5 Ways Gavin Newsom Is Re-Mapping California's History: The Real Story Behind The Christopher Columbus Controversy

The search query "Gavin Newsom Christopher Columbus maps" points to a much larger, fundamental shift in how California views and teaches its own history. As of December 14, 2025, there is no public controversy over a literal, specific map related to Christopher Columbus and Governor Gavin Newsom. Instead, the real story is about Newsom’s aggressive, multi-pronged policy to *re-map* the state’s cultural and historical landscape, systematically dismantling the glorification of colonial figures like Columbus in favor of recognizing the state's Indigenous heritage. This push involves removing statues, changing official holidays, and fundamentally overhauling the public school curriculum.

This deep-dive article explores the five key actions taken under Governor Newsom’s administration that have permanently altered the historical "map" of California, moving away from the traditional, often Eurocentric, narrative of discovery and conquest toward one of reconciliation and recognition of Native American tribes.

Governor Gavin Newsom: Biography and Political Profile

• Full Name: Gavin Christopher Newsom
• Born: October 10, 1967 (San Francisco, California)
• Political Party: Democratic
• Current Office: Governor of California (Elected 2018, Sworn in 2019)
• Previous Offices: Lieutenant Governor of California (2011–2019), Mayor of San Francisco (2004–2011), Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (1997–2004)
• Education: Santa Clara University (B.A. in Political Science)
• Key Policy Focuses: Climate change, healthcare expansion, homelessness, and historical equity/social justice reform.
• Historical Stance: Newsom has been a vocal proponent of historical re-evaluation, formally apologizing for California's historical mistreatment of Native Americans and pushing for the removal of monuments tied to colonial violence.

1. The Physical Re-Mapping: Removal of the Capitol Columbus Statue

The most visible and immediate action that signaled Newsom’s stance on the Columbus narrative was the removal of the controversial Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella statue from the California State Capitol rotunda. This move, which took place in 2020 amid a national reckoning on racial justice and historical monuments, was a powerful symbolic re-mapping of the state’s most important civic space.

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The statue, which had stood in the Capitol for years, depicted the moment Columbus presented his plan to Queen Isabella of Spain. Newsom's office released a statement emphasizing that while the state cannot "right the wrongs of our past," it can "recognize them and commit to building a more equitable, just future for all." This decision was not merely about a piece of art; it was a political statement that the state government would no longer officially glorify a figure widely associated with the genocide and enslavement of Indigenous peoples.

• Location: California State Capitol Rotunda, Sacramento.
• Figures Depicted: Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella I of Castile.
• Year of Removal: 2020.
• Newsom’s Justification: Acknowledging the historical violence and colonial oppression associated with Columbus’s arrival in the Americas.

2. The Cultural Re-Mapping: Replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day

A second, annual re-mapping of the calendar has been Governor Newsom's consistent proclamation of Indigenous Peoples' Day. While many California cities and counties had already adopted the change, Newsom’s statewide proclamation formally recognizes the second Monday of October as a day to honor the history, culture, and resilience of the state's Native American communities, directly supplanting the traditional observance of Columbus Day.

This cultural shift is a direct challenge to the historical narrative that frames Columbus’s arrival as a moment of heroic discovery. The proclamation instead focuses on the devastating impact of colonization on the state's original inhabitants. Newsom’s language in these proclamations is consistently focused on reconciliation and justice, highlighting the need to learn from the past and support the sovereignty of California’s over 100 federally recognized tribes.

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This move is part of a broader "Reexamining Our Past Initiative" within California State Parks, which seeks to evaluate and potentially change the names of geographic features and monuments that perpetuate racist or colonialist narratives. This initiative ensures that the re-mapping of history extends beyond just statues and holidays, touching the very names on the state's official maps.

3. The Educational Re-Mapping: Overhauling the School Curriculum

Perhaps the most profound and long-lasting re-mapping effort is Governor Newsom’s push to reform California’s public school curriculum. The traditional classroom map of history, which often presented Columbus as a heroic explorer, is being fundamentally rewritten through recent state legislation and educational mandates.

Newsom signed legislation that includes several key components aimed at historical equity:

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• Ethnic Studies Mandate: A new law requires students to take an ethnic studies course to graduate from public high schools, beginning with the class of 2029–2030. This framework ensures that the perspectives of marginalized groups, including Native Americans, are central to the educational experience.
• Consultation with Tribes: The new legislation mandates that the State Department of Education must consult with Native American tribes when updating the history and social studies curriculum framework. This is a crucial step to ensure that the historical narrative is factually accurate and reflects the experiences of the Indigenous communities, rather than solely relying on colonial-era records.
• Teaching Historical Mistreatment: New laws require public schools to teach elementary, middle, and high school students about the historical mistreatment of Native Americans and the Spanish mission system, including the dark history of violence and genocide. This shift directly counters the sanitized version of colonial history that has been taught for decades, effectively redrawing the educational map of California's past.

4. The Political Re-Mapping: Formally Apologizing for Genocide

In 2019, Governor Newsom issued a formal apology for the state of California’s role in the historical violence, mistreatment, and genocide of Native Americans. This unprecedented move was a powerful political re-mapping of the state's moral compass. The apology came with an executive order creating the Truth and Healing Council, a body tasked with documenting the historical relationship between the state and Native Americans. This council’s work directly influences the new curriculum and public policy, ensuring that the state's actions are grounded in a full and honest accounting of the past.

The apology and the formation of the Council provide the foundational, official recognition that the state’s historical map is marked by violence, not just progress. This context is essential for understanding all subsequent actions concerning Christopher Columbus and other colonial figures.

5. The Future Re-Mapping: Memorializing Native History

Following the removal of the Columbus statue, Governor Newsom signed a law to replace it with a new memorial dedicated to California's Native American tribes. This final step completes the re-mapping process: a colonial monument has been replaced by a monument to Indigenous resilience and history. This action solidifies the new historical narrative in the physical and political heart of the state.

Ultimately, the curiosity behind "Gavin Newsom Christopher Columbus maps" is answered not by a single cartographical document, but by a series of deliberate, interconnected policy moves that are re-drawing the entire historical, cultural, and political map of California. From the Capitol rotunda to the classroom, Newsom's administration is ensuring that the state’s narrative is one of truth, reconciliation, and the enduring presence of its Native American peoples.