Merchants and residents urge Board: name subway stop "Chinatown" — oppose adding 'Rose Pak' amid objections
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Summary
Dozens of Chinatown merchants, residents and community organizations addressed the Board during public comment urging the Central Subway stop be named "Chinatown Station" and opposing use of the name 'Rose Pak' for the stop, citing community preference and objections to naming after an individual with a controversial record.
During the public-comment period at the July 30 Board of Supervisors meeting, numerous Chinatown merchants, business owners and residents urged the Board to name the Central Subway stop serving Chinatown simply "Chinatown Station" rather than appending or replacing that with the name "Rose Pak."
Speakers — many representing small shops, restaurants and merchants who said they could not attend daytime meetings — presented letters, videos and a petition the speakers said had more than 10,000 signatures collected by July 15. The statement circulated by merchants requested a geographically descriptive name to help tourists and customers find Chinatown more easily. Multiple speakers said the community had not been meaningfully consulted about naming the station after an individual and that Rose Pak has a controversial public record, including an asserted property dispute and other allegations referenced in speakers' remarks.
What the speakers said: - Practicality: Merchants repeatedly said a station called "Chinatown" is the clearest label for visitors and customers. They said simple geographic names reduce confusion for tourists and support local businesses. - Community process: Several merchants and civic participants said there had been little community outreach or meetings on the naming decision and asked the Board to respect those concerns. - Opposition to "Rose Pak": Multiple speakers said Rose Pak had been associated with conduct they described as divisive or legally problematic; speakers asked the Board to avoid naming public infrastructure after a living or recently deceased individual with contested community standing.
Organized support: Speakers identified a range of local organizations and merchants that endorsed the "Chinatown Station" name in letters and petition signatures. One speaker noted the MTA (SFMTA) had policy guidance limiting station names to geographic locations, which speakers cited in urging the Board not to adopt an individual's name for the stop.
Board action: The remarks were delivered during general public comment and were not part of a legislative item on the agenda. Supervisors acknowledged the breadth of public comment; no vote on naming took place during the meeting.
Provenance excerpt: "We want to support the station called China Station. We are not supporting the name after [an] individual... Rose Peck has a bad name... We just want the name to be Chinatown only." (Representative speaker excerpts from the public-comment record.)
