HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 2025-155RESOLUTION NO. 2025-155
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CHULA VISTA ADOPTING A NEW CITY COUNCIL POLICY
ON CITY ASSET NAMING AND RENAMING
WHEREAS, City Council policies are the official description of a City procedure, policy
or practice; and
WHEREAS, the naming of City assets carries significant meaning for the Chula Vista
community, reflecting the City’s history, culture, geography, and identity; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that the process of naming or renaming assets
should be guided by principles of consistency, fairness, transparency, and community engagement; and
WHEREAS, in November 2022, following extensive public outreach and
recommendations by the Christopher Columbus and Discovery Park Task Force, the Chula Vista
City Council directed staff to develop a formal policy for naming and renaming City assets
consistent with those recommendations; and
WHEREAS, the City Asset Naming and Renaming City Council Policy establishes a clear
process and uniform guidelines for the naming or renaming of City assets, including, but not
limited to, City parks, recreational facilities, and other municipal buildings; and
WHEREAS, this new policy outlines criteria, conditions, and procedures that govern
naming and renaming of City assets in order to maintain their integrity, encourage philanthropic
giving while acknowledging public investments, safeguard against unwanted commercialization,
and ensure transparency and broad community acceptance; and
WHEREAS, adoption of the City Asset Naming and Renaming City Council Policy is part
of the City’s ongoing effort to comprehensively review existing policies, rescind outdated policies,
and adopt new policies that strengthen City governance practices.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Chula Vista,
that it adopts a new Council Policy on City Asset Naming and Renaming, attached hereto as
Exhibit 1, in the form presented, with such minor modifications as may be required or approved
by the City Attorney.
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Resolution No. 2025-155
Page No. 2
Presented by Approved as to form by
Courtney Chase Marco A. Verdugo
Deputy City Manager City Attorney
PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Chula Vista,
California, this 9th day of September 2025 by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers: Chavez, Fernandez, and Inzunza
NAYS: Councilmembers: Preciado and McCann
ABSENT: Councilmembers: None
John McCann, Mayor
ATTEST:
Kerry K. Bigelow, MMC, City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO )
CITY OF CHULA VISTA )
I, Kerry K. Bigelow, City Clerk of Chula Vista, California, do hereby certify that the foregoing
Resolution No. 2025-155 was duly passed, approved, and adopted by the City Council at a regular
meeting of the Chula Vista City Council held on the 9th day of September 2025.
Executed this 9th day of September 2025.
Kerry K. Bigelow, MMC, City Clerk
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CITY COUNCIL POLICIES
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Effective Date: Last Revised Date:
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I. BACKGROUND
The naming of City assets—including parks, facilities, buildings, and other public spaces—carries
significant meaning for the Chula Vista community. Names reflect the City’s history, culture, geography,
and identity, while also shaping how residents and visitors connect with public spaces. The process of
naming or renaming assets should therefore be guided by principles of consistency, fairness, transparency,
and community engagement.
II. PURPOSE
To establish a policy creating a process and uniform guidelines for Naming or Renaming of City Assets
including, but not limited to, City parks, recreational facilities, and other municipal buildings. This process
is meant to ensure transparency, allow for public participation, and preserve the integrity and legacy of
City Assets.
This Policy outlines criteria, conditions, and procedures that govern Naming and Renaming of City Assets
in order to:
• Maintain their integrity and future relevance;
• Encourage philanthropic giving while acknowledging public investments;
• Safeguard against unwanted commercialization of City Assets; and
• Ensure broad community acceptance.
This Policy does not apply to:
• Street Names (See Chula Vista Municipal Code Chapter 12.44).
III. DEFINITIONS
City Assets: Tangible or intangible items of value that are owned or created by the City, including but not
limited to City Facilities.
City Facilities: Any part of real property or structure owned by the City or for which Naming rights are
conferred by agreement, including, but not limited to parks, libraries, recreational facilities and buildings,
parking facilities, interior or ancillary features that are a part of, or within, a larger facility and other City
facilities.
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Commission: Any board or commission as recognized by the City of Chula Vista City Council and/or
City Charter.
Department Director: Appointed director of the department that oversees the City Asset eligible for
Naming, Renaming, or monument installation. The director may assign this responsibility to other
department staff within their delegation of authority.
Donation or gift: A monetary (cash) contribution, endowments, personal property, real property, financial
securities, equipment, in-kind goods or services, or any other City Asset that the City has accepted and for
which the Donor has not received any goods or services in return. For purposes of this Council Policy, the
terms “donation” and “gift” shall be synonymous.
Donor: A person or other legal entity that proposes or provides a Donation to the City.
Funding: Financial or in-kind resources to provide funding that might result in Naming or Renaming.
Funding Source: The source of Funding which can include individuals, nonprofit organizations, and for-
profit entities.
Naming: The selection and approval by the City for the initial Naming of a City Asset other than those
excluded from this policy.
Renaming: The selection and approval by the City of a new name for an existing City Asset other than
those excluded from this policy.
IV. GUIDELINES
The Naming or Renaming of City Assets are pursuant to the following guidelines in order of preference:
1. Geographic Location. Whenever possible, all City Assets will be considered for their geographic
location. Creating names based on the asset’s geographic location should be considered first. The
geographic location may be based on the relationship of the asset to a specific place, neighborhood,
major street, regional area of the City or the City’s name if the asset serves the entire community.
