Amended in Assembly August 18, 2014

Amended in Assembly August 14, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 168

Introduced by Assembly Members Alejo and V. Manuel Pérez

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Atkins, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Campos, Chau, Chesbro, Cooley, Dababneh, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier, Garcia, Gatto, Gonzalez, Gordon, Hall, Roger Hernández, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Lowenthal, Medina, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Pan, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Weber, Wieckowski, Williams, and Yamada)

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August 4, 2014

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 168—Relative to Native Americans.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 168, as amended, Alejo. Native Americans: NFL Football: Change the Mascot.

This measure would urge the National Football League (NFL) to join with the Legislature and numerous organizations in calling for a name change for the Washington, D.C. NFL team, and calls upon the owners of NFL teams based in California to urge the owner of the Washington, D.C. NFL team and the NFL Commissioner to change the team mascot.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, California has the highest Native American
population in the country, with over 700,000 people who identify
themselves as Native American and over 109 federally recognized
Indian tribes; and

WHEREAS, The name used by the Washington, D.C. National
Football League (NFL) team is believed by some to be a racial
slur and to promote discrimination against Native Americans; and

WHEREAS, “Indian” sports brands used by professional teams
were born in an era when racism and bigotry were deemed
acceptable; and

WHEREAS, 50 United States Senators joined together to send
a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell demanding that, “It’s
time for the NFL to endorse a name change for the Washington,
D.C. football team”; and

WHEREAS, Dozens of groups representing millions of
Americans have asked NFL players to take a stand against the
Washington, D.C. NFL team’s use of the derogatory R-word; and

WHEREAS, On June 18, 2014, the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) canceled the Washington, D.C. NFL
team’s federal trademark registration of the name “Washington
R____.” The USPTO ruling deemed the term “disparaging to
Native Americans,” and canceled the trademark status of the name.
Unless the Washington, D.C. NFL team successfully appeals, the
USPTO ruling would mean that the team has no legal ownership
over the term; and

WHEREAS, Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle,
city councils, top sports icons, civil rights groups, religious groups,
prominent journalists, and President Obama have all spoken out
against the team’s continued use of the epithet; now, therefore, be
it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature urges the National Football
League (NFL) to join the National Congress of American Indians
and other organizations, which represent more than 2 million
Native Americans across the country and more than 300 tribes in
the United States, in calling for a name change for the Washington,
D.C. NFL team; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature calls upon the owners of NFL
teams based in California to urge the Washington, D.C. NFL team
owner Dan Snyder and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to
adhere to the wishes of the millions of people who have joined
Indian Country in urging that they change the team mascot; and
be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.