O’Farrell Moves to Create Official Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Policy in the City of Los Angeles

Motion builds on O’Farrell’s previous leadership on Indigenous issues, including the City’s landmark establishment of Indigenous Peoples Day

LOS ANGELES — Council President Pro Tempore Mitch O’Farrell, the first Native American to serve on the Los Angeles City Council, today introduced a motion that seeks to create an official land acknowledgement policy in the City of Los Angeles.

“The City of Los Angeles, and the Civic Center itself, sits on Indigenous land,” said Councilmember O’Farrell. “We cannot secure a better future for ourselves without first acknowledging the truth of our past. An official land acknowledgement policy, regularly recognizing the true history of the Los Angeles region and its ancestors, will be another major step forward in our movement to give greater voice to Native American and Indigenous issues, history, and people.”

In recent years, O’Farrell has led the City Council on transformative progress regarding issues important to Native Americans and Indigenous people, including: the formal establishment in 2017 of Indigenous Peoples Day in the City of Los Angeles, replacing Columbus Day on the second Monday of each October; the 2018 removal of a Christopher Columbus statue in Grand Park; and the 2021 adoption of a formal apology from the City of Los Angeles to all Native Tribal Nations that have been injured by previous actions of the City.

The City Council has an existing policy requiring a regular recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, and there are similar rules in place for City commissions and other official bodies. No such policy exists regarding acknowledgement of Los Angeles’ Indigenous people or land. O’Farrell’s motion directs relevant departments and agencies, in partnership with the Los Angeles City / County Native American Indian Commission and representatives from local Tongva, Tataviam, and Chumash tribal governments to report within 30 days on the creation of an official land acknowledgement policy.

“Full equity for Native Americans and Indigenous people starts with acknowledging the Indigenous land on which we stand,” said Rudy Ortega, Jr., Fernandeño Tataviam Tribal President. “We thank Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell for always working to uplift Indigenous issues. Though our voices have been silenced in the past, an official land acknowledgement policy by the City of Los Angeles will ensure our voices are always heard well into the future.”

“Long before Los Angeles City Hall was built, the Tongva village of Yaanga stood on the same spot,” said Chief Anthony Morales, Gabrieleno Tongva Band of Mission Indians. “With Councilmember O’Farrell leading the establishment of Indigenous Peoples Day and enacting policies like the Indigenous LAnd Initiative, the City of Los Angeles has taken great strides to learn from the sins of the past so we can build a better future. An official land acknowledgement policy will be a beautiful and ever-present reminder that, not only were Native Americans the original inhabitants of this land; we are still here, we belong, and we will help shape the future of Los Angeles.”