Central Subway station to possibly be named in honor of Rose Pak

Rose Pak, a civic leader and power broker who passed this past September, will be remembered for many things. A prominent voice for Chinatown. A leader. And the one who jumpstarted the Central Subway project, which will run from the T-Third near Caltrain on Fourth Street up, through Chinatown on Stockton, and end near the entrance of North Beach.

While some wonder if it will be a success, one need look no further than the a jam-packed 45, 30, or 8 bus line to see that Chinatown could very well use its own underground transit system. And with that, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution today urging the SF MTA to name the impending Stockton and Washington station after Pak.

Per the resolution, “Rose played an instrumental role in supporting the work to secure over $500 million of federal funding for the Central Subway.”

A great idea. After all, it’s tough to come by civic leaders/mentors these days. Especially at San Francisco City Hall. Even the most ardent leaders from the not-so-distant past have shown more interest in personal name recognition than helping younger ilk rise. But Pak, who was unfairly given the crass moniker “power broker,” was a mentor—a mentor who was also woman of color, no less.

What’s more, Pak acted as a convener, with the ability to get feuding parties around a table for a truce. She got things done, period. The city can name a subway station after her at the very least All it needs now to make it official is Ed Lee’s signature.

The Rose Pak subway, if all goes according to plan, should open in 2019.

• Supes Pass Resolution Urging SFMTA To Name Chinatown Central Subway Station After Rose Pak [SFist]
• Central Subway [site]
• Resolution [SFGov]