Earlier this week, Republican legislative leaders signed and sent a letter to the Joint Rules Committee in a last ditch effort to keep the Christopher Columbus statue in the State Capitol Building in Sacramento. Led by Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), the letter pleads with the Committee to keep the ‘Columbus’ Last Appeal to Queen Isabella’ statue that has been in the Capitol rotunda since 1883.

Removal had been announced in mid-June following George Floyd protesters removing and defacing other Christopher Columbus statues nationwide due to Columbus’ actions in enslaving and mutilating natives during exploration of the Americas in the 1490’s. Removal of the statue began ten days later with no current plans on re-installation or replacement with another statue.