Austin leaders take first steps in renaming Cesar Chavez Street

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin leaders have begun taking the first steps in renaming one of the city’s most well-known streets. 

Following sexual assault allegations against labor and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, city council members are now requesting public input on what comes next.

The backstory:

In a memo sent to Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax on Friday, four city council members requested that Broadnax develop a community outreach plan with the goal of gathering input on renaming Cesar Chavez Street.

As part of the plan, the city manager would be responsible for:

• Work with the Equity Office, Transportation and Public Works Department, and other appropriate departments as needed.
• Engage Latino Community Leaders, labor unions, City Commissions, and residents, businesses, and neighborhood associations located on East and West Cesar Chavez Street.
• Assess estimated renaming costs to the City.
• Assess estimated renaming costs to residents and businesses located on East and West Cesar Chavez Street.
• Follow additional guidelines provided by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials

They also requested that the outreach plan include:

• A series of hybrid listening sessions with at least two in-person sessions and one virtual session.
• An online survey for the general public.
• A stakeholder survey for residents and businesses located on East and West Cesar Chavez Street to understand the impacts of renaming the street

The memo was signed by Jose Velasquez of District 3, Vanessa Fuentes of District 2, Jose "Chito" Vela of District 4, and Zohaib "Zo" Qadri of District 9.

What they're saying:

"What we've heard loud and clear from our community is the importance of us renaming Cesar Chavez Street in our downtown quarter," Council woman Fuentes told FOX 7.

She says that the impact of renaming the street for residents and businesses remains a top priority.

"We want to have extensive stakeholder feedback and engagement, both from community leaders, from labor leaders, from everyone in Austin," she said.

Also at the top of the list for Fuentes is that the street retains its Latino roots.

"Quite frankly, there are not many streets in Austin that uplift the Latino community. My North Star throughout this whole process will be ensuring that it remains a name that uplifts the Latino community," said Fuentes.

The other side:

But not everyone is on the same page, such as Gavino Fernandez Jr., a spokesperson for El Concilio Mexican American Landowners De East Austin. 

The group was responsible for the initial push to rename 1st Street to Cesar Chavez Street in 1993. Now with Chavez’s sexual assault allegations coming to light, Fernandez believes renaming the roadway back to 1st Street is the safest option.

"That will eliminate the risk of whomever we name in the future won't have any issues down the line," says Fernandez.

Fernandez’s organization is now collecting signatures from businesses along East Cesar Chavez to support the name change, but he doesn’t want to abandon its Latino heritage and the legacy left behind by the farmers' movement. 

Their plan is to redesign 1st Street signage to include the United Farm Workers Flag in the background.

"Many of us here were born and raised around here in East Austin. We're also farmworkers. It's something that hits home to us, and we hope to maintain and keep that tradition of the full support for the United Farm Workers Movement," said Fernandez.

What's next:

The memo requests that City Manager Broadnax report back at a work session on May 26 with the outreach plan, cost estimates to rename Cesar Chavez Street, and a proposed timeline for the entire process.