Westminster City Council
SUBJECT
Title
Consider Request to Change Street Name Sign at the Intersection of Goldenwest Street and Main Street (at the entrance to Westminster High School) in Honor of Sylvia Mendez.
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From: Christine Cordon, City Manager
Requested by: Council Member Amy Phan West, District 1
Prepared by*: Scott Porter, City Attorney Adolfo Ozaeta, Assistant City Manager
*Staff reports prepared by staff on behalf of members of the City Council do not reflect the opinions of staff and are generated in collaboration with the requesting council member(s).
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
Recommendation
Consider replacing street name signage at the intersection of Goldenwest Street and Main Street (at the entrance to Westminster High School) from “Main Street” to “Sylvia Mendez Way” and provide direction.
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BACKGROUND
At the November 12, 2025 meeting, Councilwoman Amy Phan West, District 1, requested an item be placed on a future agenda to consider renaming a city street after Sylvia Mendez.
District 1 Councilwoman Phan West requested that the staff report state the following:
“Mendez v. Westminster School District of Orange County, 161 F.2d 774 (9th Cir., 1947) is a landmark civil rights case that originated in Orange County and helped to reshape public education in America.
In 1943, Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez attempted to enroll their children-Sylvia, Gonzalo Jr., and Geronimo-in the 17th Street School in Westminster. The Westminster School District denied the Mendez children entry solely because they were Mexican American, directing them instead to a separate “Mexican school.”
The Mendez family, along with four other families from across Orange County, filed a federal lawsuit against the Westminster, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and El Modena school districts. They argued that segregating students based on national origin violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
In 1946, Federal Judge Paul J. McCormick ruled in favor of the Mendez family, declaring that the segregation of Mexican American children was unconstitutional. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this ruling in 1947. The case drew national attention and included an amicus brief from Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
This case was the first federal court decision in U.S. history to strike down school segregation. As a result, California became the first state in the nation to officially end school segregation. The decision influenced the legal strategy used in the landmark decision of Brown v. Board of Education, which ended school segregation across the country.
Sylvia Mendez, the young girl at the center of the case, played a key role in this movement for equality. Her courage and her family’s perseverance, and that of the co-plaintiffs, advanced civil rights not just for Latino students, but for all children across the country.
On February 15, 2011, Sylvia Mendez was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This award is the highest award a civilian can receive.
Changing the street sign in her honor preserves Westminster’s unique contribution to American history and celebrates a legacy of justice and equal opportunity.”
Councilwoman Phan West is requesting the signs be changed at Goldenwest Street and Main Street near Westminster High School. There are two Internally Illuminated Street Name Signs (IISNS) on the signal mast arms over Goldenwest Street. The proposed sign change will replace the existing IISNS on the west side of the street, which currently reads "Main Street" with “Sylvia Mendez Way.” The IISNS on the east side of the street will remain “Main Street.” The proposed sign change will not cause any disruption for businesses or property owners in the area.
FISCAL IMPACT
If approved, the estimated cost for the replacement of the IISNS panels and IISNS housing would be $3,500.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed as to form.
CONCLUSION
The proposed replacement would commemorate the life and legacy of Sylvia Mendez. The change would not affect any businesses or property owners.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Sign renderings
REVIEWED BY
Erin Backs, Finance Director
City Attorney’s Office
Christine Cordon, City Manager