Will Monterey County be stuck with its Confederate street names?

At least eight streets in Monterey County are named after Confederate generals, and more are named after other unsavory characters. Changing the names is a bureaucratic challenge and an expensive one, but some residents say they are going to try.

The residents have formed an ad hoc group in the new subdivision of East Garrison, where the streets are located, and they are researching how names came to be and what it would take to change them. They say that the historical figures memorialized have no local connection and that honoring people who betrayed the country, fought for slavery and targeted civilians in wartime is wrong. For now, these residents wish to remain anonymous for fear of being harassed by hate groups.

One of the streets, for example, is named after Robert E. Lee, who commanded the Confederate army. But the group is also eyeing Kit Carson Road because it is named after an Army officer who attacked Native Americans, and Sherman Boulevard because Union Army leader William Tecumseh Sherman did not just wage war against the South but also burned and pillaged it.

The attention to these street names comes as Americans nationwide grapple with the country’s racist legacies. But street names are different than monuments: They form part of the postal infrastructure and the process of replacing them is convoluted. On county-administered land like East Garrison, the process starts with a petition from residents. Then a referral from the Board of Supervisors is required, and county staff would have to weigh in. A public hearing would be held. The property owners would have to provide new street signs. Also, emergency utility services must be notified and all the residents must file for change of address with the U.S. Postal Service. On top of the hassle, the county charges $3,537 per street name change.

Wendy Root Askew, a candidate for the supervisorial seat representing East Garrison, says she would support residents who would want to remove the Confederate names. She is willing to help guide them through the bureaucratic process and believes there should be a discussion about waiving the fees in this case. “We as a community have certain values and I don’t think Confederate generals fit with those values,” she says.

Her rival, Steve McShane, also says honoring the Confederacy is not appropriate. “[Changing the names is] something that’s going to need the support of the community of East Garrison and it sounds like those steps are being taken,” he says.

Unlike Confederate symbols which were put in place decades ago, the East Garrison streets were named with the conception of the development only about 15 years ago. County official Melanie Beretti says the names came from East Garrison’s original developer, East Garrison Partners. “The original developer wanted to give a nod to the former military base of Fort Ord,” Beretti. “The names were reviewed and approved by county Public Works.”

The East Garrison venture went bankrupt following the Great Recession, and eventually landed in the hands of Century Communities.