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Long Beach council launches community-led review to consider renaming Cesar Chavez sites
Summary
After recent reports about Cesar Chavez, the council directed staff to work with Latino leaders, schools and stakeholders on a community-centered process to review parks and facilities that honor Chavez and to rethink the city’s March 31 recognition as a broader farmworker movement celebration.
The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday directed the city manager to begin a community-centered review of parks, facilities and other public assets that honor Cesar Chavez, and to return with a revised resolution recasting the city’s March 31 recognition into a broader celebration of the farmworker movement.
The action came after the vice mayor read a statement from Mayor Rex Richardson acknowledging recent investigative reports about Chavez and urging the city to center survivors. “Honoring that legacy means listening to survivors, supporting them, and ensuring accountability where harm has occurred,” the mayor’s statement said, read into the record.
Councilmembers said they brought the item forward to create a deliberate process led by the Latino community. “As leaders, we have a responsibility to approach these moments with care, compassion, and accountability,” a councilmember said. Several speakers representing Latino civic groups asked the council to request formal, written denouncements of abuse, and to include community representatives in any renaming decisions.
Community leaders who testified urged that any renaming or reimagining process be inclusive and highlight local figures. Sharon Weisman proposed renaming the park after Jenny Oropeza, saying Oropeza helped secure the park for her community and “was the moving force” behind its creation. Tonia Reyes Uranga, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens Long Beach Council, urged the council to ensure Latino representation in any renaming commission and to extend the effort to local schools and cultural institutions.
Councilmembers repeatedly emphasized that the action was the start of a process rather than a final decision. Several members asked staff to coordinate with the Long Beach Unified School District and other civic institutions and to ensure that community feedback drives recommendations. The council voted to carry the motion that forwarded staff direction to design a community-driven renaming process.
Next steps include staff outreach to community stakeholders, coordination with parks and recreation and the city attorney on any proposed ordinance language, and, if needed, revisions presented to council for further direction. The motion did not designate any specific new names; council members and speakers said that should be decided through the forthcoming community process.
The council’s action follows months of discussion among staff and local leaders and reflects a commitment to center survivors’ experiences while balancing historical and civic considerations. The council said it will report back with a timeline and an outline for public engagement.
