In a move that reeks of reverse racism and governmental overreach, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration is pushing forward with plans to redistribute agricultural land based on race. Through the California Agricultural Land Equity Task Force, advisers are crafting recommendations to hand over state resources and lands preferentially to non-White farmers and Native American tribes, all under the guise of “equity” and “reparations” for historical injustices. This is not mere policy tinkering; it is a deliberate assault on private property rights, targeting White farmers who own the majority of the state’s productive farmland. With Whites comprising just 34.7 percent of California’s population and outnumbered by Latinos, this scheme flips demographics on their head to justify theft disguised as justice. It is insane, racist, illegal, and a ticking time bomb for America’s food supply and national stability.
This is serious: “Governor Gavin Newsom of California is actually trying to impose a bill that's going to take farmland away from all private owning farmers and distribute it to others”
Gavin Newsom has a group of 'Agricultural Equity Advisers’ preparing a plan to seize farmland… pic.twitter.com/3HbjeZVHot
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) September 17, 2025
The task force’s draft report lays bare the discriminatory intent. It declares that U.S. agricultural wealth stems from “stolen land” and the exploitation of enslaved African Americans, Native tribes, and other groups. Today, 82 percent of privately held farmland in California belongs to White producers, which the report brands an “agricultural land equity crisis.” To “fix” this, the proposals include low-interest loans, down payment assistance, and grants funneled exclusively to “priority producers” such as African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Hawaiians. State-owned lands would be gifted to tribes without cost, while financial tools aim to ease transfers from current owners to these favored groups. Activists testifying before the task force have demanded even bolder steps, like pilot programs for black farmers to seize restorative access to land. This is not voluntary charity; it is state-sponsored favoritism that punishes success based on skin color.
Such racial targeting is profoundly racist. In a state where Latinos already dominate the population, labeling Whites as perpetual villains for owning land they worked to acquire ignores the contributions of all farmers, regardless of background. It revives the ugly specter of discrimination, this time against the minority. Worse, it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which forbids government actions that classify citizens by race without compelling justification. The Supreme Court has struck down similar race-based programs in recent years, from college admissions to contracting preferences. Newsom’s plan invites lawsuits that could bankrupt the state and expose its leaders to charges of constitutional sabotage. Legally, it is a non-starter, built on the flimsy foundation of grievance politics rather than equal justice.
The dangers extend far beyond courtrooms. California’s Central Valley produces a staggering portion of the nation’s fruits, nuts, and vegetables, feeding millions across America. Disrupting ownership through racial quotas risks plunging this vital sector into chaos. Farmers facing coerced sales or denied access to state aid will hesitate to invest in equipment, irrigation, or expansion. Yields could plummet, driving up food prices and shortages at a time when inflation already squeezes families. Imagine grocery shelves bare of almonds, strawberries, or lettuce because bureaucrats prioritized skin color over competence. This is not hyperbole; it strikes at the heart of food security, threatening not just California but the entire country. As one of the world’s top agricultural powerhouses, any instability here ripples nationwide, from higher costs to supply chain breakdowns.
Even more alarming, this sets a catastrophic precedent for so-called “reparations.” If Newsom succeeds in racializing land ownership, what stops other states from following suit? Urban areas could eye suburban properties for “equity” transfers, or federal programs could nationalize industries under the banner of historical redress. It normalizes theft as policy, eroding trust in institutions and inviting endless cycles of resentment. Property rights, the bedrock of American prosperity, would crumble under the weight of identity politics. Stability unravels when government picks winners and losers by race, fostering division that weakens us all.
Look no further than South Africa for a grim cautionary tale. There, the government’s land expropriation without compensation policy, enacted to address apartheid-era dispossessions, has devastated farming. White-owned farms, which produced the bulk of the nation’s food, faced seizures with little recourse. The result? A sharp decline in agricultural output, soaring unemployment among new owners lacking expertise or capital, and chronic food insecurity. Investors fled, leaving fields fallow and markets unstable. South Africa’s breadbasket turned into a symbol of failed radicalism, where good intentions masked economic sabotage. Newsom’s blueprint mirrors this folly: prioritize symbolism over sustainability, and watch abundance turn to scarcity. California cannot afford to repeat this mistake; America cannot survive the fallout.
Gavin Newsom’s farmland redistribution scheme is wrong. Full stop. It is a poisonous blend of racism and folly that endangers lives, livelihoods, and the rule of law. Farmers of all backgrounds built California’s agricultural might through sweat and innovation, not stolen privilege. To dismantle that legacy for political points is not progress; it is plunder. Lawmakers must reject this outrage before it poisons the Golden State and beyond. The stakes are too high for anything less.
Sources
“Stolen Land: Gavin Newsom’s ‘Agricultural Equity’ Advisers Prepare Plan to Redistribute Farmland to Racial Minorities,” Washington Free Beacon, September 2, 2025.
“Report and Recommendations of the California Agricultural Land Equity Task Force (Draft),” Strategic Growth Council, May 2025.
“Democratic state plans to redistribute farmland for ‘stolen wealth’,” Daily Mail, September 2, 2025.
“Newsom advisers want to redistribute farmland by race,” John Locke Foundation, September 3, 2025.
“Explainer: Understanding the South Africa Land-Reform Law that Provoked Trump’s Ire,” JURIST, February 11, 2025.
“The Expropriation of Agricultural Land: Understanding its Effects on Food Security in South Africa,” Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd., 2023.