Sacramento City Unified plans to remove a controversial mural at Hiram Johnson High School “in a timely fashion,” weeks after trustees pushed for its removal, according to a district spokesperson.
The move follows criticism from Native students, led by The Met Sacramento High School junior Lozen Miranda-Brightman and other community members, who called the school gym mural discriminatory and presented a petition urging the district to remove it along with other Native American-themed symbols across campus.
“Our Facilities Department has direction from the Board of Education to remove this mural, and staff are making arrangements to do that in a timely fashion with the least amount of disruption to campus operations,” wrote district spokesman Al Goldberg in an email Tuesday.
State deadline and mural
Under Assembly Bill 3074, enacted in 2024, most California public schools are barred from continuing to use Native American-related names, mascots or nicknames considered derogatory after July 1, 2026. The law, however, also states that if a prohibited name or mascot is already on a facility feature, it must be removed by the next time that feature is replaced during routine maintenance…