Stow was highly antisemitic and described Jews as "a class of people here only to make money and who leave the country as soon as they make money." He attempted to use blue laws to restrict the commerce of Shabbat-observant Jews, commenting: "I am for a Jew-tax that is so high that [Jews] would not be able to operate any more shops." On another occasion, Stow said: "I have no sympathy with the Jews and would, it were in my power, enforce a regulation that would eliminate them from not only our county but from the entire state!"[4]
In October 2022, three San Francisco city supervisors introduced a resolution urging the Recreation and Park Commission to rename Stow Lake due to Stow's outspoken antisemitism, as part of an effort to rename various landmarks across the San Francisco Bay Area.[5] In January 2024, the Commission decided on the new name of Blue Heron Lake, in honor of the blue herons that nest along the lake.[6][7]
References
^ abcVassar, Alex; Myers, Shane. "William W. Stow". JoinCalifornia.com. Retrieved January 16, 2023.