{"id":7828,"date":"2026-08-27T07:06:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T07:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828"},"modified":"2026-08-27T07:06:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T07:06:37","slug":"san-jose-releases-rankings-for-a-new-plaza-de-cesar-chavez-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828","title":{"rendered":"San Jose releases rankings for a new Plaza de Cesar Chavez name"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><div><p>San Jose is one step closer to selecting a new name for the city\u2019s popular downtown park, Plaza de Cesar Chavez.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7825\">Girls flag football: How far the sport has come in a short period of time<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" \"plaza=\"\" 10,506=\"\" a=\"\" abuse=\"\" against=\"\" allegations=\"\" alt=\"A chart showing that \" among=\"\" be=\"\" became=\"\" by=\"\" cesar=\"\" change=\"\" chavez=\"\" chavez.\"=\"\" chosen=\"\" city=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7827\" comes=\"\" council=\"\" de=\"\" explosive=\"\" five=\"\" for=\"\" height=\"652\" in=\"\" jose=\"\" jose\"=\"\" march.\"=\"\" may=\"\" name=\"\" names=\"\" of=\"\" pick=\"\" plaza=\"\" potential=\"\" public=\"\" ranked-choice=\"\" renaming=\"\" residents=\"\" response=\"\" san=\"\" sexual=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aa34b88641be15b58fb2a9fbbb1fdfe8.webp\" survey=\"\" that=\"\" the=\"\" to=\"\" top=\"\" was=\"\" width=\"547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aa34b88641be15b58fb2a9fbbb1fdfe8.webp 547w, https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aa34b88641be15b58fb2a9fbbb1fdfe8-252x300.webp 252w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 547px) 100vw, 547px\" \/><\/figure>\n\u201cPlaza de San Jose\u201d was the top pick in a ranked-choice survey of five finalists in which more than 10,000 people expressed their preference.<\/p>\n<p>San Jose\u2019s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services department released the results of the poll \u2013conducted July 24 through Aug. 3 \u2014 on Tuesday. The five choices were drawn from more than 600 community suggestions to rename the park, the most well-known tribute in San Jose to the recently disgraced farm labor leader.<\/p>\n<p>Plaza de San Jose was the clear-cut top choice, receiving the most first-place votes (4,116) and the highest ranked-choice score (3.96). The other finalists, in order on their ranked choice score, were Farmworkers Plaza (2.99), Plaza del Pueblo (2.96), Plaza Park (2.72) and Plaza de Quetzalcoatl (2.36).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe recommended name reflects the city\u2019s history, identity, and the plaza\u2019s longstanding role as San Jose\u2019s civic gathering space,\u201d Jon Cicirelli, director of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, stated in a memo. \u201cThe plaza has served as the historic center before and since the city was founded and the importance of the space as the city\u2019s central plaza was repeatedly raised during the community listening sessions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The city\u2019s Parks and Recreation Commission will review the results at a 5:30 p.m. special meeting Sept. 2 at the Roosevelt Community Center, 901 E. Santa Clara St., and will make a recommendation to the San Jose City Council, which is expected to take up the issue later this fall. The City Council can approve the commission\u2019s recommendation or choose its own name, including a name not among those in the community-driven survey.<\/p>\n<p>The memo from Cicirelli provides a trove of background on the selection process, including a list of community suggestions. More than 600 were received, with about two-thirds of those being deemed eligible entries.<\/p>\n<p>The original list of suggestions included naming the space after labor icon Dolores Huerta, Filipino farmworker leaders, local music legends Los Tigres del Norte, or Blanca Alvarado, San Jose\u2019s first Latina councilmember. Others included Tommie Smith and John Carlos Plaza, Rod Diridon Plaza and The Doobie Brothers Plaza of Musical Arts.<\/p> <div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Many were disqualified because of city guidelines that say public spaces generally cannot be named for people unless they have been dead for at least five years. Strangely, Smash Mouth Plaza wasn\u2019t disqualified for that reason but because they have \u201cno clear connection or significance to San Jose.\u201d Fans of the San Jose band, known for its hit \u201cAll Star,\u201d might disagree.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7823\">Student, 51, turned life around in prison, graduates East Bay college<\/a><\/p>\n<p>There also were a few funny entries, like Plaza McPlazaface, Everyone Was Kung Fu Fighting Park and Joey Chestnut Park.<\/p>\n<p>In a Facebook post that received a lot of positive response, former Mercury News sports columnist Mark Purdy suggested the council go its own way and select \u201cThe Plaza,\u201d harkening back to what residents called the public square for decades, regardless of its name on maps.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we stick to the original name, other elements in the park can be created to salute worthy people and deeds,\u201d Purdy wrote. \u201cThere could be a Farmworkers monument or a Dolores Huerta plaque. There could be a Jim Plunkett fountain, a Brandi Chastain light tower or a Doobie Brothers music stage. A Quetzalcoatl sculpture is already there.