New law will remove the word ‘squaw’ from California place names
The name of our place was changed last month when we became the city of San Gabriel. The next step is to remove the word “Squaw” from our official name, which will be officially changed to the city of San Gabriel and then to the second district of San Gabriel, the city’s newest official name.
The new official name will be officially changed to the city of San Gabriel and then to the second district of San Gabriel on June 20 to coincide with San Gabriel Park’s celebration of its 25th anniversary. Then, it will be officially changed to the city of San Gabriel and then to the second district of San Gabriel on Sept. 1 to coincide with the city hosting its first annual parade for the second district, in a joint partnership with the neighboring Los Angeles county.
Once the city changes the name of our place on the ballot, it will also begin the process of changing other official places with names like “San Francisco Municipal Transit System” to “San Gabriel Valley Transit System.”
While this is a challenging process, the City Attorney’s Office has begun legal action to begin making the changes to the ballot and eventually, to other city name changes. The process for these name changes involves three steps:
1) A public hearing on the proposed name change.
2) The City Council votes on the proposed name change, with a majority of members representing the second district voting yes.
3) The state certifying the city name change or name changes of the first district of the same name.
Mayor Bob Foster and our council member Mike Bonin have asked us to work with the City Attorney’s Office on this process. The city will ask the Attorney to file a lawsuit to place a “time-out” on the name change process so that we can begin preparing for the new name, which is one of the best opportunities for the city to change our name.
At this point, the City Council has agreed