Why some say Fresno County’s lawsuit against state of California is ‘bigotry in action’
Supporters of the Yokuts Valley name change called on Fresno County Board of Supervisors to throw out a “frivolous” lawsuit they say defends a term that is widely considered a slur against Native American woman.
A group of 25 to 30 people gathered downtown April 11 to show their support for the newly named Yokuts Valley and to criticize the Board of Supervisors’ recent decision to sue the state of California over a law that requires the term “squaw,” which is widely considered a slur, to be removed from geographic features.
After a two-year push to change the name of Squaw Valley led by local y Roman Rain Tree, a member of the local Dunlap Band of Mono Indians and Choinumni tribes, the U.S. federal Board on Geographic Names officially changed the name of the unincorporated Fresno County community in January.
Two months later, the Board of Supervisors voted to sue the state of California — rather than the federal board that oversaw the Yokuts Valley name change — since the new state law puts specific requirements on California counties. In a March interview with The Fresno Bee, Supervisor Nathan Magsig, whose district includes Yokuts Valley, said he’s “not opposed” to filing a federal lawsuit in the future.
Magsig has long criticized the federal government’s name change process, saying that local resident should have the final say about whether the town changes its name. Opponents to the name change cited a variety of reasons for resisting the name change. Some said they didn’t find the term offensive, while others wanted to preserve local history or were concerned about the costs to local businesses associated with the name change. In October, Fresno County submitted a letter to the federal naming board opposing the name change.
But residents who addressed the supervisors at their April 11 meeting supported the community’s new name and sharply criticized the board.
“I’m proud of the name change,” said Yokuts Valley resident Ken Hudson, “and I was surprised and saddened by the frivolous lawsuit that the county board of supervisors seems to be pursuing.”
Hudson wasn’t the only Yokuts Valley resident speaking out. Resident Bayard Taylor and a handful of others spoke out, too.
“This lawsuit is bigotry in action,” Taylor said.
Both residents shared that since the name change, there has been a mix of people thrilled over and staunchly opposed to the community’s new name. Residents confirmed that Caltrans has already removed the green “Squaw Valley” highway sign leading into town. Taylor noted that some residents are putting up yard signs that say things like “Squaw Valley Forever” and “Woke is a Joke.”
But otherwise, they say the name change hasn’t impacted their day-to-day lives.
“I get mail addressed to me at Yokuts Valley (and) I get mail addressed at the old address,” Hudson said. “That will continue for a long time.”
The group also addressed the Board of Supervisors directly during the public comment of the April 11 meeting, where speakers again pleaded with the supervisors to drop the lawsuit. Some also thanked Supervisors Sal Quintero and Brian Pacheco for voting against the lawsuit.
Ashley Rojas, a director with Indigenous Justice and fifth-generation Fresnan, said, “during a time of declared flooding crisis and looming recession, the allocation of public funds to uphold a racist and misogynistic and violent slur is performative and frivolous and fiscally irresponsible.”
Supervisors didn’t directly respond to comments during the April 11 meeting. The lawsuit was not on the meeting agenda.
Fresno County spokesperson Sonja Dosti declined to respond to the comments calling on the county to throw out the lawsuit, saying the county doesn’t comment on pending or current litigation.
Dosti confirmed via text message to The Bee that the lawsuit is expected to be filed this week by the county’s outside counsel, Brian Leighton.
This story was originally published April 11, 2023 at 2:49 PM.
