SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Taxpayers may be shelling out millions to rename city streets and boulevards named in honor of United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union leader Cesar Chavez after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced in March. In San Antonio alone, city leaders project their renaming effort could cost as much as $200,000.
The Conservation Society of San Antonio is currently conducting a survey to determine whether Cesar Chavez Boulevard will be restored to its original name, Durango Boulevard. The push to rename the street will involve removing large interstate exit signs and smaller street-corner markings, which will significantly increase the overall cost. Other expenses associated with the effort will include the required administrative tasks to change individual 911 system addresses for each residence and business located along the existing boulevard.
In addition to the costs taxpayers incur for these expenses, individuals and business owners along the route will incur costs for changing their identity documents, updating mailing addresses, and other important legal documents and advertising materials.
According to a report by ABC Action News, the Fresno City Council in California voted unanimously to begin renaming their Cesar Chavez Boulevard in late March. The original cost to name the street in honor of Chavez in 2024 was $150,000. The council hopes that some money can be saved, as many of the previous road signs were preserved and may be reinstalled.
In San Francisco, a report by the San Francisco Standard estimated that re-etching sidewalks will cost taxpayers $66,000 along a 37-block stretch of Cesar Chavez Boulevard. In 1995, the city was hit with a $900,000 bill from the California Department of Transportation for renaming Amy Street after the labor leader. Inflation will likely result in a much larger cost to provide the same work today to reinstall the Amy Street signs. The major costs stem from highways that cross the area, which require larger, more expensive signs.
Other major cities considering name changes related to streets and boulevards named after the labor leader include Portland, Houston, Austin, Salt Lake City, and Albuquerque, among others.
The push to rename city streets comes after fellow labor rights activist Dolores Huerta claimed to be the victim of two separate sexual assaults at the hands of the late UFW labor leader. Huerta, who will turn 96 in April, was also in a relationship with Richard Chavez, who produced four children. Richard, who died in 2011, was the brother of labor leader Cesar Chavez.
A New York Times report revealed allegations of sexual abuse by Chavez that included the accounts of two women claiming they had been sexually abused by the labor leader when they were girls between 1972 and 1977. The women had not shared their stories before speaking to the Times about their abuse. According to the Times report, more than 60 people were interviewed about the actions of Chavez, including allegations by other women. Dolores Huerta told the Times she had carried the secret of bearing two children to labor leader Cesar Chavez after two incidents of sexual assault.
Chavez, once revered for his leadership in the labor organization and his efforts to raise substandard pay rates for American farm workers, began to lose favor in recent years among some followers due to his hardline stance against illegal immigration. Chavez was once so irritated by illegal aliens breaking UFW picket lines that he and the UFW formed their own private Border Patrol to deter illegal alien crossings in the mid-1970’s. Chávez’s attempts to curtail illegal border crossings were highlighted in an ABC News report from 2013.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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