Haute 100 SF Update: Western Span of Bay Bridge Named After Willie Brown

The western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has now officially taken the name of former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr.

Around 500 people, including dignitaries from San Francisco and the State of California, congregated outside Treasure Island for the official re-naming ceremony on February 11.  Notable dignitaries that took the stage included Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, Dr. Clarence B. Jones, who was Dr. Martin Luther King’s personal attorney and political advisor Isadore Hall, the Assemblyman from Los Angeles who sponsored the re-naming legislation that passed last September.

Brown told reporters that he was honored to have the bridge span named after him, and he was also delighted that everyone came out to help celebrate the occasion. He also took a moment to point out that the ceremony was especially poignant since it coincided on the day of his late mother’s 105th birthday.

Brown was the Assembly’s first black speaker and the longest-serving speaker in state history, presiding over the 80-member house from 1980 to 1995.

[Sources: rgj.com; sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com]

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