Portland council still undecided as hearing on Chavez street nears

by James Mayer, The Oregonian

Portland city Commissioner Nick Fish may be the only resident on 39th Avenue without a firm position on whether the street should be renamed for farm labor activist Cesar Chavez.

"I want to study the code, get briefed and understand all the issues, and then make an informed decision," said Fish, who lives on Northeast 39th in the Hollywood neighborhood.

Fish is in good company on the City Council: The three other commissioners and the mayor also say they haven't made up their minds and are waiting to hear the arguments Tuesday.

The council is in a tough political spot. The fast-growing Latino community and its allies say the name change will show respect for a cultural hero. But dozens of residents and businesses on the 7.22-mile street argue that the change amounts to an exercise in political correctness that will disrupt their lives and cost them money.

"It's been a long, long road," said Marta Guembes, one of the chief organizers of the renaming effort. "We're really excited. We're prepared.

"There are people that don't want it. That's just what it is. We're looking forward to speaking to the commissioners and the mayor, and we're hoping for their vote."

Fish said he has been so focused on the city budget and the creation of the new Housing Bureau that he hasn't put a lot of energy into renaming 39th.

"I sent out a letter talking about my deep regard for Cesar Chavez, his role in United States history," Fish said. "He is certainly an appropriate person for a street naming."

Commissioner Randy Leonard said he has been concentrating on soccer and baseball stadium negotiations. "I haven't sorted through all the issues yet," he said.

Commissioners followed city code for the first time and avoided much of the public bloodletting that accompanied the 2007 attempt to rename North Interstate Avenue for Chavez. Two years ago, then-Mayor Tom Potter championed the cause, and the council bypassed much of the vetting process.

This time, the applicants paid a fee and collected more than 2,500 valid signatures on a proposal to rename either Broadway, Grand or 39th Avenue. A historian panel held hearings on each street and determined that of the three, 39th Avenue was the only one without historical significance. The planning commission recommended that 39th be renamed, and the City Council will decide.

This year's effort sparked less overt racism, and the anti-immigrant tone that marked the Interstate debate was largely absent. A city survey found 694 property owners or residents oppose the change and 91 support it.

"I believe we as a city are up to a passionate but respectful discussion of the issue," Mayor Sam Adams said.

Unlike the Interstate battle, the Chavez supporters don't have a champion on the council this time.

Commissioners say that following the process doesn't ensure a yes vote, and opposition by people on the street doesn't automatically rule it out.

"It's one thing to be against something; it's another to have a good reason," Leonard said. "That's what I'd like to hear."

The mayor said Chavez -- an American citizen whose organizing efforts in California led to the formation of the United Farm Workers union -- is worthy of a significant honor.

"The issue is the nature of disruption that comes with renaming the street versus the opportunity that comes with renaming the street," he said. "I'll be paying special attention to the disruption to businesses along the 39th corridor."

Commissioner Amanda Fritz wrote to constituents saying she is undecided.

"The citizens making the request are given the right to do so in the code," Fritz said. "Even in tough times, I believe it is important to honor the rules that apply to everyone, and to apply them as adopted. I do recognize that many residents and businesses on 39th Avenue are strongly opposed, and that will weigh into my decision."

The Richmond, Beaumont-Wilshire, Montavilla and Laurelhurst neighborhood associations along 39th have voted to oppose the renaming. No association has supported it.

Opponents have raised several technical issues.

Eric Fruits, a Portland State University economist who lives on 39th Avenue, criticized the method that the auditor's office used to verify the signatures on the petition that launched the renaming process. Among other things, Fruits said the city made no effort to determine whether the petition signers were legal residents of the United States.

Fruits also said renaming 39th Avenue violates code because the street continues into Milwaukie. The code says only streets contained completely within the city qualify for renaming. The city attorney's office has determined that the code wouldn't be violated because Johnson Creek and a park interrupt the street.

William Schneider, a chiropractor with an office on 39th Avenue, has been collecting signatures on a petition to rename Delta Park or the new light-rail bridge across the Willamette for Chavez instead of 39th.

But Schneider said the Chavez committee won't talk to him about a compromise.

Guembes said she and the other supporters have said clearly all along that they want to rename a street.

"Not a park. Not a bridge," she said. "If anybody wants to talk to us about working together with us to rename a street, that's what we are trying to do. That's what we have done all this time."