Two City Council members hosted a community listening session Monday night to discuss whether city-owned sites named after Cesar Chavez, including the main library in downtown Stockton, should be renamed.
The session at the Oak Park Senior Center was organized ahead of Tuesday’s Stockton City Council meeting and led to a variety of opinions. It followed recent allegations of rape and child molestation against the late farm labor leader, which have sparked national conversation and calls for renaming in some cities.
Councilmember Mario Enriquez and Vice Mayor Jason Lee emphasized that the event was for listening only, with no decisions made. Attendees sat at round tables with butcher paper and post-it notes to share thoughts, potential new names and ideas for next steps.
Among the 14 participants included survivors of abuse, farm worker advocates, educators and concerned residents.
Some speakers stressed believing and supporting survivors, but cast doubt about the timing of the allegations. Others highlighted Cesar Chavez’s historic role in the farm workers movement, including gains in wages, breaks, shade, water and union protections for laborers. Several urged separating his “personal flaws” from the broader civil rights and labor legacy, equating Chavez to the movement’s accomplishments.
“I want to address the allegations that are against Cesar,” said Alicia Ramirez, who stated she was a member of the San Joaquin County Farm workers and immigrant support committee. “ I just feel we have to address how the press can accuse, judge and convict a person within 24 hours and erase his legacy.”
The allegations expressed in the New York Times article included interviews with several women who told their stories for the first time, as well as dozens of people including Chavez’s top aides and relatives. Their reports are corroborated by hundreds of pages of union records, confidential emails, photographs and other material.
Victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse also shared their feelings on honoring Chavez by keeping his name on the buildings.
Alyssa Leiva with Stockton Stans is a survivor of abuse. The organization she represents petitioned to remove Chavez’s name.
“We want to highlight the importance of creating shared safety for victims and survivors to be believed and accounted for, to be safe in their own bodies,” Levia said. “No abuse should be tolerated by any figure in the movement. We’d like to take ownership of the impact on how our petition was received, and would like to change the petition and title to the mobilization of the removal of Chavez’s name.”
Educators discussed how to teach the now-more-complex history of Chavez and the United Farm Workers in classrooms. One participant suggested honoring the collective efforts of farm workers, Dolores Huerta, and others rather than focusing on individuals.
Additional concerns raised included protecting the farm worker community amid current immigration enforcement fears, avoiding the weaponization of survivors and ensuring any process involves broad community input rather than rushed action.
Chavez’s legacy marks public spaces in Stockton and the San Joaquin Valley. This includes the Cesar Chavez Library downton and Cesar Chavez High School in north Stockton.