This Week in the Mercury
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
News / City Hall Take A Ride Down Cesar Chavez Boulevard
Posted by Matt Davis on Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 11:28 AM
Update, 1:54pm:
Apologies for the somewhat emotional tone of this post. Sitting in council watching this debated for what even Commissioner Leonard admitted felt like the 20th year was surprisingly frustrating!
The basics: Council voted five-zero to rename 39th avenue as Cesar Chavez Boulevard this morning. Here's what happens now:
The Auditor shall notify owners and occupants of all property abutting the street being
named, affected public agencies, the general public, US. Post Office, emergency services
organizations of the name change through public notice, direct correspondence, and other
appropriate means.
e. The Bureau of Maintenance shall install new street signs showing the new street name
alongside the existing name signs and shall maintain both sets of signs for a period of five
years at the level of maintenance approved for street name signs city-wide
f. At the end of five years the Bureau of Maintenance shall remove the 39th Avenue signs.
That's how you rename a street.
Original post, 11:28am:
Go ahead. Get in your car and feel how this city has changed. Drop out rate for Latinos in high school? Still fucking scandalous. But at least we can take a trip down a renamed street. Oh, Portland...
Council struck some serious tones. There was emotion on display. In fact, you'd think we were voting this morning to embark on a survival mission for Mars.
"Some will perceive this process as having winners and losers, but ultimately we are all winners when we are open to new cultures and perspectives," said Dan Saltzman, voting yes.
"I think it's important to have a discussion about whether we should be renaming streets," said Randy Leonard. "I look forward in the future to having a discussion about the whole topic of street naming changes with the council, but it is not appropriate to have that discussion in this context."
"Chavez was a person who was willing to put it all on the line to fight for what he believed in and there's nothing to me that's more important than that," Leonard continued, voting yes.
"People really care about this, and I am grateful for your passion for this city," said Amanda Fritz. "I believe the process has given me all the information I need to make a decision." She voted yes.
"The process has been marked more by respect than by confrontation," said Nick Fish, voting yes. "It pleases me greatly that there is a consensus here today."
"For my family, we would be honored to live on Cesar Chavez boulevard," Fish continued—he lives on 39th.
"My mother in law Carmen Gomez was born in Cordoba in the South of Spain," said Fish. "Not one single woman in her family had ever attended high school."
He sure does like to talk.
"This particular process was the most rigorous of any that we know of," said Sam Adams, voting yes. "I want to thank the Save 39th Avenue folks who testified at our hearing for the thoughtful and respectful nature of their concerns."
If only all the energy, time and focus on both sides of this issue had been invested elsewhere.
Showing 1-38 of 38
So much for the handy grid system.
Can I petition to have a street renamed "Lame City Council Way?"
And what exactly is new about the 'culture and perspective' of labor unions?
Oh that's right, all we do now is classify people based on their ethnicity. Trying to figure if Chavez advocated that when he was in Portland.
Oh, that's right, he never set foot in Portland.
Well, as long as the supporters problems are all solved now and they feel warm and squishy everything's fixed.
Maybe they should have renamed NE Weidler. It's a major street that has few businesses named for it. It's name does not have navigational value, and does anyone recall who or what Weidler was?
Yeah, I'm sure all the migrant workers are going to really appreciate the thousands of dollars we blow on street sign replacement. I mean, its not like we are in a recession or a hunger epidemic or anything.
This whole thing is just misguided liberal guilt at its worst.
Time to satisfy a new demographic and rename Cesar Chavez Jr. Blvd. to: "Recall The Gay Dude That's the Mayor" Place.
Or: "The Timbers Army Punched My Grandmother in the Face" Lane.
Well, at least the crybabies on Interstate can continue to have the most generic and boring name in Portland, and everyone else can give up the efficient numerical system. Closet racists win in showing it's a hassle to give props to ethnic minorities.
Thank goodness these 5 people decided they knew what was best for the hundreds of people that came out in opposition. Representative democracy fails again.
Idenity politics extortion. Weak weak weak.
Not that the outcome from this council was ever the least bit in doubt.
I propose that we rename Leonard's street after my nutsack.
What?! Why not? Are you prejudiced against my nutsack?! I'd hate to have to tell the male voting constuency before the next election that you are an anti-sack-ite! Bigotry! Bigotry, I say!
'Closet racists win in showing it's a hassle to give props to ethnic minorities.'
Bzzt, wrong.
'does anyone recall who or what Weidler was?'
ATTENTION HISTORY ILLITERATES - Chavez was not (as in NOT) an advocate for ethnic minorities.
Chavez was never in Portland.
The issue at hand is this: Does the current city council represent the will of the majority of people that elected them?
ANSWER ME!
It reeks of nutsackism.
It would have made just as much sense to re-name it after Howard, the Duck, for petes' sake. I hope Howard had a good 4th. I agree with kjoin.
I think that Mentally Incompetent Three-Fingered Larry would do a better job than all five council members combined.
In fact -- rename the street Mentally Incompetent Three-Fingered Larry Blvd. Makes as much sense as anything else.
Weidler St. named after George Washington Weidler.
http://books.google.com/books?id=bG4UAAAAY…
they should have renamed it in the style of a mid-to-late nineties power-punk-pop-core-rockrap-emo band: 'chavez39'. best of both worlds.
