Nearly 3 in 5 California voters oppose cash reparations for slavery

Nearly 60% of California voters oppose cash reparations for slavery, according to a new poll.

The University of California Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll released Sunday follows the state's Reparations Task Force sent earlier this summer to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state legislature that recommending such benefits for slavery descendants. 

While 59% of voters in the state are somewhat or strongly opposed to reparations for slavery, 28% are strongly or somewhat in favor of the proposal, despite California never having been a slave state, according to the poll released by The Los Angeles Times.

More than three-fourths of black voters in California, 76%, strongly or somewhat favor reparations, the poll showed. 

Just 6.5% of the state's population is black, according to Census data, which is half that of the U.S. population, where 13.6% of the population is black.

In its June report, the Reparations Task Force issued more than 100 recommendations, including up to $1.2 million in cash payments for black residents who descended from slaves or free blacks who lived in the state before 1900.

The city of San Francisco is also debating a reparations proposal, which would include giving eligible residents $5 million.

Democratic state Sen. Steven Bradford, who was on the task force, said he was not surprised by the poll, the Times reported.

"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," he said.

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