POCATELLO — The city of Pocatello will unveil an honorary street sign Oct. 19 recognizing retired Idaho Judge Sergio Gutierrez, who made history as the state’s first Latino district court judge.
The ceremony is scheduled for noon at South Eighth Avenue and Red Hill Road, across from the Pond Student Union Building at Idaho State University. Gutierrez is expected to attend, and the public is invited.
The City Council approved the honorary renaming of South Eighth Avenue between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Humboldt Street as Gutierrez Avenue. The designation replaces the previous honorary name, Cesar Chavez Avenue.
The honorary designation is symbolic. Existing street names and addresses will not change.
A Street Renaming Ad Hoc Committee, made up of community members, reviewed several possible names before recommending Gutierrez. The committee presented its choice to the mayor and City Council at an Aug. 13 work session.
Gutierrez later served on the Idaho Court of Appeals. During his career, he helped establish statewide standards for certified court interpreters, expanding access to the justice system for non-English speakers. He also mentored young people across Idaho.
He was born into a migrant farmworker family and worked in Idaho’s fields as a child. He earned his GED, graduated from Boise State University and became an attorney. Early in his career, he worked with the Idaho Migrant Council and Idaho Legal Aid Services, advocating for migrant farmworkers and underserved communities.
