Cesar Chavez Plaza renaming process to kick off this month in Sacramento
Two months after sexual abuse allegations were made against the late civil rights and labor union leader Cesar Chavez, the city of Sacramento is kicking off a community engagement campaign to rename its eponymous park downtown.
The city is seeking to ensure the new name reflects Sacrament’s values, history and cultural diversity, according to a staff report. The Youth, Parks, & Community Enrichment department is seeking to conduct a “transparent, accessible, inclusive” process targeting diverse communities in Sacramento.
The city will run an online survey from June 12 to July 24. After a staff and subcommittee review, the Parks and Community Enrichment Commission will issue a recommendation to the council, which is slated to adopt the new name in October or November.
The Arts Commission will discuss the implications of the park renaming for the public art within the plaza at its 1 p.m. meeting on Monday.
The plaza, historically called City Plaza or Plaza Park, has served as a central civic space since its founding in 1849, just months after the city was formally established. The one-square block was renamed in 1997 to celebrate Chavez’s life.
Public officials expressed support for renaming the park in the days after Chavez was accused of sexually abusing children and raping fellow civil rights icon Dolores Huerta in a bombshell report by The New York Times. The statue commemorating Chavez in Sacramento was immediately covered.
Nearby, Davis Joint Unified School District renamed its namesake campus to Monarca Elementary School, which the renaming committee chose because it honors the school’s multicultural identity and because it “symbolizes transformation, growth, and resilience.”
Sacramento City Unified School District officials may also pursue a name change of its TK-6 campus in Meadowview, previously saying that they wanted to start conversations with the school community on how to move forward “while continuing to uplift and honor the many contributions of Hispanic and Latino leaders in all walks of life.”
