I am part of a community action group — the Dolores Huerta Street Renaming Project — that has been working to get San Andres Street renamed in honor of Dolores Huerta. To ensure that everyone in the San Andres neighborhood was informed about our project, we produced a flyer in both English and Spanish that we posted all along San Andres Street and the streets nearby. It explained that Dolores Huerta is a Latina hero who has devoted her life to helping the poor and disadvantaged. She worked side by side with César Chávez, and we have renamed a street after him in Santa Barbara. Dolores Huerta equally deserves a street named after her.

The very same night that these flyers were posted, someone came and ripped down every single one. Why would anyone stoop to this level? A person who wishes to express their opinion can go to the City of Santa Barbara website and sign up for the Neighborhood Advisory Council to receive reports and meeting dates. They can email their point of view in advance or call in on the scheduled date to express their opinion in the public comment section of the meeting. We each have a right to say what we think. What is not a right is ripping down more than 200 color posters and ripping off the efforts of concerned citizens trying to promote change.

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