Thursday, August 21, 2025

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California’s only Native American state lawmaker is calling on the University of California (UC) to return Native American remains and cultural items still in its possession, despite federal and state laws requiring repatriation.

Christina Aanestad reports.

California lawmakers condemned the University of California campuses that have failed to return thousands of Native American remains and hundreds of thousands of Indigenous artifacts in their possession, 35 years after federal law required their return to tribal communities.

A new audit in April found UC campuses of Berkeley, Riverside, San Diego, and Santa Barbara, have failed to comply and fully utilize the funding allotted to them to help repatriate the remains to tribes.

Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez (D-CA) spoke during a press conference before Tuesday’s joint hearing.

“If my grandmother was found, I would expect her remains to be given to her family. Not in one year, not in 35 years but immediately.”

The audit recommends specific funding and conditions on the funding to force it’s compliance.

UC Provost Katherine Newman says they’re investing more money-but part of the challenge is finding experts to assist.

“It’s actually not easy to find those folks, there’s technical requirements for their background.”

Leo Cisco is tribal member of the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi-Yokut Tribe.

“We’re the experts.”

He spoke with Assemblymember James Ramos (Serrano/Cahuilla/D-CA), who says repatriation will help Native Americans heal from the state’s historical wrongs.

“Those remains do carry connections to our people and it’s not until they are properly buried that healing can start to take place from a traumatic experience our people suffered from the history of the state of California.”

Faith advocates from around the country congregated underneath the shade of trees at the Oat Flat Campground. (Photo: Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ)

Earlier this week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a land swap that would hand a swath of the Tonto National Forest – a parcel sacred to Native Americans – over to a multinational mining company.

As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, President Donald Trump has weighed in.

On Truth Social, Trump blamed a “Radical Left Activists” for delaying the swap, which would clear the way for a massive mine run by Resolution Copper.

Adelita Grijalva says his rhetoric is reckless, dangerous, and even corrupt.

“[President] Trump is blatantly attempting to strong-arm the court.”

(Courtesy Adelita Grijalva for Congress)

She’s running to fill the seat of her father, the late U.S. Rep Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), who spent his political career trying to stop mining in the area known as Oak Flat.

Trump called those who oppose the mine “anti-American”.

“Trump can try to shame us. We’re not going to be silent. For him to call us all anti-American for standing up to protect Oak Flat, it’s not just wrong – it’s offensive. Standing up for our communities, our land and our future is the most American thing that we can do, and we’re going to continue to do that.”

Resolution Copper is owned by foreign mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP.

“It’s no surprise to see this president side with foreign corporations over America’s natural resources, and less for having any kind of consideration of tribal leaders and land.”

San Carlos Apache Chairman Terry Rambler believes Trump has been “misinformed by Resolution Copper’s supporters,” even offering to sit down with the president and share “factual information to protect American assets”.