San Diego

A committee responsible for proposing a local tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday agreed to hold information-gathering forums in each of San Diego’s eight council districts.

Committee members, meeting for the first time, agreed to ask the public to suggest tributes to King at the Thursday night meetings, which will begin sometime in March and continue for eight successive weeks, said George Penn, assistant to City Manager John Lockwood.

The Citizen’s Tribute Committee was appointed by the City Council in December after voters approved a November ballot initiative restoring Martin Luther King Way to its original name, Market Street.

The vote angered the city’s minority community and some black leaders suggested that the vote was motivated by racism. But backers of the ballot proposition said that it reflected resentment at the council for failing to solicit sufficient community opinion before renaming Market Street for King in 1986.

The 19-member panel hopes to recommend a memorial for King to the mayor and council by July 1. A separate committee appointed by the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce is also considering the creation of a privately funded tribute to the slain civil rights leader.