FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — The city of Fresno is reconsidering the name of Cesar Chavez Boulevard following recent sexual assault allegations against the late labor leader and civil rights activist.
City leaders are now discussing whether to revert the street back to its original name, Ventura Boulevard. Fresno had previously renamed a 10-mile stretch of road in honor of Chavez, installing approximately 280 new street signs.
The city confirmed it retained all of the original Ventura Boulevard signs, meaning a reversal could be completed with minimal additional cost.
Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias, who initially pushed for the renaming, is now reversing course in light of the allegations.
“He fought and advocated for our parents and ourselves, who are farm workers,” Arias said. “But that type of character should not be on our city streets.”
Some local business owners support the potential change.
“I 100% agree that we shouldn’t idolize somebody who we didn’t even know 100% of,” said Catalina Tapia, manager at Tijuana Tacos y Mariscos.
Others say the name has been tied to negative experiences in the community. David Sarabian of Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church recalled past tensions associated with farmworker protests.
“Back when I was growing up, my father was a farmer and workers were protesting growers,” Sarabian said. “They knocked over our boxes and knocked my father down. It was something violent that I’ll never forget.”
The city previously spent more than $140,000 replacing the signs during the initial renaming. However, officials say reverting the name would be significantly less expensive since the original signage has been preserved.
Fresno city leaders announced they will hold a special meeting at 3 p.m. Thursday to discuss the possible name change.