Committee votes to send resolution to rename Sonora Lane stairwell to honor man killed in attack; updates Stop AAPI Hate count

The Land Use & Transportation Committee on Oct. 4 voted to send a resolution of intention to the full Board that would rename the Sonora Lane stairwell in the Anza Vista neighborhood to commemorate a man who died after a violent incident in late January. Supervisor Stephanie, who introduced the resolution, described the man as an 84‑year‑old immigrant from Thailand and said the renaming "would commemorate and memorialize" his death as a symbol of solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Supervisor Stephanie asked the committee to amend the resolution to reflect updated statistics from Stop AAPI Hate, requesting that the figure on page 1, line 20 be changed from 7,000 to 9,000 reported incidents; the committee approved the amendment and then voted to send the item as amended to the Board with a positive recommendation.

During public comment, multiple callers — residents and community organizers from Anza Vista and citywide groups — urged approval of the renaming as a gesture of healing and as an act against anti‑AAPI violence. One caller said: "There's no doubt in my mind that [the victim] was targeted because of the color of his skin. And he was murdered because of the color of his skin." Another caller described the site as a stairwell used daily by neighborhood residents and said naming it would help the victim's grandchildren remember him.

The committee recorded a unanimous recommendation to send the resolution as amended to the full Board for consideration. The resolution, if adopted by the Board, initiates the formal process to change the stairwell name in city records and signage.