California reparations decision sparks debate over who should qualify

The state's taskforce voted 5-4 on Tuesday to base compensation plans on lineage rather than race

California's reparations taskforce has recommended compensating the descendants of enslaved and free Black people who were in the US in the 19th century, bringing the state one step closer to becoming the first in the US to pay African Americans for the harms of slavery.

The taskforce, established under state law to study reparations, voted on Tuesday in favor of a compensation and restitution plan that is based on lineage. The group for months has been tackling thorny questions about who should be eligible, and had considered recommending reparations based on race, which would mean a broader group of recipients.