San Jose City Council gathers input to rename Plaza de Cesar Chavez
Push to rename San Jose's Plaza de César Chávez
A historic park in downtown San Jose is getting a new name.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose officials held a public meeting Wednesday night to gather community input on renaming Plaza de Cesar Chavez, the historic downtown park at the center of a citywide effort to scrub the late labor leader’s name from public assets.
The push to replace the name follows explosive sexual assault and misconduct allegations against Chavez that surfaced in March. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously to initiate the renaming process, and city crews have already covered up Chavez’s name at the plaza.
At Wednesday’s meeting, residents expressed mixed opinions on how the city should proceed with a park that holds deep local significance.
"Well, it's a very contentious issue," said Karl Soltero, a decades-long San Jose resident who attended the meeting. "There are different groups that are going to be advocating on what the name should be."
Soltero suggested a simpler route to avoid prolonged community division. "For the sake of making it easier for everybody, we should cut off the last part and call it La Plaza de San Jose. Leave it at that," he said.
What they're saying:
The city has launched an online public survey allowing residents to submit their own name suggestions. Ed Bautista, a spokesperson for the San Jose Parks and Recreation Department, emphasized that officials are striving for wide community participation.
"I think it's going to be a community-wide process," Bautista said. "We hope to get a lot of names in and take a look at what is going to be meaningful going forward."
Bautista noted that the city will use email and on-site signage featuring QR codes at the park to direct people to the digital survey.
The backstory:
The current renaming effort marks another chapter for a location that has served multiple purposes and held several names throughout California's history. In the 19th century, the site served as California's state capitol before the seat of government moved to Sacramento. In 1887, it became the site of San Jose City Hall. Originally known as San Jose Plaza and later Plaza Park, it was officially renamed Plaza de Cesar Chavez in 1993.
The public name suggestion survey will remain live through July 6. Once closed, the city plans to release a secondary survey featuring the top submissions for public feedback. A final City Council vote on the new name is expected this fall.
Residents can submit their ideas here.