In a move that has sparked controversy, California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom's "agricultural equity" advisors are in the final stages of proposing a plan for the state to redistribute farmland to non-white Californians and Native American tribes.
This would be achieved through land transfers and financial assistance programs that exclusively benefit racial minorities.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, the California Agricultural Land Equity Task Force, which operates under Newsom's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, has been working on this policy for over two years. The task force is expected to deliver a final report outlining these recommendations to Newsom and the California legislature by the end of the year.
The task force's recent draft report, published before its August meeting, advocates for the use of state resources to assist non-white Californians in acquiring farmland. This initiative is presented as a form of reparations. The report suggests that California should transfer large amounts of state-owned lands to Native Americans, adopt indigenous knowledge practices for land management, and provide low-interest loans, downpayment assistance, and grants to black farmers for land acquisition.
The task force believes that these policies will address California's "agricultural land equity crisis." The report argues that the fact that "82% of privately held farmland in California is owned by producers who identify as white" is evidence of discrimination.
It states, "The wealth of the U.S., including that of its agriculture industry, has been built on stolen land and the forced labor of California Tribal Nations, enslaved African Americans, and other exploited communities, who have been systematically excluded from land ownership and wealth-building opportunities." The report further argues that addressing these historical and ongoing injustices requires active efforts to ensure equitable access to land.
This initiative is the latest in a series of left-wing attempts to pursue reparations through the agriculture industry. For instance, the Biden administration and congressional Democrats allocated $5 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act to grant loan forgiveness to non-white farmers, although this initiative has been stalled in the courts.
In a separate program, the administration authorized over $2 billion in payments to non-white farmers and ranchers whose loan applications had been rejected by the USDA, attributing these rejections to racial discrimination.
This initiative emerges as Governor Newsom attempts to distance himself from some left-wing social positions in anticipation of a potential presidential run in 2028. Despite his criticism of certain progressive terms and ideas, his administration has pursued some of the nation's most aggressive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
The Agricultural Land Equity Task Force's draft report does not recommend cash payments to Native American and black landowners, but it does propose similarly aggressive measures. The report suggests that the state should fund programs to support land return and acquisition for tribes and offer financial incentives exclusively for minority landowners, including a low-interest and forgivable loan program and a downpayment assistance program.
The report states, "Centuries of discrimination have taken both land and generational wealth from priority producers and land stewards," defining "priority producers" as African Americans, Native Indians, Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Hawaiians.
"It is the responsibility of the state to offer ... wrap-around support such as technical assistance to rebuild the wealth that was stolen."
The California Strategic Growth Council, a cabinet-level body within Newsom's climate innovation office, established the Agricultural Land Equity Task Force nearly two years ago. Since its inception, the task force has held numerous public meetings to gather feedback from activists before finalizing its report.
During the task force's most recent meeting on August 13, activists from racial justice groups advocated for even more aggressive policy recommendations than those outlined in the latest draft report. Adam X, the CEO of Original Manufacturing, a Los Angeles-based "community development" group, suggested that the task force should recommend a restorative land access pilot for black farmers.
Rasheed Hislop, senior manager of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, added, "Black farmers aren't asking for handouts, they need hand-ups."
However, a spokeswoman for the California Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation emphasized that the task force does not implement policy and that its report consists of recommendations.
She stated, "The views and recommendations expressed in the draft report are those of the California Agricultural Land Equity Task Force and do not reflect an endorsement by the California Strategic Growth Council or the Governors Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation."
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