The revelations have shattered the longstanding iconic image of Chavez around the nation, and have deep resonance in San José, where he lived for a time and where the movement he and Huerta led witnessed some of its first organizing actions.
Mexican Heritage Plaza, a community gathering space with gardens, a theater, and a school of arts and culture, opened in 1999. The site of the plaza, at the intersection of South King Road and Alum Rock Avenue, once housed a Safeway where one of the earliest grocery store pickets took place during the UFW’s grape boycotts in the 1960s.
For years, until this week, a memorial walkway at the plaza featured a sign with a photo of Chavez and information about his connection to the site. Another corridor featured a deep blue painting, depicting a close-up image of Chavez’s eyes.
By Thursday afternoon, the sign was taken down and leaned against a wall inside an administrative office. The painting was removed and replaced with an image depicting a hummingbird with flowers.
City Councilmember Peter Ortiz said the council is planning to begin “a community-driven process to review public spaces, monuments, and sites, including Cesar Chavez Plaza in downtown San José,” that feature Chavez’s name or likeness, to consider changes.
District 5 San José City Councilmember Peter Ortiz speaks on March 19, 2026, about the city’s plans to review public spaces that bear the name or image of Cesar Chavez, in the wake of the sexual assault allegations against the late labor leader. (Joseph Geha/KQED)
“This will be an open and inclusive process, one that reflects our values and ensures we are not causing further harm to anyone,” Ortiz said.
The home where Chavez once lived, about a mile from Mexican Heritage Plaza, was purchased in 2022 by the nonprofit Amigos de Guadalupe, which has used the space for community organizing meetings and mental health programs.
Maritza Maldonado, the executive director of Amigos, said the organization bought the home to preserve it as a part of East San José history and to lift up the legacy of Chavez.
Maritza Maldonado, the executive director of Amigos de Guadalupe in San José, listens during a community gathering to respond to the sexual assault allegations against the late labor leader Cesar Chavez on Thursday, March 19, 2026. (Joseph Geha/KQED)
“He was a hero for all of us, from this very community, who rose to national and international status here,” she said.
Maldonado said the organization has been holding open meetings to get input on how to develop the space for community use and has been fundraising to build out that reality.
Some plans may need to change, and she said Amigos will ask for more input going forward.
“That house will remain the people’s house,” Maldonado said. “We are deciding what we’re going to name it, but it will remain a place for community organizers, a place of healing, a place of love.”