Item 13 - Adopt Resolution Authorizing Ceremonial Street Naming of Virginia and William Guzman Way

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Ceremonial Street Naming of Virginia and William Guzman Way June 18, 2024 Page 2 attending Fremont Elementary in the mid-1940s. Determined to secure a better education for her child, she approached school officials about transferring him to a superior and predominantly white school. However, her requests were met with refusal. Undeterred, Virginia and her husband William rallied other parents in an attempt to persuade the Santa Ana School Board to dismantle the segregated school system. When these efforts proved pointless, the Guzmans pursued legal action, filing their lawsuit against school segregation —an original move preceding similar actions by others. Despite their resolve, the lawsuit did not yield the desired outcome. Consequently, Virginia pulled her son from public schools, enrolling him in a Catholic institution instead. The Guzmans, along with four other families, were instrumental in the landmark case against the City of Santa Ana. The case, Mendez et al Westminster et al, unfolded in the mid-1940s and addressed discriminatory practices within the Orange County school system. Specifically, Mexican children were unfairly separated from their white counterparts and were unjustly labeled as intellectually inferior and unclean. Virginia and William connected with parents in Westminster, El Modena, and Garden Grove and filed Mendez et al v. Westminster School District, which helped to end school segregation in California. The Mendez, et al. v. Westminster School District of Orange County, et al. (1947) case not only set a precedent for later court cases, such as Brown v. Board of Education, but also showcased the Mexican American community's leadership in fighting for their rights and winning. The Public Works Agency, Traffic Engineering Section spoke with Virginia's daughter Beverly Gallegos -Guzman where she shared her mother's continued advocism later in life. After William's passing in 1978, Virginia relocated to Riverside, CA, where she spent the remainder of her life. Even in her later years, she remained an active advocate and demonstrated "her unwavering desire was to assist those in need." Upon settling in Riverside, Virginia became engaged with the Riverside County Office on Aging. She selflessly offered her own funds for gasoline to provide transportation for seniors, ensuring they could run errands and attend medical appointments. The Ceremonial "Virginia and William Guzman Way" signs (Exhibit 1) are proposed to be installed along Santa Ana Boulvard at the intersection with Pacific Avenue to Forest Street (Exhibit 2). The ordinance requires a resolution for the approval of the ceremonial sign (Exhibit 3). Additionally, the ordinance allows for certain requirements, such as notice of application and program fees to be waived by majority vote of the City Council when the request is initiated by a current Council member. Approval of this resolution includes waiving the ceremonial street name installation fees in the amount not to exceed $1,562.