BILL ANALYSIS �
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THIRD READING
Bill No: ACR 168
Author: Alejo (D), V. Manuel Perez (D), et al.
Amended: 8/18/14 in Assembly
Vote: 21
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 51-4, 08/18/14 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Native Americans: NFL Football: Mascot change
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution urges 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.
ANALYSIS : This resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1.California has the highest Native American population in the
country with over 700,000 people who identify themselves as
Native American, and 109 federally recognized Indian tribes.
2.The name used by the Washington, D.C. NFL team is believed by
some to be a racial slur and to promote discrimination against
Native Americans.
3."Indian" sports brands used by professional teams were born in
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an era when racism and bigotry were deemed acceptable.
4.Fifty 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."
5.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.
6.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
7.Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, city
councils, top sports icons, civil rights groups, religious
groups, prominent journalists, and President Barack Obama have
all spoken out against the team's continued use of the
epithet.
Background
History of Washington Redskins Name . According to the attorney
for the Washington Redskins in court filings related to the
Trademark suit and various news articles, in 1932 the football
team was originally created and named the Boston Braves. Teams
during this time period generally mirrored their baseball
counterparts, as was the case with the New York Giants for
example. In their first season the Boston Braves had enormous
losses in revenue, and it was decided that changes needed to be
made. Along with moving the team to Fenway Park in 1933, the
Boston Braves changed their name to the Redskins. One theory
for selection of the name Redskins is that it is very similar to
Red Socks, the remaining baseball team of Boston. Another theory
is that the name was selected to pay honor to its coach, Lone
Star Dietz, believed by many to be a Native American. In 1937
the team moved from Boston to Washington D.C., taking the name
Redskins with it. They have continued to use it to this day.
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Comments
According to the author, "This resolution supports a broader
effort to encourage the NFL Washington R_____ to change their
team name. The current name is recognized as a derogatory
racial slur. Recently, the issue has drawn national attention
through the Change the Mascot movement being led by the National
Congress of American Indians, the United South and Eastern
Tribes and the National Indian Education Association." He
concludes, saying, "Living in a society with a history of racial
prejudice, we must be even more sensitive to the use of words
and phrases derived from generations of hate, bigotry, and
violence. Using a racial slur as a mascot is hurtful and
degrading to the people it portrays. It is time that we make it
known that this affront to the culture and dignity of the Native
American people should not be tolerated."
Recently, the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board
canceled six federal trademarks held by the Washington Redskins
involving the team's name. The board wrote the following in its
opinion: "We decide, based on the evidence properly before us,
that these registrations must be cancelled because they were
disparaging to Native Americans at the respective times they
were registered."
A National Annenberg Election Survey of Native Americans on the
question of whether the name of the Washington NFL team
"Redskins" is offensive found that over 90% of Native Americans
were OK with the name, and only 9% found it offensive.
National public opinion polls consistently find that a majority
of the general public, ranging from 89% in 1992 to 79% in 2013,
support the team's continued use of the name; while at the same
time finding that a small majority (56%) say the term itself is
racist and should not be used to refer to Native Americans."
(Wikipedia, Washington Redskins Name Controversy,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Washington_Redskins_name_controversy, accessed August 11, 2014).
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
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ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 51-4, 8/18/14
AYES: Alejo, Ammiano, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta,
Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau,
Chesbro, Cooley, Dababneh, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox,
Frazier, Garcia, Gatto, Gonzalez, Gordon, Hall, Roger
Hern�ndez, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Lowenthal, Medina,
Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Pan, Perea, John A. P�rez, V.
Manuel P�rez, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas,
Skinner, Stone, Ting, Weber, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada,
Atkins
NOES: Donnelly, Harkey, Mansoor, Wilk
NO VOTE RECORDED: Achadjian, Allen, Bigelow, Ch�vez, Conway,
Dahle, Daly, Beth Gaines, Gomez, Gorell, Gray, Grove, Hagman,
Jones, Linder, Logue, Maienschein, Melendez, Nestande, Olsen,
Patterson, Quirk-Silva, Wagner, Waldron, Vacancy
JA:nl 8/21/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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