San Jose announces finalists to replace Cesar Chavez’s name on central park

The city of San Jose announced a survey Friday with five finalists for Plaza de Cesar Chavez, bringing the city one step closer to removing the disgraced labor leader’s name from its most popular park.

The potential replacement names are: Farmworkers Plaza, Plaza de Quetzalcoatl, Plaza de San Jose, Plaza del Pueblo and Plaza Park. Community members can give their preferences in a ranked-choice survey that will be open until midnight Aug. 3. The survey is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/29TD923.

The candidates are based on a series of community listening sessions and suggestions from the public. Eligible suggestions were reviewed to make sure they follow naming criteria, which generally excludes naming facilities or land after living people.

“Community engagement is fundamental to how we make important decisions that shape the future of San Jose,” City Manager Jennifer Maguire said in a statement. “Every survey response helps us better understand the community’s priorities and provides valuable input as we prepare a recommendation for the Parks and Recreation Commission and City Council.”

City staff will review the results after the survey closes and present recommendations to the Parks and Recreation Commission on Sept. 2. The commission’s recommendation will go to the city council, which will make the final decision.

The city council voted to name the park — which has had several names since the city’s founding including Market Plaza and Plaza Park — to honor Chavez after the iconic labor leader’s death in 1993. Chavez lived in San Jose in the 1950s and started his organizing in the city, helping get out the vote among Latino residents.

Officials launched the renaming process last month following explosive sexual abuse allegations against Chavez that became public in March.

“The extraordinary response from our community reflects how deeply San Joseans care about this historic gathering place,” Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement. “Residents shared an inspiring range of names and ideas, and now we’re inviting them to rank the finalists so we can move closer to a name that honors the plaza’s history, reflects our shared values and represents the community it serves.”