London Breed

SF Leaders Vote Unanimously to Rename Justin Herman Plaza

San Francisco city leaders on Tuesday voted unanimously to rename Justin Herman Plaza, but they have yet to decide on a new official name.

A resolution, introduced by Supervisor Aaron Peskin, calls for the Recreation and Park Commission to rename the plaza Embarcadero Plaza until a new name can be agreed upon.

For years, critics have been demanding the name change. Justin Herman led the city's redevelopment agency in the 1960s, during which he oversaw an urban renewal program that displaced thousands of people.

Board of Supervisors President London Breed, who grew up in the Western Addition, said she had experienced what it was like to live in a community "that was literally destroyed by the San Francisco redevelopment agency."

His name was a really negative one in the community," Breed said of Herman.

Breed noted that a budget analyst's report found that renaming the plaza would only cost around $5,400 to change the signs.

Peskin said the Recreation and Park Commission is expected to take up the issue at its October meeting.

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