Protest Yields Results in Dana Point Community Garden Name Change

Responding to a community outcry, the Dana Point City Council reversed a decision to rename the Harry Otsubo Community Gardens.

Otsubo, a local nurseryman beloved for donating trees, plants and flowers to schools and parks throughout Dana Point, was honored in 1987 when the city christened the Searidge Park at Golden Lantern Street and Stonehill Drive in his name.

At the time of the tribute, Otsubo was an elected official on the Capistrano Bay Park and Recreation District, which oversaw area parks before the city incorporated in 1989.

The new City Council recently signaled its intention to stop naming public facilities after elected officials, however.

“Public service doesn’t necessarily guarantee immortality,” said Mayor William Ossenmacher.

Otsubo’s supporters said his contributions to Dana Point set him apart, and the honor was deserved. Not only did he donate the plants, he tended to them as well.

Otsubo was unavailable for comment, but previously had expressed sorrow about being stripped of the honor.

Ossenmacher said the name change was incidental to a larger issue: finding a way to give more Dana Point residents plots in the city’s community gardens.

There are about 50 garden plots in the city, which residents pay an annual fee to use. About 80 people are on the city’s waiting list and, based on the infrequent turnover of plots, the average wait is about 16 years.

About 20% of the people with plots are nonresidents, he said.

At a meeting in December, the council voted 4 to 1 to rename the park the “Dana Point Community Gardens” and limit rentals to residents. Otsubo’s name was to be included on a plaque with other members of the recreation district. After the vote, the council was flooded with phone calls, e-mails and letters of criticism.

“I was in Costco a couple of days after the vote,” said Councilman Wayne Rayfield, who voted against the name change, “and three people came up to me and said, ‘What is the majority doing?’ ”

Rayfield said it was a mistake to remove Otsubo’s name. “He’s an icon ... who was instrumental in the forming our city,” Rayfield said. “He deserves every honor we could bestow upon him.”

Rayfield said the city should also reconsider the residents-only rule.