Planning and Building Agency
www.santa-ana.gov/pb
Item # 11
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
August 4, 2026
TOPIC: Public Facilities Naming No. 2026-0001 for Frank and Irene Palomino Park (706 N. Newhope Street, APN: 100-252-01) Pursuant to SAMC Section 33-8
AGENDA TITLE
Planning Commission’s Adoption of a Resolution Renaming Rosita Park, Located at 706 N. Newhope Street, as Frank and Irene Palomino Park
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Affirm the Planning Commission’s adoption of a resolution approving Public Facilities Naming No. 2026-0001 renaming Rosita Park, located at 706 N. Newhope Street, as Frank and Irene Palomino Park.
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No
DISCUSSION
At the June 2, 2026, Santa Ana City Council meeting, staff presented an informational item regarding the Garden Grove Unified School District’s (GGUSD) proposed renaming of Rosita Elementary School to Frank and Irene Palomino Elementary School and the opportunity for the City of Santa Ana to consider a corresponding renaming of Rosita Park located at 706 N. Newhope Street. Following the presentation, the City Council expressed support for the proposed park renaming and directed the City Manager to initiate the renaming of Rosita Park to Frank and Irene Palomino Park.
On June 16, 2026, the GGUSD Board of Education unanimously approved the renaming of Rosita Elementary School to Frank and Irene Palomino Elementary School and scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for August 6, 2026, commemorating the renaming.
On July 13, 2026, the Planning Commission considered and adopted a resolution approving Public Facilities Naming (PFN) No. 2026-0001 to rename Rosita Park as Frank and Irene Palomino Park by a majority vote, with Commissioner Pham dissenting and Commissioner Oliva absent.
Pursuant to Section 33-6 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC), all requests for the naming or renaming of public facilities shall be referred to the Planning Commission for determination, considering certain policy guidelines. Section 33-6(c) sets out the guidelines as follows:
PFN No. 2026-0001 for Renaming of Rosita Park (706 N. Newhope Street) August 4, 2026
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“(c) Names which achieve any of the following purposes should be promoted:
(1) A name which serves to identify the location of the subject by reference to distinct geographic, environmental or development features in the immediate area.
(2) A name which references the history of the subject site or its immediate area. (3) A name which identifies a person or family which made an extraordinary donation of land or funds to promote the construction or improvement of the subject public facility.
(4) A name which recognizes a person or family who made a distinct, significant contribution to the well-being of the city, including past mayors, council members, board or commission members, officers or employees of the city, but not anyone who currently holds any such position.”
Further, Section 33-8 provides that the City Council may affirm the Planning Commission’s decision, remand the matter back to the Planning Commission for further consideration, or make its own decision on the matter.
Rosita Park is an approximately eight-acre park located at 706 N. Newhope Street adjacent to Rosita Elementary School in the City of Santa Ana. Although located within the City of Santa Ana, Rosita Elementary School is operated by the GGUSD. City records indicate that Rosita Park opened in 1961, while Rosita Elementary School opened in 1959, prior to construction of the park.
The proposed renaming of Rosita Elementary School was initiated by GGUSD to honor Frank and Irene Palomino’s contributions to the neighborhood and to the civil rights movement in Orange County. Because the park and school have historically shared the same name and serve the same surrounding neighborhood, staff evaluated whether a corresponding park renaming would be appropriate to maintain consistency between the two public facilities.
Frank and Irene Palomino were among the plaintiffs in the landmark Mendez et al. v.
Westminster et al. school desegregation case. Alongside the Mendez, Guzman, Estrada, and Ramirez families, the Palominos challenged discriminatory educational practices that segregated Mexican American students in Orange County schools. In 1947, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the lower court’s ruling prohibiting such segregation practices, making the case one of the earliest and most significant civil rights victories in California. The decision contributed to ending school segregation throughout California and is widely recognized as an important precursor to Brown v.
Board of Education.
PFN No. 2026-0001 for Renaming of Rosita Park (706 N. Newhope Street) August 4, 2026
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Following a request from a Garden Grove resident, GGUSD conducted an extensive community engagement process that included stakeholder outreach, surveys of families, staff, alumni, and community members, as well as a public hearing held on June 2, 2026.
Survey results demonstrated strong community support for the proposed renaming.
During the engagement process, participants expressed concern that retaining the name Rosita Park while renaming the adjacent school could create confusion because of the longstanding relationship between the two facilities. Additionally, the community engagement process highlighted the Palomino family’s longstanding connection to the surrounding neighborhood. For three generations, members of the Palomino family attended Rosita Elementary School and its feeder schools while residing across the street from the campus.
Rosita Park and Rosita Elementary School have historically functioned as complementary public facilities serving the surrounding neighborhood. With GGUSD’s approval of the school renaming, renaming the adjacent park would maintain consistency between the two facilities and avoid potential confusion among residents, park users, and school families. The proposed park renaming would also honor the Palomino family’s nationally significant contributions to the civil rights movement and recognize their historic connection to the surrounding community, providing a lasting tribute while creating opportunities for public education regarding an important chapter of Orange County history.
Consistent with Section 33-6(c)(4) of the SAMC, the proposed name recognizes individuals who made a distinct and significant contribution to the well-being of the community through their role in advancing educational equity and civil rights.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines because the naming of a public facility will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, as there is no possibility it will have a significant effect on the environment and is not a “project,” as defined in section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines. Furthermore, the action falls within the “common sense” CEQA exemption set forth in CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3), excluding projects where “it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.”
FISCAL IMPACT
Renaming of Rosita Park to Frank and Irene Palomino Park has a negligible fiscal impact limited to routine signage and digital asset updates, which will be accommodated within existing City Manager’s Office operational resources with no net impact on the General Fund.
PFN No. 2026-0001 for Renaming of Rosita Park (706 N. Newhope Street) August 4, 2026
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EXHIBIT(S)
1. Resolution Adopting PFN No. 2026-0001
Submitted By: Ali Pezeshkpour, AICP, Executive Director of Planning and Building Agency
Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager