Oregon Public Broadcasting

A proposal to rename Portland’s 39th Avenue in memory of civil rights hero Cesar Chavez drew an overflow crowd to City Hall Tuesday night. April Baer reports.

The sign-up sheets were filled with more than 140 speakers.

Mayor Sam Adams kept a tight rein on commenters and the audience.

Supporters of the renaming ranged from grandmothers to a former Mayor of Portland.

Opponents of the change included business owners along 39th,  an ex-Marine, and longtime homeowners like CM Sundholm, who addressed not just Council, but the co-chair of the Cesar Chavez Boulevard Committee.

CM Sundholm:  “First let me congratulate Senora Guembes and her committee for educating all of us about what Senor Chavez accomplished during his lifetime. If that has been your target, you have succeeded admirably.”

Both sides expressed respect for the works of Cesar Chavez, and both used extensive historical examples to make their case.

City Commissioners are scheduled to take a final vote July 8th.