Jesse Tarango, left, chairman of Wilton Rancheria, and his mother Mary Tarango, second from right, look at an enlarged photo of a statue of the late William Franklin Sr. during a groundbreaking ceremony for a Native American monument at Capitol Park in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. The actual statue of Franklin will replace a statue of Fr. Junipero Serra, whose statue was torn down by protesters in 2020. The new statue is expected to be placed in the park in early 2023. (AP Photo/Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
California is getting to work on a Native American monument. It will feature William Franklin, regarded as a “fierce protector and preservationist” of cultural dances and other ceremonies. State leaders held a groundbreaking in Sacramento yesterday, complete with a seven-foot-tall cardboard cutout of Franklin. They say the monument will replace the statue of missionary Junípero Serra which was toppled two years ago.