West Sacramento road with "offensive" name to get renamed
WEST SACRAMENTO — A new rule is rerouting the name of a residential road in West Sacramento.
It's the same reason Squaw Valley up in Tahoe changed its name to Palisades. But now this statewide mandate has found its way to a quiet slice of West Sacramento.
"The term is offensive to many," said Paul Hosley, city spokesperson.
The city says the word "squaw" is now considered a racist and derogatory term against Native American women.
"We'd like everybody to feel comfortable on the street they live, and as this thing came up, we had to address it," Hosley said.
The name change will impact more than 40 homes on the street and an adjacent court in the Southport neighborhood. Several public workshops have been held to notify residents about the name change — and many support it.
"It's a great idea. It needs to happen," one Squaw Road resident said. "If it's offensive, then it needs to change."
"I think progression is always a good thing," another resident there said. "If some people feel the need that we need to change it, I'm all for it."
Last year, Gov. Newsom signed a bill requiring the offensive term be removed from all public places by January 2025. And the U.S. Department of Interior is removing the name from federal land.
One of the most notable changes is the Tahoe ski resort that hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics and is now known as Palisades.
West Sacramento held an online poll asking people to pick a new name, and right now, the top vote is Sonoma Road.
Councilmembers are scheduled to finalize the new name at Wednesday night's city council meeting, and if approved, the new Sonoma Road signs will go up next month.