Title
Recommendation to Adopt the City Facilities and Street Naming Policy. (Recreation & Parks 10051400/Planning 20962710)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Naming public spaces is meaningful and is impactful to individuals. This was evident during 2020 in the discussion of removing monuments of people with histories of racism and discrimination. The Policy for Naming City Property Facilities (Naming Policy) was last reviewed by City Council in 2016. This recommended updated and replacement Naming Policy incorporates feedback from the City Council, Historical Advisory Board, Planning Board and Recreation and Parks Commission. The goal of this updated Naming Policy is to create an accessible and open public process and to better reflect Alameda's values.
BACKGROUND
Naming public spaces such as parks and streets is meaningful and impactful. This was evident during 2020 in the discussion of removing monuments of people with histories of racism and discrimination as well as through the City of Alameda's (City) renaming of Jackson Park to Chochenyo Park.
The existing Naming Policy addresses naming new City facilities and renaming existing facilities (Exhibit 2). It was last updated and adopted by City Council on May 17, 2016, to include procedures for naming streets after business entities. Otherwise, the current Naming Policy dates back to the 1990s with a focus on historical themes.
During the process concerning the renaming of Jackson Park, the Recreation and Parks Commission and community-led Park Renaming Committee discussed the need to update the Naming Policy to reflect better current standards and values.
On February 16, 2021, the City Council discussed changes to the Naming Policy, and it directed staff to revise the Naming Policy and bring a draft to various City Boards and Commissions for review and comment. The following Boards and Commissions reviewed the draft policy and their comments are ...
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