What's at stake?
Fresno County's Measure B is the latest front in a now-years-long fight over the name of a foothills community.
Should Fresno County’s charter be amended to affirm the county’s right to change the name of geographic features and place names within its jurisdiction?
That’s the question officials have posed to voters on the upcoming March ballot, but there’s a saga behind Fresno County’s Measure B.
In September 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2022, a law that would ban a racist and sexist slur for Indigenous women from the names of places and geographic features in California. The Fresno County Board of Supervisors pushed back against the state law because it would force the name change of a foothill town in the northeastern part of the county.
While the federal government removed the slur from the town’s name and renamed it Yokuts Valley, it turned out that decision wasn’t binding on the state or local levels. That’s why the 2022 California law, still being enacted, is in the crosshairs of Fresno County’s lawyers.
Not only did a majority of the supervisors vote to sue California over the law, they also approved putting a ballot measure to voters to decide whether the county’s charter should be amended.
As it stands, the county supervisors already have the power to change or establish names for places and geographic features in its jurisdiction, county spokesperson Sonja Dosti confirmed to Fresnoland.
Even if the county charter was amended, it wouldn’t be able to break California law and keep the slur in the name of a community that many now call Yokuts Valley. In fact, Measure B expressly mentions how it would not apply to land under state or federal jurisdiction.
Additionally, a Fresno Superior Court judge tossed out the lawsuit filed in April last year, noting that Fresno County does not have the legal standing to sue California, since it is a political subdivision of the state. County officials are currently appealing that decision in court, a process that still needs to play out.
What happens if voters approve Fresno County’s Measure B?
A ‘yes’ vote approves amending Section 12 of the Fresno County charter to articulate the county’s control over geographic features and place names in its jurisdiction. The amendment also includes how this would not extend to other jurisdictions, including private property and anything under the jurisdiction of federal, state or other local governments.
Approving this measure does not give or take away the county’s ability to establish or rename geographic features or place names within its jurisdiction. It simply adds language to the county charter.
What happens if voters reject Fresno County’s Measure B?
A ‘no’ vote rejects amending Section 12 of the Fresno County charter. Its language would remain as it is right now.
Rejecting this measure does not give or take away the county’s ability to establish or rename geographic features or place names within its jurisdiction. It simply rejects adding language to the county charter.
What are the arguments for and against Measure B?
Supervisor Nathan Magsig, whose district includes Yokuts Valley, has emphasized that the charter amendment is all about maintaining local control. Yet, as a county spokesperson confirmed to Fresnoland, the amendment would not change the county’s control over the names of geographic features and places.
“Subject to the State prevailing law, the County can change geographic features or place names within its jurisdiction with a majority vote from the Board of Supervisors,” Dosti, the county spokesperson, wrote to Fresnoland via email.
Additionally, AB 2022 already has a built-in local process to change the names of geographic features and places containing offensive terms — all facilitated by a local public agency. In the case of Yokuts Valley, it would be Fresno County.
Only in the event of a local public agency not participating in the process would the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names step in to collaborate with local organizations and communities to arrive at an appropriate replacement name, according to the state law.
“We know that a lot of the work is going to be happening at the public agency level,” said Geneva Thompson, the deputy secretary for tribal affairs with the California Natural Resources Agency. “The committee is the coordinating entity across the state and is really looking to see that the public engagement happened, the tribal consultations happened and that the replacement name that’s being proposed is respectful.”
Fresno County’s Measure B effort is disgraceful to advocates, specifically those behind the federal renaming of Yokuts Valley, especially Roman Rain Tree. He told Fresnoland back in December that Measure B is about trying to preserve the power of local elected officials rather than community members.
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