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SACRAMENTO, CA—A bill to make California Native American Day– celebrated annually on the fourth Friday of September –a paid holiday for state employees was approved unanimously today in the Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement. Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino) introduced the bill, AB 989, approved previously by the Governmental Organization Committee.
Ramos, a member of the Serrano/Cahuilla tribe, is the first California Native American lawmaker elected in the state’s almost 175-year history. He has been laboring to enact a California Native American Day since 1998.
Ramos said, “I was a San Manuel council member when I started working toward this goal with Senator Joe Baca Sr. “This is one more step forward in recognizing and building knowledge about the history, culture and contributions of California’s Native Americans.”
In 2021, he successfully authored AB 855 that created a paid judicial holiday. The legislation did not include other state personnel because they are governed by a different statutory code section. Ramos noted, “California Native American history is California history, and the current unpaid holiday designation is an inadequate acknowledgment of the state’s First People and their millennia-long presence, saga and stewardship of the lands now known as California.”
California Native Vote Project is the bill sponsor. Director of Organizing for the sponsor Calvin
Hedrick (Mountain Maidu) stated, “The California Native Vote Project is proud to sponsor and strongly support Assembly Bill 989. Making California Native American Day a paid state holiday is more than symbolic; it’s a long-overdue act of recognition for the sovereignty, resilience, and enduring contributions of our Native people in California. AB 989 ensures that our voices, cultures, and histories are honored with the same respect as other communities and sends a clear message that California is committed to truth, inclusion, and equity. We thank Assemblymember Ramos for his continued leadership in advancing justice for Native communities.”
Supporters include Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe of California, Cahuilla Band of Indians, California Consortium for Urban Indian Health, Chalon Indian Nation of California, Chalon Indian Nation of Bakersfield, Elk Valley Rancheria, California as well as Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, Indigenous Justice, Mongo Band of Mission Indians, Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc., Native Development Network and Society for California Archeology.
