Mar 5, 2008 12:05 am US/Pacific
Crowds Pack Meeting Over SJ 'Little Saigon' Vote
SAN JOSE (BCN) ―
Protests will continue and will grow if the San Jose City Council refuses to designate a stretch of Story Road as "Little Saigon" at Tuesday night's meeting, according to the spokesman for the community group promoting the Little Saigon name.
Hundreds of people packed the council chambers, several overflow conference rooms, the city hall rotunda and outside on the plaza in front of city hall to hear the council debate what to do about naming a one-mile stretch of Story Road between U.S. 101 and Senter Road that the council designated the "Vietnamese Business District" in November.
Following months of increasing protests by members of the city's Vietnamese community who want the area to be known as "Little Saigon," the council is considering rescinding the Saigon Business District designation and delaying any future designation until city staffers can formulate a formal policy for naming city districts.
That would be unacceptable to supporters of Little Saigon, according to Barry Hung Do, the spokesman for the pro-Little Saigon group San Jose Voters for Democracy.
"If the thing hasn't passed the rallies are still on. It gets worse, it doesn't get better," Do said.
Little Saigon supporters want the council to support a proposal by Councilman Kansen Chu to designate the area as Little Saigon. Do said a 2007 survey by the city's redevelopment agency found that Little Saigon was the most popular name for the district.
"This is the majority. Give them back the honor, the pride, they deserve it," Do said.
Mayor Chuck Reed, along with Councilwoman Madison Nguyen, authored the proposal to refrain from designating a new name until a formal naming policy is in place. He said before the council meeting that while the Little Saigon supporters are vocal they do not represent the entire community.
He also said the view of the business owners along that stretch of Story Road need to be taken into account.
"The business owners have asked for some time to try and reach an agreement with the Little Saigon people," Reed said. "The business owners don't want a name imposed on them."
Reed said his office received a letter Tuesday from 92 business owners from throughout the Vietnamese community supporting his and Nguyen's proposal to hold off on designating a new district name.
Chu said the council should not delay making a decision, even if it is a controversial one.
"We are obligated to bring it to a solution," Chu said.
Chu said the redevelopment agency survey convinced him that Little Saigon is the proper name for the district.
"I can't find any reason not to use the survey," Chu said.
It could be early Wednesday morning before the council makes a decision because 362 people have signed up to address the council on the issue, according to mayoral spokeswoman Michelle McGurk.
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