Santa Paula to diversify future street names
The Santa Paula City Council discussed on Wednesday the possibility of changing the criteria for how future streets are named so local history, culture and diversity are factored in.
The city believes there is an opportunity to recognize a broader Santa Paula history when naming streets that includes more local war veterans and landmarks.
The city has a list of unused street names it uses to draw from when looking to name a new street. During the study session, council members discussed making changes to better reflect Santa Paula.
"We’ve got president names, we’ve got state names, we’ve got bird names," said James Mason, economic and community development director, in an interview. "Wouldn’t it be cooler to have a Chumash name, or families that have been here three to four generations?"
The list of unused street names includes Santa Paula residents killed in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Councilman Carlos Juarez requested the city look at adding names of Santa Paula residents killed in wars after the Vietnam War.
Councilman Pedro Chavez asked to include Martin Luther King Jr., who was not on the list.
"That’s a civil rights icon. He should be on there," Chavez said.
Other recommendations included adding First through Third streets because they are not in the city. Council members also wanted the street names of mountains and flowers to be more local.
To encourage public participation, City Manager Dan Singer recommended asking for resident suggestions or conducting a survey.
There are a couple dozen proposed streets in the city that have not been named, Mason said. The areas include future phases of a Harvest at Limoneira development in east Santa Paula and the proposed development of the 54-acre Santa Paula West Business Park on the west side of town.
The city will conduct more research on new names and continue the discussion in the future, Mason said.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Santa Paula to diversify future street names
