Woke San Diego high school scraps mascot name ‘Chieftains’ after Newsom-backed law
A San Diego high school is retiring a mascot that has been in place for nearly 70 years after California lawmakers expanded a statewide ban on Native American-themed team names.
The San Diego Unified School District voted Tuesday to change Clairemont High School’s “Chieftains” nickname to “Captains,” citing a 2024 law that prohibits public schools from using terms such as “Chiefs” and “Chieftains” starting July 1, 2026.
The new name will officially debut in the 2026–27 school year, with a multi-year rebranding process to follow.
Although the nickname change begins this fall, the complete transition is expected to take up to three years, as the school phases out the “Chieftains” name from uniforms, athletic facilities, signage, printed materials, and the gym floor. Existing gear and branding will be updated gradually to manage costs, so remnants of the old mascot could remain visible during the transition.
The decision comes after nearly a yearlong review that began last April, when the district launched a formal process to comply with the state’s expanded mascot ban. A 10-person committee made up of students, staff, community members, and district representatives hosted six town halls, collected new name submissions, and conducted a community survey that received over 500 responses.
The announcement drew mixed reactions on social media. Some users argued the mascot did not need to change, framing the move as politically motivated. One commenter on Facebook said the Department of Education had ruled mascot changes were not required and called the effort “another move by the left to remove history from our past,” adding that “removing history is one of the goals when taking over a country.”
Others questioned who had complained about the “Chieftains” name and suggested political pressure influenced the decision. A longtime supporter commented, “Will always be the Chieftains to me.”
California first addressed Native American mascots in 2015, when then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 30, banning public schools from using the term “Redskins” starting in 2017. California was the first state to prohibit that nickname in K-12 schools.
The effort expanded in 2024, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3074, which bans terms such as “Apaches,” “Braves,” “Chiefs,” and “Chieftains.” The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies to all public schools statewide. Schools can retain a prohibited name only with written consent from a local federally recognized tribe, and schools operated by tribes are exempt. Campuses that fail to comply may face penalties under the state’s uniform complaint procedures.
The legislation has already led to several changes across Southern California. In Orange County, Fullerton Union High School will retire its “Indians” nickname and become the “Red Hawks” in 2026–27. In San Bernardino County, Alta Loma High School in Rancho Cucamonga replaced “Braves” with the “Lions” after a community review. In Los Angeles County, William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita switched from “Indians” to “Hawks.”
Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs, long known as the “Chiefs,” has begun a formal process to select a new nickname in response to the state mandate, though a replacement has not yet been announced.
About Post Author
