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Fresno council votes 7-0 to restore California, Ventura and Kings Canyon street names after public hearing
Summary
After hours of public comment and questions about cost and process, the Fresno City Council voted unanimously to revert sections of Cesar Chavez Boulevard to their original names — California Avenue, Ventura Street and Kings Canyon Road — and directed staff to begin sign replacement in early May.
Council members voted unanimously on April 26 to reverse a 2023 renaming of a multi-mile corridor that had been designated Cesar Chavez Boulevard, restoring the historical names California Avenue, Ventura Street and Kings Canyon Road.
The decision followed a lengthy public hearing in which dozens of residents, business owners and community leaders spoke for and against the reversion. Supporters of restoring the original names emphasized local history and wayfinding, telling the council that the older names had generational meaning. Opponents urged the city not to remove honors to farmworker organizing and asked instead for alternative locations to commemorate leaders.
Planning staff had recommended approval of application P26-00936 and attached an environmental assessment (P26-00936.1) specific to changing signs. Staff told council members they would notify affected agencies and owners and begin onsite sign replacement the weekend of May 1, with freeway signage handled separately through Caltrans and taking longer to fabricate and install.
Council member remarks and public testimony reflected sharply different community priorities. "Would we be having this discussion if that street was called Jeffrey Epstein? We wouldn't," Lisa Flores said on Zoom, urging council to act on recent allegations about Cesar Chavez. Supporters of the revert included longtime residents who said visitors and delivery drivers were confused by the 2023 change and that the older names connect neighborhoods to regional places such as Kings Canyon National Park. "These names have history, they have legacy, and they have meaning," community leader Nick Kazarian told the council.
Council members pressed staff about timeline and cost. Public Works Director Scott Moer told the council that the city had 100% of the sign panels on hand but only about 80% were reusable; crews planned to replace on-street signs corridor-wide over roughly three weekends in mid-May, starting May 1. Caltrans signs along freeways will require separate procurement and will take several months to fabricate and install.
Council member Carbassi said he would pledge $10,000 from his district reserves to help small businesses with transition costs, acknowledging concerns from residents about the burden of address changes. Staff noted that when the 2023 change was made the city offered reimbursements and only one business ultimately submitted documentation to be reimbursed.
The roll-call vote was 7-0. Council President Esparza, Vice President Maxwell, and council members Perea, Carbassi, Aras, Vang and Richardson voted to approve the reversion. The planning department will mail notices to affected addresses and coordinate next steps with public works and Caltrans.
The measure does not itself create a new commemoration site; several speakers who urged honoring farmworker leaders asked the council to consider new plaques or facilities for that purpose rather than renaming the corridor.
What happens next: staff will distribute official notices to affected property owners and residents, public works will begin sign changes the first weekend in May where feasible, and Caltrans will handle state/highway signage on a longer procurement timetable.
