The U. S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is the official naming authority of "unincorporated populated places" in the United States. The procedure is roughly as follows:

(Status as of 1/3/25. Items that have been completed are marked with "DONE: item struck out" )

• DONE: We submit a proposal to rename a town, and attach any supporting documents.
• DONE: BGN staff check that the application has been filled out correctly. BGN staff then does initial research on the proposal and prepares the entry for the Quarterly List.
• DONE: The state naming authority will be informed, and affected government bodies are be contacted for initial input. In this case, they contact The Lake County Board of Supervisors, and federally recognized Tribes.
• DONE: The proposal is then published in the Quarterly Review List (Expected in January 2024)
• DONE: The BGN then forwards the proposal and supporting documentation to the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Name (CACGN) for an initial review.
• Anyone can submit emails or documents supporting or opposing the change. These are NOT public. The submitter (eg C4H) may post submissions, or copy other parties.
  DONE: The CACGN researches each proposal, then "solicits input from a diverse array of interested community members". To our current knowledge, they have contacted the Lake County Board of Supervisors and the seven federally recognized Tribes.
• DONE: All 7 of the Tribes have responded with letters of support
• DONE: Although the BOS has been in communication with BGN and CACGN, they have not submitted a formal response. Instead, they put the advisory "MEASURE U" on the ballot for the Nov 2024 elections, asking all County voters whether the BOS should, or should not recommend the name change. C4H believes this measure was deeply flawed: this a MORAL decision, and not a MAJORITY vote.
• DONE: The election was held on Nov 5, and the County certified the votes in early December 2024.
• DONE: The BOS decided, by a 3-2 vote, to recommend the name change and submitted their decision to the BGN.
• The CACGN then votes on whether to recommend that the BGN approve or disapprove the proposal. The proponent, elected Tribal and County officials, and the public are permitted to speak at this meeting.
• The proposal then goes back to the full committee of the BGN for a simple majority vote. If accepted, the name is effective immediately.
• The U.S. Post Office, the U.S. Census, and other agencies are notified.
• The whole process can be completed in a few months, though a complicated case like renaming a town may take longer.

The BGN website is https://www.usgs.gov/us-board-on-geographic-names
The BGN Domestic Names Committte is at https://www.usgs.gov/us-board-on-geographic-names/domestic-names
The application form is at https://geonames.usgs.gov/docs/pubs/BGN_DNC_Proposal_2021.pdf
The policy guide is at https://geonames.usgs.gov/docs/pubs/DNC_PPP_DEC_2016_V.2.2.pdf The procedure is in Chapter 4, p 27.

The California Advisory Committee on Geographic Name (CACGN) website is at https://cacgn.ca.gov/

Note: The Post Office and Census are notified of the change, but they do not automatically change these names.

Anyone who wishes to send a comment to the BGN - in support or in opposition - may email the BGN The subject line MUST include the word KONOCTI. The BGN will forward all submissions to the CACGN. It will be helpful to us if you send us a copy.

We recommend the format:

To: BGNEXEC@usgs.gov
cc: info@citizensforhealing.org
Subject: In Support of the proposal for the name KONOCTI

You can add one or more supervisors:

Eddie Crandell
Helen Owen
Jessica Pyska
Brad Radmussen
Bruno Sabatier

Or you can use this automatic email link which does all that.

Send email to BGN and Supervisors
(If your email is not set up, that link might not work).