Drake Boulevard could get multiple new names
Five jurisdictions involved can make independent decisions
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, which runs for more than 40 miles through Marin County, could end up with a patchwork of different names.
Much of the boulevard snakes through land that falls under the jurisdiction of five local governments: Marin County, Corte
Madera, Fairfax, Ross and Larkspur.
After a series of meetings between the governments, officials have concluded that each must decide separately whether to change the name of the winding road.
“We all agreed that we should go back to our respective communities and discuss this and
decide whether we want to go forward with a renaming of our portion of Sir Francis Drake,” said Fairfax Mayor Bruce Ackerman.
In the wake of nationwide protests over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day, activists in Marin County have urged government officials to change the name of both Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo.
The activists have said that Drake, a 16th century English explorer, should not be celebrated in Marin because of his ties to slave trading.
The jurisdictions are each aiming to come to a decision by the end of March, officials said. By that time, they won’t have decided on what to change the name to, only whether to change it.
Then in April, the newly formed Sir Francis Drake Boulevard working group — which includes officials from each of the five jurisdictions — will reconvene to continue the discussion.
If any of the municipalities decide to move forward with a name change, the working group “will have to decide what that naming process looks like,” said Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice, who represents the county at the group meetings along with Supervisor Dennis Rodoni.
According to Rice, members of the group hope that the five jurisdictions can all come to a consensus. But if that’s not the case, the road could take on different names.
“The members of the working group discussed this as a potential outcome,” Rice said, “but agreed it would be much better to all move in unison and have one name for the route. That said, we didn’t want to preclude any jurisdiction from charting its own course or taking a different course from the other jurisdictions.”
In addition to the boulevard and the school, several natural features in Marin County bear Drake’s name. Those include Drakes Beach, Drakes Bay and Drakes Estero in West Marin, near the area where some historians believe Drake made landfall in 1579 during his voyage around the world.
In the fall, a panel at Sir Francis Drake High School voted to change the school’s name. The group, which serves as an advisory board to the Tamalpais Union High School District’s board of trustees, will next submit recommendations for a new name to the district’s superintendent, who will present the suggestions to the board. The trustees will have the final vote on a new name.
But discussions about the boulevard are just beginning. Fairfax held its first town forum on the proposal to rename the road during a Town Council meeting last month.
“This name change is one initial step in acknowledging a culture shift that’s happening in Marin,” said Felicia Agrelius, a Fairfax resident who was elected to the Marin County Board of Education in November. Agrelius told the Fairfax council she hopes the boulevard will be named in honor of the Coast Miwok people.
Fred Codoni said he doesn’t care whether the boulevard is renamed, but he called the initiative “an effort to hide our history.”
“We have to learn from our history,” Codoni told the council, “not hide it.”
Fairfax officials estimated that a name change would cost the town about $2,000 for new street signs. A change would also cost businesses money for new signs and other updates, officials said.
According to a Fairfax report, almost 650 parcels are situated along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, including 69 in Fairfax, and some of them contain multiple residences or businesses. If the name of the road is changed, the U. S. Postal Service will automatically forward mail sent to old addresses to the updated addresses for 18 months, the town report said.
The Ross Town Council is planning to discuss the proposal during its meeting in January or February, according to Mayor Julie McMillan.
“Depending on how the discussion goes, I would hope that we could make a decision at the first meeting,” McMillan said. “But if an additional meeting is needed, then we would have one.”
The Larkspur City Council is set to take up the topic in February. Officials said the discussion will likely span two meetings.
The San Anselmo council is scheduled to have an initial discussion at its Jan. 12 meeting, which begins at 7 p. m. According to Town Manager Dave Donery, the council will likely make a decision during one of its meetings in March.
Marin County officials are planning to hold an online forum on the proposal this month, with the aim of providing an update on the process for residents in unincorporated Marin County communities. Rice said she and Rodoni will continue to discuss the topic with constituents throughout February before the county Board of Supervisors takes it up at a meeting in March.
If any of the five jurisdictions decide to change the boulevard’s name, they will aim to decide on a new name by the fall, according to Rice.