Downtown Fire Station 1 sits along the stretch of Lime Street that will carry the honorary designation "Captain Tim Strack Parkway" following Monday's City Council vote.
The Riverside City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ceremonially rename a stretch of Lime Street in honor of Captain Tim Strack, the firefighter and union leader who died of a heart attack in April 2023.
The 11-block segment between 3rd and 14th Streets will be designated "Captain Tim Strack Parkway" — an honorary title that won't affect addresses or postal service.
"Captain Tim Strack, maybe by your definitions, did not die a hero's death, but definitely lived a hero's life in the sense of his service," Councilmember Philip Falcone said, responding to public commenters who questioned whether Strack merited the honor because he did not die on a fire scene.
Strack served the Riverside Fire Department for 28 years, rising to captain in 2003. He also led the Riverside City Firefighters Association Local 1067 as president from 2002 until his death.
"It is an honor to see a great person from our amazing fire department get recognized in such a way," Fire Chief Steve McKinster said.
"When we first met, to say that we weren't pals would be an understatement," Councilmember Sean Mill said. "Tim didn't support me when I ran."
But after the election, Mill stuck out his hand to shake Strack's. "He pushed my hand away... and he grabbed me and gave me a big hug and said, 'Now let's get to work.'"
"Firefighters across the country knew the city of Riverside, not for us — they knew it because of Captain Tim Strack," Mill said, with Strack's daughter in attendance. "No one's done more since I've been in Riverside that I can say individually to move our city forward than Tim Strack."
Strack died on April 1, 2023, at age 53. Former Mayor Ron Loveridge, writing in the Raincross Gazette days after Strack's death, called him one of the 20 best leaders he had known in six decades in Riverside.
This is the second tribute the city has given Strack. The council voted in December 2023 to rename El Dorado Park as Tim Strack Park; that park opened in November.
The proposal received no opposition during stakeholder outreach.
Two members of the public questioned the honor, with one raising concerns about campaign contributions from the firefighters union and suggesting clearer criteria for such recognitions. Falcone noted the council followed identical procedures used for previous ceremonial renamings, including Van Buren Boulevard's designation as Veterans Memorial Highway.
Lime Street was chosen because Strack "spent a number of years at Fire Station 1," which sits at the center of the renamed stretch.
