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About the Native American Caucus

Assemblymember James C. Ramos, ChairAssembly Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon and Assemblymember James C. Ramos announced the formation of the California Native American Caucus in March 2021. Ramos was named as the chair of the new group. The California Native American Legislative Caucus was charged with increasing awareness and education in the Legislature about the culture, history and impact of various social issues on our state’s Native Americans. 

Ramos urges U.S. Senate support of Haaland nomination as Interior secretary

SACRAMENTO—Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland) today urged the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to confirm the nomination of U.S. Representative Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico) as Secretary of the Interior. If approved by the Senate, Haaland would be the first Native American to serve in a position that oversees federal bureaus and agencies critical to Native American governance, education, and culturally sacred lands.

“I am asking that the Energy Committee members refer her historic nomination to the floor and that the full Senate approve this historic nominee,” Ramos said

Court employees would be first state workers to get a paid holiday on California Native American Day

SACRAMENTO—All state and local court employees would receive a paid holiday in celebration of California Native American Day instead of Columbus Day if a bill introduced today is approved by the Legislature and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland) said his measure, AB 855, makes California Native American Day, on the fourth Friday of September, a judicial holiday. Ramos’s bill swaps the present paid holiday on Columbus Day for California Native American Day. “For more than 20 years, I have worked to help create a day that recognizes the state’s first

Ramos introduces bill to replace toppled Serra statue at Capitol

AB 338 sponsored by six Northern California tribes

SACRAMENTO— Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland) today introduced a measure to replace the statue of controversial Franciscan friar Junipero Serra, overturned by protestors on July 4 during demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd. Because the sculpture was created pursuant to legislation, it will take another law to create a successor monument. Ramos is the first California Native American elected to the Legislature.

The bill is sponsored by six Indian tribes who live in the Sacramento region and whose ancestors populated the land where California’s capitol is located.

“It is

Assembly speaker, Ramos condemn Trump transfer of sacred Native American land to foreign mining conglomerate

SACRAMENTO—Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) and Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland) today denounced the Trump administration’s-transfer of a tract of Arizona land known as Oak Flat, sacred to Apaches and numerous regional tribes, to the Anglo-Australian mining conglomerate Rio Tinto. The transfer was conducted at an accelerated pace by Trump’s U.S. Forest Service, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The text of the Rendon and Ramos letter follows:

This trade of the 2,422-acre parcel known as Oak Flat represents a betrayal of the Apache people who

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