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Glendale council weighs removal of honorary Cesar Chavez signs and asks library board to review holdings
Summary
Council members debated whether to remove honorary Cesar Chavez street signs and whether library books and a streaming video referencing Cesar Chavez should be restricted; several council members opposed removing library holdings and asked staff to bring sign removal to a voting meeting and have the library board review book holdings.
City staff presented a brief inventory of Glendale assets and events referencing Cesar Chavez and asked for council direction on streets, library holdings and event participation.
Staff said honorary street‑name signs for Cesar Chavez are displayed at several signalized intersections along the corridor on 59th Avenue between Maryland and Orangewood; staff estimated about eight staff‑hours of research to confirm the origin of those signs and an additional eight hours to remove them if council directed removal. Staff also reported the library system holds 20 books that feature Cesar Chavez and one streaming video that references him, and noted there are non‑city events that use the name and other events that could be affected by any policy change.
Council members engaged in a robust debate. Several councilmembers urged caution about removing library books or other historical materials, noting the importance of preserving history — “If we start removing books because we don’t like the history, I think we’re doomed to failure,” one member said — and many asked the library board to weigh in. Others suggested alternatives that recognize the farmworkers’ movement rather than focusing solely on an individual name (for example, renaming to ‘Farm Workers Boulevard’ or similar) if council directs removal of honorary signs.
Staff said they would bring street‑sign removal to a voting meeting if council so directed, and would ask the library board to provide recommendations regarding the books and video. Council did not adopt immediate removals at the workshop; staff will return with more formal options and, where requested, with associated procedural steps for a possible future resolution.
What’s next: staff will seek library‑board recommendations about holdings and will bring any council‑directed street‑sign actions to a voting meeting for formal consideration.
