Ballot on Market Street Up in Air
After hearing emotional pleas to put the renaming of Market Street to Martin Luther King Way on November’s ballot, the San Diego City Council was unable to resolve the bitter issue at Monday’s council meeting.
Although the council voted, 4-3, not to place the issue on the ballot, the vote fell one short of a majority. Councilman Bill Cleator was not present.
The issue is scheduled for another vote at next week’s council meeting. The council has until July 28 to put the issue on the ballot, which would cost taxpayers $50,000.
The Keep Market Street Committee, made up of businesspeople on the street and others opposing the name change, was formed in April, shortly after the City Council decided to rename Market Street in honor of the slain civil rights leader.
The group said a Todd Research survey shows that 86% of those polled think the issue should be placed on the November ballot. The group said 500 registered voters from different parts of the city were chosen to participate in the survey.
Tod Firotto, chairman of the Keep Market Street Committee, said the group’s opposition to renaming the street was based solely on historical and financial reasons.
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