The San Diego City Council Tuesday officially removed the name of César Chávez from a city holiday and a street in Barrio Logan, following last month’s shocking sexual abuse allegations against the deceased labor leader. The City Council approved an amendment to the San Diego Municipal Code t o rename the March 31 holiday to Farmworkers Day. Additionally, César E. Chávez Parkway, located in Barrio Logan, has been renamed Chicano Park Boulevard. Both changes are intended to honor the legacy of farmworker-rights activism and the Chicano movement. “The farmworkers movement was a foundational part of the Chicano Movement, rooted in the fight for dignity and justice for workers across California and beyond,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “In San Diego, that legacy is reflected in Barrio Logan and Chicano Park, which remain enduring symbols of community identity and cultural history. This renaming of the city holiday, as well as Cesar Chavez Parkway to Chicano Park Boulevard, reflects that history and ensures our civic assets align with our values.” The holiday and street were the latest of several institutions, parks and public spaces in San Diego County being considered for renaming following a New York Times report that Chávez allegedly sexually assaulted female followers as young as 12 in the 1970s and raped United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, now 96, in 1966. Related stories Barrio Logan Apr 6 San Diego Community College District approves renaming César E. Chávez campus San Diego County Mar 30 San Diego celebrates newly named ‘Farmworkers Day' News Mar 31 For César Chavez supporters, a painful question: What to do with his legacy now California Mar 20 San Diego moves to erase Cesar Chavez tributes after sexual abuse allegations Both the San Diego Community College District and San Diego Unified School District have already undertaken efforts to rename facilities named after Chávez. The Times story was published one day after the UFW and the César Chávez Foundation announced that they were abstaining from honoring the late labor leader on this year’s state holiday on March 31, citing “disturbing allegations.” Many governments around the state celebrated the day as Farm Workers Day instead. Gloria issued an executive order last month directing city departments to remove references to Cesar Chavez from city programs, facilities and public assets. Over the past month, several community meetings were held to inform stakeholders and gather input on the renaming of the 0.8-mile street bearing Chávez’ name. The Barrio Logan Community Planning Group, Barrio Logan Association and Chicano Park Steering Committee supported the proposed renaming. Additionally, the city is in the process of updating the official name of the San Ysidro Larsen Field Community Center, which was previously called the César Chávez Community Center. The Times said its story was based on interviews with more than 60 people, including top Chávez aides at the time, his relatives and former members of the UFW. The story quotes a woman who says Chávez took her into his office when he was 45 and she was 13, kissed her and pulled her pants down. She said dozens of sexual encounters followed over the next four years, though she says none involved intercourse. Another woman says she was 12 when Chávez groped her breast, and 15 when he arranged to have her stay at a motel during a march through California and had sexual intercourse with her. Both women were the daughters of organizers who had marched in rallies alongside Chávez, according to the Times. The story claims that Chávez used other women in the farm labor movement for “sexual gratification.” Huerta, who turned 96 on April 10, told the newspaper that Chávez drove her to a secluded grape field in Delano, California, in 1966 and raped her in the vehicle. She said she never reported the attack out of concerns for police hostility toward Chávez and the labor movement, and because she feared she wouldn’t be believed. “Unfortunately, he used some of his great leadership to abuse women and children — it’s really awful,” Huerta told The Times. ...read more read less