Sacramento, California – Previously, The Adobo Chronicles reported on the duel between the Asian Mayors of San Francisco and Oakland over naming the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge.  Oakland Mayor Jean Quan wants the new span to be named Oakland Bay Bridge because it sits in the eastern side of the Oakland-San Francisco border. On  the other hand, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee says that because the new span casts its shadow over Yerba Buena Island which is in San Francisco, the span should be named San Francisco Bay Bridge.

Now that the new span is open, the name fight has shifted to the West.  The California State Assembly passed a resolution that would name both the eastern and western spans of the bridge after former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.  The resolution was proposed by Assemblyman Isadore Hall III, D-Compton and Assemlyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco.

The resolution is expected to clear the State Senate as well.

Three former San Francisco Board of Supervisors presidents sent a letter to the Senate arguing against the move, saying that renaming the bridge violates the Senate’s policy against christening roadways after people who are still alive – and that naming the bridge after the oft-controversial Brown is “inappropriate.”

Asked about his reaction to the proposed name change, California Governor Jerry Brown said, “I am not totally against naming the bridge after my good friend Willie, but I would prefer that instead of naming the bridge ‘Willie Brown Bridge,’ it  should simply be named ‘Brown Bridge.’ This way, my supporters and my grandchildren and great grandchildren can claim that the bridge was named after me.”

Willie Brown is distancing himself from the issue, at least pubicly.