California public high school forced to drop 100-year-old mascot after woke new law takes effect

By WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER Published: 07:03, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 07:09, 3 July 2026 A California public high school was forced to drop its historic mascot and branding as a liberal new law went into effect. Marysville High School announced Tuesday that it would no longer use its Indians mascot or logo, according to the Sacramento Bee. The decision was made in order to comply with the California Racial Mascots Act, or Assembly Bill 3074, which was passed in 2024. However, the law only went into effect on Wednesday, meaning that the change was made right before the deadline. The law bans K–12 public schools from 'using any derogatory Native American term' for school athletic team names, mascots or nicknames. That included the term 'Indians,' according to the law, which effectively got rid of Marysville's iconic orange–and–black logo that had held strong for nearly 100 years. The branding featured a blocked orange M, outlined in black, with two parallel tomahawks inside the letter. Marysville was one of the first three public high schools established in California, according to its school district's website. Marysville High School said it would no longer use its Indians mascot or logo in order to be compliant with the California Racial Mascots Act A photo of one of the logos that Marysville previously used as part of its Indians branding Before the change was announced, district officials met with local tribe representatives to try to keep the school mascot, the outlet reported. But despite the administrators' pleas, they were unable to obtain consent. Tribal representatives did not oppose the mascot but also did not support it, instead opting to stay neutral. It was not clear which tribe was contacted, according to the outlet. After scrapping the Indians branding, the school does not have a plan for a replacement mascot right now. Superintendent Jordan Reeves commented on the tweak in a news release announcing the historic change. 'The Marysville Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees recognizes the deep history and tradition associated with the Indians mascot and acknowledges the strong connection many alumni, students, staff, and community members have to it,' Reeves said, per CBS Sacramento. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the California Racial Mascots Act into law in September 2024 Jordan Reeves, the Marysville superintendent, said in a statement that alumni, students, staff and community members had a 'strong connection' to the Indians mascot Reeves added that the school district would continue to try to gain written permission from a local, federally recognized tribe to keep the iconic mascot. The law prohibits all public schools, except for those operated by an Indian tribe or a tribal organization, from using several terms. The full list, in addition to Indians, includes Apaches, Big Reds, Braves, Chiefs, Chieftains, Chippewa, Comanches, Indians, Savages, Squaw, and Tribe. Less than 25,000 of California's 5.7million students identify as Native American, according to EdSource. However, have some reported feeling mocked by their school's mascots or traditions, the outlet added. Other schools in California have also changed their branding as a result of the law, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, in September 2024. Alta Loma High School in Rancho Cucamonga changed its name from Braves to Lions, according to an announcement made in May. Elsewhere, the Clairemont High Chieftains in San Diego turned into the Captains because of the California Racial Mascots Act. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Marysville Joint Unified School District for further comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.