Why it will take time to erase Cesar Chavez’s name from the streets of California

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While Californians are still coming to terms with the impact of sexual assault allegations against Cesar Chavez municipal leaders across the state say they are considering removing its iconography by changing the names of streets, libraries and monuments.

From San Francisco to San Diego, local governments have voiced their support for removing statues and changing the names of everything from parks to libraries after prominent activist Dolores Huerta, 95, said Chavez sexually assaulted her in encounters that led to an unwanted pregnancy.

However, the process to change the name of a street or monument is often slow, bureaucratic and expensive, and usually requires a combination of internal investigations, citizen participation and approval from the city council. Companies may also face rising costs for changing their business card and website addresses.

In an unexpected twist for a man whose influence has been a mainstay of Democratic politics for decades, state lawmakers announced Thursday that they will rename the holiday honoring Chavez’s birthday as Farmworker Day. The decision comes more than 25 years after California became the first state to establish March 31 as a day to commemorate his heritage.

“The farmworkers’ rights movement in California has never been about one man,” assembly spokesman Robert Rivas, and leader of the Senate Monique Lemon, in a joint statement, adding that the Legislature will work with cities and school districts to address the change.

Cities consider removal a legacy

On Wednesday, the day the New York Times published a comprehensive investigation into the multiple allegations of sexual assault and abuse against Chávez, San Diego officials announced they were evaluating the possibility of changing the name of César Chávez Parkway, a major downtown boulevard. They are also reviewing nearly a dozen parks and public buildings named after Chavez.

Just outside the state Capitol in Sacramento, a monument and plaza named after Chavez will be renamed, Councilman Eric Guerra told CalMatters.

“The common denominator of what I’ve heard throughout the day, as all the Latino groups have contacted me about this, both to vent and to comfort themselves, is that we have an obligation to continue this work,” Guerra said.

In Fresno, a councilman who advocated for Cesar Chavez Boulevard in 2024 called for They will restore the original street names.

San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder said she supports removing her name from institutions in the city’s predominantly Latino neighborhood.

Meanwhile, members of the California Museum of California trustees announced Wednesday that they plan to remove Chavez from the California Hall of Fame, marking the first time in recent history that an honoree has been removed from the hall.

“We stand in solidarity with the victims of the abuse perpetrated by this man who many considered a hero. But we also want to recognize the important progress the union has made under his leadership,” the board of directors said in a statement.

The National Park Service did not respond to a request for comment on whether they are considering renaming the Cesar Chavez National Monument near Bakersfield.

Activists in Los Angeles continued to push for authorities to rename many of the city’s streets dedicated to Chavez instead to honor Huerta, his partner in the peasant movement.

“We know that in the Latino community, a lot of this abuse has been tolerated for generations, and in our culture we’ve been told to keep quiet,” Raul Claros, a Los Angeles community organizer, said at a news conference.

Changing your name costs time and money.

The street name change process can move at a snail’s pace, even under special circumstances.

In San Diego, changing street names can be done through a petition with unanimous support from affected property and business owners that will be presented to the City Council for approval. This option could take months or even years and is unlikely to materialize as it would require the acceptance of owners who would willingly offer to take on the inconvenience of changing the name of their home or business.

Another option is for the city council to vote on a street name change. That will come after the city prepares its own report on all affected areas, according to Bethany Bezak, San Diego’s logistics manager. The mayor and his team will then coordinate with the city council to present the proposal for approval.

City officials could not say how long that process would take.

According to Bezak, a review of all roads, parks and buildings named after Cesar Chavez is underway and could take weeks.

Renaming parks and monuments would also require approval from the city’s 11-member Board of Parks and Recreation appointed by the mayor.

“It’s unfortunate that this is happening, but there is some precedent” for removing street signs with outdated or offensive words for groups of people, Bezak said, adding that they don’t yet know what the total cost of removing and installing new signs will be, but that it will depend on the number of intersections named after Chavez.

“These allegations are very disturbing,” Bezek said. “At the end of the day, we want to make sure neighborhoods reflect our values.”

In Los Angeles, where activists have called for Chavez’s name to be removed from many places, residents can also file a request or the City Council can take action, usually in parallel with an investigation.

The process can be long and cumbersome, mainly because it would require changing all the addresses of all the properties on the street, something many businesses have previously resisted because of the costs involved, said Mary Nemick, spokeswoman for the Department of Engineering and Public Works.