An Oakley man has again petitioned a federal agency to rename Contra Costa County's signature peak.
This time he wants to rename the 3,849-foot-high Mt. Diablo after Ronald Reagan.
Arthur Mijares officially proposed Mount Reagan to the United States Board on Geographic Names last summer, and the Contra Costa County supervisors committee will be briefed on options at a meeting Monday. The federal agency gave the supervisors until March 31 to submit an opinion.
Mijares, a devout Christian, says he believes the word "Diablo" — Spanish for "devil" — is "derogatory and profane," according to the federal board report. Mijares was unavailable for comment Thursday.
In 2005, he attempted to change the name to Mount Reagan, but the board, citing its Commemorative Naming Policy, told him the late president needed to be dead for at least five years before receiving such an honor. The former California governor died June 5, 2004.
Mijares argued that the devil, or "diablo," was a "living person" so that name should also be prohibited. He eventually settled on three alternative options: Mount Yahweh, Mount Miwok or Mount Ohlone. The federal board denied all three options, citing the negative recommendations from the supervisors and other agencies, many with Mount Diablo in their names.
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