City narrowly passes moratorium on renaming city property

Vice Mayor and Ward 1 councilmember Lane Santa Cruz introduced a motion to overhaul the city’s naming process after she declined to support a proposal to rename Joaquin Murrieta Park after Salomón R. Baldenegro.

Baldenegro was a Chicano activist that is widely credited with organizing protests that brought more city amenities to the predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods on Tucson’s westside, including El Rio Neighborhood Center and Joaquin Murrieta Park, which first opened as Northwest Park in 1973. He grew up in Barrio Hollywood and experienced firsthand the disenfranchisement and disinvestment in neighborhoods on Tucson's west side, the city’s proposal reads.

Wednesday’s call to the audience showed a deep divide between supporters of Baldenegro’s deep community involvement and an event in his past that some community members say should disqualify his name from appearing on city property.

Baldenegro was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault at a gas station on St. Mary’s Road on April 13, 1973, after workers there told police he was beating and kicking his wife, Elaine, according to archives of The Tucson Citizen from April 14, 1973. He was 29 at the time.

The charges were dropped on April 17 when his wife refused to press charges, the Arizona Daily Star reported.

Baldenegro’s current wife, Cecilia Cruz Baldenegro, told the council concerns over domestic violence were politically motivated character assassinations.

“I, better than anyone else, know Salomón's character. He is a hardworking, caring, and humble human being, in my over 55 years of knowing Salomón and being with him, he has never ever been violent,” she said.

Patricia Palomera is the main organizer of the movement against the Baldenegro renaming. She told the council she watched her mother experience domestic violence from a partner growing up.

“It is time to hold our leaders accountable for their behavior and no longer give them a pass because they have also done good things,” she wrote in a letter to the council.

Santa Cruz did not address Baldenegro’s controversy directly in their remarks, but said this year’s allegations against the late Chicano civil rights leader César Chávez caused a “reckoning” for how society honors historical figures.

Dolores Huerta, who established the National Farm Workers Association alongside Chavez in the 1960s, released a statement in March that Chavez had sexually assaulted her twice, which followed extensive reporting by the New York Times that included allegations from at least 12 other women in the farmworkers movement.

Santa Cruz’s motion would make all naming and renaming requests go through the City Manager’s office. In most cases, the department that manages a specific property or asset is in charge of its name, according to the city code.

It also directs the city manager to add a process to evaluate the character and contribution of a name proposal, which includes accounting for any potential community harm, Santa Cruz said.

“I believe in trauma-informed approach to local government and one that accounts for intersectional historical context that takes seriously the physiological effects of trauma and can communicate that transparently,” she said.

The motion passed 4-3 with councilmembers Selina Barajas and Miranda Schubert joining Santa Cruz and Mayor Regina Romero.

Councilmember Kevin Dahl said he would have supported Santa Cruz’s motion had that vote been held after the renaming vote.

“I was prepared to vote for the Salomón Baldenegro Park, given the overwhelming community support for it,” he said.

Councilmembers Paul Cunningham and Nikki Lee said a moratorium was an overreaction.

“To not be able to rename a park bench or a small city asset ... I think that’s a little much, so I’m out,” Cunningham said.

Lee said the moratorium was too much for her as well, but said she normally supports decisions that impact just one ward.

“Because I quite frankly don't like them telling us what I should do in Ward 4,” she said.

About 55% of commenters who provided feedback either online or in person on the renaming were supportive of Baldenegro’s name; however, public comments don’t show many mentions of his arrest history. Many who didn’t support it advocated for keeping the park named after Joaquin Murrieta, a 19th-century Mexican-American outlaw whose legacy has leaned more towards folklore.