The Redding Planning Commission will meet Tuesday to discuss the required renaming of a local street. A state law prohibits the continued use of the word “Squaw” in place names because it’s a crude and derogatory racial slur used against indigenous women. Lake Shasta Tributary Squaw Creek has been renamed Sulanharas Creek by the Federal Government, and in November Shasta County came up with several more places that needed new names. The state law requires that replacements prioritize names that honor the tribes and languages specific to the place in question, and need to be submitted to the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names for consideration. Squaw Creek Court is in the Sacramento Drive Neighborhood of South Redding. The proposed new name would be “Mem Court”, as “Mem” is apparently a Wintu word that means “water”. Tuesday’s meeting is at 4 O’clock in the City Council Chambers.
-Steve Gibson