What began as a vibrant celebration of labor, culture, and classic cars evolved into a profound call for justice Saturday, as Teamsters Local 1932 hosted its Spring Fling Car Show and launched a petition. The petition is to rename Seccombe Lake Park in honor of local Mexican American civil rights pioneer Ignacio Lopez.
The April 12 event drew more than 3,000 people—including 2,000 registered car owners and vendors—to downtown San Bernardino. Amid the chrome bumpers and community camaraderie, the union’s Hispanic Caucus unveiled a grassroots initiative to rename the park, which closed March 3 for a yearlong $13.8 million renovation. Their goal: replace the name of former Mayor William C. Seccombe with that of Lopez, whose legal action helped strike down racial segregation in public facilities.
“Right now, while the park is being revitalized, is the perfect time to rename it and honor someone who fought so that all people—regardless of ethnicity—could enjoy these public spaces,” said Carlos Gonzales, Teamsters staff coordinator and president of the Hispanic Caucus.
Seccombe, who served as mayor from May 1941 to May 1947, was named as a defendant in the landmark 1944 civil rights case Lopez v. Seccombe (71 F. Supp. 769, S.D. Cal. 1944). At the time, San Bernardino’s Mexican American residents were barred from using public pools except on Sundays—the day before the water was drained. After two teens were denied entry to the Perris Hill Park plunge, Lopez, editor of El Espectador, joined forces with fellow journalists and clergy to form the Mexican American Defense Committee and filed a class-action lawsuit representing roughly 8,000 Mexican American residents.
With legal support from civil rights attorney David C. Marcus, the plaintiffs argued that the city’s segregation policy violated the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. Federal Judge Leon R. Yankwich ruled in their favor, issuing a permanent injunction that prohibited San Bernardino from denying Mexican Americans equal access to public recreational spaces.
The case, although lesser-known, was monumental: it set a legal precedent used in Mendez v. Westminster (1947), which desegregated California public schools, and Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which struck down segregation in schools nationwide.
“To know that Lopez v. Seccombe helped shape the foundation for desegregation nationwide is something we should be proud of,” Gonzales said. “This isn’t about credit for the union. This is for the students at Oak Hills High School and the broader community who deserve to know this history.”
In fact, Oak Hills High School students played a leading role in a 2022 reenactment of the case, hosted by San Bernardino Superior Court Judge John Pacheco at the iconic Mitla Café. That event, held in September of that year, sought to raise awareness about the case’s legacy and its connection to local and national civil rights movements.
The call to rename Seccombe Lake—located at 160 E. 5th Street—is the latest effort by the Teamsters Hispanic Caucus to shine a spotlight on Latino labor and civil rights history.
Local dignitaries including San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, Councilmember Mario Flores and Assemblymember Robert Garcia attended the Spring Fling. The event featured a performance by Trio Del Alma, a musical group that played at César Chávez’s funeral and Dolores Huerta’s birthday celebrations.
“This isn’t just about renaming a park. It’s about restoring dignity to our community’s past and giving people a sense of ownership in the story of San Bernardino,” said Robert Gonzalez, communications coordinator for Teamsters Local 1932. “The Hispanic Caucus is proud to lead this effort, and we hope city leaders embrace the opportunity to recognize Ignacio Lopez.”
A petition circulated at the event read: “We the undersigned are calling on the City of San Bernardino officials to immediately change the name of the Seccombe Lake Park to Ignacio Lopez Park to honor the legacy of Mr. Lopez, who fought against segregation so that all in the community could enjoy the park regardless of their ethnicity.”
Funds raised at the car show will support the union’s youth camp in Big Bear, where students learn about San Bernardino’s labor history, wilderness survival, and civic engagement.
Carlos Gonzalez, who also reflected on Chicano identity during the event, said the park renaming is just one step in a broader educational mission. “When I was a kid, I called myself a Chicano. My dad did too, but my mom hated that word. Over time, I came to understand that being Chicano isn’t just about heritage—it’s a political ideology rooted in justice.”
The petition effort continues as the city moves forward with park renovations, and Teamsters members say they remain hopeful that the next chapter for this public space will reflect the city’s civil rights legacy.
“This is about truth in public places,” Robert Gonzalez said. “San Bernardino deserves to remember one of its own.”
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