2. Other Considerations. Consideration of names may also include a prominent form of topography,
prominent flora, names that strengthen neighborhood or city identity, and cultural or historical
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precedent.
3. Extraordinary Circumstances. Only under extraordinary circumstances and with broad public
support will the City consider Naming or Renaming a City Asset after a person or group. Eligible
names must meet all of the following criteria:
a. The person, group, or organization made lasting and significant contributions to the protection of
natural or cultural resources of the City of Chula Vista;
b. The person, group, or organization had a significant positive impact on the lives of Chula Vista’s
residents;
c. The person, group, or organization offered significant volunteerism or service to the community;
d. The Naming of the person, group, or organization does not result in the excessive
commercialization of the City Asset;
e. The relationship of the person or group to the City Asset must be demonstrated through research
and documentation;
f. Extraordinary circumstances shall be demonstrated by broad and documented public support and
by clear evidence that the proposed name substantially advances the City’s interest in preserving
history, culture, or civic identity.
4. Major Donations. Naming or Renaming may acknowledge a Funding Source when the donor has
provided above and beyond legal requirements:
a. A significant contribution toward the capital construction costs of the City Asset;
b. A deed to the City of land for the majority of the City Asset by the Donor; and/or
c. A twenty-year endowment or alternative perpetual funding source for the continued maintenance
and operations of the City Asset.
5. Neutral and Unique Names. Proposed names should be neutral (avoiding political, religious, or
commercial affiliations unless historically relevant) and must not duplicate or closely resemble the
name of another park, facility, or landmark in Chula Vista in order to avoid potential confusion of the
public and public safety.
V. PROCEDURES
Nomination Process
1. Submittals and Recommendations.
• Proposals may be submitted by City department directors or community members.
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• Recommendations may be submitted by commissions or task forces.
• All proposals or recommendations shall be directed to the City Manager, or designee within the
City Manager’s office, who shall refer them to the appropriate department(s) for review.
2. Interior or Ancillary Features.
• For interior or ancillary features within a larger City Facility (such as but not limited to meeting
rooms, classrooms, gyms, fitness rooms, or sports courts), the City Manager, or designee within
the City Manager’s office, may approve names administratively when they are based on
geographic location, topography, flora, cultural/historical precedent, or other neutral and unique
considerations consistent with this Policy.
• Any Naming or Renaming under Extraordinary Circumstances, including naming after
individuals, groups, or organizations, shall require full review and approval by the City Council.
3. Proposal Requirements. Written proposals must include:
• The proposed name;
• The location of the City Asset;
• Requestor’s contact information;
• Reasons for the proposed name, including how it meets this Policy’s criteria;
• Evidence of broad community support (e.g., 100 resident signatures; endorsements from a
recognized community organization; or comparable evidence of substantial interest); and
• For Renaming requests, justification for changing an established name.
4. Limitations.
• Proposals may only be submitted once per City Asset within any 12-month period.
• Duplicate or substantially similar requests will not be considered during a five-year period.
• Incomplete or unsupported proposals shall not advance for review.
Review Process
The City Manager or designee, at any time of the process, may:
• Reject Naming or Renaming proposals or remove existing Naming that is harmful, controversial, cost-
prohibitive, or inconsistent with this Policy;
• Reserve the right to rename any City Asset of the associated resident, organization, or donor becomes
disreputable or otherwise fails to support the guidelines set forth in this Policy.
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Upon receipt, the Department Director shall:
1. Review the California Historic Resources Inventory Database (CHRID) and City of Chula Vista
Registry to determine if the City Asset is a Designated Historical Resources with an assigned historic
name;
2. Authenticate supporting information;
3. Ensure compliance with this Policy;
4. Consider the impact of the Naming or Renaming on the community;
5. Provide the proposal to any other City staff, when appropriate, to review and provide input on the
proposal for Naming or Renaming; and
6. Consider the cost of implementation and signage and ensure that adequate funding has been identified
before implementation proceeds.
The Department Director will submit the proposal to the City Attorney’s Office for legal review of the
proposal, including but not limited to ownership rights, policy consistency, and compliance with
applicable laws.
The designated City Department shall prepare a recommendation for action by the City Council. The
recommendation shall include no more than three (3) names for the asset that the Department deemed
most appropriate under this Policy and the reason for the selections.
If a Naming or Renaming request is for a library or park, the City Council shall agendize the request for
public consideration to hear the necessity or desirability of naming the library or park, and the proposed
name and any alternatives.
The City Council will review the recommendations and take action. The City Council’s selection is final.
Non-selected names can be resubmitted for consideration in subsequent years.
Once a name has been approved, it shall not be reconsidered unless extraordinary circumstances exist
(e.g., public safety concerns, reputational harm to the City, or other substantial impacts to community
trust). No proposal for Renaming a City Asset shall be accepted for ten (10) years after approval, except
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under such extraordinary circumstances.
Signage
The City retains editorial control over all related signage, subject to the Sign Ordinance. On-site Naming
recognition shall:
• Not interfere with visitor use or operations;
• Be appropriately scaled and designed;
• Not dominate or detract from surroundings or interpretive messages; and
• Be subject to approval by the reviewing City Manager or their designee.
HISTORY
DATE ACTION RESOLUTION NO.
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