Step Taken to Honor Martin Luther King Jr.

To honor slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., the City Council on Tuesday took steps to name a street after him, the first in Orange County.

“It would be a great honor to a great American,” said City Councilman Ted R. Moreno, who proposed the idea at the request of local church leaders, including Van Dolan Roberson, president of the county Baptist Ministers’ Fellowship Conference.

The council voted unanimously to direct the Planning Commission to determine what major street, if any, should be renamed.

Roberson said he hoped that the city would choose Fairview Street because, after becoming Fairview Road in Costa Mesa, it goes over the San Diego Freeway. Also, Costa Mesa officials might choose to rename the portion of that street which extends to the Costa Mesa Freeway.

Michael Metzler, president of the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce has said he believes that most people would support the plan, although he cautioned that city officials should consider potential costs to businesses that the name change would entail, such as new stationery.