Fresno County schools to rename mascots under California law

Three Fresno Unified schools have already drawn their new identities as California tightens rules on Native American-themed mascots. Tenaya Middle School Braves will become the Titans, Tioga Middle School Tomahawks will become the Hawks, and Lowell Elementary School Warriors will become the Lions.

The changes are tied to the California Racial Mascots Act, Assembly Bill 3074, which takes effect July 1, 2026. The law bars public schools from using derogatory Native American terms as school or athletic team names, mascots or nicknames, except at schools operated by an Indian tribe or tribal organization.

For Fresno County families, the shift reaches far beyond a name on a scoreboard. It means new uniforms, new signage, new branding and a reset of school identity at three campuses where mascots have long been part of alumni memory and student tradition. Fresno Unified selected the replacements through a community-driven process that used discussions and surveys, underscoring that the district treated the change as a local decision as well as a legal obligation.

Lowell Elementary principal Jennifer Her-Yang said the new mascot reflects the voices of students, staff and families. That kind of local input matters because mascot changes are often where state policy meets neighborhood pride, and the district now has to carry out the transition in a way that keeps students connected to their schools while aligning with state law.

The state’s rules are not a blanket erase-everything order. Schools can keep Native American-themed mascots if they have written support from a federally recognized tribe, which is why the cases of Sanger High School and Clark Intermediate School in Clovis drew close attention across the Valley. Sanger High kept the Apache name after support from the Lipan Apache Band of Texas and the North Fork Rancheria Mono Tribe, while Clark Intermediate was initially expected to drop its Chieftains mascot before later keeping it with tribal backing.

That distinction has made the Fresno County rollout more than a simple compliance exercise. It has become a test of how districts explain their choices, how they handle pushback from families and alumni, and how quickly they can turn policy into visible change on campus. As July 1 approaches, Fresno Unified’s three schools are among the clearest examples in the county of how the state’s mascot law is reshaping public school identity.