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Tulare committee green-lights bilingual survey, outreach to consider renaming Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Park
Summary
A Tulare advisory committee agreed to launch a bilingual public survey with 3–5 name options plus a write-in field, document outreach channels and review responses at a tentative July 15 meeting; staff will report findings to city council and the school board for any formal action.
The Tulare Parks and Recreation advisory committee voted to move forward with a bilingual public survey and outreach plan to gather community input on whether to rename Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Park.
Committee members directed staff to prepare a short survey that first asks whether respondents support changing the park name and, if so, offers 3–5 candidate names with a free-response write-in option. Staff said the survey will include background information about the park, be available in English and Spanish and be promoted through the city’s usual social channels, in-person community events and school-district communications.
"I'm here because we need to change the name," a committee member said, arguing the committee should be clear about its intent before spending substantial staff time on outreach. Melissa James, who identified herself as president of the Tulare City School Board, said the district had discussed the issue and preferred restoring the park’s historical name in some cases: "I think we agree with Lincoln Park since we do have Lincoln School there." Parks commissioner Eric Fahrenkoff urged options that acknowledge the spirit of collective movements rather than focusing on individuals: "It acknowledges the movement … and it doesn't matter whether we're talking about Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Cesar Chavez in this case."
Staff recommended a short, two‑week survey window timed to allow staff to compile responses and produce a report for the committee. The group tentatively set a meeting during the week of July 13 and staff recommended Wednesday, July 15 at 6:00 p.m. to review survey results and prepare a recommendation. Staff also noted the Zoom webinar public-comment capability is available only from the city meeting room used for these meetings and offered to include the webinar registration link in the survey so residents who sign up can receive the meeting connection.
Committee members proposed candidate names to include on the survey — frequently mentioned options were Farmworker(s) Park, Freedom Park, Unity Park and Lincoln Park — and agreed to keep a free-response field so residents can suggest other names, including individuals if they choose. Some members cautioned against naming parks for individuals because future revelations can prompt renewed controversy; others argued preserving the monument and its donor recognition while changing the name could be an acceptable compromise.
Staff briefed the committee that the Tulare City School District owns the land while the city has operated the park for decades. Staff recommended the committee act in an advisory capacity, forwarding a recommendation to the Tulare City Council, which would take the official naming action and then notify the school board.
The committee directed staff to draft the survey questions quickly, circulate a draft for brief committee review, run a bilingual outreach campaign and document all promotion channels in the staff report. The meeting was adjourned after staff confirmed it will contact the survey consultant on Monday and provide the committee with a draft survey for review.
The committee made no final naming decision at the meeting; any official renaming would require subsequent formal action by the city council and coordination with the Tulare City School District.
