Know your vote. Take a look at your sample ballot now!

Fresno County, California, Measure B, Authority to Change Geographic Feature and Place Names Amendment (March 2024)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Fresno County Measure B

Flag of California.png

Election date

March 5, 2024

Topic
County governance
Status

DefeatedDefeated

Type
Referral

Fresno County Measure B was on the ballot as a referral in Fresno County on March 5, 2024. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported amending the Fresno County Charter to state that the Board of Supervisors is responsible for establishing or changing "geographic feature or place names within the unincorporated portions" of Fresno County that are not subject to federal, state, or other local government jurisdiction.

A "no" vote opposed amending the Fresno County Charter to state that the Board of Supervisors is responsible for establishing or changing "geographic feature or place names within the unincorporated portions" of Fresno County that are not subject to federal, state, or other local government jurisdiction.


A simple majority (50%+1) vote was required for the approval of Measure B.

Overview

Measure B followed the renaming of Squaw Valley to Yokuts Valley. In 2022, the California State Legislature passed AB 2022, which required the word "squaw" to be removed from geographic feature and place names in the state. The legislative analysis said, "... the term primarily has been used as an offensive ethnic, racial, and sexist slur for Indigenous women."[1] AB 2022 received unanimous consent in the Assembly and Senate. The federal Board of Geographic Names renamed Squaw Valley to Yokuts Valley in 2023. County Supervisor Nathan Magsig said Measure B is about local control. "(People) who live in that area should able to decide for themselves what that name their community is going to be." He said locals preferred the alternative Bear Valley. State Sen. Anna Caballero (D-14) said locals should have the power to rename jurisdictions. She added, "Unfortunately, the county of Fresno persisted in insisting that they had the right to name the places and to continue using the derogatory terms."[2]

Election results

Fresno County Measure B

Result Votes Percentage
Yes 53,164 35.90%

Defeated No

94,940 64.10%
Results are officially certified.
Source


Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Measure B was as follows:

Shall the measure to add new subdivision (1) to section 12 of the Fresno County Charter to provide the Fresno County Board of Supervisors the duty and power to name or change the name of geographic features or place names within the unincorporated portions of the Counts of Fresno be adopted?

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.


Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in California

This measure was put on the ballot by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in California

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in California.

How to vote in California

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. California State Legislature, "AB 2022," accessed March 4, 2024
  2. GV Wire, "Ballot Measures Expand Powers of Fresno County Supervisors. Will Courts Be the Ultimate Deciders?" February 20, 2024
  3. California Secretary of State, "Section 3: Polling Place Hours," accessed August 12, 2024
  4. California Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed August 13, 2024
  5. 5.0 5.1 California Secretary of State, "Registering to Vote," accessed August 13, 2024
  6. California Secretary of State, "Same Day Voter Registration (Conditional Voter Registration)," accessed August 13, 2024
  7. SF.gov, "Non-citizen voting rights in local Board of Education elections," accessed November 14, 2024
  8. Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  9. Democracy Docket, "California Governor Signs Law to Ban Local Voter ID Requirements," September 30, 2024
  10. Congress, "H.R.3295 - Help America Vote Act of 2002," accessed September 30, 2025
  11. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.