2 Cities Won’t Yield--Street Is Destined to Have 2 Names

A nine-block stretch of Century Boulevard that divides Lynwood and South Gate is destined to have two names.

The south side of the street, in Lynwood, recently was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

But the north side of the street, in South Gate, will remain Century Boulevard.

The Lynwood City Council recently renamed a 3 1/2-mile section of Century Boulevard in the northern part of the city. But South Gate merchants and residents had objected to any name change in the South Gate section.

South Gate officials criticized Lynwood officials for failing to inform them that Century Boulevard was being renamed. Lynwood officials later apologized.

Two Mayors Met

South Gate Mayor Herb Cranton and Lynwood Mayor Evelyn Wells met recently to discuss the issue, but neither side yielded. “We agreed that the Lynwood side will be known as Martin Luther King and the South Gate side will remain Century,” Cranton said.

Cranton said a survey by South Gate showed that 80% of the merchants and residents in the nine-block area were opposed to the renaming.

The street with two names could cause “a lot of problems for people drawing maps,” Cranton said. “But that’s not my problem,” he added. The mayor said it was his job to make sure the people of South Gate were satisfied.

Wells said she did not believe the two names would cause confusion. The Post Office is aware of the situation, she added.

Meanwhile, the Lynwood city attorney has been asked to investigate the disappearance from City Hall of petitions signed by more than 2,000 people who objected to the name change. The investigation was requested by Emma Mendez Esparza, a private workers’ compensation consultant whose Lynwood office is on the street that was renamed.

Petitions Said Stolen

Mayor Wells said she had reviewed the petitions to determine who was objecting to the name change, then passed them on to Councilman Robert Henning. The mayor said Henning told her later that the petitions had been stolen from his car.

Henning said a folder containing the petitions was taken from the front seat of his car, which was parked at a local shopping center. The car window was rolled down, Henning said. Henning said he had intended to return the petitions to City Hall after reviewing them.

No police report has been filed on the alleged theft, said Capt. Stuart Hansell, commander of the Lynwood sheriff’s substation. Henning said he did not file a report because there was no monetary loss.

The signatures opposing the name change were collected after the council voted 3 to 2 in February to rename Century. Wells, Henning and Councilman Paul Richards voted for the name change.

The petitions were turned in April 18 as the council prepared to hold a ceremony to rename the street. Protesters said they were angry because the change was made without a public hearing. They contended that most people became aware of the change only after the council sent invitations about the dedication ceremony.

City Clerk Andrea Hooper said petitions that are presented on items that appear on the council agenda normally are retained permanently. But since the street renaming was not on the regular agenda April 18, the city attorney would have to make a ruling on whether the petitions should be considered part of the record, she said.

City Atty. Henry Barbosa said he would not comment, since he had not been directed by the council to review the matter. He added, however, that he did not consider the missing documents to be “statutory petitions” because they were not intended to “trigger any particular action such as a recall.”