San Fernando City Council votes to remove Cesar E. Chavez statue, orders mural covered and review of commemorations

The San Fernando City Council voted unanimously to remove the Cesar E. Chavez statue and plaque and directed staff to cover and fence the mural bearing Chavez’s image while the city evaluates how to modify the artwork and other commemorations.

The decision came during a special meeting called by Mayor Joel Fajardo to consider community reaction to recent allegations tied to Chavez. After extended public comment from survivors and community members — including Astrid Serrano of Somos Familia Valle and survivor-organizer Damiana Cano — the council debated seven staff- and mayor-proposed actions and then took formal direction to begin removal of the monument and to return with a plan.

Why it matters: speakers at the meeting framed the debate as both an accountability issue for survivors and a question of preserving the history and educational value of farmworkers’ organizing. Council members balanced those concerns by ordering removal of Chavez’s statue and plaque while asking staff to consult the original mural artist and the public about how best to re-envision the site.

Council action and immediate next steps City minutes record a motion to remove the monument (motion text recorded on the dais). The roll call recorded four votes in favor: Councilmember Patty Lopez (yes), Councilmember Marisol Alatorre (yes), Councilmember Mary Mendoza (yes) and Mayor Joel Fajardo (yes); Vice Mayor Victoria Garcia was absent. The motion carried. The transcript does not name the member who moved or the member who seconded; staff confirmed a second was recorded during the meeting.

Council directed staff to: cover and fence the mural and statue to prevent vandalism; begin removal of the statue and plaque; review the MOU and artist agreements that govern the mural to confirm the city’s rights and to determine the legal process for altering imagery; and return to the council with a concrete work plan and timeline. Staff told the council it would consult the original artist where feasible and bring back options at the next meeting.

Public testimony and competing views Public commenters and council members voiced two persistent themes: strong support for survivors and concern that the contributions of farmworkers not be neglected. Astrid Serrano, a community organizer at Somos Familia Valle, told the council she was “disgusted and disappointed that my home city would continuously celebrate this man despite all the information being readily available,” and urged removal of statues and other honorary namings. Damiana Cano, who identified herself as a survivor and organizer, said holding leaders accountable strengthens community standards.

Other speakers with long ties to the farmworker movement urged the council not to erase the movement’s history and suggested rebranding parts of the site to honor collective struggle and other leaders. Olivia Robledo, a longtime educator and former principal, said the monument has educational value and urged the city to consider restoration or selective modification so students could continue to learn from the site.

Broader directions and communications The council also gave staff broader direction: to draft a council statement incorporating input from the meeting (staff’s public relations consultant will circulate a revised draft for review), to send letters to Republic Services requesting a scholarship name change, to send a letter of support for a local LAUSD name change at Cesar Chavez Learning Academy, and to ask state legislators to consider renaming the state holiday on a different date (the council discussed adopting the term “Farm Workers Day” consistent with neighboring jurisdictions). Councilmembers also asked staff to bring back a report on the Pueblo y Salud MOU for council review and to begin a two-step review of street names beginning with Maclay Street.

What the council did not decide Councilmembers repeatedly emphasized that the MOU with Pueblo y Salud and any contractual details would be reviewed by staff and the city attorney before any termination or other legal steps. The council did not vote to terminate that MOU at the meeting; instead staff was directed to return with the relevant agreement language and options for council consideration.

What’s next City staff said it will circulate a revised statement to the council for review, proceed to cover and fence the mural and site immediately, begin removal of the statue and plaque consistent with city procedures, consult the mural artist about options to modify imagery, and return with a report (including MOU/legal review and proposed timelines) at the next meeting.