At the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, Mission Local closed its official poll on which Golden Gate Park street should be renamed for the dearly departed Claude the albino alligator.
The beloved unofficial city mascot died of cancer last month at age 30.
The poll accompanies legislation introduced last year by District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Claude’s former supervisor, to rename a street. While not binding, the results of this poll “will inform the decision of the Recreation and Parks Commission, which is set to vote on the matter later this month,” notes Melgar’s office.
But which street? Readers were offered five choices. And it wasn’t close: Of 6,900 total votes, 3,953 went to Music Concourse Drive between JFK Drive and MLK Jr. Drive. That’s a 57 percent tally in a five-way race.
That easily outpaced Eighth Avenue between Fulton Street and JFK Drive (278 votes, 4 percent); Bowl Drive between Music Concourse Drive and Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive (539 votes, 8 percent); the unnamed road behind the Music Concourse between Music Concourse Drive and Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive (1,957 votes, 28 percent) and 10th Avenue between Fulton Street and JFK Drive (173 votes, 3 percent).
E
10th Avenue
N
A
8th Avenue
JFK Drive
B
Bowl Drive
de Young
Museum
D
Music Concourse Drive
C
Unnamed road
California Academy
of Sciences
N
A
8th Avenue
JFK Drive
E
10th Avenue
B
Bowl Drive
de Young
Museum
Music Concourse
Drive
D
California
Academy
of Sciences
Unnamed
road
C
Graphic by Kelly Waldron. Basemap from Google Earth.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the winning entry is both the longest street on the list and the one that runs right past the California Academy of Sciences, which Claude called home from 2008 until his death.
“The people have spoken, and there is overwhelming support for Music Concourse Drive to adopt the moniker ‘Claude the Alligator Way,’” said Melgar.
“For generations to come, a stroll in the park or a visit to the Academy of Sciences will still remind all of Claude’s fans and followers of his impact. With this street name, he will always continue to make San Francisco proud.”
What a hugely important decision for the city. Nothing else compares.
It is a big deal for any residents or businesses on a road that changes its name. They have the effort, expense and confusion of changing their addresses.
Many folks in SF still use the name Army Street because of local resistance to that renaming, and that must have been nearly 3 years ago now.
This is inside GGP. I hear your tiny violins for people who don’t exist, but I don’t understand why you play sad songs for non-extant residents or businesses.
I hope your non-profit continues to grift as able, but wtf?
the businesses that have addresses on music concourse Dr. are all located at the California academy of sciences or adjacent to it so it might be good to get a survey of what they think since they will need to change all their signage and postal information. perhaps they will just use both names for a while until everyone has switched over if that is something they agree on doing. I’m assuming most things are becoming digital or printed as needed but it’s hard to know with different institutions and small businesses.
Just more never ending ….White Privilege.
How about Claude Lane? Quite a fashionable street….
Claude the Albino Alligator should be taxidermied and mounted along with the dog heads from the Doggie Diner.