Seriously, what pisses me off about this is going from "avenue" to "boulevard". 39th is barely a "street", much less an "avenue". By renaming it to a "boulevard", they encourage more lost suburbanites to wonder into our little hovel over here, and then stay- which is fine, as long as you assimilate and don't bring a fuckin' Pottery Barn to Hawthorne.
Chavez Boulevard my ass! What is this, LA? "Cesar Chavez Avenue", if you must. Or, better yet- "Via Cesar Chavez".
"Via Cesar Chavez". Yeah, I can live with that.
C'mon people. This is the year 2009. Latinos are the fastest-growing population in Portland. Why not honor a major street after a Mexican-born labor leader who did great things for farmers in the US?
I'm personally a fan of the numbered street system. It's certainly helpful to make my way around town. But I'm way MORE of a fan of official actions taken by our City leaders to promote diversity and tolerance. This renaming shows how much Portland values human rights. This renaming is a great step forward in making Portland a more inclusive and culturally competent City.
Congrats, City Council, on making a difficult decision for what is right (and not necessarily what will get you re-elected).
I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said, so fuck those guys, it will always be 39th to me.
A great step forward - who would that be (seeing that Cesar Chavez was born in Arizona)?
Guilt is such an unproductive emotion.
Well, A Great Step Forward, the thing is that there are plenty of viable alternatives that seem to make a lot more sense, like a school or the up-and-coming CRC bridge, that don't also impact that useful numbering system and the hundreds of people and/or businesses on 39th.
Most importantly, this frees up valuable resources to relaunch the 42nd St/Douglas Adams renaming initiative!
Kind of amusing that there's so many things named after him to warrant a separate Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_place…
Boo-urns!
I've agreed before and I'll agree again. They should've named something that has at least SOME KIND of resonance with Chavez - like a school, a park, a shelter. Things he was involved in.
FAIL.
the numbering system is destroyed! DESTROYED i tell you! you'll never see a numbered street in portland again!!!!
Wow. It really amazes me about the amount of time and energy put into changing a street name, that does nothing to help anyone. It reminds me of why I'll be signing up to recall Sam Adams.
For me, it's not about the Breedlove thing. Its all about a city being able to pull the job away from an official when they fail to represent the constituents. I voted for Sam, but not so he could put up a bridge to the Couve or piss away money on a stadium during the worst of economic times. Recall Sam Adams.
What a shameful waste of public discourse, time, and money. We have two bridges about to be built, a velodrome about to be talked about, etc.
The Cesar Chavez Memorial Velodrome would be so much cooler than a fucking STREET.
How come elected officials and their constituents can't see the forest for the trees?
STREETS ARE DEAD. Bicycle lanes are in, you dumb shits.
Whatever. One more good reason to fire Adams ass, (and a goodly number of ticked-off Portlanders who see through this BS and will be more likely to find a petition to sign to shake up the little cabaal down there.)
'Streets are dead' - what exactly does that mean?
Matty, we know the real reason you're so emotional. That lady took your title of "World's Strongest Vagina".
Hugs and Kisses, EADIAF
I need groceries. What's that intersection where Fred Meyer is in SE?
Join the " Rename 23rd Ave RICHARD NIXON AVE" on facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9905…
I'm all for renaming 42nd and 23rd. We have to send a message.
Oh! Oh! Can we rename NW 23rd "SE 39th Memorial Way?"
renaming streets sucks. i just don't get why you have to pick streets that are well known to everyone and change it. ok, of course, people want a well-known street to honor someone, not a street that people rarely use. but it's such a bother and a waste of money in hard times.
This is supposed to be some sort of honor to Mr. Chávez?....
Named after a bridge bringing two parts of town together?
NO!
Named after a park where people from all walks of life come together?
NO!
Named after a noisy street where the most interaction people get is though opposing car windows; all the while directly affecting the owners of 655 different tax lots?
WOO HOO! We have a winner!
Dont get me wrong, Chavez prolly deserves to have a STREET (not avenue, dont mess with our system even further) named after him. THAT BEING SAID... Why is the city concerning themselves so much about spending the time and resources necessary in renaming a street, when there are FAR more pressing matters to tend to? A council of 5 who have, no doubt, never lived in the area much less grew up in it (myself having spent most of my childhood living there). The current residents and citizens such as myself who grew up there should have the final say. This pisses me off.
D,
I find streets are dead where people do not walk on them. That's most streets, including 39th, where the only people walking are on Hawthorne.
Honestly, do you really think Chavez would want a street where there were no people walking to be named after him?
I grew up in a Latin country where people walked, didn't have phones, ate at 10 o' clock at night, danced, played soccer, made music, and had a lot of sex, before AIDS came in and wiped out more people per capita of any country outside of Africa.
So 39th seems kind of dead, to me, by comparison.
the people here in portland suck, bottom line. except A Great Step Forward.
beautiful kitty has gone missing from SE 35th & SE Morrison
Keep an eye out for our dear kitty!
Her name is Bramble Rose & she is a torti with long hair and a white face/chest & paws... pink nose..
She is extremely cute & affectionate- please call 503-913-1937
Band of the Week
Point Juncture, WA
About Portland Mercury
RSS
Comments (38) RSS