What started with Julie Wainwright's change.org petition to name the rainbow-accented tunnel north of the Golden Gate Bridge for the late Robin Williams is moving to its final stages of becoming a reality.
The idea took off with support from Williams' family and now over 59,000 supporters signed on. Democratic State Assemblyman Marc Levine of San Rafael introduced legislation to name the tunnel in October, as we earlier reported, and it's now Assembly Concurrent Resolution Number One, all in legalese right here. The deed could be done in as little as a few months, Levine's office told SFist.
"He was my neighbor I often saw him running errands, walking the dog, performing at the local theater, working at the coffee shop," says Wainwright's petition. "Robin wasn’t just an international icon he was an integral part of our community here in the Bay Area. We claim him as our own."
It won't even be a "renaming," just a naming, since as the tunnel has never had an official name. It's been informally called the Waldo Tunnel for Waldo Point, named for William Waldo, an 1800s California Whig politician and Gold Rush hero of legend.
Fans of the tunnel-naming idea have made the connection of its rainbow stripes to Mork's multicolor suspenders, while detractors say a park or a bridge, rather than a tunnel, might be more fitting.
As we await the final vote, take a look at this charming PBS animation of some of Williams' thoughts.
