A bill to prohibit the use of the word “squaw” for geographic features and place names in California by Jan. 1, 2024, has been introduced by Assembly members James C. Ramos (D-Highland), the first California Native American elected to the state legislature and Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus.

“AB 2022 would ban the use of the S-word and establish a process for renaming locations with that offensive racial and sexist term which began as derogatory word used against Native American women. It is an idiom that came into use during the westward expansion of America, and it is not a tribal word. For decades, Native Americans have argued against the designation’s use because behind that expression is the disparagement of Native women that contributes to the crisis of missing and murdered people in our community,” Ramos stated.

Ramos added that more than 100 places in California contain the S-word.

The United States Department of the Interior has ordered the term “erased from the National landscape and forever replaced” on the almost 700 sites using the name on federal lands. Montana, Oregon, Maine and Minnesota have already banned the word’s use.

“The sad reality is that this term has been used for generations and normalized, even though it is a misogynistic and racist term rooted in the oppression and belittling of Indigenous women. AB 2022 begins to correct an ugly and painful part of our history by removing it from California’s landmarks; it’s the least we can do to help our indigenous women heal,” Garcia said.

AB 2022 defines a geographic feature as any location or publicly owned structure in the state such as navigable water, parks, local roads, bridges and publicly owned buildings.

A place is defined in the proposal as a natural geographic feature or street, alley, or other road within the jurisdiction of the state or political subdivision of the state.

State and local government bodies shall identify geographic features and place names within their jurisdictions and report those locations or features to the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names.

The committee would be charged with working with those bodies and the Native American Heritage Commission to recommend replacement names.

AB 2022 is sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union CA.

LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lake County Women’s Civic Club hosted its annual New Member Tea on Friday, Feb. 11, at Lakeport Lagoon.

Six new members — Jennifer Richardson, Trena Pauly, Linda Beeson, Susan Lucatorto, Barbara Davison and Sandra Musick — were in attendance to enjoy an extensive array of sandwiches and sweets prepared by their own executive board of directors and committee chairpersons.

LCWCC could not be happier to have these new members on board to help out as they get busy working on their 27th annual Mad Hatters Ball fundraiser to be held on Saturday, April 23, at Boutique Winery.

The theme is “International Kindness” and the group will be celebrating food and fashion from around the globe.

What could be an ominous undertaking becomes nothing but a good time with this enthusiastic, creative, funloving group of ladies who come together to host an event that will raise funds for organizations like Hope Harbor Warming Center, Hospice Services of Lake County, Lake County Vet-Connect, and provide vocational scholarships for our local high school seniors.

Tickets for this event will go on sale March 4. If you are interested in purchasing yours, please call Kerry Moore at 707-364-6165.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Special guest Tiana Williams-Claussen will talk about reintroducing California condors to their historical Northern California and Pacific Northwest range at Redbud Audubon’s Zoom program on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m.

The Yurok Tribe in Northern California has been preparing over 14 years to bring condors, this nation’s largest bird, home to a historic part of its range after a century-long absence.

Not only will this restore an apex species into the region’s ecological systems, but it will promote the Yurok Tribe’s reconnection to this amazing creature that is sacred to the tribe and has great cultural importance.

Williams-Claussen, director of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department, will briefly introduce the incredible Prey-go-neesh — the California condor — and describe the traditions guiding the Yurok Tribe's efforts to bring condors back to the tribal ancestral territory.

She will explain the tribe’s step-by-step progress over 14 years to develop collaborative partnerships with the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Ventana Wildlife Society, multiple zoos and local hunters.

With the necessary facilities construction nearing completion, the tribe hopes to release the first four condors this spring. In closing her talk, she will describe the Yurok Tribe’s approach for reintegrating condors once they are released.

Williams-Claussen is a Yurok tribal member from the village of Wehl-kwew and was raised in Yurok ancestral territory.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard University, after which she returned to serve her tribe. She was instrumental in the formation of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department in 2008 and currently serves as department director.
Her native upbringing and formal education combine to allow her to bridge the gap between Yurok traditional understandings of the world and those rooted in Western science. She is working toward a cohesive, well-informed approach to holistic ecosystem management.

To register for this fascinating presentation, go to www.redbudaudubon.org and click on the registration link on the homepage of the website. The link to join the presentation will be sent to you the day of the program. In order to secure your spot, please register by Wednesday, Feb. 16.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. — The Western Region Town Hall will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Habematolel community center, 9460 Main St. in Upper Lake.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office reported that a special election to fill a seat on the Middletown Unified School District Board of Trustees has been consolidated with the Statewide Direct Primary Election and is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, June 7.

The first day a candidate may file for office is Monday, Feb. 14, and the last day is Friday, March 11, at 5 p.m.

Official declaration of candidacy forms for eligible candidates desiring to file may be obtained from the Lake County Registrar of Voters office in person at 325 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport during regular office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; closed County holidays and weekends.

For more information call the Registrar of Voters Office at 707-263-2372 or toll-free at 888-235-6730.

On Friday, the 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission announced the absence of a lawsuit challenging the new Congressional, Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization maps.

Article 21, section 3(b)(2) of the California Constitution states that any registered voter in this state may file a petition for a writ of mandate or writ of prohibition, within 45 days after the commission has certified a final map to the Secretary of State, or SOS.

Because maps were certified to the SOS on Dec. 27, 2021, the deadline to file a lawsuit was Feb. 10, 2022, at midnight.

“We're glad to cross this first legal threshold to effectuate the people’s maps,” said Commission Chair Russell Yee. “The absence of a state lawsuit challenging these maps is a testament to the effectiveness of California's open, publicly accessible redistricting process and the design of its independent redistricting commission. We worked hard to apply the constitutional redistricting criteria and consider testimony from throughout the state, especially from minority communities. While the maps do not please everyone, we believe they are fair and equitable. We would have confidently defended these maps in court but are thankful we now won't need to.”

The possibility of other legal challenges remains. Article 21, section 2(i) of the state Constitution states that the map enactment date — Dec. 27 — triggers the 90-day period for a referendum petition to be filed. In the absence of a sufficient and timely referendum petition being filed, the maps would otherwise become “effective” 90 days after enactment/certification, or March 27.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated a congressional map in Alabama that a lower court ruled hurt Black voters.

The state Constitution's legal challenge deadline does not apply to any challenge that might be filed in federal court alleging a violation of the U.S. Constitution or the federal Voting Rights Act.

Every 10 years, after the federal government publishes updated census information, California must redraw the boundaries of its electoral districts so that the state’s population is evenly allocated among the new districts.

In 2008, California voters passed the Voters First Act, authorizing the creation of the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw new State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization district lines. In 2010, the Voters First Act for Congress gave the Commission the responsibility of drawing new Congressional districts following every census.

For more information, please visit www.WeDrawTheLinesCA.org.