SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On California Native American Day — Sept. 23, 2022 — Gov. Gavin Newsom took pen to paper and signed five tribal bills impacting California's Native American community.
The bills were part of a package introduced and authored by Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland). Below is a list of the bills and their descriptions, according to press releases from Ramos' office.
Tribal Bills Become Law
AB 2022 - AB 2022 requires every state agency, local governing body or political subdivisions in California to identify all geographic sites, public lands, waters and structures under its jurisdiction containing the word "squaw" (S-word). These bodies shall file a report identifying those names with the California Advisory Committee of Geographic Names. The advisory committee will establish a procedure to elicit input and rename locations that have been identified. In selecting replacement names, local governments, state agencies, and shall solicit input from tribes maintained on the California Native American Heritage Commission list and prioritize their input, as well as the input of appropriate local communities and members of the public.
AB 1936 - The bill strikes the name of Serranus C. Hastings from the school’s name and specifies restorative justice measures for the Yuki and Round Valley Indian Tribes whose ancestors were killed by Hastings, the College’s namesake. The California legislature named the school in state statute in 1878 following payment of $100,000 to the State Treasury by Hastings, California’s first chief justice and a state attorney general. Because of the 1878 legislative action, a state statute is now required to rename the campus.
AB 1314 - The bill creates a state Endangered Missing Advisory (EMA) system when Native Americans are at risk. Currently, law enforcement agencies use the EMA to investigate suspicious disappearances of at-risk missing children or other threatened persons. The California Highway Patrol’s website states, “EMAs provide immediate information to the public to aid in the swift recovery of at-risk persons.” Two other states have approved similar legislation this year: Washington state in April and Colorado in June.
AB 1703 - The bill encourages local schools to create task forces of area educators and tribal representatives to share local tribal history and culture, discuss issues of mutual concern and develop Native American curriculum and classroom materials.
AB 923 - The bill encourages the state and its agencies to consult with California tribes and tribal organizations when state actions have a direct impact on the tribes and also requiring state officials to receive training about tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction.
