Stereo & DJ Outlet and Mari's Jewelry on Kings Canyon Boulevard in Fresno. Manager Alexis Leon said replacing paper invoices and business cards after the city's street renaming could cost the businesses around $2,000 — and now they're being asked to do it again. Photo by Ben Hensley

When Fresno last renamed Kings Canyon Boulevard, four businesses applied for reimbursement. Only one received an award — $77.

Now, with the city preparing to restore the roadway’s original name, some council members are asking whether Fresno can do better by the businesses navigating the change for the second time in two years.

The stretch of roadway — which also includes spans of Ventura and California avenues — spent two years named after labor leader Cesar Chavez before the city voted unanimously to reverse the designation amid controversy surrounding allegations about Chavez. The renaming will again require businesses along the corridor to update addresses, marketing materials and paperwork, most of which they had already changed in 2023.

District 6 Councilmember Nick Richardson, who wasn’t on the council during the original name change, questioned whether the low participation in the previous reimbursement program reflected a lack of need — or a lack of access.

“To assume that they’re going to have the wherewithal and all the information necessary to be able to apply to the city to get reimbursed for whatever the cost is to change, I think it’s unrealistic,” Richardson said.

District 5 Councilmember Brandon Vang, who also wasn’t on the council in 2023, agreed — and is planning a town hall to hear directly from businesses. He noted that some of his own relatives run businesses along the corridor.

“They didn’t want to have the name changed because obviously it impacted their bottom line, even if it’s just a few hundred or a few thousand dollars,” Vang said. “And now we’re asking them to do it again.”

That reality is playing out in real terms. Alexis Leon, manager of Stereo & DJ Outlet and Mari’s Jewelers near Kings Canyon and Chestnut Avenue, said replacing paper invoices and business cards could cost around $2,000. She added that most customers never stopped calling it Kings Canyon even during the two-year renaming.

Leon said her businesses did not take advantage of the city’s reimbursement offer after the initial name change, but she would pursue any assistance available this time.

Any financial assistance could be complicated by the city’s fiscal situation. Vang noted that Fresno is heading into its second consecutive year without a budget surplus, and that discussions with the mayor about upcoming budget allocations will determine what’s possible.

“If Fresno wants to be seen as a business-friendly city,” Vang said, “we should do what we can at the very least — even if it’s just a few dollars — to eliminate the cost, especially to the mom-and-pop businesses along this corridor.”