The kite-flying park at the north end of the Berkeley Waterfront has a new name, at least on paper. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, the Berkeley City Council approved renaming the former Cesar Chavez Park as Sí Se Puede Park, Berkeleyside reports.
Why it's changing
In March, the council referred the renaming to the Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Commission after reports that Chavez had sexually assaulted women and girls. His name was quickly covered or removed from the park's signs. A 21-member working group chose "Sí Se Puede" as its strong consensus pick. The commission recommended the name unanimously on Sept. 10, according to the city report.
The catch
The phrase was coined in 1972 by UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta, and the United Farm Workers has trademarked it. School board director Beatriz Leyva-Cutler told the council Berkeley has received "provisional approval" from the union. Mayor Adena Ishii said that if talks break down, the name will come back to the council.
Other names floated
Esperanza Park finished second in the working group's voting and Campesino Park third. Martin Nicolaus of the Chavez Park Conservancy, who sat on the working group, had pushed for Campesino Park, Berkeleyside reports.
Huerta died Wednesday, Berkeleyside reported. More: Dolores Huerta, farmworker movement co-founder, dies at 96.
When the signs change
The city report puts new signage at about $16,000, which isn't in the parks budget yet. Once money is identified, ordering and installing the signs should take about three months.