\u201d<\/p> <div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Of course, one commenter pointed out that the original Spanish settlers would have called it, \u201cLa Plaza.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once the town square during California\u2019s Spanish era, the 2.3-acre park is situated on Market Street between San Fernando and San Carlos streets. From 1887 until 1958, it was the site of San Jose City Hall and remained a focal point of downtown after that Gothic building was torn down. Over the past five decades, it has hosted several signature events throughout the year including Christmas in the Park, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest and Music in the Park.<\/p>\n<p>The City Council voted to name the park \u2014 which has had several names since the city\u2019s founding including Market Plaza and Plaza Park \u2014 to honor Chavez after the iconic labor leader\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>Officials launched the renaming process last month following explosive sexual abuse allegations against Chavez that became public in March. Chavez\u2019s name, which had been etched into the stone stage at the park\u2019s north end, has since been covered with concrete.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe extraordinary response from our community reflects how deeply San Joseans care about this historic gathering place,\u201d Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement before the ranked-choice survey was conducted.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7821\">Investigation underway into fatal crash in Santa Clara<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The original list of community suggestions included naming the space after labor icon Dolores Huerta, Filipino farmworker leaders, local music legends Los Tigres del Norte, or Blanca Alvarado, San Jose\u2019s first Latina councilmember.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>San Jose releases rankings for a new Plaza de Cesar Chavez name - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"San Jose releases rankings for a new Plaza de Cesar Chavez name - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The original list of community suggestions included naming the space after labor icon Dolores Huerta, Filipino farmworker leaders, local music legends Los Tigres del Norte, or Blanca Alvarado, San Jose\u2019s first Latina councilmember.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-27T07:06:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aa34b88641be15b58fb2a9fbbb1fdfe8.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"547\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"652\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"San Jose releases rankings for a new Plaza de Cesar Chavez name\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-27T07:06:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828\"},\"wordCount\":825,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1e101ace720be63d841fb6e8693134b5-scaled.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Local News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828\",\"name\":\"San Jose releases rankings for a new Plaza de Cesar Chavez name - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1e101ace720be63d841fb6e8693134b5-scaled.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-27T07:06:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1e101ace720be63d841fb6e8693134b5-scaled.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1e101ace720be63d841fb6e8693134b5-scaled.webp\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1621},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=7828#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"San Jose releases rankings for a new Plaza de Cesar Chavez name\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"San Jose releases rankings for a new Plaza de Cesar Chavez name - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"San Jose releases rankings for a new Plaza de Cesar Chavez name - Next City Digest","og_description":"The original list of community suggestions included naming the space after labor icon Dolores Huerta, Filipino farmworker leaders, local music legends Los Tigres del Norte, or Blanca Alvarado, San Jose\u2019s first Latina councilmember.","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-08-27T07:06:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":547,"height":652,"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aa34b88641be15b58fb2a9fbbb1fdfe8.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"San Jose releases rankings for a new Plaza de Cesar Chavez name","datePublished":"2026-08-27T07:06:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828"},"wordCount":825,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1e101ace720be63d841fb6e8693134b5-scaled.webp","articleSection":["Local News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828","name":"San Jose releases rankings for a new Plaza de Cesar Chavez name - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1e101ace720be63d841fb6e8693134b5-scaled.webp","datePublished":"2026-08-27T07:06:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1e101ace720be63d841fb6e8693134b5-scaled.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1e101ace720be63d841fb6e8693134b5-scaled.webp","width":2560,"height":1621},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7828#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"San Jose releases rankings for a new Plaza de Cesar Chavez name"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}