SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom today approved AB 1863, a bill to revise and strengthen California’s Feather Alert, an alert system similar to the AMBER and Silver alerts – used to notify the public when Indigenous people go missing. Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino) authored the bill and the original Feather Alert measure, AB 1314, approved in 2022.
Ramos said, “The Feather Alert is a tool to enlist the public’s assistance when a Native American might be at peril. Earlier this year, the Assembly reviewed the effectiveness of this important tool one year after its enactment, and listened to tribal members and law enforcement. We are committed to ensuring that this life-saving notification system works effectively and easily for families worried about missing loved ones.”
AB 1863 – one of seven Ramos-authored tribal related bills approved today – expands definitions of “endangered and missing” for purposes of the alert notification and would require the CHP to issue a reason for denying activation within 48 hours.
Bear River of the Rohnerville Rancheria Chairwoman Josefina Frank said, "We carry the strength of our ancestors to ensure our tribal citizens are safe and protected. The work that has been done on AB1863 has provided Tribal Nations their voices back to ensure we end MMIP.” Chairwoman Frank continued, “We are the voice and movement for those we have lost, those who are hurting and the generations to come."
Pechanga Band of Indians Councilwoman Catalina Chacon Said, “We are grateful to Assemblymember Ramos for introducing the Feather Alert and putting forth AB 1863 this session to directly address concerns from those at the forefront of this crisis.” Councilwoman Chacon added, “Allowing our tribal governments to communicate directly with the State affirms our sovereignty, saves critical time, and will further help bring our missing people home safely.”
Yurok Tribal Chairman Joe James said, “I thank Assemblymember Ramos for creating this mechanism to quickly get the word out when Indigenous people go missing or are at risk.” In citing his support for AB 1863 James stated, “We supported previous legislation that created this alert because it will help reduce the disproportionate rate of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases in California. The next generation of Indigenous California should not have to live in a world where they have to worry about family members going missing or worse. With the updates in this legislation, we will take action to address the remaining root causes of this complex crisis.”
AB 1863 is sponsored by the Bear River of the Rohnerville Rancheria, the Pechanga Band of Mission Indians and the Yurok Tribe.
Other Ramos tribal bills signed today include:
- AB 81 reinforces California protections for Native American families and the Indian Child Welfare Act
- AB 1284 encourages the Natural Resources Agency, and its departments, boards, conservancies, and commissions, to enter into cogovernance and comanagement agreements with federally recognized tribes
- AB 1821 requires that the impact of the Mission and Gold Rush eras on California Native Americans is taught
- AB 2108 requires county social workers and others to immediately notify parents, guardians, legal counsel and other pertinent adults when a foster child is missing.
- AB 2348 revises and strengthens California’s Feather Alert, requiring law enforcement agencies to respond within 24 hours of a request, and also allowing for tribal governments to directly communicate with the California Highway Patrol about a request.
- AB 2695 requires specified entities reporting criminal record data to the Department of Justice to disaggregate the data based on whether incidents took place in Indian country.
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Assemblymember James C. Ramos proudly represents the 45th Assembly district that includes the Cities of Fontana, Highland, Mentone, Redlands, Rialto and San Bernardino. He is the first and only California Native American serving in the state’s legislature. Ramos chairs the Assembly Budget Subcommittee #6 on Public Safety.