The San Diego Unified School District board voted Tuesday to retire Clairemont High School’s “Chieftains” nickname, replacing it with the “Captains” starting in the 2026–27 school year. District officials said the full rebranding process, including uniforms, signage, printed materials, athletic facilities, and gym flooring, could take up to three years. Existing gear will be updated gradually to manage costs, meaning remnants of the old identity may remain during the transition.

The decision followed a review process initiated in April 2025. A 10-person naming committee composed of students, staff, community members, and district representatives hosted six town halls, solicited submissions for new names, and conducted a community survey that received just over 500 responses.

The change has drawn criticism on social media, with some commenters framing it as politically motivated. One post cited by the New York Post argued the Department of Education had not required a mascot change and labeled the effort “another move by the left to remove history from our past.” Other users questioned who raised complaints about the “Chieftains” name and expressed nostalgia, saying, “Will always be the Chieftains to me.”

California first restricted certain school team names in 2015 when then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 30, banning the term “Redskins” in public schools starting Jan. 1, 2017. In 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded the prohibition with Assembly Bill 3074 to include other “derogatory Native American” terms, such as “Apaches,” “Braves,” “Chiefs,” and “Chieftains.” The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and allows schools to retain a prohibited name only with written consent from a local federally recognized tribe. Tribal-run schools are exempt.

AB 3074 also ties complaints regarding banned names to California’s Uniform Complaint Procedures, which allow individuals to report violations of education-related laws.

The move mirrors similar actions in professional sports. Washington’s NFL franchise retired its “Redskins” name in 2020 following a review and temporarily played as the Washington Football Team before announcing the permanent “Washington Commanders” name on Feb. 2, 2022.

The Clairemont High decision marks one of the final adjustments California schools must make ahead of the statewide enforcement of AB 3074, reflecting broader efforts to remove Native American-themed names deemed derogatory from public institutions.