June 27, 2003

Ah yes, the old "Let's change Lompoc's name" ploy. It once again raises its ugly head. Every few years, someone revives this issue.

Lompoc is a Chumash word. The Chumash were here some 8,000 years before the Spanish arrived and who effected the demise of the Chumash culture. Chumash place names also proliferate along the Central Coast - Jalama, Cayucos and Sisquoc, for example.

Think of the time and money involved with a name change. Every citizen and business in town would have to change their letterhead, business cards and every legal document on which their address appears - Social Security records, drivers licenses, credit card bills, deeds, business, car and house loans, etc. Then, you have to notify everyone who has ever sent you mail. The City of Lompoc alone would face an expensive and horrendous task of notifying all vendors and legal entities with whom they do business. The "New Old Lompoc Brewery" in Portland, Oregon would be faced with a marketing disaster, as would the Lompoc Cafe in Bar Harbor, Maine and a small store in Russia that has adopted Lompoc's name.

Let's face it, Lompoc is much easier to spell than La Purisima. Those unfamiliar with Spanish can slaughter the spelling very easily. As for the pronunciation - sure we all cringe when we watch the "Bank Dick" with W.C. Fields, but that movie has attracted more attention to Lompoc over the past 60 years than any paid advertising could every yield.

Change the name? I think not. Leave it alone.

-- Dennis Headrick
President
Lompoc Valley Historical Society

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