Judge denies injunction, lawsuit against City of Fresno for street renaming

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The City of Fresno can move forward with renaming some of its streets after the late labor leader Cesar Chavez.

A Fresno County judge on Thursday upheld a tentative ruling denying a preliminary injunction and lawsuit against the city.

This is the stretch of the road at the center of the controversy.

Parts of California Avenue, Ventura Street, and Kings Canyon Road are set to be renamed after Chavez.

Brian Leighton, the lawyer representing those opposed to the new name, argues that those streets are historic and affect free speech.

He says changing the name takes away the identity of the people who live and work there.

Neighbors say the city council could honor Chavez in a different way.

"My message to them is it's time to move on. The decision has been made and upheld by the court. If they choose to continue litigating this matter, they should expect the city to go after recapturing our legal fees and total costs," said Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias.

"It's a historic street; it's also named after our state, the State of California. It's a proud thing to be on the street that's named after your state," added Hester Hensley, who is against the street renaming.

Last month, the city council awarded a $140,000 contract to a Fresno contractor to replace the street signs.

Councilmember Arias says they're still in the planning stages of changing the signs, but they hope to start work sometime next month.

He says they will be offering assistance to businesses and neighbors with the address change.

The defendants have until April 19th to amend their complaint.

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