CALIFORNIA
GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor
NATURAL WADE CROWFOOT, Secretary for Natural Resources Agency
RESOURCES
AGENCY
715 P Street, 20th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
https://cacgn.ca.gov.
February 6th, 2024
Bill Zimmerman, Mayor
City of Menifee
29844 Haun Road
Menifee, CA 92586
RE: Renaming "sq_" Named Features and Places for Assembly Bill (AB) 2022 Implementation.
Sq. 24-9, Sq. Valley Drive
City of Menifee
Dear Mayor Bill Zimmerman:
California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names (CACGN) and California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) respectfully request the City of Menifee, in partnership with California Native American tribes, to identify appropriate replacement names for the "sq_" names on features and places. Newly named features and places should be informed by tribal consultation, public engagement, and be respectful of tribes and tribal communities.
Public agencies must submit the replacement names for all "sq_" named places and features within their jurisdiction by August 6th, 2024, utilizing the attached AB 2022 Name Proposal Form to [email protected].
Thank you to the City of Menifee's leadership and staff for helping identify the "sa_" named places and features in your community. Through this collaborative effort, public places and features across the state have been collectively identified for this renaming process. We look forward to continuing to partner with your public agency, local communities, and California Native American tribes on finding respectful replacement names that reflect the values of the community.
This timeline allows approximately 90 days for public agencies to consult with tribes and engage with the local community to select a replacement name and about 90 days for public agencies to complete internal administrative processes. We respectfully request the City of Menifee send their request for tribal consultation letters to tribes no later than the end of the first week of March and allow for at least 90 days for tribal consultation. A template request for tribal consultation letter has been provided.
We invite you to join CACGN's AB 2022 Best Practices for AB 2022 Implementation Webinar on February 16, 2024, from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm. Please register for this webinar here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/i/81102329136
Assembly Bill (AB) 2022 (Ramos), Chapter 479 of 2022 Statutes, declares the word "sa_" an offensive ethnic, racial, and sexist slur. During 2023, Public Agencies were required to identify and report to CACGN all instances of the derogatory "sq_" term in public geographic features and place names under their jurisdiction. The final list has been published on CACGN's website at List of Sa Names Submissions.
Sq. 24-9, Sq. Valley Drive has been identified within your jurisdiction. To support your public agency's tribal consultations, we have included the contact information and mailing labels for the tribes with ancestral lands (pursuant to the Native American Heritage Commission) in the geographic region.
We respectfully request consultation between the City of Menifee and tribes. Consultation between the City of Menifee and tribes shall be conducted to mutually respect each party's sovereignty and authority. Consultation should also recognize the tribes' potential needs for confidentiality concerning places with traditional tribal cultural significance.
When selecting a replacement name, AB 2022 requires adhering to following priorities:
1. Honor the original, traditional, or current name used by tribes to refer to the geographic feature or place.
2. Names incorporating the local indigenous language(s).
3. Preserve the original intent of the geographic name as a historical record of the cultural landscape (using general descriptors and generic terms such as river, creek, mountain, or an appropriate term from the indigenous language of the area, considering the historical, cultural, or ethnic significance of the original name.
We have provided the attached AB 2022 Name Proposal Form with specific questions to help guide your Public Agency's renaming process. We hope this resource is helpful throughout the renaming process.
Additionally, to learn more about the implementation of AB 2022, please feel free to visit CACGN's website at https://cacgn.ca.gov/.
Email [email protected] with any questions regarding the implementation of AB 2022.
Thank you, and please do not hesitate to contact CACGN with any questions or concerns.
Respectfully,
Geneva
Geneva E.B. Thompson
Deputy Secretary for Tribal Affairs
California Natural Resources Agency
cc: California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names [email protected]