LA votes to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day

LOS ANGELES – The City Council has voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as an official Los Angeles holiday.

Councilmembers voted 14-1 to make the second Monday in October a day to commemorate indigenous, aboriginal and native people. It will be a paid holiday for city employees.

Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, a member of the Wyandotte Nation tribe, pushed for the switch. Some activists view Christopher Columbus as a symbol of genocide for native peoples.

Councilman Joe Buscaino was the lone “no” vote on Wednesday. He sided with Italian-Americans, who view Columbus Day as a celebration of their national heritage.

Los Angeles joins San Francisco and several other cities nationwide in honouring native Americans in lieu of Columbus.