A street will be partially renamed after slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Westminster City Council has decided despite strong community pushback.
Councilmembers voted 4-1 on Wednesday, Nov. 12, to augment All American Way street signs between Westminster Boulevard and 13th Street with Charlie Kirk Way.
The redesignation will not change the official street name, but instead add Kirk’s name, in smaller font, beneath All American Way. The estimated cost of purchasing and installing the new signs will be around $3,000, staff said.
A separate motion to designate Oct. 14 as Charlie Kirk Day in Westminster also carried by a 3-2 vote.
Councilmember Amy Phan West criticized the street sign design as an inadequate way to recognize Kirk, arguing that the proposed font size of his name on the street signs —3 inches— is too small.
“If you do something to honor someone, honor them correctly and properly,” she said, “not just to get by and say, ‘I did it.’”
Kirk, 31, a prominent Christian activist and founder of the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA, which focused on reaching young people in high school and college, was assassinated on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University.
Councilmember Carlos Manzo, who cast the lone vote in dissent, said he had several issues with the proposal, one being that Kirk had no ties to Westminster. Manzo also said the City Council should not be debating national issues because its members are supposed to be non-partisan.
“Mr. Kirk wasn’t part of our city, he didn’t contribute to our city, he didn’t live here,” Manzo said. “We should be trying to unite our city, and time and time again, some of my colleagues continue to divide our city.”
Most of the two dozen or so residents who spoke at the meeting harshly condemned the proposal, saying Kirk was not part of the community and did not represent the interests of the community. And a Reddit thread on the idea also drew hundreds of scathing comments.
Some speakers said it would be more appropriate for the city to recognize local figures who made important contributions to Westminster, such as the Mendez family whose lawsuit brought an end to school segregation in California.
Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen, who introduced the street sign proposal, said the intention is to recognize people who have “helped save civic participation in our time,” and not to drive more division in the community.
“I do not want this to be seen as dividing Republicans and Democrats,” he said. “Charlie Kirk’s message inspired countless young Americans to think critically, serve their communities and appreciate the freedoms we enjoy. That’s basically it.”