Rules committee directs staff to inventory San Jose public assets bearing Cesar Chavez name

The San Jose Rules Committee on Tuesday voted unanimously to send to the full City Council a memo directing staff to inventory all public assets bearing the name Cesar Chavez and to develop a community-driven process to evaluate next steps.

Councilmember David Ortiz, who introduced the memo, said revelations about Chavez’s conduct were “deeply painful and disturbing,” and that survivors must be central to the city’s response. “Our responsibility is to ensure that accountability, dignity, and healing guide how we move forward,” Ortiz said, adding that the inventory and community process are a first step that “does not predetermine any outcome.”

The memo asks staff to identify city-owned buildings, streets and other assets that bear Chavez’s name and to return to council with a process for community engagement and evaluation. Councilmember Candelas urged broad outreach, naming community groups she recommended including the La Raza Historical Society, African American Community Services Agency, NAACP, La Raza Roundtable and Lead Filipino.

Councilmember DeJuan emphasized centering victims and long-term recovery in any review. Vice Mayor Foley and a staff speaker said the city manager had already initiated related work and that staff would pursue parallel work streams so findings could be presented to council promptly.

Chair Cohen explained the directive is intended to inventory and vet assets and to design a community-based evaluation process, not to impose an immediate renaming. The committee voted 5-0 to place the item on the April 7 full City Council agenda.

What happens next: staff will return to the full council with the inventory and a recommended community-engagement process. The April 7 meeting will include the item for discussion; no final decisions were adopted by the committee.