On April 23, the California State Assembly passed legislation to name the tunnel north of the Golden Gate Bridge after the late actor Robin Williams.
The vote passed unanimously 77-0 in the State Assembly, and the bill will now move to the Senate’s transportation committee. If passed, the state Senate and then the House will vote on it.
Although there is currently no official name for the tunnel, it’s commonly known as the Waldo Tunnel because it straddles Waldo Point. The tunnel is named after 1850’s California Whig politician, William Waldo.
The tunnel has also gained notability for its painted rainbow arches. Some believe the colorful decoration was inspired by the rainbow suspenders Williams wore in the sitcom, “Mork and Mindy.”
A petition held on Change.org influenced the creation of the bill.
Julie Wainwright, the creator of the petition, wrote, “I want to remember and honor this very important citizen here in our community for the joy he brought to the world and to bring awareness to the silent illness that eventually took his life.”
More than 60,000 supporters have signed the petition, which caught the attention of State Assemblyman Marc Levine to introduce the bill in December.
“Robin Williams grew up and attended Redwood High School in Larkspur, [and] went to College of Marin. Also, of course he launched his comedy career in the clubs of San Francisco. This tunnel really connects the San Francisco and Marin communities and is a perfect way of tying those parts of his life together,” Levine said in an interview with CBS San Francisco in October.