Reparations leaders ‘deeply disappointed’ as Newsom vetoes university bill

Backlash as California governor rejects measure allowing preferential treatment for descendants of enslaved people

California's governor, Gavin Newsom, is facing backlash from progressives over his veto of a reparations bill that would have allowed universities to give preference to applicants descended from enslaved people.

Assembly Bill 7, widely supported by Democratic lawmakers, established that California colleges may consider" preferential treatment for individuals who establish direct lineage to a person subjected to American chattel slavery before 1900. The legislation, one of several reparations measures Newsom has vetoed, did not compel institutions to change admissions policies, and supporters said it was carefully written to withstand legal challenges.