San Diego Supervisors Vote 4-1 in Favor of Aztec School Mascot
The county Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 Tuesday to urge San Diego State University President Stephen Weber not to ban the Monty Montezuma mascot or scrap the name Aztecs for university sports teams.
All five county supervisors are San Diego State graduates. They acted after the campus student council, at the request of the Native American Student Alliance, asked Weber to dump Monty and also consider changing the name Aztecs. Critics say Monty, meant to portray Aztec emperor Montezuma II, is racist and demeaning.
The lone dissenter in Tuesday’s vote was Supervisor Ron Roberts, a candidate for San Diego mayor. He said it should be left to students whether a spear-throwing “loin-clothed, feather-headed mascot is no longer appropriate.”
Weber has said he will wait to make his decision until after a nonbinding vote by the full student body in two weeks.
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