Antonia Gonzales

Gov. Gavin Newsom convened a meeting of tribal leaders in 2019 to acknowledge and apologize for the genocide and horrific mistreatment of Native American peoples throughout our state’s history. (Courtesy Asm. James Ramos / Facebook) A bill in the California legislature seeks a formal apology to Native Americans for the state’s role in atrocities committed against them during the formation of the state, including forced removal from their lands, bounties for their heads, and other violence. Assemblymember James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA) introduced the bill seeking the apology from the California Legislature and courts. The bill also requires a plaque to be displayed in the State Capitol to memorialize the apology. Asm. Ramos notes Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) issued a formal apology in 2019, but the legislature and courts have yet to apologize, which he says is a stain on California’s history. He says California’s First People deserve an apology for the harm they endured, and the generational trauma that conti