San Francisco Puts Reparations Office on Hold as Part of $75 Million Budget Cut

San Francisco’s Office of Reparations was cut out of Mayor London Breed’s latest budget proposal as the city struggles to enact $75 million in cuts.

“I understand the importance of no cuts to existing programs, but the Black community will continue to pursue justice and equity through reparations here in San Francisco,” program supervisor Shamann Walton told the San Francisco Examiner. “My hope is that the city’s deficit is eliminated quickly so that we can fund the Office of Reparations and fulfill the commitment made to address the historical injustices and inequities that have persisted for generations for Black San Franciscans.”

Walton originally asked the city for $50 million in funding for the upcoming fiscal year, which was progressively cut over the following months. He temporarily secured $2 million before Breed pulled the plug on funding for the upcoming three years of operations.

Despite the news, advocates have insisted reparation plans will continue in the background including importing a satellite campus of a historically black college to the Bay Area. {snip}

In December 2022, the advisory committee recommended the city pay longtime black residents of the city $5 million, but Walton opined shortly after that the figure should be much larger. {snip}

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