After more than 80 years since residents of Palm Springs' Section 14 were forcefully removed from their homes, the city council approved a $5.91 million cash settlement to be distributed to former residents of Section 14 and their descendants.

"The City Council is deeply gratified that the former residents of Section 14 have agreed to accept what we believe is a fair and just settlement offer," said Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein in a press release.

Section 14 was a one-square mile neighborhood that belonged to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and its Tribal members, and became home to non-Native residents who were Black and Latino, and who worked low-income jobs between the 1920s and 1960s. According to a historical context study conducted on behalf of the Palm Springs City Council, Black people and people of color had few housing options outside of Section 14 because of "presence of racially restrictive housing practices in Palm Springs and communities across Southern California during this time."

In 1936, the first abatement campaign by the State and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) began, and lasted several decades as Black and Latino families were evicted from their homes, which were demolished and burned down. These practices happened in five major campaigns which were conducted by several government entities including the BIA, state of California, Riverside County and the City of Palm Springs.

Palm Springs City Council approved a settlement package back in April, which focused on addressing historical injustices for the former residents of Section 14 and their descendants. Part of the approved settlement included an initial cash settlement of $4.3 million, which was increased to $5.9 million earlier this month. According to the city, the increase "reflects updated information that an estimated 197 homes were involved in the original abatements, up from the previous 145 homes identified."

"The City Council has always respected the historical significance of Section 14 and with this resolution of the claim which includes $20 million in housing programs and $1 million in business support we are taking bold and important action that will create lasting benefits for our entire community while providing programs that prioritize support for the former residents of Section 14," Bernstein stated.

The goal of the housing programs is to provide affordable homeownership for first-time buyers and create a Community Land Trust for low-income residents, with priority access for the former residents of Section 14 and descendants. The city council also approved cultural initiatives that seek to honor Section 14's legacy such as plans for a Section 14 memorial monument and naming rights for future public parks.

The Palm Springs Section 14 Survivors group, founded by Section 14 survivor Pearl Devers, and other former residents and descendants accepted the settlement after previously rejecting the city's offer of $4.3 million back in April.

This reparations settlement joins the larger concern around reparations for Black Californians after the state recently issued an apology for their role in slavery. In January, the California Legislative Black Caucus introduced a package of reparation bills that sought to address the legacy of slavery in the state. The bills in the reparations package are based on recommendations that came out of the historic Reparations Task Force Report released in 2023.

However, the Black Caucus blocked two reparations bills that sought to create an agency to review reparations claims and another that would have created a fund for future reparations payments.