{"id":1033,"date":"2026-05-08T19:31:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T19:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/new-ca-law-speeds-process-but-schools-have-long-reckoned-with-racist-names-logos\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T19:31:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T19:31:57","slug":"new-ca-law-speeds-process-but-schools-have-long-reckoned-with-racist-names-logos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/new-ca-law-speeds-process-but-schools-have-long-reckoned-with-racist-names-logos\/","title":{"rendered":"New CA law speeds process, but schools have long reckoned with racist names, logos"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 2025-26 academic year is nearing its end at most California schools, and when the next one begins, there\u2019ll be a new law in place pertaining to schools\u2019 team names and mascots.<\/p>\n

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Assembly Bill 3074, an expansion of the California Racial Mascots Act, was passed by the Legislature in 2024 and goes into effect July 1 of this year. It bars California public schools, except those operated by an Indian tribe or that have obtained the written consent of a local tribe, from using a \u201cderogatory Native American\u201d term in school nicknames or mascots.<\/p>\n

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The language of the law lists \u201cApaches, Big Reds, Braves, Chiefs, Chieftains, Chippewa, Comanches, Indians, Savages, Squaw, and Tribe,\u201d along with the previously prohibited \u201cRedskins\u201d as derogatory, while also noting this list as nonexhaustive.<\/p>\n

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While not included in that list, the Hiram Johnson Warriors and Native American imagery throughout the Sacramento City Unified School District campus have come into the spotlight recently. The district\u2019s trustees in a board meeting last week directed staff to initiate the process of removing offensive imagery from the campus as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

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Hiram Johnson\u2019s principal, Garrett Kirkland, defended the Warriors name as one that students and alumni take pride in and said the large mural in the school\u2019s gymnasium depicting a Native American man wearing a bonnet and regalia is not offensive.<\/p>\n

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At least one other Northern California campus has just under two months remaining to come into compliance with the law.<\/p>\n

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Marysville High in Yuba County opened in 1871 and has gone by the Indians nickname since the late 1920s. The school emblem features a block M with two hatchets, including at the front of the school.<\/p>\n

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Some emblems for paperwork for school-related functions such as Hall of Fame banquets, include an Indian caricature in a headdress with \u201cHome of the Indians\u201d across the top. The gym floor has a block M painted at midcourt.<\/p>\n

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School officials could not be immediately reached by The Sacramento Bee for an update on their compliance with AB 3074.<\/p>\n

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While the law sets a July 1 deadline and accelerates timetables, the change away from caricature Native American mascots is not a new issue or challenge for public high schools. There have been mascot changes across the country for decades.<\/p>\n

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