San Jose votes to launch a public process for renaming landmarks bearing Cesar Chavez' name
San Jose City Council reviewing spaces named for Cesar Chavez
The City of San Jose took a step toward removing the name of Cesar Chavez from parks and different sites around the city. This follows allegations of sexual assault against Chavez that surfaced last week.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose took a step toward removing the name of Cesar Chavez from parks and sites around the city. This follows allegations of sexual assault against Chavez that surfaced last week.
The Catalyst: A Bombshell Investigation
The sudden shift follows a March 18, 2026, investigative report by The New York Times. The report detailed decades of alleged sexual abuse, grooming, and rape of women and young girls by Chavez.
Most significantly, Dolores Huerta, the 95-year-old co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW), broke a 60-year silence to confirm she was a survivor of abuse by Chavez. Her courage in coming forward has been the primary driver for city leaders to take immediate action.
Action in San Jose
On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, the San Jose City Council’s Rules and Open Government Committee voted unanimously to move forward with a two-step plan:
Inventory of Assets: The city will identify every park, street, building, and piece of public art that bears Chavez’s name or likeness. This includes the prominent Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown.
Public Input Process: The city is establishing a framework to gather community feedback. Leaders like Council members Peter Ortiz and Domingo Candelas have emphasized that the goal isn't to erase the Farm Worker Movement's history, but to "center the survivors" and potentially honor the many women whose contributions were previously overshadowed.
Other Impacted Sites
San Jose City College: Held a town hall to discuss removing a recently completed mural and the Chavez name from their library.
The Broader Context
This isn't just happening in San Jose. Across California, the reckoning is widespread:
State Level: Governor Gavin Newsom and state legislators are fast-tracking a bill to rename the March 31 state holiday to "Farm Workers Day."
Other Cities: San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Ana have all initiated similar processes to remove monuments and rename streets.
The full San Jose City Council is expected to vote on the final renaming plan in the coming weeks.
Featured
South Bay leaders respond to Cesar Chavez allegations in San Jose
City and county leaders in the South Bay joined several organizations in East San Jose to share how their community is responding to the allegations against the late Cesar Chavez.