Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two key reparations bills for Black Californians – including one creating a new Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery – but vetoed five others, citing costs and legal risks.

The new bureau will operate under the state Civil Rights Department to support genealogy research, education, and legal outreach. Another approved bill allocates $6 million for CSU to study how to verify eligible descendants. Newsom rejected proposals to direct home loan funds to descendants, prioritize college admissions, and compensate victims of racially motivated land seizures. His vetoes referenced Proposition 209, which bars state programs from using race as a factor. Lawmakers in the California Legislative Black Caucus say they’ll revisit the vetoed measures next year, emphasizing

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