Renaming César Chávez Parkway

Happy 4/20, San Diegans! I hope those of you who enjoy today are enjoying it with all your might. Me, I’m just going to power down this coffee and see where it takes me.

Today we’re looking at the importance of naming and new beginnings, as the fate of our César Chávez Parkway remains to be seen. I say “our,” because there’s a movement locally to rename the thoroughfare after Chicano Park, the beloved community park in Barrio Logan that has become a colorful, ever-changing symbol of resistance in the face of oppression. The move, however, is not without detractors. Our Carlos Avilés breaks it down here in today’s featured story.

Today also kicks off National Library Week, a muted one this year despite the hopeful theme (“Find Your Joy”) and cool events, locally overshadowed by the San Diego budget proposal released last week. Mayor Gloria is proposing to deal with the budget deficit by cutting arts, parks, and libraries. Arts groups are staging a large protest downtown today, so expect to hear more about how the proposal is playing out in City Hall.

• And Democratic CA-48 candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar joined our San Diego Politics Show on YouTube this week, where he discussed his track record in previous races, his views on the Iran War and the U.S. relationship with Israel, and how Democrats should respond to ICE if they win back the house. Check it out here.

Thoughts? Opinions? Let us know what you think by emailing news@timesofsandiego.com.