San Diego high school to replace 'Chieftains' mascot after state ban

The San Diego Unified School District voted to change Clairemont High School's 'Chieftains' nickname to 'Captains,' citing a 2024 California law that expands a ban on certain Native American–themed names effective July 1, 2026.

Clairemont High School in San Diego will change its longtime 'Chieftains' nickname to 'Captains' after a school board vote. The San Diego Unified School District said the decision responds to a 2024 state law that broadened prohibitions on Native American–themed team names. The new nickname is set to take effect in the 2026-27 school year. The campus will follow a multi-year rebranding process to phase out the prior identity. Key details: - The school board approved the change and cited Assembly Bill 3074, passed in 2024, which expands the list of prohibited names. - The new nickname becomes official in the 2026-27 school year; a full rebrand could take up to three years as uniforms, signage and other materials are replaced on a rolling basis. - A 10-person naming committee of students, staff, community members and district representatives ran the review, hosted six town halls, opened submissions for new names and conducted a community survey that drew more than 500 responses. - California first banned the term "Redskins" in K-12 schools under Assembly Bill 30 in 2015; AB 3074 extended prohibitions to terms including "Apaches," "Braves," "Chiefs" and "Chieftains." - Under the statute, a public school may retain a prohibited name only with written consent from a local federally recognized tribe, and campuses that fail to comply could face actions under the state's uniform complaint procedures. Summary: The district's vote begins a phased transition at Clairemont, with the nickname change formalized for the 2026-27 school year and visual remnants possibly remaining while replacements are scheduled. The broader 2024 law takes effect July 1, 2026, and several Southern California schools have already moved to new nicknames in response.