THE WORD ON THE STREET IS ... NAMING THINGS AFTER PEOPLE IS CONFUSING.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

Chick Hearn Court? Chick Hearn Lane? Chick Hearn Dribble Drive?

Those are the top contenders to rename the portion of 11th Street in front of Staples Center after the legendary Lakers broadcaster, who died this month.

Hearn's name will join the list of hundreds of famous - and infamous - who have been honored by L.A. Carmen Miranda has her own square at Hollywood Boulevard and North Orange Drive in Hollywood, also home to Elvis Presley's square at Sunset Boulevard and Ivar Avenue.

Former Israel President Yitzhak Rabin is honored at Lankershim and Ventura boulevards, while Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov has an eponymous square at Laurel Canyon and Ventura.

There are so many streets, plazas and buildings named after people that Los Angeles officials are unable to keep track of them all.

``We don't have a central place where all the names are kept,'' said Sarah Welch of the city Cultural Affairs Department. ``We are able to keep track of the ones that go through us, but so many go through other departments that there is no way to find all of them.''

Street-name changes result in the trickiest - and most politically sensitive - of the actions the city can take.

When the city renamed Santa Barbara Boulevard after Martin Luther King Jr., it caused major protests among businesses and homeowners along the street who were faced with printing new stationery, business cards and the like.

A similar uproar occurred when portions of Sunset Boulevard, Brooklyn and Mac streets were renamed after farm labor leader Cesar Chavez.

Since then, the city has taken to giving sort of subnames to a street, such as the portion of 9th Street passing the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, that also has the name of James Wood Boulevard, after the late labor leader.

For politicians, it is buildings that get their name - causing less disruption and serving as a permanent reminder. The most popular is former Mayor Tom Bradley. He has the Los Angeles International Airport international terminal, a downtown plaza, a room in City Hall and a school.

The council chambers are named after former City Council President John Ferraro, as is the Department of Water and Power building. Recreation centers are named after former City Councilmen Ernani Bernardi and Robert Wilkinson.

One exception is Ritchie Valens Park in Sylmar, named after the famed Valley rock 'n' roller.

Whole communities also have gotten into the act. Everyone knows of Chinatown and Little Tokyo. In recent years, portions of the city have received new names, from Little Armenia, Little Seoul, Little Ethiopia to Thai Town and Filipinotown.

Ken Bernstein, director of preservation issues for the Los Angeles Conservancy, said the naming procedure is important to a city often perceived as having no history. ``It provides a living connection to people who have made a contribution to Los Angeles.''

Councilman Tom LaBonge, who plans to bring in a proposal to create a Billy Wilder Square after the recently deceased director, said that such tributes serve a purpose in reminding people of the city's past.

``For instance, if you look at Raoul Wallenberg Square in the Fairfax area, you remember the sacrifices he made to free so many people,'' La Bonge said. ``It's important to remember and take stock and appreciate what we have.''