BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
City staff recommended making changes to city properties that depicted Chavez\u2019s name or image. The proposed changes<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Watch \u2018After Sunrise\u2019 on KGET+; Click to learn how to get KGET+ on your smart TV devices <\/a><\/p>\n The City Council unanimously voted to adopt all four recommendations made by staff.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Councilman Bryan Osorio, who made a request<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n He expressed support for all recommendations by city staff, but would also be open to park names proposed by the community.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cbeyond reproach.\u201d<\/p>\n Having a school or a park named after you is a privilege, not a right, Alindajao said.<\/p>\n Council woman Liz Morris, who said she grew up during the era of the farmworkers\u2019 strike in the 1960s, said she recognized the sacrifices Chavez made to change the working conditions for farmworkers.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cCan we just erase that from our history in our town?\u201d Morris asked. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s right, it\u2019s not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Pro Tem Mario Nunez Jr. expressed his support of the city staff\u2019s recommendations, saying although Chavez did many great things, he didn\u2019t agree with some of the allegations.<\/p>\n Mayor Salvador Solorio-Ruiz said the movement was not about just one man \u2014 it was about farmworkers.<\/p>\n