City officials say they want to honor the farmworkers movement rather than the individual.

SACRAMENTO, Calif — Leaders in the City of Sacramento are moving quickly to consider renaming a well-known downtown park currently named after Cesar Chavez.

Cesar Chavez Memorial Plaza, located across from City Hall in Sacramento, has long served as a central gathering space for events and community activities. Now, city leaders say they hope to move forward by honoring the broader movement Chavez represented rather than the individual himself.

“He’s been recognized up and down the state for his contributions to farm workers’ rights, and it’s heartbreaking when we find out that our heroes are not always heroic,” said Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum.

Pluckebaum said the mayor has appointed him, along with other council members, to evaluate whether the park should be renamed.

“The mayor’s appointed myself, Councilmembers Talamantes, Guerra, to work to evaluate whether or not we’re gonna rename this park. I think there’s gonna be strong support for renaming,” he said.

Pluckebaum said the process will take time and include opportunities for public input. While no new name has been proposed, he said the plaza symbolizes civic pride and he hopes any new name will continue to reflect that.

“There’s going to be a desire to still recognize the importance of the labor movement, the farmworkers movement,” he said.

Dr. Lorena Márquez of UC Davis said the focus should shift from honoring an individual to honoring the movement.

“I think we should shift. I think this is an opportunity for us to shift from honoring an individual to honoring the movement,” Márquez said.

She added that this moment could mark a new chapter for the United Farm Workers.

“Allow space for victims to come forward. I think you act responsibly. I think you take every allegation seriously, you investigate and I absolutely think that the farm workers union and movement can recover,” Márquez said.

Beyond the plaza, renaming efforts may also extend to the county level. Phil Serna, a supervisor in Sacramento County, is requesting an agenda item for the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, March 24 to rename Cesar Chavez holiday to “Sacramento County Farm Workers Appreciation Day” for this calendar year, and finding a new name for the holiday moving forward.

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