The Portland City Council took the first step Thursday toward changing the name of SW Fourth Avenue -- the street in front of City Hall -- to Cesar Chavez Boulevard, angering the Mexican community and the mayor.

All council members voted for the resolution Thursday night except for Mayor Tom Potter, who continues to back a proposal by Latino leaders to rename North Interstate Avenue for the late labor leader.

Potter was close to tears Thursday night as he told the large gathered group, "In my heart I will always know that renaming Intersate Avenue Cesar Chavez Boulevard was the right thing to do."

Interstate name change advocates cried and said they felt insulted that the plan to rename Interstate Avenue had suddenly changed.

They explained that the issue is not about whether Fourth Avenue is an equally good, or preferable, street -- at issue is how they worked for the last eight months to rename a street of their choice only to have the rug pulled out from under them by four white men claiming to know better.

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With both the mayor's and the city council's support until just recently, they followed the directions they were given to start working on a process for a plan that has now been overturned, members of the Mexican communuty said.

Potter is helpless to stop the majority. He supported renaming Interstate Avenue despite intense public opposition.

What next?

Commissioners must still pass an ordinance backing the Fourth Avenue resolution, scheduled for a vote next Wednesday.

That will set up a process that includes a review by the planning commission before the name change becomes official.

Thursday's vote came after a surprise political U-turn by Portland City commissioners deciding to rename Fourth Avenue, instead of Interstate, after the Mexican-American labor leader and after hours of testimony from those who supported and opposed renaming Interstate Avenue.

Commissioner Dan Saltzman pitched the Fourth Avenue name change idea, and behind Potter’s back, the other commissioners decided to support it.

 Background: Initial idea to rename Interstate was very unpopular

The meeting followed months of more hostile debate in community forums and comments to City Hall.

Many opponents of the Interstate name change say they were unfairly labeled as racist for simply wanting to preserve their local street name.