Santa Barbara’s street names weave a tapestry of historical anecdotes, botanical and geographic descriptions, Chumash heritage and the commemoration of lots and lots of … men.
Beyond our patron saint, female figures are strikingly underrepresented in the original city street grid.
As far as I can tell — though I welcome corrections from local historians — there is only one street named specifically after a woman: Juana Maria Avenue, a block-long street between East Mason and East Yanonali streets, one block east of North Milpas Street.
As the City Council considers the renaming of Calle César Chávez, the five-block stretch connecting Salsipuedes Street to the waterfront, it has an opportunity not only to continue honoring the farmworker movement, but also to address this longstanding gender imbalance by recognizing the contributions of Dolores Huerta.
Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association alongside the now-disgraced César Chávez in the early 1960s and is often credited with coining the movement’s slogan “sí se puede.”
Unlike the alphabetical and numerical soups of many American cities, Santa Barbara’s streets tell stories.
Historian Neal Graffy’s book, Street Names of Santa Barbara, is a brief, fun walk through local geography and history.
Most of the names date back to the 1851 survey conducted by Salisbury Haley when the town incorporated.
Some names are botanical while others reflect local lore.
Canon Perdido commemorates a stolen cannon; Salsipuedes’ “leave if you can” refers to the marshy terrain that challenged those attempting to pass through.
But many of the original streets were reserved for men: Ortega, Carrillo, Arrellaga, Figueroa, Micheltorena, Mason, De la Guerra, etc. Haley himself got a street.
While some honor families overall, the most specific reference to women I saw was the prolific number of daughters in the Cota family.
Once you see the imbalance, it’s hard to unsee it.
Chase Palm Park is named for both Pearl Chase and her brother, Harold. There are, of course, beautiful places downtown bearing the names of female benefactors, though many came through philanthropy.
Once you see the imbalance, it’s hard to unsee it.
Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden honors a woman whose generosity helped establish the beautiful garden and Huguette Clark’s donations helped preserve what became the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge, named after her sister.
The Alhecama Theatre, donated by Alice Schott, was named using the first two letters of each of her daughters’ names.
I suspect there are other similar stories around town.
Calle César Chávez was renamed in 1997 to honor the achievements of the farmworker movement.
Led by Chávez and Huerta, alongside Filipino labor leaders such as Larry Itliong, the movement fought for collective bargaining rights, labor protections and safer working conditions for farmworkers. The movement had a national impact but its roots were in the Central Valley.
Having spent much of my career working in labor rights and supply chains, I can attest to both the importance of these gains and the ongoing vulnerability of workers in our food system.
Agriculture remains one of Santa Barbara County’s largest industries and a defining part of the region’s identity.
From wine to strawberries, agricultural products and the labor supplying them help sustain our economy and our community.
Until the recent shocking allegations, dozens of streets, schools and parks throughout California were named in honor of Chávez.
Huerta, by contrast, has received far less public recognition despite being a co-founder and leader of the movement.
The Neighborhood Advisory Council, on which I serve, has put forward some thoughtful possibilities for the City Council to consider.
These were proposed after a thorough presentation by community historian Michael Montenegro.
Whatever option is ultimately chosen, I hope the final result continues to honor the farmworker movement while also recognizing one of its most consequential female leaders.
This could mean Calle Huerta, or perhaps restoring it to Salsipuedes while naming a nearby intersection, plaza or monument in Huerta’s honor.
The 52 street names from the original 1851 survey of Santa Barbara tell a colorful story but as opportunities such as these arise, let’s add more women to the plot.
