(AP) California public schools will be barred from using the Redskins name for sports teams and mascots under legislation Gov. Jerry Brown signed.
The legislation, AB30, will prevent public schools from using a term that American Indians regard as offensive, starting in 2017.
Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo of Watsonville says the name dates from a period in California history when bounty hunters were rewarded for slaying Native Americans and should not be dignified with school affiliations.
Only four schools in California still have teams or mascots called the Redskins. Three of them are in the Central Valley: Tulare, Chowchilla and Gustine.
A federal panel ruled last year that the team trademark for NFL’s Washington Redskins should be canceled, but the team is challenging the decision.
Brown also rejected separate legislation on Sunday that bans naming parks, schools and other public property after Confederate leaders.
Other legislation:
Gov. Brown has signed a bill to further strengthen California’s mandatory vaccine laws by requiring that people who work or volunteer at day care centers be vaccinated against certain diseases.
The Democratic governor announced Sunday that he approved a bill requiring day care centers and homes to maintain immunization records proving their workers and volunteers have been vaccinated for the flu, pertussis and the measles.
Lawmakers approved SB792 by Democratic Sen. Tony Mendoza of Artesia this fall after an earlier debate over vaccinations in schools roiled the Capitol for months.
In June Brown signed a hotly contested bill imposing one of the strictest school vaccination laws in the country, following an outbreak of measles at Disneyland late last year.
