San Jose is cataloging its buildings, streets and other landmarks named after Cesar Chavez \u2014 and will seek broad public input before deciding whether to rename them \u2014 in a process city leaders say must center on survivors of the labor leader\u2019s alleged abuse.<\/p>\n
The City Council\u2019s rules and open government committee unanimously directed staff to compile a full accounting of the city\u2019s Chavez-named landmarks, following a New York Times investigation<\/a> that revealed decades of alleged predatory sexual behavior against women and girls.<\/p>\n The memo calls for identifying every city-owned property, facility and piece of public art bearing Chavez\u2019s name, determining who controls those outside city jurisdiction, mapping out the legal steps needed to rename each one and designing a community engagement process that prioritizes Latino and farmworker communities.<\/p>\n The move comes as elected officials across California reckon with Chavez\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are pushing to rename the upcoming March 31 state holiday \u2014 Chavez\u2019s birthday \u2014 \u201cFarmworkers Day.\u201d Richmond this week<\/a> renamed its holiday Farm Workers Movement Day. San Francisco, San Diego and other cities are also moving to remove his name from public landmarks.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the center of our conversation must be survivors,\u201d said Councilmember Peter Ortiz<\/a>, who co-sponsored the memo. \u201cOur responsibility is to ensure that accountability, dignity and healing guide how we move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n The effort is backed by Councilmembers Pamela Campos, Anthony Tordillos and Domingo Candelas, as well as Mayor Matt Mahan.<\/p>\n Chavez has deep roots in San Jose. Born in Arizona, he moved frequently with his farmworker family before settling in the city\u2019s Mayfair neighborhood on the east side<\/a>, where relatives lived. After serving in the Navy, he married and returned to Mayfair. By the 1960s, he had relocated to Kern County in the Central Valley, where he co-founded the United Farm Workers union alongside Dolores Huerta, herself a celebrated labor leader. The New York Times investigation alleged that Chavez sexually abused Huerta and fathered two of her children.<\/p>\n