Worried that the public\u2019s top pick was too \u201cplain\u201d and \u201csafe,\u201d San Jos\u00e9\u2019s parks commission voted last week to propose an alternative name in the months-long saga over what to rename downtown\u2019s Plaza de C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez.<\/p>\n
Their idea? \u201cPlaza del Pueblo de San Jos\u00e9.\u201d<\/p>\n
The recommendation will go to the City Council alongside staff\u2019s recommendation of \u201cPlaza de San Jos\u00e9,\u201d an informal moniker that dates to the city\u2019s early Spanish settlement and emerged as the top choice in an August ranked-choice survey. But commissioners decided to offer the second option after concluding the survey winner was simply too generic.<\/p>\n
Parks and Recreation officials clarified Thursday that the commission\u2019s vote does not discard the public survey results. Instead, both names will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration on Oct. 27.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very plain and safe \u2014 it wasn\u2019t meant to be a safe thing,\u201d Commissioner Daisy Barocio said.<\/p>\n
The new name they are recommending for the San Jose City Council to consider later this year roughly translates to \u201cPlaza of the people of San Jose,\u201d or more colloquially, \u201cSan Jose Town Square.\u201d<\/p>\n
The recommendation caps a process that began in June following the sex abuse scandal that tarnished the image of the late labor leader Cesar Chavez.<\/p>\n
Historically, the downtown plaza has gone through several names, including San Jose Plaza and Plaza Park, before it was named Plaza de Cesar Chavez<\/a> in 1993.<\/p>\n Once the town square during California\u2019s Spanish era, the 2.3-acre park is situated on Market Street downtown, hosting several signature events throughout the year including Christmas in the Park, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest and Music in the Park.<\/p>\n Barocio, who proposed adding \u201cdel Pueblo\u201d to the public\u2019s suggested name, admitted feeling conflicted about it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m torn, because typically my vote is going to honor what all the surveys said,\u201d Barocio said. \u201cIt was an extensive survey that had a lot of votes.\u201d<\/p>\n But ultimately, she said, \u201cSan Jose Plaza or Plaza de San Jose doesn\u2019t fully capture it all.\u201d<\/p>\n