It started a couple of weeks ago when we talked of renaming a street after Ronald Reagan. Fine. A good conversation was had by all. But I wake up this morning and the Zero has a story about the Rainbow City Council now being in favor of renaming 4th Avenue after Cesar Chavez. This is less than 2 days after I proclaimed on the air 4th Ave would be my choice for renaming Ronald Reagan Way so that Mayor Moonbeam and the Rainbow City Councils HQ would have to be on RRW. The thought was it was a numbered street, no legacy, no miffed feelings. A plan was in the offing.
Well who could have been listening that day? Randy? Sam?
Randy wanted to rename Broadway for Cesar Chavez (“I could see us closing it down every year in celebration of his birthday!” paraphrase)
Poof! Today, out of nowhere, splayed in the “newspaper of record HA!” comes their choice for Cesar Chavez Blvd: SW 4th Avenue.
Sorry, I had no idea they’d move so quickly. We were just germinating plans for the street rename and we would have FOLLOWED THE RULES!
We’re carrying today’s “debate” [read: food fight] on the air KPAM 860 starting at 3. I’ll be your play by play gal.
We’ll look forward to the Rainbow City Council presenting the supporting signatures of the business owners along 4th Avenue along with their research on changing the name of 4th Avenue.
Randy Leonard, of the Rainbow City Council, said today on Bob Miller’s show that he wanted a charter change to make sure councils of the future didn’t blow off the rules in these name changes. He said it right after he said he’d back the effort to change 4th Avenue. Huh?
***Also bear in mind what Mayor Moonbeam said the other day. He said that backers of Cesar Chavez Blvd were collecting signatures and they’d have them by Thursday in time for the meeting of The Rainbow City Council. The 2500 signatures is required to change the name of the street. Of course the backers of this plan (including city officials and the committee) have ignored all the other rules the city has put in place for street name changes.
NOW WE FIND OUT the signatures are being gathered VIA THE INTERNET on the CAUSA website. Homie, please. Those are activists, not necessarily residents of the neighborhood. The three neighborhood associations impacted by the INTERSTATE name change are already on record as OPPOSING the change.
The spokeswoman for the Latino Network has it right when she says:
This is not a city council acting. It is a city circus.”