BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Despite small disagreements, the Delano City Council ultimately agreed to remove hints of Cesar Chavez from city locations and monuments following recent allegations of assault made against the late labor leader and activist.

City staff recommended making changes to city properties that depicted Chavez’s name or image. The proposed changes include renaming Cesar Chavez Park as Ellington Park, Cesar Chavez Lane as Chavez Lane and removing his face from the Ellington Community Center mural and Downtown Breezeway mural.

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The City Council unanimously voted to adopt all four recommendations made by staff.

All five members of the City Council were largely in support of the changes, although some of the members shared varying opinions on the individual proposals.

Councilman Bryan Osorio, who made a request to have this discussion during a previous meeting, said he understood how painful this conversation is. He said he wants to commend the perspectives of all, including those who lived through the Farmworker Movement, but that they have to address the claims of abuse that have come to light.

Osorio pointed out the Delano Joint Union High School District made the difficult choice to rename Cesar E. Chavez High School under its jurisdiction and the city should take similar steps.

He expressed support for all recommendations by city staff, but would also be open to park names proposed by the community.

Councilman Joe Alindajao said while they will never know if the accusations against Chavez are true in the legal context, leaders and icons treated as models for children and the community should be held to a standard “beyond reproach.”

Having a school or a park named after you is a privilege, not a right, Alindajao said.

Council woman Liz Morris, who said she grew up during the era of the farmworkers’ strike in the 1960s, said she recognized the sacrifices Chavez made to change the working conditions for farmworkers.

Morris expressed wariness of canceling around 50 years of history involving Chavez and his sacrifices. She suggested keeping the Downtown Breezeway mural the way it is.

“Can we just erase that from our history in our town?” Morris asked. “I don’t think that’s right, it’s not fair.”

Mayor Pro Tem Mario Nunez Jr. expressed his support of the city staff’s recommendations, saying although Chavez did many great things, he didn’t agree with some of the allegations.

Mayor Salvador Solorio-Ruiz said the movement was not about just one man — it was about farmworkers.

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He said he was in full support of the recommended changes and this would allow the city to stand with other communities that are making similar changes.

Solorio-Ruiz also said the community should continue uplifting its farmworkers and not forget its history.

“I do want to just emphasize, I think what everyone here cares about, which is that we cannot remove history, in particular our farmworkers and what they achieved,” said Solorio-Ruiz.

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