California Lawmakers Move To Ban Confederate Names On Public Buildings
California’s state Senate voted
SB 539passed in the state Assembly last month
The legislation will impact at least two elementary schools in Long Beach and San Diego named for Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
The bill now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown (D) for consideration.
The push for SB 539 came in the wake of the shooting at the historically black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where a gunman killed nine people in June. Shortly after the shooting, photosremove
State Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), who introduced the bill earlier this year, said California shouldn’t honor Confederate leaders who defended slavery.
“I don’t want to erase their names from our history books,” Glazer said Tuesday, according to Capital Public Radio
The bill’s opponents, however, argued the legislation is codifying a “revisionist” version of history.
“Just because of contemporary feelings, you’re just going to wipe out some very important individuals,” state Sen. Jim Nielson (R-Gerber) said, according to the Sacramento Bee
California banned state displays or sales of the Confederate flag last year
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