits California’s public universities from granting preferential treatment based on race, ethnicity, or ancestry. 

In practice, UC and CSU cannot lawfully implement the type of lineage-based admissions preference proposed in AB 7 without explicit statutory or voter approval.

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, who sponsored the bill, said in a statement that the veto was “more than disappointing.”

“While the Trump Administration threatens our institutions of higher learning and attacks the foundations of diversity and inclusivity, now is not the time to shy away from the fight to protect students who have descended from legacies of harm and exclusion,” Bryan said.

Other reparations related bills

In tandem with the veto, Newsom signed a $6 million bill commissioning the California State University system to study how to verify eligibility for descendants of enslaved individuals

Last week, he signed SB 518 creating a Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery to verify Black Californians’ family lineage and determine their eligibility for possible reparations programs.

Some advocates say SB 518 will delay true reparations and have urged lawmakers to introduce proposals to directly compensate descendants of enslaved people.

“Let’s be clear — SB 518 is not real Reparations, nor is it a step closer to real Reparations,” said Coalition for a Just and Equitable California spokesperson Chris Lodgson. 

However, Newsom also vetoed several other reparations-related bills, including:

• A housing proposal that would have reserved 10% of state homebuyer assistance loan funds for descendants of enslaved people.

• A property restitution measure allowing residents to petition for compensation when land was taken through racially motivated eminent domain.

• A professional licensing bill designed to expedite approvals for descendants of enslaved individuals.

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