Updated, 8:55 p.m.:

In a bizarre twist, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission announced Thursday night that, the apparent result of an earlier vote notwithstanding, members did not in fact decide to change the name of Justin Herman Plaza.

Earlier in the day, a commission meeting had concluded with an apparent 4-3 vote in support of renaming the plaza at the foot of Market Street. Later, however, the commission announced that the actual vote was 3-3.

Rec and Park officials said the issue, the result of a community campaign that raised objections to Herman's role in urban renewal projects that displaced thousands of San Francisco residents of color, would come before the commission again next month.

How did the vote snafu come to pass?

[ad fullwidth]

Here's how the San Francisco Examiner describes the sequence of events:

Recreation and Park commissioners Allan Low, Eric McDonnell, Tom Harrison and Larry Mazzola, Jr. were recorded as voting in support of the name removal.

But McDonnell, who called the name removal “the right step in the right direction,” had actually left the meeting early for an “appointment” and missed the actual vote. Since he had indicated his support, he was counted among the “yes” votes upon the guidance of Recreation and Parks Commission President Mark Buell and the commission’s acting clerk.

When word of what happened spread after the meeting had already concluded, and after multiple media outlets reported the name removal was approved, the City Attorney’s Office and Rec and Park officials determined that the vote was legally 3 to 3, with McDonnell’s vote not counting since he was absent from the vote, meaning no action was officially taken. ...

Commissioners Buell, Kat Anderson and Gloria Bonilla opposed the name change at Thursday’s meeting.

Original post: The San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission voted 4-3 Thursday to rename Justin Herman Plaza, which sits at the intersection of The Embarcadero and Market Street in downtown San Francisco.

In September, the city’s Board of Supervisors penned a resolution unanimously recommending the renaming of the public square.

Herman, the executive director of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency from 1959 to 1971, spearheaded projects to redevelop the Fillmore and Western Addition neighborhoods of the city.

Those advocating to strip his name from the plaza cite the mass displacement of black residents and the destruction of historic buildings that followed Herman’s projects. Over the summer, an online petition demanding the name change garnered almost 15,000 signatures.

At the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission meeting, a few individuals who worked with Herman during his career defended his legacy. Art Evans, who was deputy when Herman was director of the agency, said that it wasn’t always clear how best to help a struggling community.

“It was a very, very difficult period, and it’s quite easy to stand here now and look back and say, ‘He should have done this and that,’ ” Evans said. “Industry was moving out, jobs were being lost. The school system was having really serious problems. ... These people signing the petition don’t know what the situation was in those days.”

Many of those who spoke in favor of the name change, however, emphasized that they did not attend the meeting to demonize Herman.

It is less about Herman’s intention, argued community member Candice Sue, and more about acknowledging his impact on San Francisco’s black community.

S.F. Supervisor Aaron Peskin also advocated for the name change. He said the decision would be symbolically important.

“This was not just about one man,” he said. “This all happened under three mayors with dozens of members of the Board of Supervisors in a very different time. … But we’ve learned a lot and I think it’s time to turn the page on this chapter of history.”

The commission is open to suggestions for a new name.

Elections 2026

The Bay

Emma’s Must-Sees

Videos from KQED Live

Donor-Advised Funds

Arielle Swedback

Did S.F. Park Panel Vote to Rename Justin Herman Plaza? It Did. Then It Didn't.