Hours after a bombshell New York Times report that civil rights leader Cesar Chavez allegedly groomed and abused children and raped women, Fresno leaders and advocates called for the removal of his name from street signs.
Chavez, who died at 66 in 1993, has long been viewed as a civil rights icon and revered figure for his work in organizing farmworkers in Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley. The Times report listed civil rights icon Dolores Huerta among his accusers, as well as women who were as young as 8 when they said they were first groomed and later assaulted by Chavez.
The city of Fresno put his name in 2024 on a major thoroughfare that once shared the names Kings Canyon Boulevard and Ventura and California avenues.
One of the local leaders to carry the idea to fruition was Councilmember Miguel Arias, who said Wednesday he felt lightheaded and thought he might faint when he heard the allegations from Huerta, who said Chavez raped her in 1966.
He called for the removal of the roughly 200 streets signs along the 10-mile stretch of the boulevard.
“When the matriarch, though I would describe it effectively, when the abuelita sits you down at the dinner table and tells you the truth about what happened back in the day, we have a responsibility to listen and to act in a way that honors the pain and sets a new standard for the rest of us to adhere to,” Arias said.
He said it would take some time to figure out the process to remove the names, but said he would pursue it.
In its 2022-23 budget, the City Council earmarked $1 million to cover the costs for replacing city street signs at intersections.
Acting City Council President Nelson Esparza told The Bee on Wednesday he planned to a sign the order for a special meeting of the council for Thursday, when a regular meeting is already scheduled.
“I’ve heard enough, I’ve seen enough,” he said. “I support the survivors.”
Esparza said he planned to vote for bringing the signs down, calling the allegations “heartbreaking.” He said he was told the city retained many of the signs that were replaced by Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez, who is not related to the civil rights leader, was on the City Council in 2023 and was among the majority that voted 6-1 to change the name. He said on Wednesday he no longer supports the street name.
“Had I known then what I know now, I would not have supported that,” he said in a written statement. “As a foster parent for seven years, I’ve seen the devastating effects of sexual abuse of children. I have zero tolerance for that.”
Chavez stressed the movement to fight for the rights of farmworkers should not be overshadowed by feelings for the acts alleged of the civil rights leader. He praised Huerta and the other victims who spoke up.
The effort to rename the boulevard was not without controversy. Local residents argued the change could be a hassle and expense for business owners with Kings Canyon or other addresses. Members of the African-American community noted the California Avenue piece of the stretch of boulevard held historical value.
Sections of the road that fell within county islands never saw the change, including the Kings Canyon signs that remain in the area of Clovis Avenue. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously against the change.
A nonprofit that formed around the time the City Council was discussing a potential name change also called for the street to return to its former names. Called 1 Community Compact, the group filed a lawsuit, that alleged the council’s decision to put the resolution’s vote on the consent agenda was a way to “limit” council debate and public participation.
A judge ruled in favor of the city.
A Cesar Chavez statue at Fresno State was covered by a black cloth, according to an eyewitness on Wednesday. The school’s media office told The Bee a statement was being prepared.
A work crew installs a new Cesar Chavez Boulevard sign in place of a Ventura Avenue sign at C Street in Fresno on Friday, June 14, 2024. Cesar Chavez Boulevard will now be the name of the road starting from California and Marks in west Fresno, continuing east along Ventura through downtown and then down Kings Canyon Road ending at Peach Avenue for a total of 10 miles. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com 
Participants at the July 26, 2024 celebration of Cesar Chavez Boulevard in southeast Fresno received a commemorative pin. JUAN ESPARZA LOERA jesparza@vidaenelvalle.com 
A stretch of Kings Canyon Road in southeast Fresno is part of a project approved by the Fresno City Council in March 2023 to rename a 10.2-mile stretch of major streets to Cesar Chavez Boulevard to honor the late labor leader. JOHN WALKER Fresno Bee file photo 
Julie Chávez Rodríguez, granddaughter of civil rights leader César E. Chávez, and Fresno State emeritus faculty member Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, place a garland around the statue of Chávez in the Peace Garden at Fresno State in 2018. CRAIG KOHLRUSS Fresno Bee file
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 11:10 AM.
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Reporter Thaddeus Miller has covered cities in the central San Joaquin Valley since 2010, writing about everything from breaking news to government and police accountability. A native of Fresno, he joined The Fresno Bee in 2019 after time in Merced and Los Banos.