Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media. California Issues Formal Apology for State’s Role in Slavery. On Sept. 26, Gov. Gavin Newsom ratified an official apology from the State of California to Black Californians for the harm caused by slavery and centuries of discrimination that followed. The apology, issued in Assembly Bill (AB) 3089, authored by Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) was approved by the Legislature last month.