Governor Gavin Newsom on Native American Day announced the signing of bills advancing tribal priorities, including one that establishes Native American Day as an official state holiday. The legislation also formalizes a state apology to Native Americans and makes the Governor's Office of Tribal Affairs permanent.
AB 1841 establishes Native American Day as a paid state holiday, recognizing the role Native communities have played in shaping the state's culture and identity.
AB 2115, known as the Rowena Mae Ramos Act, makes California's Legislature and courts issue a formal apology to Native Americans and recognize the state's responsibility for all harms and atrocities committed by state officials and those who promoted or enforced policies of violence against Native people. Governor Newsom issued a first formal apology in 2019.
A third bill, AB 2507, makes permanent the Governor's Office of Tribal Affairs, which was established by Governor Newsom in 2022. The bill also establishes a Tribal Advisory Committee, clarifies the role of tribal liaisons across state agencies, and creates standards for tribal consultation statewide.
In recent announcements, the state highlighted several tribal partnerships. The state announced a project with the Hoopa Valley Tribe to improve salmon population health by consolidating two separate fish monitoring facilities. The state also signed a cultural burn agreement with the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, removing state barriers to tribal use of fire for land management. Tribal, state, and local governments formed a partnership to restore the Clear Lake watershed through shared stewardship.
Other bills signed advance tribal priorities in higher education, child protection, and addressing the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis.