{"id":226060,"date":"2026-03-18T23:49:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T23:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/226060\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T23:49:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T23:49:19","slug":"cesar-chavez-streets-days-are-numbered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/226060\/","title":{"rendered":"Cesar Chavez Street\u2019s \u2018days are numbered\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In 1995, then-District 9 Supervisor Tom Ammiano cried, standing beside Eva Royale, the San Francisco regional manager for the United Farm Workers from 1900 to 2002, as the city unveiled the new signs renaming Army Street to Cesar Chavez Street.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ammiano and Royale had embarked on an initiative seeking to pay tribute to the former United Farm Workers founder, who had died two years earlier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ammiano feels very differently today. \u201cIt\u2019s very shattering to hear these revelations,\u201d said Ammiano, who faced strong opposition when he sought to rename Army Street. Opposition, he said, that led to death threats, name-calling, bigotry and even a failed ballot proposition by Noe Valley residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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On Wednesday morning, the New York Times<\/a> published a bombshell report five years in the making that Chavez had sexually abused at least two underaged girls between 1972 and 1977. Labor icon Dolores Huerta, 95, also told the Times on the record that Chavez sexually assaulted her twice \u2014\u00a0and that two of her children were, secretly, his.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hate it for Dolores,\u201d Ammiano said. \u201cI hate it for the survivors. I hate it for all of us who really believed in him, and to hear this is very unsettling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ammiano is one of many Mission residents and Latino leaders reached by Mission Local who reacted strongly to the allegations. They called the news highly disappointing, shattering and deeply sad, and reiterated their support for Huerta.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most importantly, they said, Chavez\u2019s alleged actions should not undermine the farmworker movement and the ongoing fight for labor rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Olga Miranda, president of SEIU Local 87, said local organizers are still processing the news.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Dolores Huerta. We\u2019ve grown up with these names in our households \u2014 Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez,\u201d Miranda said. \u201cIt pains me to know that she\u2019s endured this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chavez\u2019s presence in San Francisco is widespread. The student center at San Francisco State University and an elementary school in the Mission District are named after him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The street named after him runs three miles\u00a0through Districts 8, 9 and 10, and bisects the Mission. District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said he would defer to his Latina colleagues \u2014\u00a0Jackie Fielder and Myrna Melgar \u2014 when it comes to stripping Chavez\u2019s name off the street. But, he said, \u201cthe current name\u2019s days are numbered.\u201d<\/p>\n

District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder said in a statement that her \u201coffice will support community efforts to remove Cesar Chavez\u2019s name from any District 9 institution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melgar said talk of renaming would come later. \u201cMy heart is aching and crying\u2026For all the folks calling for renaming things and cancelling things:\u00a0let\u2019s center those who are harmed FIRST,\u201d she posted<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Changing the name of a street in San Francisco is typically a deeply arduous process<\/a>. City policy on street name changes typically requires input from up to five departments \u2014 the Department of Public Works, the Planning Department, the Police Department, the Fire Department, and the Department of Building Inspection \u2014 and multiple actions from the Board of Supervisors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even after that, it may be difficult to truly erase Chavez\u2019s name, as city rules typically require a street\u2019s former name to also be featured on street signs for a period of five years. Army Street, incidentally, is still featured on Cesar Chavez Street signs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The last major street name change undertaken in San Francisco came in 2014. After former Polish president Lech Walesa made deeply homophobic statements, the small street near City Hall bearing his name was changed<\/a> to honor Gay Games founder Dr. Tom Waddell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On smaller-scale changes, a student at San Francisco State who works at the student center\u2019s front desk told Mission Local that they were instructed to obscure Cesar Chavez\u2019s name on the front desk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As for changing the name of the elementary school in the Mission, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Unified School District said \u201cthe district is closely monitoring the situation\u201d and \u201cshares the community\u2019s concerns regarding the recent allegations involving Cesar Chavez.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AThe back to school crowds on the blacktop at Cesar Chavez Elementary on Aug. 19, 2024. Photo by Anne Li.<\/p>\n

Miranda of SEIU Local 87, for her part, said the revelations shouldn\u2019t overshadow the importance of the United Farm Workers\u2019 mission: to improve labor conditions for people who put food on our tables.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not an opportunity to whitewash murals and rename streets,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is a time to take accountability and recognize that there\u2019s still a lot to work for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ani Rivera, executive director of Galeria de la Raza, called today\u2019s news devastating, but celebrated Huerta\u2019s bravery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis didn\u2019t happen in isolation,\u201d said Rivera. \u201cThis is why we need a women\u2019s agenda. I always say believe women. We have to believe women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spokespeople for Huerta said she is not granting interviews at this time.<\/p>\n

Former District 9 Supervisor David Campos, who met Chavez during Campos\u2019 undergraduate days at Stanford University, echoed Rivera. Especially wrenching, he said, is the loss of what Chavez had represented for the Latino community: a symbol of empowerment and community organizing.<\/p>\n

He was \u201cvery sad to see what has come out, especially because he\u2019s the only figure who\u2019s represented us,\u201d Campos said. \u201cThe allegations are very serious and are very credible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knowing that Huerta \u201csuffered in silence for decades,\u201d he said, was wrenching. \u201cI\u2019m very proud of her courage to come forward and to talk about something that is so painful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Joe Eskenazi.<\/p>\n

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