Just hours after receiving news of the passing of former San Leandro Mayor Tony Santos Monday night, the City Council took the first step toward finding a suitable way to honor him for posterity.
“We are grateful for his legacy. His commitment to public service and, most importantly, his contribution to San Leandro. I’m positive he has touched the lives of many through the years,” San Leandro Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter said during the April 15 council meeting.
Later, the City Council tasked its Rules Committee with determining how San Leandro will remember Santos, who served 18 years as both a councilmember and mayor.
Councilmember Corina Lopez suggested naming a park in his memory. If the committee determines renaming a park or placing a monument at one, Grover Cleveland park on O’Donnell Avenue, near Costco, has been mentioned as a possibility. Santos had participated in the park’s creation.
“What I’m hearing is that it’s not a foregone conclusion that it would necessarily be a facility,” said City Manager Jeff Kay. “There could be other ways of honoring the former mayor.”
Some type of plaque honoring Santos somewhere in the city has also been mentioned. In addition, the San Leandro Marina, which is set to be redeveloped could also be a blank slate for remembering the former mayor.
Santos lived in one of the neighborhoods adjacent to the Marina, and had been a tireless advocate for keeping the skies over the area free of noise from jets flying in and out of nearby Oakland Airport.
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