San Francisco mayor quietly signs reparations fund that could lead to $5M payments per person
San Francisco mayor signs ordinance creating reparations fund that could grant eligible Black residents up to $5 million each in potential payments.
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The mayor of San Francisco signed an ordinance that creates a "Reparations Fund" that could one day grant each of the city's eligible Black residents up to $5 million in reparations for alleged historic discrimination and displacement.
The ordinance, which was passed by the Board of Supervisors earlier this month, was signed by Democrat Mayor Daniel Lurie two days before Christmas. It establishes the legal framework for the fund but does not allocate funds or guarantee payments. The fund can be financed with private donations, foundations and other non-city sources.
Any taxpayer-funded reparations payouts would require separate legislation, an identified funding source and mayoral approval. Lurie told Fox News Digital that no taxpayer money would be paid into the potential pot, given the city's $1 billion budget deficit.
"I was elected to drive San Francisco’s recovery, and that’s what I’m focused on every day," Lurie said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We are not allocating money to this fund — with a historic $1 billion budget deficit, we are going to spend our money on making the city safer and cleaner."
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Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks on steps of City Hall in San Francisco, California earlier this year. The ordinance was signed by Lurie two days before Christmas without any public announcement from the mayor. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"The Reparations Plan outlines a variety of methods to provide restitution, compensation and rehabilitation to individuals who are Black and/or descendants of a chattel enslaved person and have experienced a proven harm in San Francisco," the ordinance reads, in part.
The ordinance specifically cites a 2023 policy report and recommendation document produced by the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee (AARAC), a city-appointed advisory committee.
The report, which is nonbinding, studied harms to Black residents and proposed remedies, including a recommendation of a $5 million payment. Around 46,000 Black residents live in San Francisco, according to U.S. Census data.
