It's Wednesday. Hastings Law is moving to change its name amid growing recognition that its founder masterminded the slaughter of Native Americans. Plus, a California judge delivered a major victory to opioid makers. |
 | | The board of directors of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law unanimously agreed to change its name.Mike Kai Chen for The New York Times |
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As a law student in 1950s San Francisco, Willie Brown paid little heed to the name of the school he was attending: the Hastings College of the Law, named after the state's first chief justice, whose dark past was not widely known. |
"People did not pay attention to anything named 100 years ago or 150 years ago," Brown, the former San Francisco mayor and Democratic power broker, told me when I called him Tuesday evening. "None of us did. And particularly me." |
But as the nation reassesses its history, discussions of symbols and names are now a familiar part of political discourse. One of the latest historical figures to come under scrutiny is Serranus Hastings, the law school's founder, who masterminded a Gold Rush-era slaughter of Yuki men, women and children in and around his Mendocino County horse and cattle ranch 160 years ago. The massacres were part of a pattern of killings paid for by the California Legislature in the early decades of statehood. |
Joseph Cotchett, a high-powered lawyer and one of the biggest donors to Hastings, said the article helped galvanize alumni around the idea that the name must be changed. |
"Right here in progressive San Francisco, there's a school called Hastings," Cotchett told me on Tuesday. "Are you kidding me? It's scandalous." |
The dean and chancellor of the school, David Faigman, had previously argued forcefully for retaining the name, but told me he now saw the name change as a "necessary step." |
 | | David Faigman, the law school's dean and chancellor.Mike Kai Chen for The New York Times |
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Faigman initiated an inquiry in 2017 into the actions of the school's founder, and with it a wider debate over how to address the sins of the past. Before Tuesday's decision he had argued that the college should keep its name while pushing for restorative justice, including maintaining a program focused on Indigenous law and pro bono legal assistance for tribes in Round Valley, the area where the Hastings massacres took place. |
His original position, Faigman told me, was partly shaped by comments from Yuki tribespeople that they had felt erased by history and that removing the Hastings name would further seal that historical erasure. |
But even after Tuesday's decision a number of questions remain unanswered, including what the new name will be, and whether the state will be forced to repay Hastings descendants the $100,000 donated by Serranus Hastings, a sum that would today reach into the millions of dollars. The school's enactment said the school was "to be forever known and designated as 'Hastings' College of the Law." |
The name change must be done through an act of the Legislature. One suggestion, the University of California, San Francisco College of the Law, would cause "brand confusion" with the University of California, San Francisco, Faigman said. |
Col. Claes Lewenhaupt, a great-great-grandson of Hastings who sits on the law school's board of directors, said by text message Tuesday night that changing the school's name was "the right thing to do," although he said he was "saddened" to see the Hastings name go because of the school's more recent association with helping the underserved. |
Deb Hutt, a Yuki tribeswoman who lives in Round Valley, was also ambivalent. She said a group of alumni and other concerned San Franciscans reached out to her after the article was published. "A weight was lifted," she said. |
But she told me she wasn't satisfied with simply a vote to change the name. |
"They are trying to correct their wrongs," she said. "It's a shallow victory." |
If you read one story, make it this |
 | | Traffic at the San Ysidro, Calif., border crossing into Tijuana, one of the ports of entry that will reopen to vaccinated travelers.Meghan Dhaliwal for The New York Times |
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- Border travel delays: The upcoming reopening of international land borders for travel could lead to longer wait times at ports of entry. Officials ask that travelers have their travel and vaccine documents readily available.
- Daylight saving time: Clocks in California will fall back an hour on Sunday despite a 2018 vote to do away with daylight saving time, Spectrum News 1 reports.
- Gun rules on movie sets: California Democrats are divided over whether to ban live ammunition on movie sets after a fatal shooting on the set of "Rust," The Sacramento Bee reports.
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- Corpse plant returns: The Amorphophallus titanum plant is blooming at the San Diego Botanic Garden, releasing its characteristic scent of rotting flesh, The Associated Press reports.
- Environmentalists to sue U.S.: The Center for Biological Diversity said it intended to sue the federal government following an oil spill off the coast of Southern California, The Associated Press reports.
- Tupac exhibit: "Tupac Shakur. Wake Me When I'm Free" will pay homage to the musician's life. After opening in Los Angeles, the exhibit will travel to other cities, The Associated Press reports.
- Settlement reached after helicopter crash: Two families suing over released photos of the helicopter crash in which Kobe Bryant and their family members were killed have reached a $2.5 million settlement, The Los Angeles Times reports.
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- Contaminated drinking water: One of two wells in the San Joaquin Valley farm town of Teviston went dry at the start of summer, and the remaining well has been laced with a carcinogen for years, Reuters reports.
- Environmental review plan challenged: South Fresno residents filed a lawsuit claiming that the city is failing to protect them from pollution, The Fresno Bee reports.
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- Police officer charged: Kenneth Cha, a San Francisco police officer, was charged with voluntary manslaughter and assault after a man he shot in 2017 died.
- Delayed resort reopening: The Sierra-at-Tahoe ski and snowboard resort announced it will probably not reopen until early 2022 as it recovers from the Caldor fire, The Sacramento Bee reports.
- Lost baby seal: A northern fur seal pup typically found 600 miles off the coast was rescued on land in San Rafael, The Marin Independent Journal reports.
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 | | Andrew Purcell for The New York Times |
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 | | Chicano Park in San Diego.Beth Coller for The New York Times |
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Today's travel tip comes from Bruce Higgins, a reader who lives in San Diego: |
In the summertime, visit Barrio Logan just south of downtown San Diego. Check out the art in Chicano Park and the weekly Low Rider show and cruise. There are interesting shops and food trucks as well. |
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. |
And before you go, some good news |
Spectacular fall colors arrived in Yosemite over the weekend, a vibrant — but probably brief — showing of reds, oranges and yellows. |
Thanks for reading. We'll be back tomorrow. |
Soumya Karlamangla, Steven Moity and Mariel Wamsley contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
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