WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — West Sacramento city leaders approved a resolution at a council meeting Wednesday night to officially rename Tower Bridge Gateway after the city's first and former mayor.
During the meeting the city council voted to name the road that connects the entrance to the Tower Bridge through to Jefferson Blvd., Christopher L. Cabaldon Parkway.
The change was suggested and presented to council by City Manager Aaron Laurel and Councilmember Chris Ledesma as a way of honoring the former mayor for his 22 years of service to the city.
"We wanted to establish an area in our city that remembers our longest standing mayor here in West Sacramento," said West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero. "Carrying on what he's done in the past and moving it forward, it gives me an opportunity to go back and thank him, and show our appreciation for his contributions to our community."
The city has had the intention of honoring the former mayor in this way since he officially left office in 2020, according to West Sacramento City Manager Aaron Laurel.
"Look at the riverfront, the energy and the vibrancy that we're experiencing today," said Laurel. "With all the effort that was put into infrastructure, affordable housing, bringing all of the investment that we've seen to West Sacramento, he definitely was the one that really brought excitement and vision to what could become possible in West Sacramento and was a big part of on the council of making it happen."
Despite Cabaldon's notability, some members of the community spoke strongly against the renaming at last night's city council meeting, suggesting it should be named after Native tribes indigenous to the area.
"We did take into consideration that feedback," said Guerrero. "But I felt like we needed to move forward and recognize our past mayor for his incredible contributions to our community."
The abrupt change left some people in the community, such as leaders from the Broderick and Bryte Neighborhood Association, concerned about transparency in decision making between West Sacramento's city council and its residents.
However, according to Mayor Guerrero, public input is not typically required in the city's street renaming process, but the council does plan to take transparency into consideration for future decision making.
"I look forward to making any modifications I can if there's going to be a future street naming to give it more time so that we can have more public input," said Guerrero.
The city plans to have an official ceremony honoring the former mayor once the signs at the intersections of Tower Bridge Gateway have been changed to Christopher L. Cabaldon Parkway. The official ceremony will take place at the newly renamed intersection at a later date which has yet to be determined, according to Laurel.
