San Antonio leaders consider renaming César E. Chávez Blvd after new allegations

SAN ANTONIO — What took more than a decade of activism and debate to achieve could now be undone much more quickly.

San Antonio leaders are considering whether to rename César E. Chávez Boulevard, following bombshell allegations that have sparked a national reassessment of the labor leader’s legacy.

Several women recently came forward in a report by The New York Times, accusing Chávez of sexual abuse. The allegations have prompted cities across the country to reconsider streets, landmarks, and celebrations named in his honor.

The downtown street was originally known as Durango Boulevard before being renamed in 2011 after months of City Council debate and years of advocacy by local activists.

“At that time, we all just assumed that he was an impeccable individual that did great things for a great movement,” said State Rep. Ray Lopez, who served on the City Council during the renaming effort.

Now, Lopez says the city must reconsider how it honors Chávez.

“Something has to be done about the renaming and the celebrating of the name,” he said. “We should figure out a way of making sure that we honor the work that was done by the many, many people that did it.”

State Rep. Philip Cortez was also on the city council at the time and led the effort to rename the street in honor of Chávez. He says he was disturbed and disappointed when he heard the allegations.

“We did the best we could based on what we knew at the time,” he said. Now, he supports renaming the street.

At the state level, the representatives say the Texas legislature will make further efforts to retract or rename the César E. Chávez holiday.

It is expected to be a bipartisan effort.

National ripple effect

The controversy is not limited to San Antonio.

Cities across the United States are now weighing whether to remove Chávez’s name from streets, public spaces, and holidays. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has already announced the state will no longer observe César Chávez Day.

Locally, San Antonio has also canceled its annual Chávez Day celebration.

What happens next

Any decision to rename the boulevard would require action from the current City Council.

Councilwoman Teri Castillo said the process will involve extensive community input, particularly from residents and businesses along the corridor.

“What we know is that the name does need to come down, and we do need to rename the boulevard,” Castillo said. “Now it’s about engaging the folks who reside on that corridor to hear what they would like to see.”

Castillo has proposed holding community listening sessions this spring to gather input on a new name—not only for the street, but also for the city’s holiday.

We spoke with a few residents who live along the street, who told us they’d like to see it return to being called Durango after these allegations surfaced.

No matter what the city decides, those residents are urging caution. If the street name changes, they’ll have to update driver’s licenses, passports, tax documents, and other records, so they hope this will be the final alteration.