The Salt Lake City Council wants to rename the honorary span of 500 South known as César E. Chavez Boulevard.
“His name must come down,” council member Alejandro Puy said during a March 24 meeting. Puy’s fellow council members agreed.
In light of a recent New York Times investigation, communities nationwide with streets or holidays named after Chavez are reevaluating whether to keep those memorials of the late union leader and famed activist. The Times found that Chavez allegedly sexually abused two minors and also raped Dolores Huerta, his cofounder of what would become the United Farm Workers.
Council members want community input before settling on a new name. The council could also opt not to name it after an individual. They did not outline a specific timeline or formal process but said the renaming should be deliberate and community-driven — not rushed, but also not drawn out for years.
Personally, Puy said he would like Huerta’s name as the street’s replacement honorary title, highlighting her work as a community leader and the labor movement’s accomplishments.
Member Victoria Petro said Chavez was originally chosen “because of the assumption that he represented something wonderful from the Latino contribution.”
“This has been a perennial marker of the contribution of the Latinos to the improvement of a Salt Lakers’ life,” Petro said. “And that is the overarching place mark that I would like, the bookmark that I'd like to leave here.”
News of the investigation was disappointing and heartbreaking for member Erika Carlsen as a Latina. Like Petro, she would also like the new street name to acknowledge Latino contributions.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall supports replacing Chavez’s name, said Jennifer Bruno, the council’s executive director.
If the council follows a similar process as it has done with previous honorary street names, it will come up with a proposal, notify the community and get feedback first. Then the council would take a vote.
In addition to Salt Lake City, Ogden and West Valley also have stretches of road that bear Chavez’s name. In all three communities, the roads have official numbered street names, like 30th Street in Ogden. As the honorary title, Chavez’s name appears on street signs but not individual postal addresses.
After The New York Times story was published, the Ogden City Council issued a statement that said “these accusations are to be taken seriously.”
“We will continue to monitor the development of this sensitive situation and consider community input before a decision is made,” the statement continued.
At their Tuesday work session, the council directed the mayor’s office to take down the sign with Chavez’s name while they decide how to move forward.
A spokesperson for West Valley City did not immediately return KUER’s request for comment.
César Chavez’s name appears on streets, libraries, schools and community centers across the West. His name is on a street in Boise, a park in Las Vegas, a Phoenix high school and on three schools in New Mexico. The city of Denver moved quickly to rename a park and a city holiday, while lawmakers are working to rename Colorado’s César Chávez Day.
