The City of Long Beach moved to rename parks, streets and facilities named after Cesar E. Chavez after a unanimous city council vote Tuesday night. 

Cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Antonio have moved to do the same, and the state of California will rename the March 31 holiday currently in his name. These changes come after Dolores Huerta, Ana Murguia, and Debra Rojas revealed in the New York Times on March 18 that Chavez sexually abused them for years. For Murguia and Rojas, they were abused by Chavez when they were children. 

“This is a powerful reminder that no woman should ever have to keep shameful secrets to protect a powerful figure,” said Councilmember Tunua Thrash-Ntuk.

Long Beach’s main concern is the park downtown on Golden Avenue named Cesar Chavez Park. The City of Long Beach will also rename the holiday, now known as Cesar E. Chavez Day, into a “more expansive” day of celebration that uplifts the legacy of economic justice and civil rights of the farmworkers movement, specifically recognizing the women leaders in these movements. 

The renaming is now in its review process, and in the coming weeks the City will engage Latino community leaders and residents in the process, according to a statement from Mayor Rex Richardson. 

Jenny Oropeza Community Center (Google Maps)

“It takes an incredible amount of courage to publicly come out against someone like Cesar Chavez, whose structure was admired and hailed as heroic in the American labor movement,” Councilmember Mary Zendejas said. “I am thinking of the most impacted [people] and want to continue to uplift them. Dolores Huerta, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas. Thank you for your courage. This item outlines the thoughtfulness and the process to work with the community and other leaders on the best path forward.” 

The city council is also asking the Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach City College, Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) and other civic and cultural institutions to review their names of facilities, programs, celebrations and anything else that might be named after the disgraced labor rights leader. 

It is the decision of the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) whether and how to rename Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School. Councilmember Megan Kerr acknowledged LBUSD has its own renaming process, and asked that the City allow them to follow their own process. 

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“This is a powerful reminder that no woman should ever have to keep shameful secrets to protect a powerful figure,” said Councilmember Tunua Thrash-Ntuk. She also called for a transparent community-centered process to rename the park and other facilities. “The City of Long Beach is lucky to have a set of esteemed Latino leaders who are here saying that they want to help in that renaming process.”

One resident suggested naming the park after Jenny Oropeza, Long Beach’s first Latina councilmember, first Latina student trustee for the CSU Board of Trustees and the first Latina Associated Students president of CSULB.

Oropeza also championed breaking LBUSD elections up into districts, ultimately giving the Latino community more representation on the board. The same resident, who did not give her name, suggested changing the community center (which is now named the Jenny Oropeza Community Center) to the Latino Cultural Center. 

More information on the community engagement process to rename Cesar Chavez Park will be released in the next few weeks.