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San Francisco sued over reparations fund, accused of unlawful use of taxpayer money
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San Francisco is being sued over its reparations fund on grounds that its taxpayer money is being “unlawfully” used for a policy that allegedly violates the equal protection clause.
According to the Pacific Legal Foundation, several San Francisco residents and Californians for Equal Rights Foundation sued San Francisco Thursday, challenging an ordinance that establishes a fund for Black residents.
The lawsuit alleges that the ordinance is discriminating on the basis of race because it allows taxpayer money to be funneled into the fund. The plaintiffs said a win would protect taxpayers from supporting a government-based racially motivated program and establish boundaries for other cities implementing similar policies.
The San Francisco skyline April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
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“Acknowledging past injustice does not give the government license to spend public resources on programs that sort people by race and ancestry today,” said Andrew Quinio, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation.
“The Constitution requires the city to address proven harm directly, not through sweeping racial and ancestral classifications. This lawsuit is about ensuring that all Americans are treated as individuals under the law and not forced to subsidize government policies that collectively bind them to history that they did not experience or inflict.”
San Francisco officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The mayor of San Francisco signed an ordinance that creates a reparations fund that could one day grant each of the city’s eligible Black residents up to $5 million in reparations for alleged historic discrimination and displacement.
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The mayor of San Francisco signed an ordinance that creates a reparations fund that could one day grant each of the city’s eligible Black residents up to $5 million in reparations for alleged historic discrimination and displacement. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The ordinance, passed by the Board of Supervisors in December, was signed by Democratic Mayor Daniel Lurie two days before Christmas. It establishes the legal framework for the fund but does not allocate funds or guarantee payments. The fund can be financed with private donations, foundations and other non-city sources. Any taxpayer-funded reparations payouts would require separate legislation, an identified funding source and mayoral approval.
However, Lurie told Fox News Digital that no taxpayer money would be paid into the potential pot, citing the city’s $1 billion budget deficit.
“I was elected to drive San Francisco’s recovery, and that’s what I’m focused on every day,” Lurie said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We are not allocating money to this fund. With a historic $1 billion budget deficit, we are going to spend our money on making the city safer and cleaner.”
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“The Reparations Plan outlines a variety of methods to provide restitution, compensation and rehabilitation to individuals who are Black and/or descendants of a chattel enslaved person and have experienced a proven harm in San Francisco,” the ordinance says.
The plaintiffs allege a “misuse of government power” as the city’s Human Rights Commission administers the program.
According to the Pacific Legal Foundation, several San Francisco residents and Californians for Equal Rights Foundation sued San Francisco on Thursday, challenging an ordinance that establishes a fund for Black residents. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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According to the complaint, “By directing an agency funded almost entirely by taxpayer dollars to administer funding solely dedicated to implement race-exclusive benefits, the city is using public money, public employees, and public authority to carry out an unconstitutional racial spoils system that allocates benefits and opportunities based on race and ancestry.”
“Taxpayer funds cannot be used to manage the assets of an unlawful program,” Quinio said in a statement to Courthouse News.
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This year’s annual Bay to Breakers — the event that’s as much as roving costume party as a 12 kilometer run — is being held on Sunday, May 17. While participants prepare their outfits for the event, San Franciscans prepare for the road closures that accompany the event. Transit officials recommend runners and spectators alike use subways and mass transit, especially on the day of the race.
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SEATTLE — Public Health – Seattle & King County officials are monitoring a fourth King County resident for possible exposure to the Andes type of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, health officials said Friday.
The Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified local health officials on May 14 about the additional resident, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County.
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The resident did not travel on the cruise ship but was aboard a flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam with an ill cruise ship passenger before departure.
Officials said the sick passenger was removed from the aircraft before the flight left Johannesburg and later tested positive for the virus.
The infected passenger began traveling before the outbreak was reported to the World Health Organization.
The King County resident is considered at low risk for infection because they were not seated near the ill passenger, health officials said.
The resident has returned to King County, remains asymptomatic, and is monitoring for symptoms.
Earlier this week, Public Health announced that three King County residents were under monitoring for the Andes type of hantavirus.
Two of those residents had been seated near the infected passenger on the Johannesburg-to-Amsterdam flight. Both have returned home to King County, remain symptom-free, and are monitoring for symptoms in coordination with public health officials.
A third King County resident who was a passenger aboard the MV Hondius is being monitored alongside other American passengers at the national quarantine center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Officials said that the resident remains asymptomatic.
Health officials said there are currently no cases of Andes-type hantavirus in King County, and no residents are showing symptoms. The risk to the public remains low, officials said.
“We were informed yesterday of a fourth individual with a low-risk exposure and were able to reach the resident today,” Dr. Sandra J. Valenciano, health officer and acting director for Public Health – Seattle & King County, said in a statement. “All our residents are following public health protocols, and the risk to the King County community remains low.”
Valenciano said monitoring exposed individuals allows health officials to support residents while ensuring early detection and rapid public health response if symptoms develop.
Hantavirus infections are rare but can cause severe illness.
The viruses are primarily spread through contact with wild rodents and exposure to their urine, droppings, or saliva.
According to health officials, the Andes virus is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person, typically through close physical contact, prolonged exposure in enclosed spaces, or contact with body fluids from an infected person.
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