UPDATE: Legendary San Jose mayor’s name will grace city rotunda

Political leaders across San Jose say the time to honor Janet Gray Hayes, the city’s first woman mayor, is long overdue — and she will soon have a building to carry her name alongside Silicon Valley’s most influential changemakers.

Hayes was the first woman mayor of a major American city when she was elected in 1974, when San Jose had a population hovering around half a million. She succeeded future Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and helped lead San Jose away from the old guard into an era of community and neighborhood advocacy, said San Jose State political science professor emeritus Terry Christensen.

Now the legacy of Hayes will be reflected at City Hall as the San Jose City Council voted Tuesday to name the rotunda “The Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda.”

A coalition of current and former San Jose leaders including Christensen proposed the naming.

Katherine Hayes Rodriguez, one of Hayes’ daughters, came to the council meeting and thanked the city for honoring her mother ahead of the 50th anniversary of her historic November 1974 election.

“I remember walking precincts with my friends and hammering in lawn signs that said, ‘Make San Jose better before we make it bigger,’” she said Tuesday.

Hayes Ramirez noted Mayor Matt Mahan held her mother’s gavel at the dais in honor of the rotunda naming.

Councilmembers also approved a photographic exhibition of historic San Jose council districts for the 50th anniversary of Hayes’ 1978 reelection, further celebrating her legacy of having councilmembers represent individual districts rather than identify as “at-large” officials.

“She recognized the grassroots movement to her credit, and created a charter revision commission that ultimately recommended putting district elections on the ballot,” Christensen told San José Spotlight. “Tom McEnery has the convention center, Rod Diridon has the train station. Susan and Phil Hammer have the Hammer Theater along with other people who have had things named for them, but somehow it didn’t happen with Hayes. It’s about time it does.”

At a time when the city was growing exponentially, Hayes shifted away from sprawling, poorly planned growth to more managed planning. She also engaged the east side of San Jose on police brutality by hiring a pro-community reformer, Police Chief Joseph McNamara, and pushing the department to hire its first women officers.

The twice-elected former mayor was a reformer and trailblazer who helped make San Jose the feminist capital of the world, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren said in support of honoring Hayes at City Hall.

“Under Mayor Janet Gray Hayes’ leadership, City Hall became more equitable and representative of San Jose’s diverse population,” Mahan said. “Renaming our rotunda in her honor will ensure that her commitment to public service is forever remembered.”

Now, “The Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda” will hang over the building’s exit both on the inside and outside, with an accompanying memorial plaque and wayfinding sign on Civic Center Plaza.
Former Councilmember David Pandori said he’s been pushing for Hayes to be honored, and naming the City Hall rotunda after her is much deserved.

“She was elected first woman mayor of San Jose 50 years ago, and it’s a shame that it’s taken this long to have proper recognition for her,” he told San José Spotlight.