SAN FRANCISCO, June 14 (UPI) -- A lawmaker in San Francisco has proposed naming half of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge after former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown.
The name change, proposed by Assemblyman Isadore Hall III, a Compton Democrat, would only affect the western portion of the bridge -- the part that connects San Francisco to Yerba Buena Island, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
"Why would I try to name the entire bridge?" Hall said, adding that someone from Oakland should name the eastern half of the bridge.
Hall said he was approached by the California NAACP about naming the bridge after Brown, adding he has not yet talked to Brown about it.
"I haven't got his permission, but I'm sure he'll be OK with it," Hall said. "He is an iconic figure not just for African-Americans, but for all people across the state of California."
The proposal, called Assembly Concurrent Resolution 65, says: "The California Legislature takes great pride in recognizing Willie L. Brown Jr. for all of his political, professional, and personal accomplishments by naming the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge the Willie L. Brown Jr. Bridge to honor and commemorate his many contributions to California."
